CHARLOTTE, North Carolina, May 10. MISSION Viejo put on a show to start the 2012 USA Swimming Grand Prix meet held in Charlotte, N.C., as distance night took center stage.
Mission Viejo's Chloe Sutton knocked off training partner Ashley Twichell, 16:23.96 to 16:25.25, in the women's 1500 free. The performance pushed Sutton to seventh in the world, just two days after being named one of the Top 15 Hottest Female Athletes to Watch at the Olympics by RyanSeacrest.com blogger Christina Jones. Twichell, meanwhile, moved up to eighth in the world with her effort. Gator Swim's Andreina Pinto picked up third in 16:38.64. Rebecca Mann still owns the top U.S. time in the world this year with a fifth-ranked 16:16.82 from March.
Mission Viejo's Chad La Tourette improved upon his 14th-ranked season best of 7:59.31 in the men's 800 free with a winning time of 7:58.91. He still missed out on moving past Pal Joensen (7:58.67) for 13th in the world, but is the top U.S. swimmer in the event this year. Club Wolverine's Connor Jaeger placed second in 8:00.81 to earn 22nd in the world rankings, while Scenic City's Sean Ryan finished third in 8:07.43.
