14-Year-Old Lexie Ward Swims 3 Junior Nationals Cuts at SE Summer Sizzler

2021 SE Summer Sizzler

• June 24-27, 2021
• Centennial Sportsplex, Nashville, Tennessee
• Long Course Meters
• Results on Meet Mobile “2021 Speedo Summer Sizzler”

With teams from around the east coast gathered in Nashville, the SE Summer Sizzler meet proved to be a fast competition, complete with US Open and Junior National cuts.

14-year-old Lexie Ward of Carmel Swim Club earned her first winter and swimmer junior nationals cuts at the meet. Ward opened the meet by placing second in the 200 freestyle swimming a personal best of 2:04.74, earning the winter junior nationals cut in the process. 

Ward also earned a winter junior’s cut in the 400 freestyle, where she won in a time of 4:21.72 to drop almost 3 seconds off of her best time. Ward’s time bested the qualifying time of 4:23.79 by 2 seconds, narrowly missing the summer junior’s cut of 4:21.39. 

Despite several narrow misses, Ward solidified her first summer junior’s qualifying time in her final swim of the meet: the 800 freestyle. In the event, Ward won in a time of 8:54.78, knocking 6 seconds off of her best time in the process and undercutting the qualifying time of 8:58.69 by several seconds. 

Ward also swam best times in the 400 IM (5:05.64) and 100 freestyle (1:00.15) over the course of the weekend.

On the men’s side, 17-year-olds Jackson Millard of Kentucky Aquatics and Charlie Crush of Lakeside Swim Team both punched their tickets to the US Open in the 100 backstroke, swimming best times in the event. Crush won the race in a time of 57.96, slicing almost 2 seconds off of his best time of 59.83. Millard placed second with a time of 58.21, also dropping almost 2 seconds from his best time. With their performances, both swimmers dipped under the US Open cut of 58.59.

Millard also won the 200 backstroke in a time of 2:07.77. Although he was slightly off of his best time in the event, he still touched over a second ahead of the field. 

Other Highlights:

• 16-year-old Malia Amuan of Phoenix Swimming in New England won the women’s 200 freestyle in a personal best of 2:03.47, slicing a tenth off of her best time.
• 18-year-old Isabella Pytel from the Academy Bullets Swim Team won the women’s 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:41.22, slicing over 2 seconds off of her best time. 
• 15-year-old Gregg Enoch of Carmel Swimming claimed victory in the men’s 400 freestyle, posting a time of 4:08.78 to win by almost 5 seconds.