2024 Winter Junior Championships- West: Day 4 Finals Live Recap

2024 Winter Junior Championships – West

• December 11-15, 2024
• Austin, Texas
• Prelims: 9:00 am (CT) / Finals: 5:00 pm (CT)
• SCY (25 yards)
• Meet Central
• How to Watch
• Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• Prelims Recap: Day 2, Day 3
• Finals Recap: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Day 4 Finals Heat Sheet

We have made it to the last day of the West Winter Juniors Championships in Austin, and there are some exciting events in store. The lineup for tonight is the top heat of the 1650 freestyles in a timed final, and then the finals of the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, and 200 fly events. We will end the meet with the 400 freestyle relays.

Kayla Han comes in as the top seed in the mile, and she is looking to win her 2nd event of the weekend, after taking gold in the 400 IM last night.

Teagan O’Dell and Madi Mintenko are also event winners coming in as the top seeds with O’Dell taking the 200 IM on day one, and the 200 freestyle and the 100 backstroke last night, and Mintenko won the 500 free on day 2, but was runner-up in both her events last night. O’Dell is the top seed in the 200 back and Mintenko is the top seed in the 100 free. O’Dell is also swimming the 100 free where she is seeded 2nd, and Mintenko is seeded 2nd in the 200 fly.

Kelsey Zhang and Grace Rabb hold the other two top spots in the 200 fly and 200 breast respectivley.

On the men’s side, the events are highlighted again by Maximus Williamson, who is swimming both the 100 free and the 200 fly, and is coming in as the top seed in th 100 free, and the 2nd seed in the 200 fly.

Campbell McKean, a double event winner in the 200 IM and 100 breast, is the top seed in the 200 breast after a huge drop this morning.

Gavin Keogh is seeded first in the 200 back and Rowan Cox is top seed in the 200 fly. Gabriel Manteufel is the top seed in the 1650 after winning the 500 and failing to make the 400 IM Final.

The last event of the meet will be the 400 freestyle relays. We saw a NAG record in the relays last night, so there could be some exciting swims all the way through the end.

Girls’ 1650 Yard Freestyle – Fastest Heat

• West Record: 15:26.17, Katie Grimes (2022)
• Meet Record: 15:26.17, Katie Grimes (2022)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 15:52.84, Claire Weinstein (2021)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 15:15.17, Katie Ledecky (2013)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 15:13.30, Katie Ledecky (2014)

Top 8 Finisher:

1. Kayla Han (RMDA)- 15:56.07
2. Paige Downey (GM)- 16:06.16
3. Madalyn Petty (TRAC)- 16:20.70
4. Ellie Kayser (GM)- 16:28.89
5. Chloe Teger (GoLD)- 16:29.20
6. Zoe Defabrique (SCAT)- 16:31.67
7. Avery Dillon (KATY)- 16:32.08
8. Zayda Miehl (CAT)- 16:38.40

The 1650 belonged to the 15-16 year olds, with the first 6 finishers falling into this category. Kayla Han won the girl’s 1650, going under 16 minutes for the first time. Her previous best was 16:00.74 from this meet last year, and she went 15:56.07 tonight, close to a five second drop. With this time she moves up to number 13 in the overall rankings, surpassing Janet Evans for the position. Han held mostly 29 lows/58s throughout the race, finishing in 27.15 on her last 50.

Paige Downey took 2nd in 16:06.16, an almost three second drop for her from her previous best of 16:08.96 from last month. Downey was right on Han’s heels through the beginning of the race, but fell off as the race went on, going from holding 29 lows to 29 mid-highs. Her final 50 was 28.61.

Madalyn Petty got the bronze from the prelims session of the race, finishing in 16:20.70. This was a monster best time for her, dropping 30 seconds from her previous time of 16:52.53 from November of last year. Downey held mostly 29 highs, with a few 30s thrown in at the beginning of the race. She came home in 28.80 to win the early session, and finish 3rd overall.

