2023 Mel Zajac Jr. International Meet: Day 3 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 3 Prelims Recap
• Day 2 Finals Live Recap
• Day 1 Finals Live Recap

The last finals session of the 2023 Mel Zajac Jr. International Swim Meet has arrived at the UBC Aquatic Center in Vancouver, Canada.

Canadian star Josh Liendo headlined the list of competitors during prelims on Sunday morning, taking the top seed in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 49.85, a couple seconds off his personal-best 47.55. Fellow Canadian star Maggie MacNeil did not enter any races on Sunday after winning the 100 butterfly (57.70) and 50 backstroke (28.23) on Saturday and missing Friday’s action due to travel delays.

American teenager Piper Enge led the women’s 50 breaststroke prelims with a 31.94, just a few tenths off her best time. The Texas commit is looking for her second victory of the weekend after triumphing in the 100 breast on Friday night.

We could see some tight battles on Sunday night, with Jenna Walters (56.71) edging Mia West (56.73) by just .02 seconds in the women’s 100 free prelims this morning. In the women’s 100 back, the top three swimmers (Katelyn Schroeder, Danielle Hanus, and Delia Lloyd) were all within a half second of each other.

Stay tuned below for live updates throughout the night:

Women’s 800 Freestyle – Final

1. Tess Cieplucha – 8:47.09
2. Laila Oravsky – 8:49.28
3. Julia Strojnowska – 8:57.66
4. Alexa McDevitt – 9:03.36
5. Maxine Clark – 9:05.34
6. Sydney Wilson – 9:08.51
7. Rosal Davidson – 9:14.97
8. Kaitlyn Stanojlovic – 9:16.14
9. Gabriella Doueihy – 9:18.38
10. Sammy Segerson – 9:18.67

24-year-old Canadian Olympian Tess Cieplucha kicked off the session with an 800 free win in 8:47.09, about four seconds off her best time (8:42.75) from 2019. It was the fourth victory of the weekend for the Tennessee graduate, who also triumphed in the 200 IM (2:14.73) and 200 breast (2:29.91) on Saturday as well as the 400 IM (4:43.32) on Friday.

Laila Oravsky touched just about two seconds behind Cieplucha, notching a new lifetime best along the way. The 16-year-old snuck under her previous best (8:49.33) from last July during her runner-up finish in 8:49.28, shaving .05 seconds off her old mark. Fellow 16-year-old Julia Strojnowska was the only other finalist under nine minutes, rounded out the podium with a third-place finish in 8:57.66. Her lifetime best is a 8:48.37 from Canadian Trials a couple months ago.

Women’s 100 Backstroke – Final

1. Danielle Hanus – 1:02.08
2. Kate Schroeder – 1:02.30
3. Delia Lloyd – 1:02.60
4. Catherine Andrews – 1:03.22
5. Jordan Greber – 1:03.52
6. Madison Kryger – 1:03.53
7. Bridget Burton – 1:03.80
8. Sophia Sunwoo – 1:04.53
9. Lea Nugent – 1:05.42
10. Eloise Allen – 1:05.54

25-year-old Danielle Hanus claimed first place in the women’s 100 back with a winning time of 1:02.08. Her lifetime best is a 1:00.34 from the 2019 Pan American Games.

17-year-old Kate Schroeder reached the wall just a couple tenths behind Hanus for second place. Her prelims time of 1:02.02 would have won the final tonight. Schroeder’s best 100 back time is a 1:01.44 relay start from last year’s Junior Pan Pacs.

Delia Lloyd just missed her lifetime best during her third-place finish in 1:02.60. The 16-year-old went a personal-best 1:02.44 during Canadian Trials a couple months ago.

