Ranking the Top 10 Swims From the Pro Swim Series Stop in San Antonio – SwimSwam

We took a stab at a subjective ranking of the top 10 swims from the final 2024 Pro Swim Series stop this week in San Antonio. Archive photo via Jack Spitser/Spitser Photography

2024 TYR PRO SWIM SERIES – SAN ANTONIO

April 10-13, 2024
Northside Swim Center, San Antonio, TX
LCM (50m)
Start Times
- Wednesday Distance: 5pm (Central Time)
- All Prelims: 9am (Central Time)
- Thurs-Sat Finals: 6pm (Central Time)
Meet Central
Psych Sheets
Live Results
Livestream (also available on the USA Swimming Network app)
Day 1 Finals Live Recap
Day 2 Prelims Live Recap | Day 2 Finals Live Recap
Day 3 Prelims Live Recap | Day 3 Finals Live Recap
Day 4 Prelims Live Recap | Day 4 Finals Live Recap

The final stop of the 2024 Pro Swim Series in San Antonio was a star-studded affair, marking one of the last major domestic meets before the U.S. Olympic Trials in June.

Let’s take a stab at a subjective ranking of the top 10 swims from the week:

10. Simone Manuel‘s 50 Free – 24.34

The only non-winner to make this list, American record holder Simone Manuel earned her appearance by clocking her fastest 50 free time in almost three years with a 24.34 in prelims. She was slightly slower in the final at 24.39 for 4th place.

It was her fastest swim since the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials (24.29), a few tenths shy of the 24.09 she posted to win an Olympic silver medal in this event back in 2016. Manuel, 27, continues to stake her claim as a strong contender to make her third Olympics this summer as she works her way back from overtraining syndrome (OTS) under coach Bob Bowman.

Kasia Wasick (24.20), Abbey Weitzeil (24.27), and Gretchen Walsh (24.29) also deserve shoutouts for their podium finishes ahead of Manuel. Wasick was a quarter of a second off her personal-best 23.95 that won the Polish sprinter a bronze medal at February’s World Championships in Doha, but only a few hundredths shy of Sarah Sjostrom‘s Pro Swim Series record from 2016 (24.17). Weitzeil notched a new season best to tie Shayna Jack for 4th in the world this calendar year while Walsh shaved a few hundredths off her best time from last summer (24.31).

9. Katie Ledecky‘s 800 Free – 8:12.95

World record holder Katie Ledecky cruised to a 15-second victory in the 800 free with a winning time of 8:12.95, knocking a couple seconds off her season-best 8:14.97 from January’s Pro Swim Series stop in Knoxville.

She has been faster on a couple dozen different occasions, but only Summer McIntosh has been faster in this event among swimmers not named Ledecky with her world-leading 8:11.39 from February. Ledecky is quicker than she was at this time last year, when she went 8:14.70 in March and 8:13.56 in May.

8. Lydia Jacoby‘s 100 Breast – 1:05.74

Reigning Olympic champion Lydia Jacoby tallied her best 100 breast time since the 2023 U.S. Trials (1:05.16) with a winning mark of 1:05.74. She now ranks 4th in the world this season behind Lilly King (1:05.67), Tatjana Schoenmaker (1:05.41), and Tang Qianting (1:05.27).

It was an encouraging sign for Jacoby, who mentioned worry about feeling “tired in the water” after the 2024 NCAA Championships last month, where she placed 5th in the 100-yard breast (57.13) after winning the event last year (57.03). On Thursday night, she was within a second of her lifetime best (1:04.95) from her surprise Tokyo Olympic victory in 2021.

7. Gabe Castano‘s 50 Free – 21.67

Gabe Castano had never been under 22 seconds in the 50 free before this meet before lowering his Mexican record from 22.01 to 21.81 during a time trial on Thursday night.

Then on Saturday morning, the 26-year-old Penn State graduate improved his personal best to 21.67 in prelims, which ranks 4th in the world this season behind Cam McEvoy (21.13), Ben Proud (21.25), and Vladyslav Bukhov (21.38). Later that evening, Castano held on for the victory with a 21.70 in the final, beating Ryan Held (21.79) and Caeleb Dressel (21.85).

6. Matt Fallon‘s 200 Breast – 2:08.18

Matt Fallon got redemption after last month’s runner-up finish in the 200-yard breast at the NCAA Championships, rallying past Leon Marchand (2:08.40) for the victory in 2:08.18.

