State New Zealand Open Championships – Day 3 Heats

Howick Pakuranga swimmer Corey Main highlighted the morning heats on the third day of the State New Zealand Open Swimming Championships in Auckland today.

The 19 year, on scholarship at the University of Florida, went under the qualifying time in the 100m backstroke for the Commonwealth Games this morning.

He clocked a personal best 54.47s to top qualifiers ahead of Dunedin’s Kurt Crosland who was only 0.3s outside the qualifying mark for Glasgow.

“I didn’t plan on going out and doing that,” Main said. “I just went out and went along with my natural speed and it happened. It’s a big day today with the 200m freestyle as well and I want to do it in that too.”

Main also qualified for the final in the 200m freestyle which was headed by Coast’s Steven Kent, part of the Swimming New Zealand High performance squad, in 1:49.52 ahead of Australian-based North Shore swimmer Mitchell Donaldson who set a massive personal best of 1:50.04.

The defending champion and national record holder Matthew Stanley was third fastest, with potential also for further Commonwealth Games qualifiers in the final tonight including a men’s 4x200m relay.

Glenn Snyders, already qualified in the 100m and 200m breaststroke, was fastest in heats of the 50m breaststroke in 27.87s as he chases a clean sweep of titles this week.

Another qualifier Samantha Lucie-Smith (Capital) topped the heats in the 100m freestyle in 56.03s from Laura Quliter (North Shore) in 56.78s.

In other heat swims 14 year old Hawkes Bay swimmer Bobbi Gichard (Greendale) was fastest in the 50m backstroke in 29.60s, Abbie Johnston (North Shore) in the 200m breaststroke in 2:38.17 and North Canterbury’s Geore Eglesfield was best in the 100m butterfly heats in 55.06s.

Heats of the 400m individual medley saw Nathan Capp (Greerton) fastest in the men in 4:28.25 from North Shore’s Mathew Myers, while Fairfield’s Helena Gasson edged title holder Tash Hind (Capital) in the women in 5:00.05.

Tonight’s finals session starts at 7pm at the West Wave Aquatic Centre in Henderson.

NZ Open Championships