Olympic gold medalists Michael Phelps, Nathan Adrian and Katie Ledecky were among Friday night's winners at the Arena Pro Series stop in Mesa, Arizona. The Pro Series are tune-up meets leading up to the U.S.' Olympic trials, held June 26 to July 3.
Phelps kicked off the night with a win in the 200m butterfly in one minute, 58.14 seconds. NBC Olympics swimming analyst Rowdy Gaines noted the conditions of the outdoor meet -- excessive wind -- and an aggressive first lap may have attributed to the rest of the field closing in on Phelps near the end.
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"That wind going into that last wall - oh my gosh," Phelps said on the broadcast while talking to Gaines. "I felt like I was moving backwards with about 15 meters to go, going into that third wall. It didn't feel good. I thought I was gonna fall off the block."
Adrian posted the third fastest time in the world this year to win the 50m freestyle in 21.69, while Olympians Anthony Ervin and Cullen Jones took second and third, respectively.
"It's strong," Adrian said of the wind in Mesa. "I was worried about not hearing the start. It's howling in your ears pretty good. You can feel it everywhere."
Ledecky won the 400m freestyle in 4:02.15 -- Gaines noted she was barely out of breath during their post-race interview -- followed by Cierra Runge in 4:08.08 and Denmark's Lotte Friis in 4:08.89. Allison Schmitt, who won a silver medal in the 400m freestyle at the 2012 London Olympics and a gold in the 200m distance, was fourth in 4:12.94.
In the women's 50m freestyle, Madison Kennedy clocked 24.45, breaking Dara Torres' American textile record of 24.53 from 2007.
In his only event of the night, Ryan Lochte finished second to David Plummer in the 100m backstroke, who won the event with a time of 54.29.
Missy Franklin was fifth in the 100m backstroke, her only swim of the evening. Maya DiRado won the event in 1:00.71.
Other 2012 Olympians who captured victories on Friday night included Cammile Adams, who won the 200m butterfly in 2:08.59, and Mesa native Breeja Larson, who clocked a 2:26.64 to win the 200m breaststroke.
Competition concludes on Saturday, and live finals will stream on NBC Sports' Live Extra at 8:00 p.m. ET.