IRVINE Positioned in Lane 1 for the final heat of prelims, Saugus senior-to-be Abbey Weitzeil of Santa Clarita-Canyons Aquatic Club blazed to a lifetime-best 54.41 seconds to qualify sixth for tonight’s 6 p.m. finals and move sixth all-time in the 17-18 age-group. She needs a top-four finish in finals to automatically qualify for the Pan Pacific Championships
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Stanford commit Simone Manuel of Sugar Land, Texas qualified first in 53.60. The Cardinal also have a commitment from gold medalist Katie Ledecky, so watch out for Stanford in the future.
Katie McLaughlin of the Mission Viejo Nadadores and Santa Margarita qualified third in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:09.49. A top-three finish in tonight’s final could likely place the senior-to-be on the Pan Pacific Championships team.
About 45 minutes after the 200 fly, McLaughlin returned for the 100 free and clocked a 56.02, good for 34th and a spot in the 18-and-under C final.
Crean Lutheran senior-to-be Ella Eastin of SOCAL qualified 15th in the 200 butterfly in 2:12.47 and a spot in the B final. …
In the men’s 200 butterfly, Grant Shoults of the Nadadores and Santa Margarita (lifetime-best 1:59.77) and University product Corey Okubo of Aquazot (1:58.58) each qualified for the B final. Santa Margarita grad Chris Taber of Aquazot qualified for the 18-and-under C final in the 200 fly with a 2:02.87. …
Former Edison and Cal standout Tom Shields had an interesting path to reach the A final of the 200 fly. He finished fourth in his heat, the second-to-last one, and then watched the last heat go slower than his, leaving him as the No. 5 seed with a lifetime-best 1:57.21. Ex-FAST swimmer Tyler Clary qualified first with a 1:56.11, the seventh-fastest time in the world this year.