Men’s 100 Backstroke – Final

1. Blake Tierney – 55.33
2. Raben Dommann – 55.89
3. Hugh McNeill – 57.09
4. Paul Orogo – 57.73
5. Jayden Cole – 57.97
6. Kevin Kong – 58.48
7. Mark McKenzie – 59.60
8. Alexa Lackovic – 59.91
9. Franci Brennan – 1:00.19
10. Ramy Ghaziri – DQ

21-year-old Blake Tierney held off 22-year-old Raben Dommann (55.89) for the men’s 100 back victory in 55.33, a little less than a second off his personal-best 54.45 from this year’s Canadian Trials. Dommann was also just under a second slower than his personal-best 55.o6 from Canadian Trials.

Hugh McNeill, Tierney’s 20-year-old UBC Thunderbirds teammate, claimed third place in 57.09, more than a second off his best time (55.68) from February’s USPORTS Swimming Championships.

Women’s 50 Breaststroke – Final

1. Piper Enge – 31.77
2. Danika Ethier – 32.31
3. Halle West – 32.45
4. Alexanne Lepage – 32.46
5. Eloise Allen – 32.84
6. Katie Graboski – 33.19
7. Gracyn Kehoe – 33.30
8. Venna Andersen – 33.46
9. Vale Kolytchev – 33.71
10. Alicia L’Archeveque – 34.28

16-year-old American Piper Enge pulled out the victory in the women’s 50 breast by a relatively wide margin, clocking a 31.77 to win by more than half a second. The Texas commit was just about a tenth off her personal-best 31.66 from May.

18-year-old Danika Ethier (32.31) took second place in 32.31, about half a second off her personal-best 31.80 from February’s USPORTS Championships. 14-year-old Halle West (32.45) edged out 17-year-old Alexanne Lepage (32.46) for third place by .01 seconds.

Men’s 50 Breaststroke – Final

1. Ethan Hemeon – 29.24
2. Blake Tierney – 29.44
3. Larry Yu – 29.48
4. Tam Doan – 29.73
5. Rhade Kostelnyk – 29.79
6. Hayden Yeung – 29.80
7. Joshua Kim – 30.09
8. Vincent Lavoie-Rancourt – 30.13
9. Aiden Luykenaar – 30.24
10. Justice Migneault – DQ

Ethan Hemeon triumphed in the men’s 50 breast with a winning time of 29.24, edging Blake Tierney (29.44) by a couple tenths of a second. The 20-year-old Hemeon tallied a new lifetime best en route to the victory, shaving .03 seconds off his previous best from Canadian Trials a couple months ago. Tierney, 20, appears to have recorded a huge new personal best, taking more than two seconds off his previous-best 31.53 from the 2019 Canadian Trials. What’s more, it came soon after winning the 100 back (55.33), with just one other event separating the two races.

21-year-old Larry Yu also posted a massive best time, dropping more than two seconds off his previous-best 32.15 from May’s ISC Medley Challenge. Tam Doan (29.73), Rhade Kostelnyk (29.79), and Hayden Yeung (29.80) also finished under the 30-second barrier.

Women’s 200 Butterfly – Final

1. Clare Watson – 2:14.37
2. Mia West – 2:15.48
3. Lily Zhang – 2:15.91
4. Catherine Minic – 2:16.40
5. Leilani Fack – 2:18.17
6. Grace Sorensen – 2:20.02
7. Katie Stanojlovic – 2:20.16
8. Jessie Carlson – 2:22.07
9. Cici Sun – 2:22.66
10. Anna Dumont-Belanger – 2:23.98

15-year-old Clare Watson dropped nearly half a second off her previous best (2:14.80) from Canadian Trials a couple months ago en route to the women’s 200 fly title in 2:14.37.

17-year-old Cal commit Mia West earned a runner-up finish a second behind Watson in 2:15.48, just missing her personal-best 2:15.45 from the Canada Games last August.

Fellow 17-year-old Lily Zhang notched a new lifetime best during her third-place finish in 2:15.91, taking .27 seconds off her previous-best 2:16.18 from last April.

