Swimming in the “A” final of the 400m freestyle at 9:15 a.m., Sandeno seemed unfazed by the time reversal, cruising to first place in 4:17.77, nearly three seconds ahead her Club Wolverine teammate Emily Brunemann (Ann Arbor, Mich.) who finished second in 4:20.44. Elizabeth Beisel (Saunderstown, R.I.) took third in 4:20.96 while her World Championship teammate Kim Vandenberg (Moraga, Calif.) was fifth in 4:21.40.
Phelps also swam to a decisive victory in the 400m freestyle, finishing in 3:55.33, more than a second ahead of the field. Pan American Games-bound Robert Margalis (St. Petersburg, Fla.) was second in 3:56.56 while Peter Vanderkaay (Rochester, Mich.) took third in 3:57.70.
Sandeno claimed her second win of the session in the 200m IM. The two-time Olympian pulled to a slight lead by the half-way mark and never trailed, touching in 2:17.72. Club Wolverine teammate Margaret Kelly (Ann Arbor, Mich.) finished just .14 seconds behind in 2:17.86 and U.S. Junior Team swimmer Felicia Lee (Towson, Md.) took third in 2:18.82.
In the men’s 200m IM, Phelps, the reigning world record-holder in the event, posted a time of 2:02.46, which was nearly three seconds faster than the competition. In second place was Keith Beavers of Region Of Waterloo Swim Club (2:05.30) and Margalis rounded out the top three with a time of 2:06.58. Olympian Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.) touched fourth with a time of 2:07.67.
Team Puerto Rico’s Vanessa Garcia won the women’s 50m freestyle with a time of 25.93, after entering as the top seed. Garcia out-touched World University Games Team member Kara Denby (Simi Valley, Calif.), who was second in 26.16 and 2004 Olympian Katie Hoff (Towson, Md.) who was third in 26.18.
In the men’s sprint event, Club Wolverine’s Derrick Roe was the winner with a time of 23.52. Roe out-touched Mizzou’s Bennet Clark (23.74) and Marietta, Georgia’s Bryan Lundquist (23.79).
The first day of finals concluded with two heats each of the men’s and women’s 400m freestyle relays. The men’s A final featured a showdown between two Club Wolverine Teams. The squad of Davis Tarwater (Knoxville, Tenn.), Chris DeJong (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Evan Ryser and Peter Vanderkaay emerged victorious with a time of 3:30.68. Tarwater got the team out to an early lead and the remaining swimmers built that lead to as much as 3.39 seconds. At the final touch, the victors held a margin of 2.25 seconds over the second-place squad of Bobby Savulich (Edison, N.J), Charlie Houchin (Raleigh, N.C.), Matt Patton (Charlotte, N.C.) and Phelps, who finished in 3:32.93. The team from Athens Bulldog was third in 3:35.43.
On the women’s side, Club Wolverine’s “A” relay took first place, posting a time of 3:53.82. The squad of Margaret Kelly, Allison Schmitt (Canton, Mich.), Lindsey Smith (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and Sandeno took an early lead and never trailed. In second place with a time of 3:54.52 was the team from Athens Bulldog, anchored by World Championship swimmer Mary Descenza (Naperville, Ill.). North Baltimore, anchored by world record-holder Katie Hoff, finished in third with a time of 3:55.50.
The Eric Namesnik Memorial Grand Prix resumes tonight with prelims in the 400m IM, 100m fly, 200m free, 100m breaststroke, 100m backstroke and the 400m medley relay.
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