2017 U.S. Winter Junior Championships West: Day 2 Prelims Live Recap

2017 SPEEDO WINTER JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – WEST

• December 6 – 9
• University of Iowa Recreation Center
• Iowa City, IA
• Live results
• Live stream
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheet
• Thursday prelims heat sheet – girls
• Thursday prelims heat sheet – boys

The first prelims session of 2017 West Winter Juniors begins today, with six events set to rock Iowa City.

Meet records are on high alert in both 500 frees, with top-seeded Gabrielle Kopenski a tenth off the meet record for girls and Patrick Callan already under the record for boys, based on their best times.

Vanessa Pearl leads what could be a great girls 200 IM race with Samantha Shelton and Zoe Bartel in tow, while Shane Blinkman is the top seed for boys. Meanwhile future Texas Longhorn teammates Julia Cook and Daniel Krueger lead the fields in the splash and dash.

Keep refreshing this page for live, event-by-event updates of all the action from Winter Juniors, and check out @SwimSwamLive on Twitter for up-to-the-second highlights.

Girls 500 Free – Prelims

• Jrs West: 4:37.82 12/10/2015 Hannah Cox
• SC Jrs Meet: 4:37.82 12/9/2015 Hannah Cox

Much of the field were off of their personal bests, but 17-year-old Kaitlyn Sims picked up the top time by a landslide in the girls 500 free for Magnolia Aquatic Club. Her 4:44.75 is only about seven tenths off her incoming seed, and topped everyone else in the field by a full second. The second overall qualifier came out of the same heat, with 16-year-old Issaquah swimmer Sarah Dimeco dropping three seconds from seed to go 4:46.18.

Coming in with a yards time and swimming in an earlier heat, Hayley Pike booked a trip to the finals at 4:46.29 in third place, and Zoe Gawronska went 4:46.75 for fourth.

It was a good morning for Magnolia, with Sims’ teammate Monica Gumina joining her in the A final with a 4:47.79. Top-seeded Gabrielle Kopenski, just a tenth off the meet record based on her best time, faded to just 4:49.85 and missed the A final. She’ll swim in the B after taking 10th.

Top 8 – A Finalists:

1. Sims, 4:44.75
2. Dimeco, 4:46.18
3. Pike, 4:46.29
4. Gawronska, 4:46.75
5. Gumina, 4:47.79
6. Luther, 4:48.75
7. Gordon, 4:49.21
8. Strouse, 4:49.25

Boys 500 Free – Prelims

• Jrs West: 4:15.53 12/10/2015 Sean Grieshop
• SC Jrs Meet: 4:15.36 12/8/2016 Drew Kibler

Jack Levant blasted two seconds off his lifetime-best to go 4:16.52 and take the top spot out of prelims for the boys. The 18-year-old North Texas Nadadore sits more than three seconds ahead of Patrick Callan (listed in results as Kevin). Callan was 4:19.62 for Trident Aquatics, but has been as fast as 4:14.6, setting up a great showdown tonight. Callan is verbally committed to Michigan, Levant to Stanford for next year.

Alexander Zettle is third in 4:20.54, with a fairly significant dropoff behind him. James Brinegar is fourth in 4:23.27, though with his 4:19 seed, he should be able to compete with the top three a bit closer tonight.

Top 8 – A Finalists:

1. Levant, 4:16.52
2. Callan, 4:19.62
3. Zettle, 4:20.54
4. Brinegar, 4:23.27
5. Calvillo, 4:24.58
6. Furlong, 4:24.78
7. Heasley, 4:24.79
8. Coakley, 4:24.82

Girls 200 IM – Prelims

• Jrs West: 1:56.02 12/12/2013 Ella Eastin
• SC Jrs Meet: 1:54.48 12/8/2016 Alexandra Walsh

Top seed Vanessa Pearl actually dropped three tenths off her best time but is still not the top qualifier for tonight. That’s because 16-year-old Coleen Gillilan out of Fort Collins Area crushed nearly three seconds from her personal best to win in 1:56.70. That’s within a second of the meet record and topped Pearl (1:57.02) by about three tenths.

Breaststroke ace Zoe Bartel is third in 1:58.28, just about right on top of her seed time. Zoie Hartman will make it a pair of Zo(i)es flanking the top two qualifiers tonight after going 1:58.37.

The entire top 9 cracked two minutes, and it took 2:00.94 just to make the B final in a very deep field this morning.

Top 8 – A Finalists:

1. Gillilan, 1:56.70
2. Pearl, 1:57.02
3. Bartel, 1:58.28
4. Hartman, 1:58.37
5. Wheeler, 1:59.43
6. Shelton, 1:59.46
7. Nordmann, 1:59.58
8. Martin, 1:59.90

Boys 200 IM – Prelims

• Jrs West: 1:42.77 12/10/2015 Michael Andrew
• SC Jrs Meet: 1:42.77 12/2015 Michael Andrew

Shane Blinkman held up his top seed for St. Croix Swim Club, going 1:46.88 to lead the field by half a second. He wasn’t even at his best this morning (his career-best is 1:46.0) but is still well ahead of the field.

Shane Aman, a local product swimming for Iowa’s Lane 4 Aquatics, turned in a 1:47.32 for the second spot, dropping half a second off his seed. He’s followed by Van Mathias (1:47.44), Gianluca Urlando (1:47.67) and Daniel Roy (1:47.83) as the only swimmers under 1:48.

Top 8 – A Finalists:

1. Blinkman, 1:46.88
2. Aman, 1:47.32
3. Mathias, 1:47.44
4. Urlando, 1:47.67
5. Roy, 1:47.83
6. Wang, 1:48.06
7. Kovac, 1:48.24
8. Cook, 1:48.45

Girls 50 Free – Prelims

• Jrs West: 21.49 12/12/2014 Abbigail Weitzeil
• SC Jrs Meet: 21.49 12/12/2014 Abbigail Weitzeil

Magnolia Aquatic Club finished with the top qualifier in 2 of 3 girls events after Lucie Nordmann went 22.35 to win the 50 free. That’s a tenth faster than her incoming seed and topped Fort Collins’ Kyle Alons (22.47) and top incoming seed Julia Cook (22.48).

The big drop of the morning came from 16-year-old Alexandra Crisera, who cut from 23.00 to 22.56 and finished fourth.

Top 8 – A Finalists:

1. Nordmann, 22.35
2. Alons, 22.47
3. Cook, 22.48
4. Crisera, 22.56
5. Cooper/Parker, 22.65
6. —
7. Carlton, 22.70
8. Fackenthal, 22.75

Boys 50 Free – Prelims

• Jrs West: 18.71 12/8/2016 Ryan Hoffer
• SC Jrs Meet: 18.71 12/10/2016 Ryan Hoffer

With four boys coming in seeded below 20 seconds, only two cracked that barrier in heats. Jack Dolan was 19.74 for the top spot, and Daniel Krueger went 19.93 for second.

The other sub-20 seeds dropped off a bit. Clayton Bobo was just 20.33, but snuck into the A final in 8th. Zander Minano was 20.55 and nearly missed the B final in 16th.

Palo Alto’s Nathan Yates is third after cutting nearly half a second from his seed. He went 20.24. Cooper Deryk (20.26) will be right on his tail, along with William Kovac (20.30).

Top 8 – A Finalists:

1. Dolan, 19.74
2. Krueger, 19.93
3. Yates, 20.24
4. Deryk, 20.26
5. Kovac, 20.30
6. Bratanov/Armstrong, 20.32
7. —
8. Bobo, 20.33