IRVINE — Ella Eastin arrived at the Phillips 66 USA Swimming National Championships with an illness and tempered expectations for one of the biggest selection meets before the Olympic Trials in about two years.
“(I’m) hoping for the best performance that I can have at this time,” said Eastin, a Stanford-senior-to-be who has been dealing with mononucleosis.
Eastin, 21, navigated a few obstacles but found the type of performance she was seeking Sunday on the final day of the meet at Woollett Aquatics Center.
The former Crean Lutheran and SOCAL club standout challenged her lifetime-best time in the 200-meter individual medley en route to a third-place finish, qualifying for next month’s Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo.
In her lone final of the five-day meet, Eastin clocked a time of 2 minutes, 10.84 seconds in finishing behind surging Kathleen Baker of Cal (world-leading 2:08.32) and Melanie Margalis (2:09.43), a pair of Olympians.
Eastin touched only three-tenths of a second off her personal best and solidified Orange County’s foursome of young swimmers headed to Japan. Katie McLaughlin, 21, (Santa Margarita), Grant Shoults, 21, (Santa Margarita) and recent high school graduate Michael Brinegar (Tesoro) also qualified for the Pan Pacs.
“I found just enough strength to finish right where I needed to,” said Eastin, who scratched out of the 200 butterfly B final and didn’t race the 400 IM.
“It’s been a long, long three or four weeks. I had to have a lot of faith that every thing that had done up to this point would help me finish. .. I’m kind of in shock that I’m going to Tokyo with the team. I’m really grateful for the opportunity.
“Good things are happening even among some crappy stuff, too.”
Baker impressed one night after setting the world record in the 100 backstroke. She led the entire race and then received her medal from idol Natalie Coughlin, the retired U.S. great who also combined the backstroke and 200 individual medley.
“I only slept like 4-1/2 hours last night (on Saturday) because I was so excited, so a big nap this afternoon definitely helped my night swim,” Baker said. “When you’re having such a great meet, I think it really just carries into your other races and gives you a lot of confidence.”
Michael Andrew, 19, capped his breakthrough meet by racing past Florida Gator star Caeleb Dressel and Olympic gold medalist Nathan Adrian to take the men’s 50 free in 21.49, the fifth-fastest time in the world this year.
A former age-group phenom, Andrew won four titles this week. The Kansas native is planning to move to San Diego, where he will continue to train short distances at race pace.
“We’re really excited about him,” Pan Pacific coach Ray Looze of Indiana said of Andrew.
Veteran Olympian Anthony Ervin, 37, didn’t qualify for the finals of the 50 free but remained determined to race toward being a finalists at the 2020 Olympic Trials.
“I just want to be in the field,” he said. “I’m old. I might look youthful because I shaved.”
Stanford’s Simone Manuel blazed to the victory in the women’s 50 free (U.S. Open record 24.10) while Mission Viejo Nadadores-sponsored Zane Grothe (U.S. Open record 7:44.57) and former Nadadore Ashley Twichell (lifetime-best 15:55.68) took the men’s 800 and women’s 1,500 freestyles.