Men’s 200 Butterfly – Final

1. Max Malakhovets – 2:01.67
2. Bill Dongfang – 2:02.04
3. Zergio Quevedo – 2:03.76
4. Tristan Labarre – 2:03.90
5. Wyatt Carlton – 2:05.32
6. Zach McLeod – 2:06.36
7. Jihoon Bae – 2:07.92
8. Andrew Coombs – 2:08.64
9. Jordan Schaepper – 2:09.11
10. Andrew Xie – 2:09.51

18-year-old Max Malakhovets dipped under 2:02 for the first time, posting a 2:01.67 to drop nearly half a second off his previous-best 2:02.16 from Canadian Trials a couple months ago. Fellow 18-year-old Bill Dongfang earned the runner-up finish in 2:02.04, about a second off his personal-best 2:00.92 from Canadian Trials.

17-year-old Zergio Quevedo took third place in 2:03.76, shaving six-tenths off his previous-best 2:04.36 from Canadian Trials. 18-year-old Tristan Labarre was the only other finalist sub-2:04 with a fourth-place finish in 2:03.90.

Women’s 100 Freestyle – Final

1. Mia West – 56.41
2. Julie Brousseau – 56.61
3. Jenna Walters – 56.61
4. Matea Gigovic – 57.15
5. Sophia Sunwoo – 57.37
6. Leilani Fack – 57.87
7. Halle West – 58.24
8. Julia Strojnowska – 58.96
9. Delia Lloyd – 58.99
10. Victoria Raymond – 59.30

Just two events after placing second in the 200 fly (2:15.48), 17-year-old Cal commit Mia West pulled off an impressive victory in the 100 free with a winning time of 56.41. She’s been sub-56 before, with her lifetime best at 55.95 from Canadian Trials.

Fellow 17-year-old Julie Brousseau (56.61) and 16-year-old Jenna Walters (56.61) were just a couple tenths behind West, tying for second place. Brousseau missed her personal-best 56.38 from Canadian Trials by just a couple tenths.

Men’s 100 Freestyle – Final

1. Josh Liendo – 49.02
2. Stephen Calkins – 51.22
3. Laon Kim – 51.80
4. Aiden Norman – 52.07
5. Larry Yu – 52.64
6. Niall Johnson – 52.75
7. Joel Blanco – 52.77
8. Sebastien Voicu – 52.81
9. Justice Migneault – 53.16
10. Jacob Rambo – 53.20

Josh Liendo cruised to a victory by more than two seconds in the 100 free with a winning time of 49.02. The 20-year-old rising University of Florida sophomore recently 47.86 at Canadian Trials a couple months ago, just a few tenths off his personal-best 47.55 from last year’s World Championships.

24-year-old Stephen Calkins earned the runner-up finish behind Liendo with a 51.22, a couple seconds off his personal-best 48.96 from last year’s Commonwealth Games.

The youngest finalist in the field, 15-year-old Laon Kim, was the only other swimmer under 52 seconds. He touched third in 51.80, within a second of his personal-best 51.05 from Canadian Trials.

Men’s 1500 Free – Final

1. Aiden Hammer – 15:49.17
2. Alexander Axon – 15:55.46
3. Thomas Olsen – 15:56.08
4. Hau-Li Fan – 16:01.00
5. Tanner Cole – 16:20.00
6. Paul McKenzie – 16:21.67
7. Zach McLeod – 16:22.08
8. Zergio Quevedo – 16:24.67
9. Edouard – 16:29.57
10. William Risk – 16:29.71

Aiden Hammer registered a new lifetime best en route to the win in the men’s 1500 free to wrap up this year’s meet. The 15-year-old King Aquatic Club swimmer dropped more than two seconds off his best time from April (15:51.56) to finish six seconds ahead of 20-year-old Alexander Axon (15:49.17).

Multnomah Athletic Club (Portland, OR) 17-year-old Thomas Olsen clocked a huge new lifetime best to finish third, less than a second behind Axon. The USC commit’s time of 15:56.08 took nearly 10 seconds off his previous-best 16:05.98 from last July.