MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – USA Swimming National Team member Megan Romano (St. Petersburg, Fla.) closed out the Arena Grand Prix at Minneapolis with her fourth victory of the meet, a win in the women’s 100 free, Saturday at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.
Fellow National Teamers Michael McBroom (The Woodlands, Texas) and Kiera Janzen (Robbinsdale, Minn.) each added strong performances in the 1650 free on the final night of the short-course yards meet, which served as the first of six stops of the 2013-14 Arena Grand Prix Series.
Complete results are available online via usaswimming.org. The Minneapolis leg of the Grand Prix series is the only meet contested in short course yards.
In the women’s 100 free, Romano closed strong over the final 50 yards to take first in a time of 48.62. The University of Minnesota pair of Lauren Votava (Des Peres, Mo.) and Rebecca Weiland (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) took second and third in 48.94 and 49.40, respectively.
In addition to her 100 free win tonight, Romano also topped the podium in the 50 free, 200 free and 100 back during the meet.
A silver medalist at the 2013 FINA World Championships, McBroom convincingly won the men’s 1650 free in 14:41.10. Michael Klueh (Evansville, Ind.) took second in 14:54.39, followed by Ryan Feeley (Rye, N.Y.) in 15:04.25.
In the women’s 1650 free, Janzen won in a time of 16:05.38 for the first of three victories for the hometown Golden Gophers on the night. Ashley Steenvoorden (East Brunswick, N.J.) came in second in 16:10.13. USA Swimming National Junior Team member and 14-year-old Isabella Rongione (McLean, Va./FISH) finished third in 16:12.22.
Minnesota’s Kierra Smith of Canada and Tori Simenec (Salem, Ore.) finished one-two in the women’s 200 IM with times of 1:57.80 and 1:57.84, respectively. National Team member Megan Kingsley (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) placed third in 2:00.34.
In the women’s 200 back, Minnesota’s Tess Behrens (Maple Grove, Minn.) finished first in 1:55.83. Fourteen-year-old Ashlyn Schoof (Greenfield, Wis.) touched second in 1:56.77, followed by Mexico’s Maria Fernanda Gonzalez Ramirez in 1:57.68.
In a tightly contested men’s 200 IM, South Africa’s Darian Townsend took first in a time of 1:43.73, edging U.S. Olympic gold medalist Conor Dwyer (Winnetka, Ill.), who touched in 1:43.76. Austin Surhoff (Cockeysville, Md.) took third finishing in 1:44.92.
Dwyer had a big weekend in Minneapolis, taking first in the 400 IM and 500 free and second in the 200 free and 200 IM.
In an exciting men’s 100 free, Great Britain’s Adam Brown took first in 41.89 followed by Brazil’s Cesar Cielo one one-hundredth of a second later in 41.90. Yannick Agnel of France placed third in 42.63.
Russia’s Arkady Vyatchanin came in first in the men’s 200 back in 1:41.45. Junior National Teamer Ryan Harty (Gardner, Mass.) placed second in 1:43.53. Pedro Oliveira of Portugal finished third in 1:44.63.
The 2013-14 Arena Grand Prix Series resumes with the Grand Prix at Austin, set for Jan. 17-19, 2014.
