2024 Winter Junior Championships – West: Day 3 Prelims 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
• Live Stream
• Finals Recap: Day 1 | Day 2
• Prelims Recap: Day 2

Day 3 Prelims Heat Sheet

Good morning! It is time for prelims on Day 3 of the West Winter Junior Nationals Championships. Action kicks off in Austin at 9 am with the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, and 100 backstroke events.

In the girl’s pool, Kayla Han is the top seed in the 400 IM, coming in six seconds ahead of the 2nd seed in the event. Kelsey Zhang and Ella Jablonski are tied for the top seed in the 100 fly. Madi Mintenko, the 500 free champion, has the fastest time in the 200 freestyle. Piper Enge holds the top spot in the 100 breast, and Teagan O’Dell will make her 2nd appearance of the morning in the girl’s 100 back.

The boy’s pool is highlighted by Campbell McKean who is coming off a huge time drop and win in the boy’s 200 IM. McKean is entered in three events this morning, the 400 IM, the 100 fly, and the 100 breast. If last night is any indication, we can expect to see time drops across the board. McKean is the top seed in the 100 breast.

We will also see Maximus Williamson in the 400 IM, 200 free, and 100 back, he is the top seed in the latter two.

Other top seeds are Luke Ellis in the 400 IM, and Micah Davis in the 100 fly.

GIRLS’ 400 IM – PRELIMS

• West Record: 3:57.02, Katie Grimes – 2022
• Meet Record: 3:57.02, Katie Grimes – 2022
• 13-14 NAG Record: 4:06.95, Kayla Han – 2022
• 15-16 NAG Record: 3:57.02, Katie Grimes – 2022
• 17-18 NAG Record: 3:56.59, Bella Sims – 2022

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Kayla Han (RMDA)- 4:09.48
2. Sydney Schoeck (CSP)- 4:11.54
3. Grace Rabb (TXLA)- 4:14.01
4. Alexa McDevitt (BC)- 4:14.15
5. Kaitlyn Nguyen (NOVA)- 4:14.36
6. Avery Collins (LAC)- 4:14.82
7. Amber Janky (FAST)- 4:17.24
8. Taylor Johannsen (TOPS)- 4:17.82

Kayla Han took the top seed in the girl’s 400 IM, coming in as the only athlete under 4:10 at 4:09.48. This was a little under four seconds shy of her best time of 4:05.51 from November, but easily qualified her in a middle lane for the final. Han had almost identical fly and free splits, going 57.09 and 57.06 respectively

2nd seed Sydney Shoeck saw a significant drop, coming in at 4:11.54 to surpass her previous best time of 4:14.89 from October of this year by over three seconds. We also saw significant drops from 6th seed Avery Collins, who dropped 3.3 seconds from her previous best of 4:14.03 from 2023, 7th seed Amber Janky, dropping 4.25 seconds from her 4:21.49, and 8th seed Taylor Johannsen, who dropped 5.42 seconds from the 4:23.24 she went last December.

Grace Rabb, 3rd seed, and Alexa McDevitt, 4th seed, both saw slight adds from their best to qualify for the final. Rabb came in with a best of 4:13.23 from just a few weeks ago, which she was only eight tenths off of in the prelims. McDevitt went 4:12.57 in February, so her 4:14.15 was just about a second-and-a-half off her best.

BOYS’ 400 IM – PRELIMS

• West Record: 3:39.83, Maximus Williamson – 2022
• Meet Record: 3:38.65, Carson Foster – 2019
• 13-14 NAG Record: 3:47.91, Luka Mijatovic – 2024
• 15-16 NAG Record: 3:39.83, Maximus Williamson – 2022
• 17-18 NAG Record: 3:35.27, Carson Foster – 2020

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Campbell McKean (BEND)- 3:42.54
2. Luke Ellis (SAND)- 3:47.33
3. Jake McCoy (COUG)- 3:47.46
4. Tyler Bardak (FOX)- 3:48.41
5. Connor Jones (KATY)- 3:49.50
6. AJ Robinson (AGS)- 3:51.07
7. Jiarui Xue (AQJT)- 3:51.24
8. Abe Astle (OA)- 3:51.30

The boy’s 400 IM was all about Campbell McKean. After winning the 200 IM last night, he came out with a monster prelims swim of 3:42.54. This was a four second drop for the Texas commit, who came in at 3:46.55 from this meet last year. He also qualified first by almost five seconds over Luke Ellis.

