2019 Speedo Winter Junior Championships–East: Day 4 Prelims Live Recap

2019 Speedo Winter Junior Championships – East

Day Four will feature prelims of women’s and men’s 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, and 200 fly. Distance events will begin in the afternoon. Of the four morning events, Claire Curzan of TAC Titans was top seed in the 200 back, 100 free, and 200 fly but she scratched the back to focus on the other two events. Abby Arens comes in with the fastest time in the 200 breast. Carson Foster of Mason Manta Rays heads the billing in the 200 back and is second seed in the 200 fly. His teammate Adam Chaney is seeded first in the 100 free, while Matt Fallon and Preston Forst come in with the top 200 breast and 200 fly times, respectively.

Women’s 200 Yard Backstroke – Heats

  • SC Juniors Meet Record – 1:50.16 Katharine Berkoff 2018
  • 13/14 National Age Group Record – 1:51.07 Missy Franklin 2010
  • 15/16 National Age Group Record – 1:48.30 Regan Smith 2018
  • 17/18 National Age Group Record – 1:47.16 Regan Smith 2019

Top 8 Qualifiers:

  1. Rye Ulett, DYNA – 1:55.80
  2. Sophia Tuinman, CW – 1:55.85
  3. Annabel Crush, LAK – 1:57.21
  4. Justine Murdock, BBA – 1:57.28
  5. Katie Rauch, ATOM – 1:57.58
  6. Kathryn Ackerman, MLA / Ellie Waldrep, BAY – 1:57.80
  7. Hannah Wasmuth, DYNA – 1:57.96

Top-seeded Claire Curzan was a DFS and #2 seed Paige Hetrick of Bradford Family Y added 5.5 seconds, qualifying for the B final with 1:58.57, so 15-year-old Rye Ulett of Dynamo led the field with 1:55.80, about 2 seconds off her seed time. Sophia Tuinman of Club Wolverine, Justine Murdock from Atlantis, and Katie Rauch of Mecklenburg all dropped around a second to make the A final. Murdoch had been seeded 19th. Hannah Wasmuth of Dynamo had the biggest drop; she came into the meet with a PB of 2:01.45 and clocked a massive 1:57.96 to earn a spot in the championship final.

Men’s 200 Yard Backstroke – Heats

  • SC Juniors Meet Record – 1:40.79 Jacob Pebley 2011
  • 13/14 National Age Group Record – 1:43.15 Michael Andrew 2014
  • 15/16 National Age Group Record – 1:40.90 Ryan Murphy 2011
  • 17/18 National Age Group Record – 1:37.35 Ryan Murphy 2014

Top 8 Qualifiers:

  1. Jack Aikins, SA – 1:42.99
  2. Carson Foster, RAYS – 1:43.24
  3. Wyatt Davis, CSC – 1:43.27
  4. Nathaniel Stoffle, SPAC – 1:44.11
  5. Anthony Rincon, TWST – 1:44.16
  6. Griffin Hadley, CSC – 1:45.01
  7. Josh Zuchowski, FAST – 1:45.46
  8. Hayden Kwan, USC – 1:45.98

SwimAtlanta’s Jack Aikins, who had been seeded 14th, had an impressive performance in the penultimate heat. Swimming in lane 2, he dropped 3.6 seconds from his seed time of 1:46.65 to win the heat in 1:42.99 and qualify first overall for tonight’s final. Top-seeded Carson Foster won the following heat with 1:43.24. His seed time of 1:40.07 is faster than the meet record, which could be in danger of falling tonight.

Every other A-final qualifier dropped fairly significant amounts of time to make the top 8. Third-seeded Wyatt Davis of Carmel improved his seed time by a half-second, going 1:43.27 for the 3rd time. Spartans’ Nathaniel Stoffle moved from 12th seed to 4th qualifier with a 2.3-second drop. Anthony Rincon of Tidal Wave, seeded 10th, finished 5th overall thanks to a 1.6-second improvement. Griffin Hadley of Carmel took 3 seconds off his seed time and vaulted from 25th to 6th. Flood’s Josh Zuchowski, the 8th seed, assured his spot in the A final by improving his time by .21. And Hayden Kwan of United Swim Club moved from 16th seed to 8th overall with 1:45.98, a drop of 1.3 seconds.