4th place Ellie Kayser also had a huge drop, taking 20 seconds off her best of 16:48.09 to go 16:28.89 for 4th overall, but 3rd in her heat.

7th place Avery Dillon from Katy was the only 17-year-old in her heat, finishing in 16:32.08, and Zayda Miehl was the other not 15-16-year-old, coming in at 14. Her final time of 16:38.40 was good enough for 8th overall.

Boys’ 1650 Yard Freestyle – Fastest Heat

• West Record: 14:37.71, Michael Brinegar (2017)
• Meet Record: 14:37.71, Michael Brinegar (2017)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 15:00.95, Luka Mijatovic (2023)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 14:37.86, Liam Custer (2020)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 14:34.22, PJ Ransford (2015)

Top 8 Finishers

1. Gabriel Manteufel (SAND)- 14:45.58
2. Whitaker Steward (TST)- 14:51.94
3. Jiarui Xue (AQJT)- 15:06.71
4. Ashton Joswiak (SAC)- 15:08.10
5. Chase Maier (FOX)- 15:09.69
6. Ellis Crisci (TST)- 15:12.83
7. Bucky Gettys (GOLD)- 15:13.05
8. Roman Dawson (CLOVIS)- 15:16.48

Gabriel Manteufel wins his 2nd event of the meet in the boys 1650. He finished in 14:45.58, to win the event by a little less than six-and-a-half seconds over 2nd place Whitaker Steward. This was a slight add for Manteufel, who came in with a best time of 14:41.11 from exactly a year ago. He held 26 highs at the beginning before jumping to 27 lows with a few 26s mixed in before going 25.72 on his last 50

Whitaker Steward took 2nd in 14:51.94, a new best time by just over 20 seconds from his previous best of 15.12.96. This was also his first time under 15, and moves him into the top 50 all-time in the 17-18 rankings. Steward held 27 mid-low throughout the race, coming home in 25.23

Jiarui Xue took 3rd in 15:06.71, a ten-second drop from his best of 15::16.85. Xue was 27 mid-high throughout, with a few 28s thrown in, and went 25.57 on his last 50.

4th place Ashton Joswiak and 5th place Chase Maier saw huge drops, both over 30 seconds. Joswiak came in at 15:08.10, 30.68 seconds faster than his 15:38.78, and Maier went 15:09.69 to drop 20.67 from his 15:40.36.

Girls’s 200 Backstroke

• West Record: 1:48.32 – Bella Sims (2022)
• Meet Record: 1:48.32 – Bella Sims (2022)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 1:50.95 – Charlotte Crush (2023)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 1:48.30 – Regan Smith (2018)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 1:47.16 – Regan Smith (2019)

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Teagan O’Dell (MVN)- 1:49.15
2. Grace Rabb (TXLA)- 1:54.12
3. Vera Conic (PPD)- 1:54.47
4. Sydney Schoeck (CSP)- 1:54.66
5. Hayden Gibson (HAWG)- 1:54.84
6. Daniela Linares Danzos (CROW)- 1:55.45
7. Maggie Dickinson (SSTY)- 1:56.25
8. Lydia Soldatke (SFST)- 1:58.43

The girl’s 200 backstroke was all Teagan O’Dell coming in at 1:49.16, almost 5 seconds ahead of anybody else. O’Dell dropped almost two seconds in the final from the 1:41.00 she went in December of 2022. She was out in a blistering 52.71, a time that would have earned her 3rd place in the individual event. She held on to come home in 56.45 and earn her 4th gold medal, and her first time under 1:50

Grace Rabb took 2nd in 1:54.12, which was a little over two seconds off her best of 1:52.13 from this meet last year, but was good enough for the silver, 3 tenths ahead of 3rd.

Vera Conic got 3rd in 1:54.47, a second and a half drop from her previous best of 1:55.96 from this meet last year.

There were two 14-year-olds in the A final, Daniela Linares Danzos who got 6th in a new best time of 1:55.45, and Maggie Dickinson who took 7th with a best time of 1:56.25.