Ellis took the second seed, and was the only person in the top eight swimmers to miss his best time. Ellis came in at 3:47.33 to win the final heat, but he was just over two seconds off his best time of 3:45.21 from last December.

The other six swimmers all went new best times, with Tyler Bardak and Connor Jones each recording their first times under 3:50. Bardak went 3:48.51 to drop from his 3:51.92 from November of 2023, and Jones dropped from his 3:51.92 in March of 2023.

The largest drop of the top eight came out of 6th seed AJ Robinson who went six seconds faster than his best time. His previous best was 3:57.23 from December of 2022, and he was 3:51.07 this morning

Maximus Williamson scratched this morning’s 400 IM. He is still scheduled to swim the 200 freestyle and the 100 backstroke later this session. Gabriel Manteufel, last night’s 500 free champion and the 6th seed, placed 28th in the event.

GIRLS’ 100 FLY – PRELIMS

• West Record: 51.58, Annika Parkhe – 2023
• Meet Record: 49.49, Alex Shackell – 2023
• 13-14 NAG Record: 50.64, Claire Curzan – 2019
• 15-16 NAG Record: 49.51, Claire Curzan – 2021
• 17-18 NAG Record: 49.24, Claire Curzan – 2022

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Madi Mintenko (PPA)- 51.62
2. Kelsey Zhang (PASA)- 51.93
3. Alana Berlin (SSTY)- 52.39
4. Gabi Brito (CITI)- 52.43
5. Jada Duncan (SMST)- 52.53
6. Ella Jablonski (SMAC)- 53.01
7. Emma Bronson (BEND)- 53.10
8. Emma Belk (SPA)- 53.52

Madi Mintenko takes the top time of the morning in the girl’s 100 fly with 51.62. This was a seven tenth drop from her best time of 52.31 from the beginning of November. Mintenko is coming off an event win in the 500 free last night, and also has the 200 free prelims this morning.

Most of the rest of the heat was within a second of their best time on either side. 2nd seed Kelsey Zhang, and 3rd seed Alana Berlin both dropped a little over a tenth, while 4th seed Gabi Brito and 5th seed Jada Duncan were just barely off their, Brito adding .19 and Duncan just .02.

Ella Jablonski, who was tied with Zhang for the top seed coming into the prelims, added almost a second, 0.93, to go 53.01 and qualify in 6th.

The biggest drop was Emma Bronson‘s 53.10 for second. Bronson was seeded with her long course time, but her best short course time in the event was 55.00 coming into the day, marking almost a two second improvement.

BOYS’ 100 FLY – PRELIMS

• West Record: 45.46, Ryan Hoffer, – 2015
• Meet Record: 44.67, Thomas Heilman – 2022
• 13-14 NAG Record: 45.81, Thomas Heilman – 2021
• 15-16 NAG Record: 44.67, Thomas Heilman – 2022
• 17-18 NAG Record: 44.75, Aiden Hayes – 2022

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Rowan Cox (TXLA)- 46.17
2. Shareef Elaydi (SCSC)- 47.04
3. Riccardo Osio (LAC)- 47.30
4. Alejandro Michelena (UN)- 47.33
5. Liam Mulroy (MVN)- 47.54
6. Ethan Reniewicki (SAC)- 47.55
7. Yofang Yu (NWAA)- 47.64
8. Henry Guo (HSC)- 47.69

The boy’s 100 fly was fast. Every swimmer who qualified for the A Final dropped from their best time, leaving top seed Micah Davis, who added 0.83, in 11th.

Rowan Cox, the top seed for the final tonight, had the biggest drops, going 46.17 to beat his previous best of 47.51 from March by over a second.

Everyone else was within a second of their best times. 2nd seed Shareef Elaydi went 47.04 from his previous best of 47.32, and 3rd seed Riccardo Osio dropped three-one-hundredths to go 47.30 from his 47.33.

Campbell McKean scratched his 100 fly prelims swim, after qualifying first in the 400 IM earlier in the session.

