2023 Mel Zajac Jr. International Meet: Day 1 Finals Live Recap

2023 MEL ZAJAC JR. INTERNATIONAL SWIM MEET

• June 2-4, 2023
• Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• UBC Aquatic Centre
• LCM (50 meters)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• SwimSwam Preview
• Live Results
• Day 1 Prelims Recap

The first finals session of the 2023 Mel Zajac Jr. International Swim Meet has arrived at the UBC Aquatic Centre in Vancouver on Friday night.

Canadian superstar Maggie MacNeil will be absent from tonight’s action after dealing with some major flight delays, but she assured everyone on her Instagram story that she will still be racing in the meet this weekend.

Even without MacNeil, we should still be in for some exciting swims on Friday. Josh Liendo took the top seed in both the 200 free (1:50.59) and 50 fly (24.15) during prelims this morning. 16-year-old Delia Lloyd (2:15.17) and 14-year-old Madison Kryger (2:15.30) are set to battle for the top spot in the women’s 200 back final toward the beginning of the session. Later in the session, American teenager Piper Enge will look to defend her top seed in the 100 breast (1:10.82).

Men’s 800 Freestyle – Final

• Worlds ‘A’ cut: 7:53.11

1. Aiden Hammer – 8:09.84
2. Alexander Axon – 8:10.37
3. Thomas Olsen – 8:22.13
4. Jordan Schaepper – 8:24.53
5. Zergio Quevedo – 8:24.64
6. Zach McLeod – 8:26.59
7. Eric Dupre – 8:30.87
8. Aiden Kirk – 8:34.23

King Aquatic Club 15-year-old Aiden Hammer dropped nearly nine seconds off his lifetime best to kick off the finals session with an 800 free victory in 8:09.84. His previous best was an 8:18.30 from April’s Pro Swim Series stop in Westmont. Hammer now ranks 54th in the U.S. boys’ 15-16 national age group (NAG) rankings.

20-year-old Alexander Axon added time with an 8:10.37, but he still beat out 17-year-old Thomas Olsen (8:22.13) for second place by almost 12 seconds.

Women’s 200 Backstroke – Final

• Worlds ‘A’ cut: 2:11.08

1. Delia Lloyd – 2:14.25
2. Katelyn Schroeder – 2:14.66
3. Madison Kryger – 2:14.80
4. Bridget Burton – 2:16.69
5. Victoria Raymond – 2:19.55
6. Julie Brousseau – 2:19.63
7. Jordan Greber – 2:19.65
8. Marissa Laurin – 2:19.66

16-year-old Ohio State commit Delia Lloyd led a trio of swimmers who went sub-2:15 in the women’s 200 back final. Lloyd, an Etobicoke Swimming product from Toronto, was only .01 seconds slower than her lifetime best from the Canadian Trials in March.

16-year-old Katelyn Schroeder (2:14.66) took second place, edging 14-year-old Madison Kryger (2:14.80) by just about a tenth of a second. Kryger, the youngest swimmer in the A-final, lowered her previous best from prelims by half a second.

Men’s 200 Backstroke – Final

• Worlds ‘A’ cut: 1:58.07

1. Hugh McNeil – 2:02.49
2. Raben Dommann – 2:03.85
3. Blake Tierney – 2:04.16
4. Paul Orogo – 2:06.36
5. David Maibaum – 2:07.89
6. Mark McKenzie – 2:07.96
7. Thomas Caruso – 2:08.62
8. Yu Tong Wu – 2:08.87

University of British Columbia 20-year-old Hugh McNeil triumphed in the 200 back with a time of 2:02.49, more than four seconds off his lifetime best from the Canadian Trials in April. There, he equaled the Worlds ‘A’ cut of 1:58.07 en route to the victory.

UBC teammate Raben Dommann earned the runner-up finish a little over a second behind McNeil. Dommann was also about four seconds off his best time from April. 21-year-old Blake Tierney made it a podium sweep for UBC, claiming third place in 2:04.16.

Women’s 100 Breaststroke – Final

• Worlds ‘A’ cut: 1:07.35

1. Piper Enge – 1:09.54
2. Alexanne Lepage – 1:10.32
3. Danika Ethier – 1:10.63
4. Halle West – 1:10.66
5. Gracyn Kehoe – 1:11.93
6. Sophie Segerson – 1:12.11
7. Eloise Allen – 1:12.57
8. Jessica Maeda – 1:13.18

The top breaststroker in the high school class of 2024, 16-year-old Texas commit Piper Enge, won the 100 breast in 1:09.54, a little over a second off her best time from March. 17-year-old Alexanne Lepage reached the wall less than a second behind Enge and less than a second off her personal-best 1:09.66.

