50 Minn. swimmers advance to finals in successful Minnesota Grand Prix

Sharing the pool with some of the nation’s most-recognized talent — though not Michael Phelps, who dropped out days before — the Gophers made themselves memorable at the Minnesota Grand Prix, sending more than 50 swimmers (including 12 relay teams) into championship heats.
During the three-day event sponsored by USA Swimming, 13 Gophers finished in the top three, including first-place finishes by both the men’s and women’s 400-yard freestyle relay and 400-yard medley relay teams along with the women’s 800-yard freestyle relay team.
“This weekend shows we’re a team to contend with,” senior Jillian Tyler said. “[These events] always have great competition and it’s always beneficial to see what the rest of the country is doing.”
Tyler had an exceptional weekend, taking first in the 100-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard breaststroke events and fourth in the 200-yard individual medley.
“There were a lot of technical things that I can work on in my 200,” said Tyler, who posted an event-best in the 100-yard breaststroke. “But it’s nice to see where I am right now and to see how my work has been paying off, definitely sets up the rest of the season.”
Teammate junior Ashley Steenvoorden finished second in both the 500-yard freestyle and 1650-yard freestyle event — coming in behind 18-year-old Olympian Chloe Sutton in both events.
“I’ve raced Chloe a lot over the last passed three years so I’ve kind of learned to swim my own race when I’m swimming against her,” Steenvoorden said. “Anytime you dive in and swim against someone like Chloe — with the Olympic credentials and the gold medals that she’s won — it’s always an honor. I always try to keep up with her if I can but more importantly swim my own race.”
While the Gophers made their presence known this weekend, the event headline went to 15-year-old Missy Franklin, a member of the Colorado Stars, who picked up the weekend’s high-point award after taking first-place in seven events.
Olympian Ryan Lochte took the award for the men, with a first-place finish over Minnesota alum David Plummer in the 100-yard backstroke.