S&D alum Zane Grothe wins 400 free at World Championship Trials

S&D alum Zane Grothe wins 400 free at World Championship TrialsS&D alum Zane Grothe wins 400 free at World Championship Trials

June 30, 2017

Former Auburn swimmer Zane Grothe won the 400 free at the 2017 Phillips 66 National Championships on Friday night, punching his first individual ticket to the World Championships in Budapest next month.

Grothe, who swam at Auburn from 2010-14 and still holds all of the program's records in the short course-yards distance freestyle events, swam to a 3:44.43 out of lane 1 in the finals to win the event, out-touching runner-up Clark Smith (3:45.91) by over a full second. He had the fastest splits for three out of the final four 50s.

"I consider the 400 my best race," Grothe said. "The fastest guys in the world are really back-halving the races and I don't want to be a guy that goes out fast and tries to hang on."

Grothe's time was a personal best and made him the seventh-fastest American of all time in the event.

Grothe had previously qualified for the World Championships with a third-place finish in the 200 free, placing him on the 4x200 free relay.

Another former Auburn swimmer, Ashley Neidigh, also swam in a championship final on Friday, finishing 8th in the women's 400 free in 4:15.29. Despite not being able to match her prelims time of 4:11.63, which was seventh-best of the morning and won her heat to get into the finals, her swim was nonetheless a solid one for someone who had never appeared in a championship final on this stage.

"I loved being in the Ready Room getting ready to swim against some of the fastest swimmers in the world," Neidigh said.

In other prelims action on Friday, Zoe Thatcher swam a 4:21.20 and Erin Falconer a 4:22.20 in the 400 free. Tommy Brewer swam a 1:03.88 and Bryar Long a 1:06.05 in the 100 breast and Aly Tetzloff swam a 1:03.2 in the 100 back.

The meet concludes on Saturday with the 200 IM, 50 free, the women's 1500 free and the men's 800 free.

Held at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind., the 2017 Phillips 66 National Championships and World Championship Trials will serve as the selection event for the USA National Teams competing at the 2017 FINA World Championships, the 2017 World University Games and the 2017 FINA World Junior Championships.