2023 Speedo Winter Juniors – East: Heilman, Shackell, Crush, & More Headline Psych Sheets

2023 SPEEDO WINTER JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – EAST

• December 6-9, 2023
• McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion, Columbus, OH
• SCY (25 yards)
• Event Page
• Meet Central (USA Swimming)
• Psych Sheet
• Live Results (Also available on MeetMobile)

The 2023 Speedo Winter Junior Championships- East will be kicking off tomorrow evening at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on the campus of Ohio State. This is a somewhat unique year for the Winter Junior Championships, as both the East and West meets have moved from their usual host sites. This time around, the East meet is in Columbus, while the West meet is in Westmont, IL at the FMC Natatorium, which puts the two meets just shy of 300 miles apart (the drive is about 5.5 hours).

This year’s edition of the Winter Junior Championships will have both prelims and finals held in Short Course Yards (SCY), while there will be a Long Course Meters (LCM) held on Sunday for those who are chasing Olympic Trials cuts for next summer.

Now, let’s get into the preview for the East meet. This year’s East meet features swimmers from many of the top club teams in the Eastern half of the country, including Carmel Swim Club, Lakeside Swim Team, Dynamo Swim Club, TAC Titans, SwimMAC Carolina, and Bolles School Sharks to name just a few.

WINTER JUNIORS EAST PSYCH SHEET

With this mix of teams, we know we’re in for some great racing. First and foremost, 16-year-old Cavalier Aquatics/Piedmont Family YMCA star Thomas Heilman is in attendance. Heilman is entered in a really fun schedule of events for him. He’s in the 100 and 200 fly, which are arguably his two best events. He’s also set to race the 50 and 100 free, 200 IM, and the 100 breast.

Heilman is, of course, the top seed in the 100 and 200 fly. He’s the 15-16 National Age Group Record (NAG) holder in the 100 fly with his personal best of 44.67. Not only is Heilman the fastest 16-and-under ever in the yards 100 fly, he’s also already the 2nd-fastest 18-and-under, behind only Ilya Kharun, who has been 44.33 in the event as an 18-year-old. Heilman is also the 15-16 NAG holder in the 200 fly, holding a personal best of 1:40.86. He’s the top seed in the event by well over 2 seconds.

In the 200 IM, Heilman is the top seed with his personal best of 1:41.71. He’s far and away the top seed in the event, coming in more than 3 seconds ahead of the next-fastest seed.

The 100 free is the other event in which Heilman is the top seed. He’s seeded at 42.61, which is enough for the top seed by well over half a second.

In the 50 free, Heilman is seeded 2nd (19.63) to East Carolina Aquatics 18-year-old Lucca Battaglini, who comes in with the top time of 19.47.

15-year-old Kayla Han will be another swimmer of very high interest in this meet. Now at Carmel Swim Club after previously competing for La Mirada Armada in California, Han will be competing in her first East Winter Junior Championships. The newest Carmel star, Han is entered in 6 events this week: 200 free, 500 free, 1650 free, 200 IM, 400 IM, and 200 fly.

Han is the top seed in the 500 free (4:39.18), 1650 free (16:05.75), and 400 IM (4:06.95).

Of course, Carmel’s attendance means that 17-year-old Alex Shackell will be racing. Shackell, a silver medalist on the US women’s 4×200 free relay at the World Championships this past summer, is the top seed in the women’s 200 free, coming in with her personal best of 1:43.60. Shackell also leads the psych sheet in the 100 fly (50.47), 100 free (47.44), and 200 fly (1:53.52). She’s also entered in the 500 free.

Blair Regional Y 17-year-old Leah Shackley will be there to challenge Shackell in the fly events. Shackley is the #2 seed in both fly events, coming in with a 50.96 in the 100 and 1:54.63 in the 200.

Lakeside Swim Team 15-year-old Charlotte Crush, one of the fastest 14-and-under swimmers we’ve ever seen, is the top seed in both women’s backstroke events. In the 100 back, Crush comes in with her top mark of 50.44, while Shackley is 2nd at 50.83. Crush leads the 200 back with a 1:50.95, where Shackley is, once again, 2nd with a 1:51.27.