It wasn’t a lifetime best for Fallon, who went 2:07.71 at U.S. Trials last summer, but the University of Pennsylvania junior did erase Jake Foster‘s previous Pro Swim Series record from last year (2:08.23). He now ranks 7th in the world this season.

It was the first non-exhibition LCM loss since 2022 for Marchand, who has been as fast as 2:06.59 at the 2023 French Championships last summer. Last month at NCAAs, he captured another 200-yard breast crown in 1:46.35, a couple seconds ahead of Fallon’s 1:48.48.

5. Siobhan Haughey‘s 100 Free – 52.74

Siobhan Haughey secured the 100 free crown in 52.74, taking down the Pro Swim Series record of 53.12 shared by Sarah Sjostrom (2016) and Kate Douglass (2024). Haughey outdueled Douglass (52.98) and Torri Huske (53.08), who were also under the old Pro Swim Series record.

The freestyle specialist from Hong Kong was within a second of her personal-best 52.02 from last October’s World Cup stop in Berlin, which ranks as the fastest time in the world this season.

Haughey also won the 200 free in 1:54.52, faster than she went to claim gold at the 2024 World Championships (1:54.89).

4. Caeleb Dressel and Hubert Kos‘s 100 Fly – 50.84

Caeleb Dressel fired off his first sub-51 second effort in the 100 fly since April of 2022 with a season-best 50.84, tying versatile Hungarian Hubert Kos for 1st place on Friday night. Only Matt Temple (50.25) and Noe Ponti (50.16) have been faster so far this season.

Dressel has been as fast as 49.45 during his Tokyo Olympic win in 2021 while Kos lowered his previous-best 51.23 from prelims. Before this meet, his best time was 51.33 from the 2022 European Championships.

Dressel also won the 100 free in a season-best 48.40, his fastest time in the event since the 2022 World Championships (47.67). He’s the fifth-fastest American in the event this calendar year behind Chris Giuliano (47.49) Matt King (48.02), Jack Alexy (48.24), and Hunter Armstrong (48.37).

3. Kate Douglass‘s 200 Breast – 2:19.89

Kate Douglass dominated Saturday night’s 200 breast final by almost five seconds with a 2:19.89, just about half a second shy of her American record (2:19.30) from January’s Pro Swim Series stop in Knoxville. It marked the third-fastest time ever by an American behind her own record and Rebecca Soni‘s 2:19.59 from the 2012 Olympics.

Douglass was more than a second faster than her 2:20.91 from February’s World Championships, which earned her a silver medal in Doha. She’s now No. 2 in the world this season after reigning Olympic champion Tatjana Schoenmaker ripped a 2:19.01 earlier this month.

2. Regan Smith‘s 100 Back – 57.74

Like Douglass, Regan Smith was just a hair off her own American record in the 100 back with a time of 57.74, the sixth-fastest of her career. She was fresh off a U.S. Open record at the previous Pro Swim Series stop in Westmont last month (57.64), which narrowly missed her American record from 2019 (57.57).

No American has ever been faster than her 57.74 on Saturday night. Smith still ranks 2nd in the world this season behind Kaylee McKeown (57.33).

Smith added impressive victories in the 200 fly (2:05.97 after 2:05.92 in prelims) and 200 back (2:05.46) earlier in the week.

Torri Huske‘s 100 Fly – 55.68

There were plenty of impressive swims in San Antonio, but only one new world-leading time was produced courtesy of Torri Huske in the 100 fly (55.68). The former Stanford standout lowered her own Pro Swim Series record of 56.13 from last month in Westmont, narrowly missing her best time from her 2022 world title (55.64).

Huske now ranks as the fastest in the world this season ahead of China’s Zhang Yufei who is the only other swimmer under 56 seconds with her 55.86 from the Asian Games last September. She followed up Friday’s 100 fly victory with a personal-best 2:08.47 in the 200 IM, sneaking past 2022 world champion Alex Walsh (2:08.60) for the win.

In This Story

About Riley Overend

Riley is an associate editor interested in the stories taking place outside of the pool just as much as the drama between the lane lines.

A 2019 graduate of Boston College, he arrived at SwimSwam in April of 2022 after three years as a sports reporter and sports editor at newspapers …