2022 Southern Zone Sectionals: Day 4 Finals Live Recap

2022 SOUTHERN ZONE SOUTH SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

• February 10 – 13, 2022
• Rosen Aquatic Center
• Orlando, Florida
• Long Course Meters (50m)
• Result via Meet Mobile – “2022 Southern Zone South Sectional Championships”
• Meet Central
• Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Recap | Day 3 Finals Recap
• Day 4 Prelims Recap

The final night of racing at the 2022 Southern Zone Sectional Championships will feature the men’s and women’s 200 fly, 100 free, 200 breast, and 200 backstroke. Follow along live as we get into the session.

Women’s 200 Butterfly

Top 3:

1. Lockett Bowley – 2:13.61
2. Michaela Mattes – 2:16.33
3. Isabella Lojewski – 2:17.11

University of Alabama commit Lockett Bowley held off the field in the women’s 200 butterfly, establishing a 3-second gap between herself and second-place finisher Michaela Mattes. Bowley delivered a 2:13.61 for the win, which is 3 seconds faster than her prelims swim and is almost 2 seconds better than her former PB of 2:15.48 from July 2021.

Michaela Mattes dropped 5 seconds from her morning swim of 2:21.48 to earn second place in the final, while Isabella Lojewski went from 4th in the heats to 3rd place with a 2:17.11.

Men’s 200 Butterfly

Top 3:

1. Martin Espernberger – 2:01.25
2. Gage Hulbert – 2:02.10
3. Michael Mullen – 2:03.71

Bolles Sharks swimmer and Austrian Euro Junior Championships finalist Martin Espernberger was the quickest man in the 200 butterfly final with a 2:01.25. Espernberger, who will head to the University of Tennessee in the fall of 2022, posted a 2:01.25 to clinch the win, which is just over his best time of 2:0o.33 from April of last year.

He was joined in the top 3 by fellow Bolles swimmer Gage Hulbert and Michael Mullen. Hulbert was second in a 2:02.10, while Mullen finished third in a 2:03.71. That swim from Hulbert was his first time under 2:03 in the 200 fly, having set a new PB of 2:03.82 during prelims. Mullen meanwhile has been a bit faster, having swum a 2:00.32 at Futures in July 2021.

Dario Martin was a bit outside of the top 3 with a 2:05.63, followed by Amadeusz Knop in a 2:06.15 for 5th.

Women’s 100 Freestyle

Top 3:

1. Marina Spadoni – 56.53
2. Addison Sauickie – 56.65
3. Blair Stoneburg – 57.28

The 100 freestyle final came down to top seed heading into the final Addison Sauickie and second seed Marina Spadoni. The duo had swum a 57.39 and a 57.55, respectively during the heats. Ultimately, Spadoni got to the wall first dipping under 57 with a 56.53, trailing her PB of 55.86 by less than a second.

Sauickie wasn’t far behind, hitting a 56.65 for second place, which was quicker than both her prelims swim and her former best time in the event of 56.73 from last summer.

Blair Stoneburg got into the top 3 with a 57.28, marking her 3rd 3rd-place finish of the meet. On day 1 Stoneburg swam to 3rd in the 800 freestyle with an 8:48.70 and followed up with 3rd in the 400 free in 4:15.35.

Zoe Skirboll and Julie Brousseau were also both under 58, each hitting a 57.55 to tie for 4th place, while Elan Daley hit a 57.77 for 6th place.

Men’s 100 Freestyle

Top 3:

1. Andres Dupont Cabrera – 50.94
2. Leif Bouwman – 52.41
3. Jack Hall – 52.93

It was another Bolles victory in the men’s 100 freestyle as Andres Dupont Cabrera got to the wall in a 50.94 to claim victory. Dupont Cabrera was almost half a second faster than his 51.38 prelims time but didn’t quite hit his lifetime best of 49.92. The Stanford commit got under 50 seconds for the first time last May when he hit both a 49.99 and 49.92 at the Mizuno Atlanta Classic.

Leif Bouwman got under 53 seconds, improving upon his morning swim of 53.09 with a 52.41 for second place. He surpassed third seed Jack Hall of Bolles who wound up staying in third place with a 52.93. Notably, second seed Sage Sungail did not race in the final.

Women’s 200 Breaststroke

Top 3:

1. Gracie Weyant – 2:33.10
2. Emily Santos – 2:35.90
3. Julie Brousseau – 2:36.36

Gracie Weyant was almost three seconds quicker in the final than she was during the heats, hitting a 2:33.10 for the win compared to her 2:35.96 morning swim. Both swims were a little short of her Wave 1 Olympic Trials best time (2:31.10), but she was fast enough to claim the top spot.

Emily Santos raced Weyant, ultimately touching in a 2:35.90, which nearly got her under her 2:35.61 entry time. Just a few events after Julie Brousseau tied for 4th in the 100 freestyle, she returned to get into the top 3 of the 200 breaststroke.

Brousseau was a 2:36.36 for third place, which is slightly off her entry time of 2:34.55 but quicker than her 2:38.56 from the prelims. In the absence of 4th seed Micaela Sierra, 6th seed Sabyne Brisson jumped to 4th with a 2:39.16.

Men’s 200 Breaststroke

Top 3:

1. Michael Andrew – 2:14.98
2. Julio Horrego – 2:17.35
3. Dario Martin – 2:22.03

Olympic 100 breaststroker Michael Andrew won the 200 breaststroke final with a 2:14.98 ahead of Julio Horrego‘s 2:17.35. Andrew was faster than his 2:20.81 morning swim, but wasn’t at PB-speed, trailing the 2:11.32 her posted last April in Mission Viejo.

Horrego was a little closer to his fastest-ever swim, posting a 2:17.35 for second place, while his PB sits at a 2:16.40 from back in 2018. Dario Martin and Harrison Herrera battled it out for third place and Martin had the faster finish, getting to the wall in a 2:22.03 followed by Herrera’s 2:22.74.

Women’s 200 Backstroke

Top 3:

1. Megan Wheeler – 2:15.21
2. Brooke Manning – 2:17.78
3. Sarah Sensenbrenner – 2:18.64

In the final individual women’s event of the night, Canadian Megan Wheeler got to the wall first in the 200 back with a 2:15.21. Wheeler beat her prelims time of 2:16.80 by a second and a half and also got under her entry time of 2:15.97.

Wheeler won the event by more than 2 seconds as Brooke Manning came in with a 2:17.78 for second place, taking a solid amount of time off her 2:21.23 entry time. Sarah Sensenbrenner went from second seed heading into the final to third overall with a 2:18.64.

Men’s 200 Backstroke

Top 3:

1. Yeziel Morales – 2:01.83
2. Amadeusz Knop – 2:04.21
3. Luigi Franco – 2:05.71

Yeziel Morales pulled the 3-for-3 sweep of the backstroke events, adding to his 50 and 100 wins earlier on in the meet. Morales dropped from a 2:05.34 in the prelims to a 2:01.83 in the final, nearing the 2-minute barrier as well as his entry time of 1:59.38.

That time of 1:59.38 for Morales is his Puerto Rican record in the event, which he set in March 2021 at the South American Championships.

Amadeusz Knop and Luigi Franco swapped places from prelims as Knop overtook Franco for second place with a 2:04.21. Franco came in a second and a half later in a 2:05.71 for third. Franco, like Morales, was in the top 3 in all of the backstroke events at this meet, having finished second in the 50 backstroke and third in the 100.