2023 Winter Juniors – West: Day 2 Prelims Live Recap

2023 Speedo Winter Junior Championships – West

• December 6-9, 2023
• FMC Natatorium, Westmont, Illinois
• Prelims: 9:00 am (CST)/ Finals: 5:00 pm (CST)
• Wednesday finals (relays only): 6:00 pm (CST)
• SCY (25 yards)
• Meet Central (USA Swimming)
• How To Watch
• Psych Sheet
• Live Results or on Meet Mobile

Thursday morning heat sheets

After a record-breaking night of relays on Wednesday, we begin our individual events on Thursday morning with heats of the 500 free, 200 IM, and 50 free. Crow Canyon’s Bailey Hartman brings the top time in the girls 500 free with 4:33.72. Teagan O’Dell from Mission Viejo is ranked 2nd in the 500 (4:39.29) and 1st in the very next event, the 200 IM (1:53.38). Her teammate Teia Salvino is entered with the fastest seed time in the 50 free (22.06).

Lakeside Aquatic Club’s Cooper Lucas heads the field in the 500 free (4:14.53), while his teammate Maximus Williamson is the top entrant in the 200 IM with 1:42.07, his meet record from 2022. Bend Swim Club’s Diggory Dillingham (19.57) is the fastest of 5 sprinters entered with sub-20 times. Among the others is Williamson, 3rd with 19.65.

LIVE STREAM OF GIRLS MEET courtesy USA SWIMMING

Girls’ 500 Yard Freestyle – Prelims

• West Record: 4:28.64 – Bella Sims (2022)
• Meet Record: 4:27.52 – Summer McIntosh (2022)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 4:35.14 – Katie Ledecky (2011)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 4:28.71 – Katie Ledecky (2014)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 4:26.58 – Katie Ledecky (2015)

Top 8 qualifiers:

1. Bailey Hartman, Crow Canyon Sharks – 4:43.69P
2. Ella Cosgrove, Scottsdale Aquatic Club – 4:46.58
3. Ella Antoniewski, Waukesha Express – 4:46.62
4. Zoe Nordmann, Magnolia Aquatic – 4:46.71
5. Amelia Bodenstab, Longhorn Aquatics – 4:46.89
6. Marissa Inouye, Front Range Barracudas – 4:48.30
7. Teagan O’Dell, Mission Viejo Nadadores – 4:48.61
8. Paige Downey, Gold Medal Swim – 4:50.66

Top-seeded Bailey Hartman from Crow Canyon Sharks led the field with 4:43.69, breaking the pool record and qualifying 1st for tonight’s final by nearly 3 seconds. Second to the wall behind Hartman in the heat was Waukesha Express’s Ella Antoniewski, who bettered her seed time by half a second to clock in at 4:46.62. Just behind her was Amelia Bodenstab from Longhorn Aquatics (4:46.89, PB by .9).

Scottsdale Aquatic Club’s Ella Cosgrove won the other circle-seeded heat in 4:46.58, just off her seed time of 4:44.67. Magnolia Aquatic Club’s Zoe Nordmann (4:46.71) went .8 faster than her entry time to finish just ahead of Mission Viejo’s Teagan O’Dell (4:48.61) for 2nd in the heat.

Marissa Inouye from Front Range Barracudas clocked an impressive 4:46.89 from lane 8, improving her best time by 4 seconds. Seeded 26th, she vaulted into the top 8 for tonight’s final. 14-year-old Rowyn Wilber of Clovis Swim Club also had a big swim, dropping 4.3 seconds to earn a second swim with 4:54.70.

Girls’ 200 Yard Individual Medley – Prelims

• West Record: 1:52.73 – Bella Sims (2022)
• Meet Record: 1:52.21 – Katie Grimes (2022)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 1:55.29 – Tess Howley (2019)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 1:53.38 – Teagan O’Dell (2023)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 1:51.36 – Kate Douglass (2020)

Top 8 qualifiers:

1. Leah Hayes, Fox Valley Park District Riptides – 1:55.39
2. Grace Rabb, Aquajets Swim Team – 1:57.61
3. Camden Doane, King Aquatic Club – 1:57.79
4. Teagan O’Dell, Mission Viejo Nadadores – 1:58.69
5. Teia Salvino, Mission Viejo Nadadores – 1:59.59
6. Izzy Beu, St. Charles Swim Team – 2:00.65
7. Piper Enge, Bellevue Club – 2:00.91
8. Maggie Wanezek, Elmbrook Swim Club – 2:00.96

Leah Hayes from Fox Valley Park District Riptides cruised to a 1:55.39 win in the second circle-seeded heat to post the morning’s top qualifying time. She was already a body length ahead of the field at the 100, turning in 53.73. Hayes increased her lead to about 3 bodies at the 150 before coming home in a casual 28.0. While she improved on her entry time, she was 1.3 seconds off her lifetime best of 1:54.09 from Winter Juniors West 2 years ago.

