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
The second of five days at the 2015 U.S. Junior National Championships will see 8 events blast off from San Antonio. The 100 freestyles feature some of the night’s biggest names. Top-ranked high school prospect Maxime Rooney will battle 16-year-old pro Michael Andrew for the boys race, while YMCA standout Katrina Konopka leads the women’s race. Rooney broke 50 this morning, and Andrew will be tying to join him there tonight, while Konopka looks to crack 55.
Junior World Champ Ella Eastin will try to double up on wins, leading the 400 IM after taking the 200 fly last night. Mark Andrew leads the boys field after a lifetime-best morning swim.
Emma Seiberlich and Austin Katz head the 200 backstrokes, and the night will end with 400 free relays.
Keep refreshing this page for event-by-event updates from San Antonio, and check out @SwimSwamLive on Twitter for up-to-the-second highlights.
Girls 200 Back
Top 3 Finishers:
- Alex Walsh – 2:10.55
- Grace Ariola – 2:11.14
- Emma Seiberlich – 2:11.59
14-year-old Alex Walsh is one of the youngest swimmers in the entire meet, but she put that youthful energy to good use on Friday night, roaring out to a huge lead and extending over the back half to win her first-ever Junior National title with a 2:10.55 in the 200 back.
That’s a lifetime-best, and moves Walsh to #3 all-time in USA Swimming’s 13-14 rankings, behind only Canadian Taylor Ruck and future Olympian Missy Franklin. Walsh still has exactly one year left in the age group (today is her 14th birthday), and is 1.4 seconds off of Franklin’s National Age Group (NAG) record.
Another young swimmer took silver in Bloomington Waves 15-year-old Grace Ariola (2:11.14).
Top prelims qualifier Emma Seiberlich wound up third in 2:11.14, also a lifetime-best by over a full second.
Those three were pretty well checked out from the field. Kyra Sarazen was fourth in 2:13.50, and a second back of her was Remedy Rule, a Texas commit who went 2:14.56.
Y-Spartaquatics’ Ali Galyer went 2:15.38, and the field’s other youngster, 13-year-old Regan Smith, was 2:15.52 for seventh. Nitro’s Karling Hemstreet rounded out the heat in 2:16.14.
Carmel 16-year-old Sammie Burchill won the consol heat, going 2:15.43.
Boys 200 Back
Top 3 Finishers:
- Austin Katz – 1:59.14
- Josh Artmann – 2:01.23
- David Crossland – 2:01.52
Sarasota Y’s Austin Katz went out fast, challenging the meet record held by his older brother Alex, now a Florida Gator. Katz couldn’t quite hold on for the record, but did get the win in 1:59.14, taking home another junior national title for the Katz family.
Katz was well out front, but a whole host of swimmers came in right together after him, led by 2-seed Josh Artmann in 2:01.23. Artmann beat out Delaware Swim Team’s David Crossland (2:01.52) and Crawfish Aquatics’ Sam Stewart (2:01.88).
SwimAtlanta’s Jordan Ross led in the next wave, going 2:02.40 to top his teammate Taylor Delk (2:02.53).
Nitro’s distance swimmer/IMer Sean Grieshop went 2:03.05 for seventh, and North Baltimore’s Jason Ewart capped off the championship heat in 2:04.62.
North Baltimore’s Cole Buese won the B final, going 2:01.73 from the outside of the pool.
Girls 100 Free
Top 3 Finishers:
- Caroline McTaggart – 54.89
- Katrina Konopka – 55.05
- Kenisha Liu – 55.98
It looked to be all Katrina Konopka early on, but All-Star Aquatics’ Caroline McTaggart battled back with a huge finish, surging past Konopka for the win. McTaggart went 54.89 to put her in pretty elite company under 55 this year. McTaggart will swim at UCLA next season.
Konopka wound up second, just on the edge of 55 at 55.05. Brea Aquatics’ Kenisha Liu took third in 55.98 to round out the top 3.
14-year-old Isabel Ivey hit a lifetime-best of 56.28 to move into the top-5 all-time in her age group, That eked out fourth over Brooke Hansen (56.29).
Melissa Pish, 15, went 56.44 for sixth, followed by Lauren Heller (56.53) and Krista Duffield (56.81).
Cincinnati Marlin Allie Wooden made a huge comeback in the B final, moving from 7th to 1st over the final 50 meters. She’d finish in 56.29.
Boys 100 Free
Top 3 Finishers:
- Maxime Rooney – 49.35
- Michael Andrew – 50.21
- Michael Jensen – 50.28
Maxime Rooney looked great from start to finish, dominating a tough field to win the 100 free and move to #5 all-time in the 17-18 age group. Rooney went 49.35, just three tenths off the meet record held by Vlad Morozov, who is two spots ahead of Rooney on that list.
Indie Swimming’s Michael Andrew took second, going 50.21 to touch out Upper Dublin’s Michael Jensen. Rooney and Jensen are the top two recruits in their graduating high school class. Both are rising seniors.
Also getting under the Olympic Trial cut was 16-year-old Daniel Krueger, who went 50.59.
Southern Michigan’s Cameron Craig was 50.70 for fifth, just beating Texas commit Tate Jackson out of Nitro (50.87).
Tyler Harper just missed the 50-points, going 51.02, and Hawaiian Aukai Lileikis rounded out the heat in 51.12.
Parks Jones took the consol heat, going 50.99 to earn 9th place by just .03 seconds.
