USA DOMINATES DAY 3 OF PAN PACS

IRVINE, Calif. – American swimmers dominated the third night of finals at the Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships Friday, winning 13 medals overall, including eight gold and five silver.

Team USA’s effort on day 3 brings its total medal count to 39 – 20 gold, 10 silver and nine bronze. Its official medal count for the meet (all events except the 50 strokes) is 34 – 19 gold, 10 silver and five bronze. The U.S. leads all teams in the medal count and in team scoring.

Winning gold medals tonight for the USA were Chloe Sutton in the women’s 400m freestyle, Dana Vollmer in the women’s 100m butterfly, Michael Phelps in the men’s 100m butterfly, Elizabeth Beisel in the women’s 200m back, Ryan Lochte in the men’s 200m back and Jessica Hardy in the women’s 50m breaststroke. The men’s and women’s 4x100m freestyle relay also panned gold.

Team USA’s Lochte is emerging as the top swimmer of the meet, winning five gold medals so far: the 200m free, the 400m IM, the 200m back, the 4x200m free relay and the 4x100m free relay.

He cruised to an easy win in the men’s 200m back Friday, his time of 1:54.12 a Pan Pac record and the fastest time in the world this year. Teammate Tyler McGill, who also finished second behind Lochte in last night’s 400m IM, took silver in 1:54.90, the second-fastest time in the world this year. Japan’s Ryosuke Irie won bronze in 1:55.21. Aaron Peirsol finished ninth in 1:56.67.

“I felt pretty in-control,” Lochte said. “I tried to hold back in the first 50 and just went from there.”

Lochte returned to the pool a little while later to help Team USA set a Pan Pac record in the men’s 4x100m free relay. The team of him, Phelps, Jason Lezak and Nathan Adrian crushed the field by about two and a half seconds, turning in a time of 3:11.74. Australia was second in 3:14.30, while South Africa was third in 3:15.93.

“It’s going good for me,” Lochte said. “This is just a stepping stone for Worlds next year and then the Olympics. I’m right where I need to be.”

As a side note, Phelps led off the relay with a Pan Pac record of 48.13, a time that would have won gold in the finals of last night’s 100m free.

“I think the biggest thing was to get these guys open water,” Phelps said. “That’s all I tried to do.”

Phelps overcame a slow start to win the men’s 100m fly with a meet record time of 50.86. He touched the wall more than a second ahead of his next-closest competitor, teammate Tyler McGill, who won silver in 51.85.Takuro Fijii of Japan was third in 52.12.

Phelps is the reigning world champion, Olympic champion and world record holder in this event, but tonight’s win marks his first Pan Pac title in the 100m fly. He has won four golds so far this meet. In addition to the two he won tonight, he also won the 200m fly on day 1 and was a member of the U.S. 4x200m free relay.

Dana Vollmer has also won four medals (three golds and a silver) this week, including her golds tonight in the 100m fly and 4x100m free relay.

She had an excellent back half of the women’s 100m butterfly, surging ahead down the homestretch for the win in 57.56. Teammate Christine Magnuson was less than a half second behind in 57.95, while Australia’s Alicia Coutts was third in 57.99. Kathleen Hersey was 11th in 59.00.

Vollmer then anchored the team of her, Natalie Coughlin, Jessica Hardy and Amanda Weir to a decisive victory in the women’s 4x100m free relay, their time of 3:35.11 a Pan Pac record. Australia was second in 3:38.06, while Canada was third in 3:38.14.

“I knew we had them beat going into the last leg, I just wanted to bring it home for the rest of the girls,” Vollmer said.

In other races, Sutton held off Australia’s Katie Goldman in the final 50 meters of the women’s 400m freestyle, winning in 4:05.19, the third-fastest time in the world this year. Goldman was second in 4:05.84, while Aussie Blair Evans was third in 4:06.36. Allison Schmitt, who won the 200m free on day 1 and was a member of the Americans’ gold-medal-winning 800m free relay on day 2 was fourth in 4:06.76. Kate Ziegler, who swam in the “B” final, turned in the second-fastest swim of the night in 4:05.52 and finished ninth.

Sutton’s win Friday was her second medal of the meet after taking silver behind Ziegler in the 800m free on Wednesday.

“I can’t believe that just happened,” Sutton said. “I was hoping I could come in second to Allison (Schmitt). She’s just been on fire this week. When I touched the wall, I was just so happy.

“Really, it was all about being relaxed. I knew I was a little bit ahead (in the final 50). I just tried to bring in that kick in the end.”

Beisel and teammate  Elizabeth Pelton were neck-and-neck in the final 50 of the women’s 200m back, but it was Beisel who got her hand on the wall first, setting a Pan Pac record with a time of 2:07.83 Pelton was second in 2:08.10, while Australia’s Belinda Hocking was third in 2:08.60. USA’s Missy Franklin was ninth in 2:08.05.

Beisel also won the women’s 400m IM in last night’s finals.

“It was all pain,” Beisel said. “It hurt so much, but I’m happy with that time, so it went well. I’ve been able to relax a little bit more at this meet. Nationals was a little bit more stressful, but this is fun. I was definitely excited to be able to come in first, but it wasn’t easy, that’s for sure.”

The Americans also took a pair of medals in the men’s and women’s 50m breaststroke. In addition to Hardy’s win in the women’s race (30.03), Mark Gangloff also took silver in the men’s race in 27.52.

Other Americans swimming in tonight’s finals included Peter Vanderkaay, who finished fourth in the men’s 400m free (3:47.11); Charlie Houchin, who finished fifth in the men’s 400m free (3:47.98); Michael Klueh, who finished ninth in the men’s 400m free (3:50.36); Annie Chandler, who finished fourth in the women’s 50m breast (31.20); Rebecca Soni, who finished ninth in the women’s 50m breast (30.68); Michael Alexandrov, who finished eighth in the men’s 50m breast (27.70); and Scott Spann, who finished 12th in the men’s 50m breast (28.09).

The Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships concludes Saturday with prelims and finals of the women’s and men’s 200m IM, 50m free and 200m breast. Finals of the men’s and women’s 400m medley relay will also be contested, along with timed finals of the women’s 1500m free and men’s 800m free. Click  here to see complete results.