2015 U.S. Junior Nationals: Day 1 finals live recap

2015 U.S. JUNIOR NATIONALS

• Thursday, July 30th – Monday, August 3rd
• Northside Aquatics Center – San Antonio, Texas
• Prelims 9AM/Finals 6PM (local time)
• Full coverage
• Psych sheets
• Live stream link
• Live results

Day 1 prelims recap here
Day 1 Finals preview here

The first of 2015’s Junior National titles will be handed out tonight, with day 1 finals going off at 6 PM in San Antonio, Texas.

Both 100 breaststroke meet records are in jeopardy tonight courtesy of a pair of future Indiana Hoosiers. Ian Finnerty leads the boys event and Miranda Tucker the girls.

Max Miranda will have an inside track at a Junior National title in the 200 fly, where he’s the top swimmer out of prelims. Stanford commit and Junior World Champion IMer Ella Eastin is the top seed for the girls.

Tonight will also feature the fastest-seeded heats of the girls 800 free and boys 1500. Amanda Nunan is the top seed for the girls, and Taylor Abbott leads the boys.

Keep refreshing this page for event-by-event updates from San Antonio, and check out @SwimSwamLive on Twitter for up-to-the-second results.

Women’s 200 Fly – Finals

Top 3 Finishers:

1. Ella Eastin – 2:10.12
2. Victoria Edwards – 2:11.68
3. Emma Seiberlich – 2:12.14

SoCal Aquatics’ Ella Eastin powered away with the first Junior National title of 2015, going a lifetime-best 2:10.12 to win the girls 200 fly.

Eastin built a lead over the front 100, but did most of her damage in the final 50, splitting 34.09 to increase her lead into the wall.

Her closest challenger the whole way was Longhorn’s Victoria Edwards, who held on for second place in 2:11.68. The 16-year-old Edwards held off a surging Emma Seiberlich, who crushed a 33.96 in the final split and wound up third overall after turning in dead last at the 100 wall. Seiberlich, also 16, went 2:12.14.

Another Longhorn took fourth – 15-year-old Dakota Luther. The youngest swimmer in the final, Luther was 2:13.13.

18-year-old Remedy Rule, who will compete for Texas this coming fall, went 2:13.23 to just trail Luther, and Greater Philadelphia’s Delaney Walz was just a tenth behind her in 2:13.32.

SwimAtlanta’s Haley McInery (2:13.42) and Bailey Nero (2:14.13) of FAST rounded out the A final.

The consolation final winner was Carley Lowe in 2:14.83 for Highlander Aquatic Club.

Boys 200 Fly – Finals

Top 3 Finishers:

1. Mark Jurek – 1:58.81
2. Sam Pomajevich – 1:59.34
3. Max Miranda – 1:59.40

Arizona Gold’s Mark Jurek didn’t take the lead until the 150-turn, but over the final stretch, he wasted no time in leaving the field well behind him. Jurek blasted a 1:58.81, more than a half-second under his lifetime-best, to pick up the Junior National title.

Things were all in flux behind Jurek near the end. Nation’s Capital 16-year-old Sam Pomajevich rocketed through the rankings near the end to steal second place in 1:59.34. That just touched out the top prelims qualifier, Bluefish’s Max Miranda. The 15-year-old Miranda was 1:59.40.

Pleasanton’s Maxime Rooney actually led at the halfway point, but faded to fourth by the finish, going 1:59.57. Also under two minutes was North Baltimore’s Cole Buese at 1:59.67.

15-year-old Jack LeVant out of the North Texas Nadadores went 2:00.38, and closing out the final were Will MacMillan of North Carolina Aquatic Club (2:00.97) and Chattahoochee Gold’s Alarii Levreault-Lopez (2:01.50).

Swim Pasadena’s Sean Lee went 2:00.96 to hold 9th place, winning the B final despite some late charges all around him.

Girls 100 Breast – Finals

Top 3 Finishers:

1. Miranda Tucker – 1:08.32
2. Allie Raab – 1:09.41
3. Alicia Harrison – 1:10.26

Livonia Community Swim Club’s Miranda Tucker got off to a great start, leading the field off the blocks and parlaying that into a big first-50 lead. Tucker would hold on for a 1:08.32 that missed the meet record by just a couple hundredths of a second.

Nashville Aquatic Club 15-year-old Allie Raab was about a second back of Tucker, leading the rest of the pack by a solid margin herself. Raab went 1:09.41, and 16-year-old Alicia Harrison out of Buenaventura was 1:10.26 for third.