GIRLS’ 200 FREE – PRELIMS

• West Record: 1:40.78, Bella Sims –  2022
• Meet Record: 1:40.63, Summer McIntosh – 2022
• 13-14 NAG Record: 1:44.55, Missy Franklin – 2010
• 15-16 NAG Record: 1:42.03, Katie Ledecky – 2013
• 17-18 NAG Record: 1:40.31, Missy Franklin – 2014

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Madi Mintenko (PPA)- 1:45.93
2. Kayla Han (RMDA)- 1:46.40
3. Teagan O’Dell (MVN)- 1:46.43
4. Alyssa Ton (NOVA)- 1:46.54
5. Ella Cosgrove (FAST)- 1:46.63
6. Liberty Clark (CROW)- 1:47.02
7. Alexa McDevitt (BC)- 1:47.37
8. Heather White (BC)- 1:47.81

It was two for two top seeds for UVA commit Madi Mintenko this morning. After going the fastest time in the prelims of the 100 fly, she turned around and did the same thing in her 200 free swim. She went 1:45.93 to lock up the top spot, which was just under three seconds off her best of 1:43.15 from February.

Kayla Han took the 2nd seed by just three one-hundredths after running away with the 400 IM prelim earlier. Her time of 1:46.40 was just a slight add from her 1:46.28 from early November.

The next three qualifiers also saw adds from their best times, with Teagan O’Dell adding a little over three seconds from the 1:43.26 she went in April to go 1:46.43, Alyssa Ton and Ella Cosgrove both adding around six tenths from their best times to qualify 4th and 5th respectively.

Liberty Clark was the only swimmer to drop in the top-8, going from 1:47.75 at this meet last year to 1:47.02 to qualify 6th.

BOYS’ 200 FREE – PRELIMS

• West Record: 1:31.37, Maximus Williamson – 2023
• Meet Record: 1:31.37, Maximus Williamson – 2023
• 13-14 NAG Record: 1:34.68, Thomas Heilman – 2021
• 15-16 NAG Record: 1:32.46, Thomas Heilman – 2023
• 17-18 NAG Record: 1:31.37, Maximus Williamson – 2023

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Maximus Williamson (LAC)- 1:35.04
2. Maxwell Stanislaus (LAC)- 1:35.65
3. Henry Webb (AQJT)- 1:35.72
4. Luke Vatev (HOSC)- 1:35.83
5. Derek Hitchens (NOVA)- 1:35.85
6. John Simmons (BTA)- 1:36.17
7. Ethan Reniewicki (SAC)- 1:36.50
8. Andrew Maksymowski (NOVA)- 1:36.54

Maximus Williamson picked up the top seed in the boy’s 200 freestyle by a little over six tenths. His 1:35.04 was 3.67 seconds off his best time, and the NAG record, of 1:31.37.

The only other swimmer in the top eight to add time was eighth place finisher Andrew Maksymowski, who 1:36.54 to go a second off his best of 1:35.51 from May.

The other six swimmer all saw improvements, Maxwell Stanislaus, who qualified 2nd, dropped over a second and a half from his 1:37.22 to go 1:35.65. Henry Webb dropped 1.22 seconds from his 1:36.94 to go 1:35.72, and Luke Vatev went almost two seconds faster than his best of 1:37.56, swimming 1:35.83 to qualify 4th.

Tonight’s final is shaping up to be a race for the podium, with the 2nd-5th place finishers coming within 2 tenths of a second of each other, all with new best times.

GIRLS’ 100 BREAST – PRELIMS

• West Record: 57.76, Lydia Jacoby – 2022
• Meet Record: 57.76, Lydia Jacoby – 2022
• 13-14 NAG Record: 1:00.02, Alexis Wenger – 2015
• 15-16 NAG Record: 58.19, Alex Walsh – 2017
• 17-18 NAG Record: 57.29, Lydia Jacoby – 2023

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Piper Enge (UN)- 59.30
2. Bella Brito (CITI)- 59.92
3. Grace Rabb (TXLA)- 1:00.29
4. Brooke Corrigan (ACAD)- 1:00.35
5. Bianco Nwaizu (NOVA)- 1:00.36
6. Mikayla Tan (CROW)- 1:00.46
7. Raya Mellott (CROW)- 1:00.55
8. Ella McWhorter (LAC)- 1:00.57

Piper Enge, a freshman at Texas this fall, took the top seed in the girl’s 100 breaststroke in 53.40. Enge went 58.86 at the Texas Invite a few weeks ago.

Bella Brito hit a huge milestone this morning, going under 1:00 for the very first time with her 59.92 to qualify 2nd. Her previous best was 1:00.06 from March. She was the only other swimmer to break the barrier this morning, after Enge. 7th qualifier Raya Mellott has also been under, with her best time sitting at 59.53.