Top-16 seeds Jake Magahey of SwimAtlanta, Alex Tomlinson from TAC, and William Cole of Lakeside were all DFS in the event.

Women’s 100 Yard Freestyle – Heats

  • SC Juniors Meet Record – 46.29 Abbey Weitzeil 2014
  • 13/14 National Age Group Record – 47.67 Claire Curzan 2019
  • 15/16 National Age Group Record – 47.49 Gretchen Walsh 2019
  • 17/18 National Age Group Record – 46.09 Simone Manuel 2015

Top 8 Qualifiers:

  1. Claire Curzan, TAC – 48.75
  2. Lindsay Flynn, ATOM – 49.26
  3. Tristen Ulett, DYNA – 49.75
  4. Micayla Cronk, BD – 49.87
  5. Lexie Mulvihill, TEAM – 49.88
  6. Yi Xuan Chang, SSAC – 49.95
  7. Catherine Stanford, LBA – 50.07
  8. Ella Bathurst, TEAM – 50.35

Claire Curzan added just over a second but still managed to claim the top spot by a comfortable margin for tonight’s final. Three other top-8 seeds, Tristen Ulett of Dynamo, Micayla Cronk from Blue Dolfins, and Lexie Mulvihill of Tampa Elite, all added time but qualified for the A final.

Lindsay Flynn of Mecklenburg dropped a full 1.18 seconds to jump from 26th seed to second qualifier with 49.26. This wasn’t a huge surprise, given her second-place finish in the 50 free with 22.33 on Thursday night. Yi Xuan Chang from Stamford Sailfish was the other big drop of the morning. Entered with a LCM time, since her best SCY time of 51.05 didn’t make the standard, she dropped 1.1 to register a 49.95 and earn a spot in the A final.

Men’s 100 Yard Freestyle – Heats

  • SC Juniors Meet Record – 41.23 Ryan Hoffer 2015
  • 13/14 National Age Group Record – 43.90 Michael Andrew 2014
  • 15/16 National Age Group Record – 42.67 Ryan Hoffer 2013
  • 17/18 National Age Group Record – 41.23 Ryan Hoffer 2015

Top 8 Qualifiers:

  1. Arsenio Bustos, WAC – 43.82
  2. Matthew Jensen, UDAC – 43.83
  3. Jake Magahey, SA – 44.10
  4. Adam Chaney, RAYS – 44.19
  5. Jack Alexy, SHY – 44.21
  6. William Cole, LAK – 44.40
  7. Chris Guiliano, TOPS – 44.53
  8. Jack Aikins, SA – 44.55

Woodbridge’s Arsenio Bustos unleashed a 43.82, improving his seed time by 1.05 seconds, to top the field in heats of the men’s 100 free. Bustos had been seeded 14th. Matthew Jensen of Upper Dublin and Jake Magahey from SwimAtlanta also dropped time in prelims. Jensen had been seeded 3rd with 43.89 while Magahey came in with the 11th seed time of 44.63. TOPS swimming’s Chris Guiliano and SwimAtlanta’s Jack Aikins each took half a second off their seed times of 45.05 and 45.11 to make the A final in the 7th and 8th positions, respectively.

Top-seeded Adam Chaney of Mason Manta Rays and #2 Jack Alexy of Somerset Hills each added 1.1 seconds to their seed times of 43.00 and 43.07 but they will have a shot at the title in tonight’s final. SwimMAC’s Tim Connery, the 4th seed, added 3.4 seconds and didn’t make it back. #7 seed Sam Hoover of NCAC was a DFS.

Women’s 200 Yard Breaststroke – Heats

  • SC Juniors Meet Record – 2:06.02 Alex Walsh 2018
  • 13/14 National Age Group Record – 2:10.22 Allie Szekely 2012
  • 15/16 National Age Group Record – 2:06.45 Alex Walsh 2018
  • 17/18 National Age Group Record – 2:05.87Alex Walsh 2019

Top 8 Qualifiers:

  1. Grace Rainey, MAC – 2:12.18
  2. Abby Arens, MOR – 2:12.21
  3. Letitia Sim, TNT – 2:12.55
  4. Claire Donan, LAK – 2:14.50
  5. Ainsley Jones, DYNA – 2:14.78
  6. Alicia Henry, DYNA – 2:15.36
  7. Adeline Farrington, SA – 2:16.23
  8. Brooke Zettel, TAC – 2:16.83

Five of the top eight seeds made the A final, even with time gains of as much as 4.8 seconds. Grace Rainey of SwimMAC took half a second off her seed time to post the morning’s top qualifying time of 2:12.18. Abby Arens from Marlins of Raleigh went 4.5 seconds faster than her entry time of 2:08.06 for the second time of the morning. Third-seeded Brooke Zettel of TAC just made it in at 8th after a nearly 5-second add. Claire Donan from Lakeside was 2.7 seconds off her seed time of 2:11.73 but still qualified fourth.

