Cardinals Post Strong Swims at US Open Championships

November 13, 2020 | Swimming & Diving

Nine Cardinals record top-3 finishes on the second day of competition.

By: Chandler Brandes

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The University of Louisville men's and women's swim team have returned to racing at the Toyota U.S. Open Championships, which takes place on Nov. 12-14 at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind.

Hayden Curley kicked things off on Thursday evening, posting a lifetime best of 8:04.06 in the 800m freestyle to take fourth overall. Ilia Sibirtsev (8:13.36) placed sixth while Marcelo Acosta (8:23.25) finished seventh.

Alena Kraus began Friday's session by finishing fourth in the 400m freestyle with a time of 4:21.15. On the men's side, Curley again placed fourth in the 400m freestyle, stopping the clock in 3:55.97 ahead of Sibirtsev (3:57.22) who took fifth.

Maria Sumida dropped six seconds from her entry time to finish third in the 400m individual medley with a time of 4:48.66. She also posted a fifth-place showing in the 200m individual medley (2:18.28) as Tristen Ulett (2:18.94) placed eighth.

Former UofL standout Mallory Comerford took the top spot in the 200m freestyle in 2:00.34. She was also the runner-up in the 50m freestyle after posting a time of 25.59, with Casey Fanz (25.76) and Gabi Albiero (25.89) finishing right behind her.

Led by Albiero (1:00.21) and followed by Kraus (1:00.49), Christiana Regenauer (1:00.84), and Ulett (1:01.11), UofL claimed third through sixth place in the 100m butterfly. In the men's event, Zach Harting (52.62) took second while Nicolas Albiero (53.39) finished fourth.

Andrej Barna clinched a victory in the 50m freestyle, getting his hand to the wall in 22.76 as Michael Eastman (23.24) posted the seventh-fastest time. Barna (1:49.82) also led UofL in the 200m freestyle, followed by Curley (1:51.85), Eastman (1:52.18), and Colton Paulson (1:52.30).

Kaylee Wheeler posted a time of 1:10.42 in the 100m breaststroke to secure third while Morgan Friesen (1:11.09) finished sixth. After getting his hands to the wall in 1:00.60, Evgenii Somov secured a second-place finish in the men's 100m breaststroke.

Albiero registered a fourth-place finish in the men's 100m backstroke to conclude the second day of competition. Nikolaos Sofianidis (55.99) and Jack Wever (56.40) finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in that event.

The 2020 Toyota U.S. Open is split across nine different sites to ensure swimmers and coaches can participate safely with all local, state and federal health guidelines strictly adhered to at each location. Results from each of the nine meets will be combined by USA Swimming and published in a comprehensive results report.

The women's flight will begin tomorrow at 9 a.m. with the men starting at 12:45 p.m.
The final day of competition will include the 1500m freestyle, 200m backstroke, 100m freestyle, 200m breaststroke, and 200m butterfly.