2023 LC SPEEDO SECTIONALS – BOISE
- July 13-16, 2023
- Idaho Central Aquatic Center, Boise, ID
- LCM (50 meters)
- Meet Central
- Psych Sheet
- Live Results on MeetMobile
- “2023 Speedo Sectionals – Boise”
- Day 1 Results
- Day 2 Results
The second day of the 2023 Summer Sectional in Boise, ID is in the books. Day two of the meet featured the 100 back, 200 free, and 400 IM individually. Last night’s finals session featured a ton of decisive victories, which included some really great swims.
Following his dominant win in the 200 fly on Thursday, Spokane Waves Aquatic Team’s Michael Hochwalt, 17, took the men’s 400 IM last night in 4:25.48. He touched first by a little over 10 seconds, though Hochwalt himself was a touch faster in prelims yesterday, where he swam a 4:25.22. Both swims came in just a bit off his lifetime best of 4:23.88, which he swam at the Mt Hood Sectional last summer. Nonetheless, Hochwalt’s performance in prelims yesterday was a new season best by 10 seconds. Also of importance, the Olympic Trials cut stands at 4:25.19. Though Hochwalt has been under that cut before, he hasn’t yet done it within the qualifying period, which began on November 30th of 2022.
Coming in 2nd in the 400 IM last night was Swim Neptune’s Evan Pickles, who clocked a 4:35.75. That swim was a new personal best by 3 seconds for the 18-year-old for Pickles, who is set to begin his collegiate career at USC this fall.
Notably, Evan’s twin brother, Ian Pickles, also a USC recruit for this fall, won the men’s 200 free last night in 1:52.41. That swim comes in just off Pickle’s career best of 1:51.53, which he established in early June at the Sun Devil Open at Arizona State.
Coming in 2nd last night was King Aquatic Club 15-year-old Aiden Hammer in 1:53.58 in a huge swim. Hammer, who competed in the 400 free and 800 free at the U.S. National Championships two weeks ago, entered the meet this weekend with a 200 free personal best of 1:54.92. With his performance last night, Hammer picked up the Summer Junior Nationals cut in the event, which stands at 1:54.29.
Another KING swimmer, Andrew Coombs, 16, also picked up the Summer Juniors cut last night. Coombs swam a 1:53.64 for 3rd, taking nearly a second off his previous best of 1:54.53, which he had just swum about two weeks ago.
The 200 free was a great event for the teenage boys in the field last night, as Swim Neptune 17-year-old August Vetsch also picked up the Summer Juniors cut in finals. Vetsch took 4th overall with a 1:54.25, sneaking in just under that Juniors cut of 1:54.29. It was a huge swim for him as well, as he entered the meet with a lifetime best of 1:56.39, a time which he had just established at the AZ Long Course Senior State Championships two weeks ago.
A pair of Phoenix Swim Club 25-year-olds, Carla Gonzalez and Marlies Ross, each won an event last night. Gonzalez took the women’s 100 back last night in 1:02.85, touching first by over 4 seconds. That swim is a new career best for Gonzalez, whose previous best was a 1:02.93 from 2016. Meanwhile, Ross took the women’s 400 IM in 4:59.92, winning the event by nearly 6 seconds. For Ross, the swim came in well off her personal best of 4:47.71, which she swam at the 2013 World Junior Championships.
Swim Neptune’s Keaton Jones, 18, took the men’s 100 back in 56.15 last night. The time was a bit off Jones’ personal best, 54.34, which he just swam two weeks ago at U.S. Nationals. A Cal commit, Jones came in 25th in the 100 back at U.S. Nationals two weeks ago, while he also notched a 6th place finish in the 200 back (1:56.93).
King Aquatic Club picked up a win in the women’s 200 free, with 17-year-old Camden Doane clocking a 2:02.30 to finish 1st by over 2 seconds. It was a great swim for Doane, taking just over a second off her previous best of 2:03.33, which she swam last summer at Junior Nationals in Irvine.
Wait, who got first in the 200?