Dynamo’s Ainsley Jones and Alicia Henry both dropped time (.8 and .2, respectively) to move from 14th/15th seeds into the A final. Adeline Farrington from SwimAtlanta went her best time in nearly three years. At the 2018 Winter Juniors East she went 2:19.31 but her lifetime best is 2:14.66 from March 2017.

Emme Nelson of SwimMAC, who came in with the 8th-fastest time, added 2.6 seconds and qualified 10th overall. 6th-seeded Gigi Johnson of SwimAtlanta and 7th-seeded Liza Whitmire of Mecklenburg were well off their entry times and failed to qualify for a second swim.

Men’s 200 Yard Breaststroke – Heats

  • SC Juniors Meet Record – 1:52.37 Reece Whitley 2016
  • 13/14 National Age Group Record – 1:55.52 Reece Whitley 2014
  • 15/16 National Age Group Record – 1:52.37 Reece Whitley 2016
  • 17/18 National Age Group Record – 1:51.43 Reece Whitley 2017

Top 8 Qualifiers:

  1. Josh Matheny, PEAQ – 1:56.17
  2. Matt Fallon, SVY – 1:56.18
  3. Maxwell Reich, PHX – 1:57.20
  4. Tyler Christianson, NAAC – 1:57.23
  5. Reid Mikuta, SGSA – 1:57.69
  6. Coleman Modglin, ZSC – 1:58.67
  7. Quinn Harron, DYNA – 1:59.72
  8. Matthew Segal, CW – 1:59.81

Most of the eight fastest seeds made it into the championship final. Josh Matheny from Team Pittsburgh, Matt Fallon of Somerset Valley, and Tyler Christianson from Naval Academy all added time but still made top-4. Maxwell Reich from Phoenix Swimming dropped 1.4 seconds to move from 6th seed up to 4th qualifier. 7th seed Coleman Modglin of Zionsville took .8 off his seed time. Swim GSA’s Reid Mikuta, who finished 3rd in the 100 breast last night, improved his seed time by 1.9 seconds.

The biggest surprise of the morning came from Club Wolverine’s Matthew Segal. Entered with a LCM seed time, Segal took 11.5 seconds off his two-month-old PB of 2:07.33 to qualify 8th in 1:59.81.

After a tough swim in the 100 free, SwimMAC’s Tim Connery had an even rougher go of it in the 200 breast, adding 12.3 seconds and finishing 87th.

Women’s 200 Yard Butterfly – Heats

  • SC Juniors Meet Record – 1:51.24 Regan Smith 2018
  • 13/14 National Age Group Record – 1:55.29 Tess Howley 2019
  • 15/16 National Age Group Record – 1:51.24 Regan Smith 2018
  • 17/18 National Age Group Record – 1:51.04 Ella Eastin 2016

Top 8 Qualifiers:

  1. Claire Curzan, TAC – 1:56.81
  2. Megan Dueul, PACK – 1:57.48
  3. Gabi Albiero, CARD – 1:48.71
  4. Tristen Ulett, DYNA – 1:59.43
  5. Caroline Irwin, SA – 2:00.50
  6. Maddy Burt, SWIM – 2:00.77
  7. Sara Stotler, PSA / Hannah Bellard, CW – 2:00.79

The top four seeds all made the A final with Claire Curzan leading the way in 1:56.81. Of the top four, only Megan Deuel from PACK Swim Team dropped time; she improved her seed time by half a second to land the second spot for the final with 1:57.48. Cardinal Aquatics’ Gabi Albiero added almost 1 second and Dynamo’s Tristen Ulett tacked 3.6 on to her seed time. Her sister Rye Ulett, the #16 seed, went 7 seconds slower than her entry time and finished 51st.

