2024 SOUTHERN ZONE SOUTH SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Thursday, February 8 – Sunday, February 11, 2024
- Orlando, Florida
- Rosen Aquatic & Fitness Center
- LCM (50 meters)
- Meet Central
- Psych Sheets
- Live Stream
- Full results under “Southern Zone South Sectional Championships” on MeetMobile
The 2024 Southern Zone South Sectional meet kicked off today in Orlando, Florida. For an early February Sectional, this meet has attracted a ton of high level swimmers. Of course, if you’ve been reading SwimSwam tonight, you’ve already seen that 17-year-old Summer McIntosh (Sarasota Sharks) ripped a huge new Canadian Record of 8:11.39 in the women’s 800 free. On top of the record swim, McIntosh made more history, becoming the first swimmer in about 13 years to beat Katie Ledecky in an 800 free final. Ledecky took 2nd with an 8:17.12.
Moving into the men’s 800 free, Bobby Finke put up a solid 7:53.35 to win the men’s 800 free handily. Finke has a personal best of 7:38.67 in the event, however, his 7:53 tonight does stand as his top swim of 2024. Cal recruit Ryan Erisman, a 17-year-old out of Laker Swimming, had a huge swim for 2nd, clocking an 8:04.82. That performance marks Erisman’s first time under 8:10 in the event and, in the process, he also picked up the Olympic Trials cut, which stands at 8:09.69.
Lillie Nesty, a 17-year-old out of Gator Swim Club, was flying in the women’s 200 free. She took the race in 1:59.64, coming in just off her personal best of 1:59.37, which she swam at this same Sectional last year. Ryan Erisman‘s younger sister, Rylee Erisman, just 14 years old, clocked a 2:00.27 to take 2nd. It was a new personal best for Erisman by a slim margin, taking a couple tenths off her previous best of 2:00.64, which she swam at the Knoxville Pro Swim Series last month.
Florida pro Kieran Smith had a very solid performance in the men’s 200 free, winning the race in 1:47.42. Smith has a personal best of 1:44.74 but his swim tonight was his top mark of 2024 so far. Area Tallahassee Aquatic Club 16-year-old Ethan Ekk was exceptional in the 200 as well, coming in 2nd with a new personal best of 1:50.21. Ekk’s previous best was 1:50.46 and was swum at the Ocala Futures Championship last summer. The youngster is inching closer and closer to the Olympic Trials cut of 1:49.99.
Unattached Michigan 18-year-old McKenzie Siroky, who is taking a gap year before beginning her collegiate career at the University of Tennessee, put up a huge 1:08.30 to win the women’s 100 breast. The swim was a new career best for Siroky by nearly a second, coming in under her previous best of 1:09.14, which she swam last summer.
OTHER EVENT WINNERS
- Men’s 100 breast: Grant Sanders (Fast Falcons) – 1:03.33
- Women’s 100 fly: Addison Reese (Laker Swimming) – 1:00.27
- Men’s 100 fly: Jan Friese (Gator Swim Club) – 52.58
- Women’s 400 free relay: Sarasota Sharks – 3:48.20
- Men’s 400 free relay: Bolles School Sharks (Kyser, Kravchenko, Destang, Sohovich) – 3:28.90
One thing about Summer is that she swims fast all the time, and doesn’t really drop a whole ton with taper. Although she’s 8:11 here, she probably will only drop a few tenths come paris if she swims it
I think it would be more accurate to say that she is simply always dropping time. Unlike other swimmers perhaps, this 8:11.39 seems to be the absolute best she can do right now (without knowing whether she’s tapered), while 8:17 is almost certainly not the best Ledecky could put up right now. But by Paris, McIntosh could definitely drop a few more seconds. She sets PBs in many events multiple times per year
I don’t think she was pushed too hard here, she could have closed a little harder.Paris Olympics with her family in the stands ,I think you could see a nice drop.
A Canadian teenager, who is already a multi-time world record breaker and world champion, is going to be affected in Paris by her family being in the stands?…????
You laugh but her best swims have come when her family is there to watch.
Her mom Jill was at the meet yesterday. On Gold Medal Mel’s twitter feed there are a couple pictures of her holding a copy of the Swim Swam magazine with Summer on the cover.
Never underestimate the good vibes one can get from being in a close knit supportive family like Summer is.
She’s a show-er and a grower
Are we still certain that Ledecky will win 2 individual golds in Paris? I’m not.
No one is beating her in the mile. For the 800, comes down to a couple things: is Summer going to swim it? Will Titmus and Bingjie make quantum leaps from 8:13 to the 8:08 range? Is Ledecky just more beat up in her training than usual right now? Hard to say
Titmus is unlikely to beat Ledecky. She admittedly doesn’t know how to swim the 800. Frankly it’s obvious why Titmus keeps it on her schedule. It’s a pick up medal. She knows she doesn’t have to like the race or know what the heck she is doing. The weak competition makes it a priority because all it takes is for Ledecky to be sick or otherwise not at her best — like the Tokyo final — and Titmus is right there.
Titmus tries to defeat Ledecky from behind. Low percentage. Summer McIntosh understands to dictate from the front. That’s why this is an entirely different set of circumstances for Katie Ledecky. I believe McIntosh would win again in Paris.
No questioning McIntosh’s greatness here. But given that Finke was 15 seconds off his best 800 time, and given that Ledecky trains with him and was 14 seconds off hers, she may yet have some great swims in her. Remember, Gator swimmers always swim slow during the season, and it’s still February.
I have no doubt that Katie will have more great 800 swims ahead of her. To me the race wasn’t about Katie being well below her best times it was more about Summer dropping a time of 8:11 almost a 10 second PB.
Summer’s 800 free made the home page of ESPN.com….
Just saw on MM that Summer got DQd in the 100 Back this morning? I wonder if that’s an actual DQ or a DNS/DFS that got recorded that way? Or a real DQ, which would be weird for her to get. 15m violation? (She’s not Regan or GWalsh in terms of UDW prowess!)
I am wondering the same thing. My feed kept cutting out so I couldn’t see what happened.
Maybe she does have great underwaters now
She went a good 20m uw off the start. Not close.
Thanks for the explanation on the DQ.
Lol, weird! Thanks for the explanation.
Was hoping to see if she could break 1:00 tonight but oh well.
Bad news is the DQ, the silver lining I guess would be that Summer’s uw seem to be improving. I was also hoping to see if she could go under 1:00 and based on her recent form it would have been a good possibility.
Her underwaters have always been tentative. She surfaces much too soon regardless of discipline. This is a good sign she is experimenting, even if it might be somewhat risky to attempt in Paris, given novice stage.
If Summer McIntosh figures out turns and underwaters, forget about it. Not a fair fight.
Maybe she does the TT 100 back?
Great accomplishment Summer. Just continue to have Fun n getterdone
8:11 at a sectionals meet in February?! That’s very Ledeckyish. Will 800 be on Summer’s OLY schedule now?
Summer McIntosh seems to have her head screwed on right. Combined with generational talent + great support from family and coach, she could challenge to become GOAT female swimmer.
GOAT would require a post-2028 evaluation.
Yeah agree. But she could definitely earn GOAT status in a singular event if she can take it to unforeseen heights prior to 2028. It would need to be crazy though because I value the hardware along with the times