Boys’ 200 Backstroke

• West Record: 1:40.32 – Keaton Jones (2022)
• Meet Record: 1:39.62 – Daniel Diehl (2022)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 1:43.15 – Michael Andrew (2014)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 1:40.58 – Baylor Stanton (2024)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 1:37.35 – Ryan Murphy (2014)

Top 8 Finishers

1. Gavin Keogh (FAC)- 1:40.53
2. Diego Castaneda (TERA)- 1:43.86
3. Abe Astle (OA)- 1:44.41
4. Emi Zamudio (DART)- 1:44.62
5. Nate Thomas (RCA)- 1:44.77
6. John Simmons (BTA)- 1:45.21
7. Brady Calkins (SMST)- 1:45.74
8. Ray Liu (ROSE)- 1:46.02

Gavin Keogh took the men’s 200 backstroke in dominant fashion, coming in at 1:40.53. This was almost a second faster than his best time of 1:41.50 from last month. It also moves him up to 15 overall in the all-time 15-16 rankings.

Diego Castaneda took 2nd in 1:43.86, over three seconds back from Keogh. It was exactly a two second drop, though, improving from his 1:45.86 from this meet last year.

Abe Astle took 3rd in 1:44.41, just two tenths ahead of 4th place Emi Zamudio. Astle dropped almost a second from the 1:45.38 he went last December. Zamudio also went a new best time, dropping almost three seconds from the 1:47.23 mark he set in November.

Luke Ellis, the winner of the B-final  Final, would have been 3rd in 1:44.35.

Girls’ 100 Freestyle

• West Record: 46.29 – Abby Weitzeil (2014)
• Meet Record: 46.29 – Abby Weitzeil (2014)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 47.67 – Claire Curzan (2019)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 47.14 – Rylee Erisman (2024)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 46.09 – Simone Manuel (2015)

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Madi Mintenko (PPA)- 47.58
2. Teagan O’Dell (MVN)- 48.09
3. Liberty Clark (CROW)- 48.48
4. Jada Duncan (SMST)- 48.71
5. Kennedi Southern (LAC)- 48.87
6. Kamryn Meskill (BC)- 49.28
7. Zoe Smith (LRAD)- 49.37
8. Sophia Sunwoo (BC)- 49.54

Madi Mintenko was back with a vengeance after placing 2nd in the 200 free final last night to Teagan O’Dell, she came back and won the 100 free by more than half a second. This was a new best time for Mintenko, improving from her 48.02 from March of 2023

Teagan O’Dell was 2nd in her 2nd final in less than an hour, also going a new best time of 48.09, dropping just over a tenth from her 48.20 from last month.

Liberty Clark took 3rd in 48.48, exactly half a second faster than the 48.98 she went at this meet last year.

14-year-old Kennedi Southern was 5th in 48.87, almost a second drop from the 49.70 mark she set at a meet earlier this week. This moves her into 10th in the all-time rankings, taking the spot of Kate Douglass.

Boys’ 100 Freestyle

• West Record: 41.23 – Ryan Hoffer (2015)
• Meet Record: 41.23 – Ryan Hoffer (2015)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 43.51 – Thomas Heilman (2021)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 41.96 – Kaii Winkler (2023)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 41.23 – Ryan Hoffer (2015)

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Maximus Williamson (LAC)- 41.96
2. Enzo Solitario (WAVE)- 43.12
3. Miles Blackson-Dunbar (ALPH)- 43.71
4. Derek Hitchens (NOVA)- 43.73
5. Ethan Reniewicki (SAC)- 43.83
6. Rowan Cox (TXLA)- 43.85
7. Brody Chandler (SMST)- 43.94
8. Seth Crow (UN)- 44.11

Maximus Williamson destroyed the 100 free A final, coming in over a second ahead of the 2nd place finisher. His final time of 41.96 was just off his best of 41.84 from February of this year, but was good enough for an event win.

Enzo Solitario took 2nd in 43.12, over half a second ahead of 3rd, and just under half a second better than his prevous best time of 43.59.

