2015 NCSA Junior Nationals: Seliskar smashes PRs for double wins on day 4

Friday marks day 4 of the NCSA Junior National meet, with Nation’s Capital senior Andrew Seliskar holding top seeds in two more races.

Seliskar leads the 100 fly and 200 breast at the end of the night, with his teammate Carsten Vissering following him in the breaststroke.

Fellow NCAP swimmer John Shebat leads the 100 back in what’s a banner night for the Nation’s Capital boys.

Riley Scott of the Marin Pirates is the top 200 breast seed for girls. Paige Madden of the City of Mobile leads the girls 500 free, and All-Star’s Caroline McTaggart leads the girls 100 fly. On the boys side, Justin Ress is the top 100 free qualifier. The night will kick off with the girls 100 free, where 14-year-old Lucie Nordmann will look to hold off Aquajets star Zoe Avestruz.

2015 NCSA Junior Nationals

• Tuesday, March 17 – Saturday, March 21, 2015
• Orlando YMCA – Orlando, Florida
• Prelims 8:30 AM / Finals 6:00 PM (Eastern Time)
• Prelims: Short Course Yards / Finals: Long Course Meters
• Results available on Meet Mobile under “2015 NCSA Spring Championship”

Girls 100 Back

14-year-old Lucie Nordmann of The Woodlands (TX) put up a huge time drop to hold her top seed and win the girls 100 back. Nordmann went 1:01.76, over a second below her lifetime-best in the event. That also leaves Nordmann just 1.2 seconds off the National Age Group record held by Olympian Missy Franklin.

Saint Andrew’s (FL) swimmer Megan Moroney took second. The Virginia commit was 1:02.81, just touching out NCAP’s Carrie Boone (1:02.86).

Finishing in the 1:03s were Hannah Whiteley of the Mason Manta Rays (1:03.01), Rachel Wittmer of the Aquajets (1:03.47) and Hannah Lindsey from All Star Aquatics (1:03.65).

A pair of Minnesota swimmers rounded out the A final, with St. Croix’s Mickayla Hinkle (1:04.17) and Aquajet Zoe Avestruz (1:04.23) taking 7th and 8th.

Boys 100 Back

Nation’s Capital high school senior John Shebat won the boys 100 back, posting a 55.20 that chopped 1.6 seconds off his previous lifetime-best. Shebat, a Texas commit, managed to beat Dynamo’s 16-year-old rising star Michael Taylor (55.72) for the title.

Also under 56 was Carpet Central’s Ethan Young (55.97). Lincoln Select’s Brennan Balogh went 56.83 for fourth, with Blue Dolphin Zachary Poti (57.92) just behind.

The final 3 swimmers in the A final finished in a dead heat, with Frederick Schubert taking sixth for NOVA in 58.25. Dean Farris (58.27) and Alexander Martin (58.31) came in just after Schubert.

Girls 400 Free

Top qualifier Paige Madden of the City of Mobile (AL) just touched out Ozaukee (WI)’s Katie Drabot for the 400 free title. Madden went 4:14.56, trailing at the halfway point but flying past Drabot, who finished in 4:14.67.

Kendall Brent out of Swim Florida took third, going 4:15.19. Just behind her, NCAP’s Isabella Rongione went 4:16.75 to just touch out Joy Field from Magnolia (4:16.80).

Rongione’s teammate Megan Byrnes was sixth in 4:17.23 as the whole top 6 got under the Olympic Trial cut in the event.

Rounding out the A final were Mason Manta’s Sydney Lofquist (4:19.44) and Saint Andrew’s Megan Moroney (4:19.96), pulling a tough double with the 100 back.

Boys 100 Free

Michigan Lakeshore’s Tabahn Afrik took home the boys 100 free title, touching out Dynamo’s Knox Auerbach 50.83 to 50.92. That tops Afrik’s lifetime-best by just about a tenth, a good sign for the senior heading to Notre Dame next fall.

James Jones was the top NCAP entrant, going 51.17 and just beating Mark McLaughlin of the Iowa Flyers. McLaughlin was 51.22, just ahead of Justin Ress (51.35), Steffen Mount (51.41) and Ian Finnerty (51.51). Also in the A final was Dean Farris, who took 8th in 52.74.

