2023 FUTURES — Sacramento
- July 26 to 29, 2023
- LCM (50m)
- North Natomas Aquatic Complex Sacramento, California
- Meet Central
- Results on Meet Mobile: “2023 Futures Championships – Sacramento”
The second evening of the 2023 Futures Championships was a short one. Only six individual events were raced in finals, the women’s and men’s 100 free, 400 IM, and 100 back. The final two events on tap this evening were the women’s and men’s 4×200 free relay.
After having to share the top of the podium in the 200 free last night, NC State commit Madeleine Hebert took the top podium position alone tonight in the women’s 100 free. She managed to get to the wall first in a time of 56.11, a new personal best by almost a full second. While there wasn’t a repeat for a tie for gold, two swimmers did tie for the silver. Seventeen-year-old Lila Heffernan and 15-year-old Ava de Anda touched the wall in identical times of 56.40.
Hebert’s drop in the 100 should not come as a big surprise, as earlier this year; she dropped over a second in both her 100 and 200-yard freestyles at the Winter Junior Championships – West meet
Hebert’s teammate at Team Rebel Aquatics, Alexandru Szilagyi, touched out the competition in the men’s 100 free. The 25-year-old touched the wall in 50.84, just .04 ahead of last night’s 3rd-place finisher in the 200, Cameron Castro. Keeping a theme of ties, touching for 3rd in identical times of 50.99 was Ethan Harrington and Steven Butler.
Youth reigned supreme in the women’s 400 IM, with a trio of 16-year-olds sweeping the top three spots of the podium. Repeating the gold she won in the 200 fly last night was Applejean Gwinn. The Sandpipers of Nevada swimmer and teammate of 400 IM National Champion Katie Grimes won in a new personal best of 4:50.05, dropping over five seconds from her former personal best of 4:55.16 set at the Knoxville Pro Swim Series.
Touching in 2nd was Eunice Lee of Santa Clara Swim Club. The Yale commit touched in 4:51.53, which represents a new personal best by over one and a half seconds. In third was Gwinn’s teammate Lucy Warnick, who finished in 4:56.27.
Keeping the Sandpipers’ atop the podium was Dillon Wright. Wright won a tight men’s 400 IM in a time of 4:24.33. The Virginia commit already had the Olympic Trials cut from the 4:22.22 personal best he swam at the National Championships. Wright used a strong 100 free split of 58.94 to pass Julian Correa, who finished in 4:24.71. Correa led at the 300 mark but was passed in the last 100, where he swam 59.66. Despite being disappointed in the silver medal, Correa’s time represents a new personal best by over five seconds and dips under the Olympic Trials cut of 4:25.19.
Just eight-hundredths of a second separated the top two in the women’s 100 back. Getting her hand on the wall first was Margaret McGuire, whose 1:02.64 touched out Delaney Herr’s 1:02.72. McGuire, an Auburn commit for the class of 2027, was under her old personal best of 1:03.36 that she set in 2021.
The last individual event of the evening, the 100 back, saw McKay Mickelson nabbed the win in a time of 56.91. Mickelson, representing Team Rebel Aquatics, was the only swimmer sub-57 as Ryan Williams’ 57.28 was good for the silver.
The last swim of the session for the women was the fastest heat 4×200 free relay. Taking the win was the host team DART. Leading the team out was Kylee Sears (2:04.15). Adelia Biello (2:07.67), Sarah Bennetts (2:03.90), and Ava Portello (2:05.20) rounded out the team, finishing in a time of 8:20.92.
Known for their dominance in the open water and long-distance freestyle events, the Sandpipers of Nevada men’s ‘A’ team took the win in the 4×200 free relay. Anchoring the relay for Sandpipers was the 200 free champion from night 1, Luke Ellis. Ellis’ split was 1:50.44, a time that was around three-quarters of a second faster than his individual time. Swimming the first three legs for the team were Santiago Gutierrez (1:53.85), Joshua Brown (1:52.46), and Dillon Wright (1:54.58).
How do the number of 400 IM DQs at this site compare to other futures sites? 8 guys DQ in finals alone. It doesn’t seem right that 25% of the field wad DQd in finals at a meet like this.