Miles Blackson-Dunbar just barely out-touched Derek Hitchens for 3rd coming in two-one-hundredths faster at 43.71 from complete opposite ends of the pool. Blackson-Dunbar swam in 8, and his swim was a another new best time, improving from the 44.61 he set last month.

Hitchens came in at 4th from lane one in 43.73, just off the podium. It was a new best time for him, however, dropping almost 8 tenths from his previous best of 44.53.

Girls’ 200 Breaststroke

• West Record: 2:06.81 – Lydia Jacoby (2022)
• Meet Record: 2:06.02 – Alex Walsh (2018)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 2:10.22 – Allie Szekely (2012)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 2:06.45 – Alex Walsh (2018)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 2:04.32 – Lydia Jacoby (2023)

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Piper Enge (UN)- 2:08.71
2. Bella Brito (CITI)- 2:08.72
3. Mikayla Tan (CROW)- 2:09.58 **NEW 13-14 NAG RECORD**
4. Grace Rabb (TXLA)- 2:10.16
5. Kaitlyn Nguyen (NOVA)- 2:10.28
6. Roni Black (WFFM)- 2:10.83
7. Avery Collins (LAC)- 2:11.60
8. Brooke Corrigan (ACAD)- 2:12.26

That was very exciting, and literally could not have been any closer. Despite how close the race for first was, the highlight of the event actually came from the 3rd place finisher Mikayla Tan.

Tan, a 14-year-old from the Crow Canyon Sharks, set the new National Age Group Record for 13-14 year-old girls in 2:09.58. She broke Allie Szekely‘s previous record of 2:10.22 by 7 tenths of a second, becoming the first 13-14 girl to break 2:10.

Piper Enge and Bella Brito had an incredibly tight race for 1st, coming down to one-one-hundredth of a second. Brito was out a faster, in 1:01.06 to Enge’s 1:01.79, but the 2nd 100 was all Enge who split 1:06.92 to Brito’s 1:07.66.

Ultimately Enge, a freshman at Texas, pulled out the win, going 2:08.71 to just barely beat Bella Brito‘s 2:08.72. This was a new best time for both girls, Enge dropped from the 2:09.09 she went in December 2021, Brito dropped from the 2:10.15 she went just a year later in December of 2022.

Boys’ 200 Breaststroke

• West Record: 1:52.92 – Zhier Fan (2021)
• Meet Record: 1:52.12 – Josh Matheny (2019)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 1:55.52 – Reece Whitley (2014)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 1:52.37 – Reece Whitley (2016)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 1:51.38 – Josh Matheny (2020)

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Campbell McKean (BEND)- 1:53.54
2. Jack Armour (TFA)- 1:55.18
3. Andrew Eubanks (TDPS)- 1:55.73
4. Raphael Wang (WLOO)- 1:56.64
5. Isidore Warain (AQJT)- 1:57.03
6. Elonzo Santos (RMDA)- 1:57.65
7. Stuart Timmerman (WILD)- 1:57.81
8. Keian Lam (FOX)- DSQ

In a scene very reminiscent to last night’s 100 breast final, the gold and silver medalist stayed the same. Campbell McKean won his 3rd event of the meet, the boy’s 200 breaststroke, by a little under two seconds. His final time of 1:53.54 is six seconds faster than he came into the meet, with his previous best being 1:59.63 from last November.

Jack Armour got the silver again, coming in at 1:55.18. This was a two second drop for him, improving from the 1:57.26 he went in November.

Andrew Eubanks dropped a little over a second, coming in at 1:55.73, improving the 1:56.92 he went in November.

Keian Lam got disqualified after placing 6th in the preliminaries.