Two of the faster times of the night came from the B final, where Saint Andrew’s Brody Heck beat NOVA’s Townley Haas 51.02 to 51.11.

Girls 200 Breast

Future college rivals Riley Scott and Olivia Anderson dueled for the girls 200 breast title. Scott, a USC commit swimming for the Marin Pirates of California, just got in for the win over Anderson, going 2:32.52, just a second or so off her lifetime-best.

Anderson, a Minnesota Aquajet and Texas Longhorn commit, bettered her PR by a couple hundredths, going 2:33.40 and touching out All-Star’s Margaret Aroesty (2:33.42).

Just beyond the top three was Northern Kentucky’s Madeleine Vonderhaar in 2:33.61.

Two 14-year-olds made A final appearances – Ashley McCauley of the Marlins of Raleigh went 2:34.96 for fifth, while Grosse Pointe’s Alexis Wenger took seventh in 2:41.77. Between them was Lincoln Select’s Ashley Pales at 2:36.04.

Chattahoochee Gold’s Jaclyn Hill closed out the top 8 in 2:42.11.

Boys 200 Breast

NCAP’s Andrew Seliskar came up with perhaps the highlight swim of the night so far, going 2:12.82 to crush the 200 breaststroke field and cut three full seconds off his previous lifetime-best. That time moves Seliskar to #4 all-time in the 17-18 age group, just about two seconds off Kevin Cordes‘s NAG record.

That’s a huge drop for Seliskar, but was somewhat expected, given his outstanding short course time of 1:51 in the event from just a few weeks ago.

His teammate Carsten Vissering was second, going 2:14.46. That’s also a lifetime-best by well over a second. Vissering and Seliskar will be Pac-12 rivals next year, with Seliskar signing on with Cal and Vissering planning to join the USC Trojans.

Xcel’s Ethan Browne rounded out a top 3 that really pulled away from the field; Browne was 2:15.87. From there, only a couple more athletes were under 2:20 on the night: Ross Palazzo (2:17.87) and Daniel Chang (2:19.48).

Grosse Point’s Jacob Montague was 2:20.15 for sixth, and Thomas Cope (2:21.10) and Brennan Pastorek (2:21.63) capped off the A heat. Three different boys got under 2:20 in the consol final, though, led by NOVA’s Charles Swanson in 2:18.47.

Girls 100 Fly

Chattahoochee Gold’s Lauren Case snuck out the win in the girls 100 fly, but she had to beat back a stiff challenge from NCAP’s Cassidy Bayer to do it. The 16-year-old Case touched in 1:00.07, just a tenth ahead of the 15-year-old Bayer and her 1:00.17.

Also in the hunt was top prelims qualifier Caroline McTaggart, who went 1:00.56 for third overall.

Those three separated themselves quite a bit from the rest of the field. NCAP’s Kylie Jordan was fourth in 1:02.03, with Westmont’s Kelly McNamara fifth in 1:02.30.

A heat loaded up with NCAP swimmers saw Leah Rogers take sixth in 1:03.42. St. Croix (MN)’s Mickayla Hinkle was 1:04.16 for seventh and Aquajet (MN) Zoe Avestruz went 1:04.78 for eighth.

14-year-old Lucie Nordmann, the 100 back winner, continued her great night with a 1:01.40 to win the B final. That would have been fourth in the A final.

Boys 100 Fly

Andrew Seliskar smashed his second race of the day in as many boys events, going 52.81 to win the 100 fly. That’s Seliskar’s first time under 53 seconds and moves him into the top 8 in USA Swimming history for 17-18 year-olds. Seliskar now sits 8th on that list.

NOVA of Virginia’s Frederick Schubert and Huntsville’s Zach Harting tied for second, over two seconds behind Seliskar at 55.28.

Jon Burkett of the Jersey Wahoos joined those two in the 55s, going 55.87. Just behind him was a tight group of finishers, starting with Counsilman Center’s Ian Finnerty, an Indiana commit. Finnerty was 56.17, and Burkett’s Jersey teammate Alexander Martin took sixth in 56.27. Also competing in the A final: Murphy McQuet of New Trier (56.55) and Patrick Cusick out of Dynamo (56.61).