Camden Doane of King Aquatic Club dropped .8 to win the first circle-seeded heat in 1:57.79 ahead of Pacific Northwest neighbor Piper Enge from Bellevue Club (2:00.91).

Grace Rabb from Aquajets Swim Team took 1.1 seconds off her entry time to clock a winning 1:57.61 in the final heat, getting to the wall ahead of top-seeded Teagan O’Dell. It was a tough double for O’Dell, who had just swum the 500 free, but she qualified 4th overall with 1:58.69.

Carli Cronk dropped 1.2 seconds to land in the B final after qualifying for the event with an LCM time.

Girls’ 50 Yard Freestyle – Prelims

• West Record: 21.49 – Abbey Weitzeil (2014)
• Meet Record: 21.49 – Abbey Weitzeil (2014)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 21.89 – Claire Curzan (2019)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 21.50 – Claire Curzan (2021)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 21.32 – Simone Manuel (2015)

Top 8 qualifiers:

1. Caroline Larsen, Foxjets Swim Team – 22.01P
2. Avery Karl, Empire KC Swim Club – 22.64
3. Teia Salvino, Mission Viejo Nadadores – 22.67
4. Ava De Anda, Riverside Aquatics – 22.74
5. Livi Wanner, Waukesha Express – 22.82
6. Liberty Clark, Crow Canyon Sharks – 22.85
7. Ella Mongenel, Nitro Swimming – 22.86
8. Delaney Herr, Beach Cities – 22.90

Caroline Larsen from Foxjets Swim Team broke the pool record with a best-by-22-hundredths 22.01 in the first circle-seeded heat. She came to the wall half a body length ahead of Riverside Aquatics’ Ava De Anda (22.74), who beat her seed time by a tick.

Avery Karl from Empire KC Swim Club won the next heat with 22.64, a tenth faster than De Anda and the second-fastest time of the morning. Nitro’s Ella Mongenel (22.86) touched 2nd, just ahead of Beach Cities’ Delaney Herr (22.90).

Top-seeded Teia Salvino from Mission Viejo took care of the final heat with 22.67, adding .6 to her entry time. It was her second event in a row.

Crow Canyon’s Liberty Clark was the first to break the 23-second barrier, going 22.85 in heat 12 to make the A final. Sharks Swim Club’s KK LeBlanc also broke 23 for the first time, winning heat 15 with 22.96.

LIVE STREAM OF BOYS MEET courtesy USA SWIMMING

Boys’ 500 Yard Freestyle – Prelims

• West Record: 4:12.33 – Rex Maurer (2022)
• Meet Record: 4:12.33 – Rex Maurer (2022)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 4:22.50 – Luka Mijatovic (2023)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 4:15.36 – Drew Kibler (2016)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 4:08.42 – Luke Hobson (2022)

Top 8 qualifiers:

1. Jones Lambert, Lubbock Swim Club – 4:21.28P
2. Trey Hesser, Gold Medal Swim – 4:22.12P
3. Cooper Lucas, Lakeside Aquatic – 4:23.04P
4. Max Carlsen, Las Vegas Swim Club – 4:23.39P
5. Maxwell Stanislaus, Lakeside Aquatic – 4:24.95P
6. Thomas Olsen, Multnomah Athletic – 4:25.11
7. Bucky Gettys, Texas Gold – 4:25.25
8. Max Hatcher, Lakeside Aquatic – 4:25.71

More than half the qualifiers for the A final came to the wall under the pool record time, with Jones Lambert of Lubbock Swim Club leading the way in 4:21.28. Lambert won the first of the circle-seeded heats by just over .8, with Gold Medal Swim Club’s Trey Hesser finishing 2nd in 4:22.12. That was a 1.4-second improvement for Hesser. Multnomah Athletic Club’s Thomas Olsen was 3rd with 4:25.11, a PB by .08.

