Neidigh and Grothe Take 1500m Free to Open TYR Pro Swim Series at Santa Clara
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SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Teammates Ashley Neidigh (Jacksonville, Fla./Mission Viejo Nadadores) and U.S. National Team member Zane Grothe (Boulder City, Nev./ Mission Viejo Nadadores) opened the first evening of competition at the TYR Pro Swim Series at Santa Clara on Thursday with victories in the women’s and men’s 1500-meter freestyle, respectively.
Neidigh won the women’s race in 16 minutes, 17.43 seconds, a career-best time and more than 3 seconds faster clear of the field. Grothe staved off the competition with a time of 15:18.43, edging runner-up Ricardo Vargas of Mexico by less than a second.
“I don’t know if I was expecting it,” said Neidigh. “My goal was to be under 16:20 this meet just based on some of the things I’ve been doing in training. That’s what I was hoping for.”
The four-day meet continues through Sunday with daily prelims at 9 a.m. PT followed by finals at 5 p.m.
NBC Sports will provide extensive coverage from Santa Clara with live action Friday on NBC Sports Network and Saturday on the Olympic Channel at 8 p.m. ET.