Halle West, the youngest A-finalist at 14 years old, barely missed third place with a 1:10.66 behind 18-year-old Danika Ethier (1:10.63). West shaved .05 seconds off her previous-best time from March.

Men’s 100 Breaststroke – Final

• Worlds ‘A’ cut: 59.75

1. James Dergousoff – 1:02.75
2. Brayden Hemeon – 1:04.01
3. Ethan Hemeon – 1:04.19
4. Connor Brown – 1:04.21
5. Justin Jung – 1:04.94
6. Tanner Cole – 1:05.53
7. Hayden Yeung – 1:05.65
8. Oliver Dawson – 1:06.05

James Dergousoff was the only swimmer sub-1:04 in the A-final, taking the victory in 1:02.75. The 26-year-old was about two seconds off his personal-best 1:00.88 that he missed by just .01 seconds at Canadian Trials in March.

21-year-old Brayden Hemeon placed second in 1:04.01, less than a second off his lifetime best from last July. 20-year-old Ethan Hemeon secured third place with a time of 1:04.19, just about a tenth off his personal-best 1:04.08 from Canadian Trials in March. 18-year-old Connor Brown missed third place by just .02 seconds with a fourth-place showing in 1:04.21.

Women’s 200 Freestyle – Final

• Worlds ‘A’ cut: 1:58.66

1. Emma O’Croinin – 1:59.20
2. Julie Brousseau – 2:02.38
3. Mia West – 2:02.46
4. Jenna Walters – 2:02.77
5. Alexa McDevitt – 2:02.89
6. Maxine Clark – 2:04.15
7. Leilani Fack – 2:04.47
8. Laila Oravsky – 2:04.62

20-year-old Emma O’Croinin cruised to the 200 free win in 1:59.20, just a couple tenths off her time from Canadian Trials in April (1:58.94). Her personal best stands at 1:58.64 from back in 2019.

17-year-old Florida commit Julie Brousseau was more than three seconds behind O’Croinin, clocking a 2:02.38 that was a few seconds off her best time from April. 17-year-old Cal commit Mia West took third place in 2:02.46, about two seconds off her best time from April. Jenna Walters, 16, set a lifetime best en route to a fourth-place finish in 2:02.77, shaving a few tenths off her previous best from prelims (2:03.04). Before this meet, Walters’ best time was a 2:03.93 from April.

Men’s 200 Freestyle – Final

• Worlds ‘A’ cut: 1:47.06

1. Josh Liendo – 1:50.53
2. Jeremy Bagshaw – 1:50.90
3. Laon Kim – 1:52.18
4. Stephen Calkins – 1:55.61
5. Justice Migneault – 1:55.77
6. Thomas Olsen – 1:55.86
7. Yu Tong Wu – 1:56.18
8. Max Malakhovets – 1:56.33

20-year-old University of Florida standout Josh Liendo shaved just .06 seconds off his top-seeded time from this morning’s prelims (1:50.59) with a 1:50.53, but it was still enough to edge 31-year-old Jeremy Bagshaw (1:50.90) for the 200 free title by a few tenths. Liendo recently set his personal-best 200 free time at the Canadian Trials in April with a time of 1:49.88.

Laon Kim lowered his lifetime best in the 200 free with a 1:52.18, taking a couple tenths off his previous-best 1:52.39 from March, which still stands as a Canadian age group record. He recently turned 15 years old, aging up into the boys’ 15-17 category. That means Hassaan Abdel Khalik‘s 1:48.74 from 2009 is now the time for Kim to beat for a new Canadian age group record in the 200 free, but he still has three years remaining to do it.

Women’s 400 IM – Final

• Worlds ‘A’ cut: 4:43.06

1. Tessa Cieplucha – 4:43.32
2. Alexa McDevitt – 4:54.98
3. Maya Bezanson – 4:55.24
4. Clare Watson – 4:55.28
5. Catherine Minic – 4:59.91
6. Sammy Segerson – 5:02.32
7. Ashley Ko – 5:06.60
8. Justine Lapierre – 5:07.32

Former University of Tennessee Tessa Cieplucha standout missed the Worlds ‘A’ cut by just a few tenths with a winning time of 4:43.32, dropping nearly four seconds off her top-seeded prelims time. The 24-year-old was about six seconds off her personal-best 4:37.26 from the 2021 Canadian Trials, but she still won tonight’s final by over 11 seconds.