Girls’ 200 Butterfly

• West Record: 1:51.06 – Bella Sims (2022)
• Meet Record: 1:51.06 – Bella Sims (2022)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 1:54.33 – Audrey Derivaux (2024)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 1:51.24 – Regan Smith (2018)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 1:50.15 – Alex Shackell (2023)

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Kelsey Zhang (PASA)- 1:54.16
2. Kayla Han (RMDA)- 1:55.89
3. Montse Spielmann (AAAA)- 1:57.00
4. Sage Miller (IOL)- 1:57.74
5. Annemarie Vlaic (LOSC)- 1:57.91
6. Madi Mintenko (PPA)- 1:58.07
7. Amber Janky (FAST)- 1:58.37
8. Clare Watson (BC)- 2:00.47

Kelsey Zhang cruised to the win in the girl’s 100 fly, swimming 1:54.16 for her first win of the meet. This time was an add for Zhang, who has a best time of 1:53.51 from April of this year, but was good enough for the gold.

Kayla Han picked up the silver in her 2nd swim of the day, after she won the mile two hours ago. She touched in 1:55.89 which is a new best time, dropping just over half a second from the 1:56.44 she set in November.

Montse Speilmann took 3rd, a little over a second behind Han, in 1:57.00. This was also a new best time for her, almost a second and a half faster than the 1:58.35 she went earlier this week.

In the B final, Isabel Wu placed 13th, scoring her first sub 2:00 swim in 1:59.61, dropping almost a second from the 2:00.79 she went in November.

Boys’ 200 Butterfly

• West Record: 1:40.01 – Luca Urlando (2018)
• Meet Record: 1:40.86 – Thomas Heilman (2022)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 1:42.77 – Thomas Heilman (2021)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 1:40.73 – Thomas Heilman (2023)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 1:40.39 – Aiden Hayes (2022)

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Maximus Williamson (LAC)- 1:42.17
2. Shareef Elaydi (SCSC)- 1:42.80
3. Alejandro Michelena (UN)- 1:43.82
4. Rowan Cox (TXLA)- 1:44.69
5. Harrison Smith (TSM)- 1:45.71
6. Caleb Kattau (SAND)- 1:46.16
7. Enzo Solitario (WAVE)- 1:46.38
8. Nathan Carr (AQJT)- 1:47.20

Maximus Williamson took home his 5th gold of the meet in his last individual event, the 200 butterfly. He finished in 1:42.17 to go a new best time by over two seconds, surpassing the 1:44.84 he went in March of 2023.

Shareef Elaydi got 2nd, but was mounting a serious comeback on Williamson at the end. 15-year-old Elaydi went a huge best time of 1:42.80 to rank 6th all-time in the 15-16 age group, and drop more than two seconds from his previous best of 1:45.06 from April. He still had another year in the 15-16 category.

Alejeandro Michelena earned the bronze, dropping almost exactly two seconds form his previous best of 1:45.86 from March of this year.

Girls’ 400 Yard Freestyle Relay – Timed Finals

• West Record: 3:13.15, Sandpipers of Nevada (A Sims, K Grimes, M Hodges, C Weinstein) (2022)
• Meet Record: 3:13.15, Sandpipers of Nevada (A Sims, K Grimes, M Hodges, C Weinstein) (2022)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 3:21.90, Nation’s Capital Swim Club (Sebring, Spink, Sun, Gemmell) (2019)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 3:19.17, Virginia Gators (Bray, Kulp, Muzzy, Hamilton) (2017)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 3:14.80, Santa Margarita High School (Hodges, Salvino, O’Dell, Kozan) (2022)

Boys’ 400 Yard Freestyle Relay – Timed Finals

• West Record: 2:54.75, Lakeside Aquatic Club (M Williamson, R Paulk, M Hatcher, C Lucas) (2022)
• Meet Record: 2:54.75, Lakeside Aquatic Club (M Williamson, R Paulk, M Hatcher, C Lucas) (2022)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 3:07.45, Cavalier Aquatics (Heilman, Browne, Kidd, Wang) (2021)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 2:59.57, Rose Bowl Aquatics (Kim, Dalmacio, Larrick, Maurer) (2021)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 2:55.35, Spartans Aquatic Club (Muhammad, Sacca, Beamon, McGrady) (2021)