Girls 400 IM
Top 3 Finishers:
Ella Eastin was in control from start to finish for So Cal Aquatics, leading handily in the early goings and never looking back. She’d win the Junior National title in 4:42.52, well off her lifetime-best, which suggests she might be saving her best stuff for senior nationals next week.
Second went to Nitro’s Regan Barney, a 16-year-old, in 4:48.55. And also getting under 4:50 was Kay Sargent at 4:49.26.
Tampa Bay Aquatics’ Christin Rockway took over fourth place, going 4:51.46 to beat 14-year-old Isabel Ivey of Gator Swim Club. That’s the second consecutive event for Ivey, who was also in the 100 free A final.
Kelly Fertel was 4:52.52 to round out the main pack of the A final.
Greater Nebraska’s Dannie Dilsaver went 4:57.15 for seventh, and SwimMAC’s Nora McCullagh rounded out the heat in 4:58.27.
Texas Ford’s Camryn Toney took the B final, going 4:54.36.
Boys 400 IM
Top 3 Finishers:
- Mark Andrew – 4:22.10
- Cody Bekemeyer – 4:23.57
- Antonio Ramirez – 4:25.11
Mark Andrew battled off a host of challengers to maintain his top spot in the boys 400 IM, going a 4:22.10 that smashed his previous best by more than a second again after a big drop in the morning. That caps off a great day for the Greater Miami Valley YMCA.
SwimAtlanta’s Cody Bekemeyer made the closest charge from a lane over, but could only go 4:23.57 for second place.
Behind them, Arizona Gold’s Antonio Ramirez went 4:25.11 to eke out bronze over North Carolina’s Noah Cairns, who was 4:25.67.
Pasadena’s Sean Lee went 4:26.26 for fifth, winning his own battle with Wilton Y’s Stephen Holmquist (4:26.48).
Palo Alto Stanford’s Joe Molinari was just behind in 4:26.57, and Spencer Lehman rounded out the A final in 4:28.03.
Arizona Gold’s Mark Jurek missed the A final by a narrow margin this morning, but rattled off a 4:23.49 to win the B final easily. That time would have been second overall.
Girls 4×100 Free Relay
Top 3 Finishers:
- SwimMAC – 3:47.98
- Santa Clara – 3:49.32
- Palo Alto Stanford – 3:49.79
SwimMAC rocketed to an early lead in the girls relay and never looked back. Jessica Merritt put up the field’s best leadoff split at 56.97 to help lead the Carolina club to victory. Becca Postoll was also 56.76 on her split as the team went 3:47.98. That relay also included Erika Brown (57.06) and Nora McCullagh (3:47.98).
Santa Clara won the opening heat and their time beat out everyone from the fastest-seeded heat besides SwimMAC. Sarah Shimomura split 57.10 and Cat Ladd 57.17 to help Santa Clara go 3:49.32, but Sophie Krivokapic-Zhou had the team’s best split at 56.76.
Palo Alto’s Jennifer Campbell pulled off a nice 57.35 leadoff leg to push her squad to third place, with Isabelle Henig providing the dagger with a 56.18 anchor leg, the best split of the field. PASA went 3:29.79 to finish just off the time set by Santa Clara in the early heat.
Gator Swim Club took fourth, getting a 57.52 out of Talia Bates to go 3:50.77, and a 56.93 Sherridon Dressel split pushed Bolles to fifth in 3:51.09.
Boys 4×100 Free Relay
Top 3 Finishers:
- Upper Dublin – 3:25.27
- Bolles School Sharks – 3:26.24
- Walnut Creek Aquabears – 3:26.85
Upper Dublin rolled to the win in 3:25.27, rattling the meet record set last year by Indiana University. Michael Jensen came up with a huge 49.98 split in his third 100 free of the day – Jensen was also third in the individual 100 earlier in the night.
Michael Thomas split 50.50 for Upper Dublin, with Jake Sannem (51.83) and Wyatt Amdor (52.96) also holding down legs on the relay.
Bolles took second, getting one of the field’s best leadoff splits from Tyler Rice at 52.34. Ariel Spektor was 51.06 on his leg and the team went 3:26.24.
Mason Tittle anchored in 50.91 for Walnut Creek, nearly running down Bolles. Walnut Creek would finish third in 3:26.85.
Benjamin Ho had the field’s best leadoff split, going 51.15 for Palo Alto, and that powered his team to fourth in 3:27.13. Albert Gwo anchored that crew in 51.45. Two tenths back were North Baltimore at 3:27.38, with Cole Buese leading off in 51.80 and Coleman Stewart going 51.30.
Nice job by the Santa Clara Swim Club placing 2nd in the 400 free relay! However, Sophie Krivokapic-Zhou split the fastest, going a 56.87.
Alex Walsh stills practices with Chelsea Piers Aquatic Club in Stamford, CT under Jamie Barone when her family comes back to CT to visit. In fact, she trained there for a month this summer.
There must a bunch of people going through the comments and just voting them down for the heck of it. For instance 4 people voted down the comment “Is he going to nationals?” Some people must have a very dull life to do this.
sherridon dressel? how many are there?
Those are going to be some fun relays at Florida with Rooney and Dressel in the 2016-17 school year.
With age I think Ella Eastin has become more of a 200 Im than a 400 Im.
Rooney with a shot at Rio on the relays? Definitely feasible now. If he can go 1:47 that could give him a shot assuming he drops again at Trials.
17 & 16yos going 49 & 50 seconds in the 100 free. Insane. 49.35 is faster than Rowdy Gaines’ WR from the 80s and would have made the Olympic final up until the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Rooney has a respectable chance of making the 4×100 free relay team.