Top-seeded Cooper Lucas from Lakeside Aquatic Club was 8.5 seconds off his lifetime best but still got to the wall ahead of the field in the last heat with 4:23.04. Bucky Gettys from Texas Gold was 2nd (4:25.25), just ahead of Lucas’s teammate Max Hatcher (4:25.71).

The biggest swim of the morning came out of heat 11 when Las Vegas Swim Club’s Max Carlsen blasted a 4:23.39 from lane 3 to improve his lifetime best by 5.4 seconds. Carlsen came into the meet seeded 28th; he will swim in lane 6 in tonight’s A final.

Boys’ 200 Yard Individual Medley – Prelims

• West Record: 1:42.07 – Maximus Williamson (2022)
• Meet Record: 1:41.71 – Thomas Heilman (2022)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 1:45.29 – Michael Andrew (2014)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 1:41.71 – Thomas Heilman (2022)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 1:41.39 – David Nolan (2011)

Top 8 qualifiers:

1. Campbell McKean, Bend Swim Club – 1:44.64P
2. Cooper Lucas, Lakeside Aquatic – 1:45.31P
3. Maximus Williamson, Lakeside Aquatic – 1:46.08P
4. Logan Noguchi, Rose Bowl Aquatics – 1:46.79
5. Joe Polyak, Iowa Flyers Swim – 1:46.85
6. Jake Eccleston, Fort Collins Area – 1:47.01
7. Tony Laurito, South Shore Sail – 1:47.06
8. Hudson Schuricht, Scottsdale Aquatic Club – 1:47.16

For the second event in a row, multiple swimmers beat the pool record with their morning swims. Bend Swim Club’s Campbell McKean was the fastest among them, going 1:44.64 in the 18th (of 19) heat, dropping 2.1 seconds and edging Lakeside’s Cooper Lucas (1:45.31). It was Lucas’s second event in a row and this time he was only .4 off his seed time.

Rose Bowl’s Logan Noguchi improved his PB by 1.4 seconds to take 3rd in that heat with 1:46.79. Joe Polyak of Iowa Flyers also had a big swim in that heat, improving by 2.1 seconds with 1:46.85.

Meet record-holder and top seed, Maximus Williamson from Lakeside Aquatic Club cruised to a 1:46.08 win in heat 19. He was followed by South Shore Sail’s Tony Laurito (1:47.06) and Scottsdale’s Hudson Schuricht (1:47.16).

Boys’ 50 Yard Freestyle – Prelims

• West Record: 18.71 – Ryan Hoffer (2016)
• Meet Record: 18.71 – Ryan Hoffer (2016)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 19.76 – Michael Andrew (2014)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 19.24 – Michael Andrew (2015)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 18.67 – Caeleb Dressel (2015)

Top 8 qualifiers:

1. Maximus Williamson, Lakeside Aquatic – 19.85
2. Marre Gattnar, North Bay Aquatics – 19.86
3. Quin Seider, Ojai Heat Waves – 20.03
4. (tie) August Vetsch, Swim Neptune / Evan Croley, Streamline Aquatics – 20.06
5. –
6. Diggory Dillingham, Bend Swim Club – 20.07
7. (tie) PJ Foy, Glacier Swim Club / Jacob Wang, Irvine Novaquatics – 20.21
8. –

In his second consecutive event, Maximus Williamson did what was necessary to make the top 8. In the 50 free trials, he was the first under 20 seconds, winning heat 18 with 19.85, only .2 off his entry time. August Vetsch from Swim Neptune (20.06) took half a second off his seed time to place 2nd in the heat from lane 8. PJ Foy from Glacier Swim Club in Alaska was 3rd in 20.21.

University Place Aquatic Club’s Tolu Young won the next heat from the middle lane, going 20.25 to touch out Ethan Vance from Jefferson City (20.40) and Enzo Solitario from Nu Wave Swim Club (20.42). Young added .6 and fell just short of qualifying for tonight’s A final.

North Bay Aquatics’ Marre Gattnar took the final heat from lane 5, going 19.86 to come within .09 of his entry time. Ojai’s Quin Seider (20.03) and Streamline Aquatics’ Evan Croley (20.06) dropped .3 and .2, respectively, to make it to the wall just ahead of Bend’s Diggory Dillingham (20.07), the top seed in this event.