INDIANAPOLIS — How do you like this start to swimming’s U.S. Olympic Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium?
An 18-year-old Hoosier today broke a record held by Michael Phelps, and the men’s 400-meter freestyle has effectively become a Hamilton County championship.
Luke Whitlock broke a Phelps age-group record in the 400-meter freestyle. Six Hamilton County swimmers advanced to Saturday night's 8 o’clock session, five of them from Carmel.
Out of prelims, the top four in the 400 freestyle were:
Whitlock, a Noblesville resident representing Fishers Area Swimming Tigers, 3:46.42; David Johnston, 3:47.17; Jake Mitchell, a Carmel Olympian, 3:47.76, and Aaron Shackell, also of Carmel, 3:47.96.
Two Olympic medalists, Kieran Smith and Bobby Finke, were sixth and eighth in 3:48.25 and 3:48.63, respectively.
Whitlock has committed to the University of Florida, where Mitchell and Katie Ledecky train. Whitlock broke the 17-18 record of 3:46.73 set in 2003 by Phelps, winner of a record 23 Olympic gold medals.
Carmel’s Drew Kibler, also an Olympian, scratched out of the 400 freestyle.
Also advancing to tonight were three more from Carmel: Kayla Han in the 400 freestyle, and Alex Shackell and Kelly Pash in the 100 butterfly.
As expected, Ledecky was fastest in heats of the 400 freestyle in 3:59.99. Indiana University’s Anna Peplowski surged late to tie for seventh in 4:09.87. Madi Mintenko, daughter of Indiana Olympic medalist Lindsay (Benko) Mintenko, was No. 4 qualifier at 4:07.53.
Han, coming off her sophomore year at Carmel High School, was less than a tenth of a second from the top eight in 4:09.96. Because of two scratches, Han, world junior gold medalist in the 800 freestyle, is in tonight’s final.
Alex Shackell and Pash were fourth and fifth in heats of the 100 butterfly in 57.07 and 57.66, respectively. Top 16 advance to semifinals.
Shackell, 17, is coming off her junior year. She climbed to No. 3 on the all-time 17-18 list behind Torri Huske and Claire Curzan.
University of Virginia’s Gretchen Walsh, the sensation of March’s NCAA Championships (in a 25-yard pool), had the top fly time of 55.94. That made her second-fastest American ever behind Huske, who set an American record of 55.64 in winning a gold medal at the 2022 World Championships. Huske was second-fastest of the heats in 56.26.
Also ahead of the Carmel swimmers was Regan Smith, 56.68. She is the favorite in the 200 butterfly and in both backstrokes.
IU’s Josh Matheny, a member of last year’s world team, qualified No. 2 in the 100 breaststroke in 59.34. Also advancing to semifinals were Brian Benzing, who is transferring from Towson to IU, seventh in 1:00.16, and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Cody Miller of IU, 12th in 1:00.45.
Contact WTHR correspondent David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.