16-year-old Alexa McDevitt earned the runner-up finish in 4:54.98, more than six seconds off her best time from May. She posted the fastest freestyle leg in the field, coming home in 31.54. The most impressive part was that McDevitt’s performance came right after her fifth-place finish in the 200 free (2:02.89).

Fellow 16-year-old Maya Bezanson dropped more than half a second off her previous best from last April with her third-place finish in 4:55.24.

Men’s 400 IM – Final

• Worlds ‘A’ cut: 4:17.48

1. Collyn Gagne – 4:18.41
2. Tanner Cole – 4:34.05
3. David Maibaum – 4:37.16
4. Tristan Labarre – 4:38.64
5. Eduard-Daniel Rusu – 4:39.18
6. Andrew Xie – 4:42.92
7. Cota Clise – 4:43.41
8. Luca Ignatescu – 4:46.05

22-year-old Collyn Gagne ran away with the 400 IM win, taking more than nine seconds off his prelims time to triumph by over 15 seconds.

A pair of 16-year-olds finished well behind Gagne, but notched new personal bests along the way. Tanner Cole took second in 4:35.05, dropping nearly two seconds off his previous-best 4:35.91 from last April’s Canadian Trials. Fellow 16-year-old David Maibaum had an even bigger drop, shaving over four seconds off his previous-best 4:41.94 from last April’s Canadian Championships.

Women’s 50 Butterfly – Final

• Worlds ‘A’ cut: 26.32

1. Miriam Guevara – 27.01
2. Danielle Hanus – 27.41
3. Mia West – 27.45
4. Matea Gigovic – 27.55
5. Sophia Sunwoo – 27.55
6. Paige Korbely – 27.84
7. Eloise Allen – 27.85
8. Leilani Fack – 27.85

22-year-old Northwestern graduate Miriam Guevara captured the 50 fly crown in 27.01, winning by four-tenths of a second ahead of 25-year-old Danielle Hanus (27.41). Guevara had clocked a new lifetime best in prelims, going 27.11 to drop .03 seconds off her previous best from 2018, and she shaved another tenth off that mark in the final with a personal-best 27.01. Hanus missed her lifetime best by half a second (26.91 from last July).

17-year-old Cal commit Mia West lowered her lifetime best by a few tenths with her third-place finish in 27.45. Her previous best was a 27.75 from last July. The youngest A-finalist in the field, 14-year-old Matea Gigovic, continued to drop time after recently breaking the 28-second mark in March (27.99). Gigovic tied for fourth place with 16-year-old Sophia Sunwoo in 27.55.

Men’s 50 Butterfly – Final

• Worlds ‘A’ cut: 23.53

1. Josh Liendo – 23.99
2. Stephen Calkins – 24.56
3. Justice Migneault – 24.88
4. Wells Ginzer – 25.01
5. Nicholas Duncan – 25.09
6. Eric Ginzburg – 25.17
7. Glen Omielan – 25.31
8. Aiden Norman – 25.36

Josh Liendo made his double look easy as the only swimmer sub-24 seconds in the 50 fly by a relatively wide margin. After winning the 200 free earlier in the session (1:50.53) by .37 seconds, Liendo touched first in the 50 fly by .57 seconds, increasing the gap in a race a quarter as long. The 20-year-old University of Florida standout was still .72 seconds off his national-record 23.27 from Canadian Trials in April.

24-year-old Stephen Calkins took second place and 21-year-old Justice Migneault rounded out the podium with a third-place finish in 24.88 as the only other swimmers in the field under 25 seconds in the final.

Women’s 1500 Freestyle – Final

• Worlds ‘A’ cut: 16:29.57

1. Sydney Wilson – 17:24.86
2. Mia Avansino – 17:27.51
3. Lucy Hallett – 17:34.33
4. Mia Thomas – 17:40.91
5. Maya Clise – 17:57.32
6. Gabriella Doueihy – 17:59.40
7. Michelle Zeng – 18:03.09
8. Shayda Taghavi – 18:09.02

17-year-olds Sydney Wilson (17:24.86) and Mia Avansino (17:27.51) led the way in the women’s 1500 free, but both were off their best times of 17:07.97 and 17:24.42, respectively.

16-year-old Lucy Hallett posted a huge time drop, going from 17:57.19 to 17:34.33 in just a few months. The nearly-23-second drop allowed Hallett to snag third place ahead of 14-year-old Mia Thomas, also clocked a personal best in the final. Thomas went 17:40.91, shaving more than three seconds off her previous-best 17:44.05 from Canadian Trials in March.