Things really tightened up from there, with a pack of girls separated by only a few tenths. Grace Zhao was 1:10.51 for Palo Alto, with Marie-Claire Schillinger (1:10.64) and Julia Poole (1:10.85) in tow.

Rachel Ramey was 1:11.13 for seventh, and Bellevue’s Kim Williams, coming off the 200 fly just a few minutes earlier, took 8th in 1:11.87.

One of the youngest swimmers in the meet, Nashville Aquatic Club’s Alex Walsh came up big under pressure, winning the consolation heat in 1:10.82. That’s a lifetime-best and a new Olympic Trial cut for the 13-year-old Walsh.

Boys 100 Breast – Finals

Top 3 Finishers:

1. Devon Nowicki – 1:02.29
2. Ethan Browne – 1:02.40
3. Matt Salerno – 1:03.02

AquaSwimClub’s Devon Nowicki rode a big back-half split to the junior national title in the boys 100 breast. Going out in just 30.18, Nowicki trailed the leader, Ethan Browne, by more than half a second. But Nowicki popped a 32.11 split coming home to go 1:02.29 and take the win.

Browne held on for second in 1:02.40 for Xcel Aquatics, and Matt Salerno rounded out the top 3 with a 1:03.02.

Top prelims qualifier Ian Finnerty added a couple tenths to go 1:03.05,and couldn’t quite top Salerno for bronze. A tick behind was Palo Alto’s Jeremy Babinet at 1:03.22.

Bolles School Shark Rio Kurihara touched out Thomas Brewer of the Current Swim Team 1:03.50 to 1:03.55 for sixth, with both under the Olympic Trial cut. Walnut Creek Aquabear Hank Poppe was 8th in 1:04.21.

Jordan O’Brien of Missouri went 1:03.73 to win the B final and take 9th overall.

Girls 800 Free – Timed Finals

Top 3 Finishers:

1. Joy Field – 8:41.53
2. Kahra Williams – 8:42.65
3. Taylor Ruck – 8:43.75

16-year-old Joy Field of Magnolia Aquatic Club took home the win by building up a big lead early, and wound up going a lifetime-best 8:41.53. That’s almost six seconds better than her previous best.

The big early lead came in handy for Field, who held off Taylor Ruck in the final heat. Ruck, a 15-year-old Canadian, closed well and went 8:43.75. she would wind up third, though, because Gator Swim Club’s Kahra Williams blasted a lifetime-best 8:42.65 out of the afternoon heats.

Swimming from an inside lane at night, Melissa Pish took fourth overall (and third in the final heat) with an 8:45.47, and Kendall Brent was 8:48.12 for fifth.

Another early heat swimmer, Allie Wooden of the Cincinnati Marlins, snuck into the top 8 with an 8:49.69. Top pre-meet seed Amanda Nunan held on for seventh in 8:49.83 and was the final swimmer under the Olympic Trial cut.

Magnolia 14-year-old Kaitlynn Sims made a big charge out of the early heats, too, going 8:50.24 to take 8th overall.

Men’s 1500 Free – Timed Finals

Top 3 Finishers:

1. Aaron Apel – 15:27.35
2. Taylor Abbott – 15:31.28
3. Simon Lamar – 15:34.10

Scottsdale 16-year-old Aaron Apel pulled off a unique feat – winning a junior national title without swimming in the event’s final heat.

Apel ripped off a 15:27.35 this afternoon, moving him to #17 in USA Swimming’s 15-16 history, and that time held up as the top swim of the day even after the top 8 seeds competed at finals.

Apel dropped almost a full minute from his lifetime-best, dropping from 16:20 to 15:27 in one swim.

Nitro’s Taylor Abbott would win the final heat at night, going out under meet record pace, but falling off some by the end. Abbott would finish in 15:31.28, good for second overall.

FAST’s Simon Lamar was the closest challenger to Abbott by the end, and he finished third overall in 15:34.10. Also getting under 15:40 was Aquazot’s George Horvath, who was 15:39.18 from the afternoon heats.

A couple of Sarasota YMCA teammates continued the trend of great afternoon swims: Drew Clark went 15:41.08 and Danny Erlermeyer 15:41.45. They took 5th and 6th, respectively.

T.C. Smith (15:42.07) and Noah Cairns (15:45.04) rounded out the top 8 finishers, and the entire top 11 got under the Olympic Trial cut.