2021 USA SWIMMING 18 & UNDER SPRING CUP – IRVINE
- April 29 – May 2
- William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center
- Irvine, California
- Long Course Meters (LCM)
- Results Available on Meet Mobile Under “CA ONLY USAS 18-Un Spring Cup at Irvine Nova”
- Day 1 Recap
- Day 2 Recap
- Day 3 Recap
Final Team Scores (Top 5)
- Mission Viejo Nadadores: 648
- Irvine Novaquatics: 421
- Rose Bowl Aquatics: 276.5
- Pleasanton Seahawks: 197
- Sierra Marlins Swim Team: 194
Teagan O’Dell from Irvine Novaquatics already shaved one-third of a second off her lifetime best 200 backstroke from November U.S. Open during prelims, but then she came back and crushed it by 4 seconds in finals with a time of 2:14.51. 14-year-old O’Dell secured the Olympic Trial Wave I cut by .18 and finished with a 2 second lead over the field.
This time ranks her #26 out of all-time fastest 13-14 year-olds in the event, bumping recent Cal grad Courtney Mykkanen to #27. Sierra Marlins Swim Team’s Elizabeth Murphy and Erica Jaffe took 2nd and 3rd place, respectively with times of 2:16.88 and 2:17.07. This ranks 14-year-old Jaffe #88 out of the all-time fastest 13-14 year-olds in the event.
O’Dell dropped another lifetime best in the 200 IM final, touching the wall in 3rd place with a time of 2:18.74 and crushing her previous best from January 2020 by about .60. She is now ranked #55 on the list of the all-time fastest 200 IM’ers in her age group.
Mission Viejo’s Katie Crom won the event with a time of 2:17.15, about half a second off her lifetime best from January. She was the only swimmer to get under the Olympic Trial Wave I cut. Her teammate 16-year-old Julia Stafford snagged 2nd place (2:17.95), dropping nearly two seconds from her lifetime best from December 2019.
The fastest time in the women’s 100 free came from U.S. National Teamer Justina Kozan of Mission Viejo who touched the wall 1st with a time of 55.75. This ranks her #54 out of the all-time fastest 17-18 year-olds in the event behind 2019 Pan American Games gold medalist Margo Geer. Kozan beat the Wave I cut handily, and was about .20 off the Wave II cut. Her lifetime best going into this meet was a 55.87 from a relay lead-off leg at the 2019 Summer Junior Nationals.
U.S. Junior National Teamer Claire Tuggle of Santa Maria Swim Club took 2nd place (56.36), narrowly out touching 3rd place finisher Crom by .11. This was a new lifetime best for Crom who dropped .13 from her previous best from January 2020, while Tuggle was within .20 of her best time from 2018 Summer Nationals.
On the men’s side, Clovis Swim Club’s Gabriel Jett and Jackson Huckabay finished 1-2. Jett posted a time of 51.23 while Huckabay touched the wall with a time of 51.68. Jett’s fastest time of the day actually came during prelims when he posted a 51.13 which crushed his lifetime best from April 2019 by .64 and was within .65 of the Wave I cut. This was a major time drop for Huckabay who came into this meet with a best time of 55.12 from a relay lead-off leg in 2019.
In the 800 free, Fullerton Aquatic’s Matthew Chai rattled the Wave II cut with a time of 8:09.15. He was the only swimmer under the Wave I time in the heat. This was a solid swim for Chai, about a second off his lifetime best from November which earned him the Wave II cut.
Other Event Winners and Notable Swims:
- 16-year-old Ronald Dalmacio of Rose Bowl won the 200 back with a commanding one second lead, despite the fact that he and 2nd place finisher Kyle Brill of Canyons were virtually tied at the 150-meter mark (flipping at 1:33.62 and 1:33.64, respectively.) After charging through that last 50, Dalmacio touched the wall at 2:04.86 and Brill at 2:05.84. Dalmacio was about a second off his lifetime best from 2019 Summer Junior Nationals while Brill’s best time still stands at 2:03.06 from the Pro Swim Series 3 weeks ago.
- Dart’s Zachary Tan and Tonahuac Zinn from Socal had a tight race in the 200IM with Tan ultimately claiming 1st place (2:07.55), .04 ahead of Zinn. Tan was about 4 seconds off his lifetime best time from April 2019 while Tan was within 2 seconds of his.
- High school sophomore Mattea Sokolow from Team Santa Monica won the women’s 1500 free final with a time of 17:13.96, about 10 seconds off her lifetime best from 2019 Summer Junior Nationals. 14-year-old Sydney Willson of Mission Viejo took 2nd place (17:27.41), dropping about 16 seconds from her lifetime best from January 2020.