We are looking for another close race in this final tonight, with less than three tenths separating 3rd place Grace Rabb, and 8th place Ella McWhorter.

BOYS’ 100 BREAST – PRELIMS

• West Record: 52.21, Michael Andrew – 2015
• Meet Record: 52.21, Michael Andrew – 2015
• 13-14 NAG Record: 53.06, Reece Whitley – 2014
• 15-16 NAG Record: 51.75, Michael Andrew – 2015
• 17-18 NAG Record: 51.16, Reece Whitley – 2018

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Campbell McKean (BEND)- 52.78
2. Jack Armour (TFA)- 52.94
3. Andrew Eubanks (TDPS)- 53.09
4. Trey Clervi (CSC)- 53.95
5. Keian Lam (FOX)- 54.04
6. Finnley Conklin (MAC)/ Stuart Timmerman (WILD)- 54.10
7. —
8. Shareef Elaydi (SCSC)- 54.21

Campbell McKean picked up his 2nd top seed of the morning, going 52.78 in the boy’s 100 breaststroke. McKean has seen significant drops in his other events this meet, but his time in this event was a slight add from his best of 52.67 from November.

Jack Armour, on the other hand, saw a significant drop. He went 52.94 to qualify 2nd which is over a second faster than his previous best time of 54.19 also from November.

Andrew Eubanks, who swims in Oregon with McKean, also saw a large drop, going 53.09 to beat his 53.88 by almost eight tenths.

GIRLS’ 100 BACK – PRELIMS

• West Record: 50.53, Bella Sims – 2022
• Meet Record: 49.46, Charlotte Crush – 2024
• 13-14 NAG Record: 50.44, Charlotte Crush – 2023
• 15-16 NAG Record: 49.46, Charlotte Crush – 2024
• 17-18 NAG Record: 49.46, Claire Curzan – 2023

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Teagan O’Dell (MVN)- 52.07
2. Alana Berlin (SSTY)- 52.18
3. Grace Rabb (TXLA)- 52.78
4. Delany Herr (CITI)- 53.33
5. Jada Duncan (SMST)- 53.44
6. Hailey Weiler (SMAC)- 53.55
7. Gabi Brito (CITI)- 53.77
8. Daniela Linares Danzos (CROW)- 53.79

Teagan O’Dell earned the top seed in the girl’s 100 backstroke, adding just over a second from her best time of 50.96 to go 52.07.

Alana Berlin added a smidge to qualify 2nd in 52.18, slightly off her best of 51.61 from a few weeks ago.

Three swimmers dropped time to qualify for the A final. Delaney Herr dropped a little more than a tenth to qualify 4th in 53.33 from her 53.44  from May. Hailey Weiler went a new best by a little over a second, going 53.55 to qualify 6th, and drop from her 54.63 that she set in November. Lastly, Daniela Linares Danzos went 53.79 to qualify 8th, and drop from the 54.56 mark she set in November.

Jada Duncan and Madi Mintenko scratched their prelims swims of the 100 back.

BOYS’ 100 BACK – PRELIMS

• West Record: 45.58, Ryan Hoffer – 2015
• Meet Record: 45.01, Will Modglin – 2022
• 13-14 NAG Record: 47.44, Daniel Diehl – 2020
• 15-16 NAG Record: 45.60, Anthony Grimm – 2019
• 17-18 NAG Record: 44.63, Ryan Murphy – 2014

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1.  Maximus Williamson (LAC)- 46.68
2. Luke Vatev (HOSC)- 46.87
3. Rowan Cox (TXLA)- 47.40
4. Gavin Keogh (FAC)- 47.42
5. Aaron Gordon (WLOO)- 47.68
6. Oliver Schimberg (AQUA)- 47.69
7. Nash Hale (SSC)- 47.82
8. Luan Barnard (CHAT)- 47.95

Maximus Williamson joined to two event top qualifier club with his top seed in the boy’s 100 backstroke. Williamson went 46.88, which is under four tenths off his best of 46.29 from February.

Luke Vatev exactly tied his best time from earlier this week, going 46.87 to qualify 2nd. His pre-December best time was 47.99 from November.

Everyone else, except 7th seed Nash Hale, came in within a second of their best time. Hale dropped almost two seconds from the 49.64 he went in February to go 47.82.

Finals will start at 5pm CST.