Caroline Irwin of SwimAtlanta notched the 5th time of the morning with a drop of .4 to go 2:00.50. She had been seeded 17th. Seeds 9, 10 and 11 –Sara Stotler of Planet Swim, Hannah Bellard from Club Wolverine, and Maddy Burt from Swim Florida- all sneaked into the A final with times that were between .7 and 1.3 seconds off their seeds.

Men’s 200 Yard Butterfly – Heats

  • SC Juniors Meet Record – 1:40.91 Gianluca Urlando 2018
  • 13/14 National Age Group Record – 1:45.39 Michael Andrew 2014
  • 15/16 National Age Group Record – 1:40.91 Gianluca Urlando 2018
  • 17/18 National Age Group Record – 1:40.85 Nicolas Albiero 2018

Top 8 Qualifiers:

  1. Matthew Fenlon, BAD – 1:43.49
  2. Evan McInerny, SA – 1:46.58
  3. Jace Crawford, EAJ – 1:46.63
  4. Tommy Bried, ACE – 1:46.99
  5. Tyler Sicignano, CPAC – 1:47.52
  6. Preston Forst, EAC – 1:47.60
  7. Carl Bloebaum, RAYS – 1:47.74
  8. Conner Kang, LAK – 1:47.93

Matthew Fenlon from Badger Swim Club improved his seed time by 1.5 seconds to claim his spot in lane 4 for tonight’s championship final. Entered with 1:45.03, he went 1:43.49 in prelims. SwimAtlanta’s Evan McInerny took 2.1 seconds off his entry time to finish second with 1:46.58; he had been seeded 11th. 6th-seeded Jace Crawford from Episcopal AmberJax also dropped, while #1 Preston Forst and #4 Tyler Sicignano added time but still made the A final.

Mason Manta Rays’ Carl Bloebaum dropped 1.8 seconds, and Conner Kang from Lakeside went .75 better than his previous PB to take the 8th spot in the A final.

Carson Foster was DFS, while top-8 seeds Thomas Horne of TNAQ, Matt Fallon from Somerset Valley, and Mason Laur of T2 all added and made it back in the B/C finals.

Women’s 1650 Yard Freestyle – Slowest Heats

  • SC Juniors Meet Record – 15:56.39 Gabrielle Kopenski 2014
  • 13/14 National Age Group Record – 15:54.46 Becca Mann 2012
  • 15/16 National Age Group Record – 15:15.17 Katie Ledecky 2013
  • 17/18 National Age Group Record – 15:13.30 Katie Ledecky 2015

Top 8 Qualifiers:

 

 

 

 

Men’s 1650 Yard Freestyle – Slowest Heats

  • SC Juniors Meet Record – 14:37.71 Michael Brinegar 2017
  • 13/14 National Age Group Record – 15:14.17 Arthur Frayler 2008
  • 15/16 National Age Group Record – 14:45.40 Sean Grieshop 2014
  • 17/18 National Age Group Record – 14:34.46 P.J. Ransford 2015

Top 8 Qualifiers:

 

 

 

 

 

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Bill Draves. TOPS head coach
4 years ago

Just for correct recognition, Chris Guiliano is from TOPS Swimming in Pennsylvania. Nothing against the Hilltoppers, but…

JCO
4 years ago

The team race has been interesting to watch so far. It looks like the men’s meet is coming down to SwimMAC, Swim Atlanta, Mason, & Carmel after these morning swims. It could very well come down to the last relay, which will make the session exciting! On the women’s side, Dynamo should run away with it tonight as long as it isn’t a night filled with DQs.

PK Doesn’t Like His Long Name
4 years ago

Did someone drop molasses in the pool this morning? Holy moly, these are some big adds from unexpected folks.

Bula
Reply to  PK Doesn’t Like His Long Name
4 years ago

Heard some terrible things about the air quality.

PhillyMark
Reply to  Bula
4 years ago

C Miller had unflattering things to say about air quality s/p US Open also

Luke
Reply to  Bula
4 years ago

Can confirm, I swam 200br there today. The dive well was a symphony of coughing.

About Anne Lepesant

Anne Lepesant

Anne Lepesant is the mother of four daughters, all of whom swam in college. With an undergraduate degree from Princeton (where she was an all-Ivy tennis player) and an MBA from INSEAD, she worked for many years in the financial industry, both in France and the U.S. Anne is currently …

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