2025 Winter Junior Championships – West: Day 2 Prelims Live Recap

2025 Winter Junior Championships – West

• December 10 – 13, 2025
• Lee & Joe Jamil Texas Swimming Center, Austin, Texas
• SCY (25 Yards)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results (also available on Meet Mobile: “2025 West Speedo Winter Juniors”
• Live Recaps
  • Finals: Day 1 Timed Finals

After kicking off last night with a couple of relays, the first full day of competition at the 2025 Winter Juniors Championships – West is here.

This morning’s session includes preliminary heats in the girls’ and boys’ 500 free, 200 IM and 50 free. The girls and boys will race at the same time in two different pools.

Stay tuned for live updates.

GIRLS’ 5oo FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 4:27.52, Summer McIntosh – 2022
• 13-14 NAG Record: 4:35.14, Katie Ledecky – 2011
• 15-16 NAG Record: 4:28.61, Katie Ledecky – 2014
• 17-18 NAG Record: 4:26.58, Katie Ledecky – 2015

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Sydney Schoeck (CSP) – 4:41.67
2. Kayla Han (RMDA) – 4:42.03
3. Alyssa Ton (NOVA) – 4:46.88
4. Anne Dickinson (SSTY) – 4:46.89
5. Zayda Miehl (CAT) – 4:48.20
6. Leila Stafford (FAST) – 4:49.00
7. Annabeth Town (HRA) – 4:49.09
8. Adalyn Lee (BREA) – 4:49.57

The CSP Tideriders’ Sydney Schoeck won the penultimate heat in a time of 4:41.67, crushing her previous best of 4:43.10 from Speedo Sectionals in March. It held up for the quickest time of the morning by just under four-tenths of a second.

Seventeen-year-old Schoeck, who is slated to join the Texas Longhorns next fall, won the 1000 free in an upset over Indiana commit Kayla Han last night by over four seconds, which sets up an exciting showdown in this race at half the distance.

La Mirada Armada’s Han took the second seed with a 4:42.03 swim in the final heat. She owns a best time of 4:36.88, set to win the event last year.

Han is SwimSwam’s #2 recruit in the class of 2026, holding the top time in the class in the 500 free, 1000 free, 1650 free, and 400 IM.

Irvine Novaquatics’ Alyssa Ton logged 4:46.88 to take the third seed, well shy of her 4:43.39 best time from May’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 Championships. She is the #4 pick in our Way Too Early list of top girls’ swimming recruits from the high school class of 2027

It took 4:49.57 to make the top eight and grab a lane in the ‘A’ final, nearly a second faster than the 4:50.51 that was required in 2024.

Notably, Gold Medal Swim Club’s Paige Downey, the only swimmer under 4:50 at 4:49.88, missed out on the ‘A’ final by just over three-tenths. She came into the meet ranked fifth with a time of 4:45.22, which she clocked to take fifth last year.

Downey, heading to Indiana with Han, was ranked 11th in our high school class of 2026 rankings.

BOYS’ 5oo FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 4:12.33, Rex Maurer – 2022
• 13-14 NAG Record: 4:14.83, Luka Mijatovic – 2024
• 15-16 NAG Record: 4:12.34, Luka Mijatovic – 2024
• 17-18 NAG Record: 4:08.42, Luke Hobson – 2022

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Maxwell Stanislaus (LAC) – 4:18.49
2. Grant Lilly (SASA) – 4:19.05
3. Syunta Lee (WEST) – 4:20.01
4. Whitaker Steward (TST) – 4:20.14
5. Andrew Maksymowski (NOVA) – 4:20.40
6. Rowan Cox (TXLA) – 4:21.03
7. Trevyn Krauss (TOPS) – 4:22.02
8. Ellis Crisci (TST) – 4:22.13

Maxwell Stanislaus (4:18.49) led the boys’ 500 freestyle prelims by just over half a second.

Stanislaus, a Stanford commit, clipped his lifetime best of 4:18.89 from prelims of this meet last season. There, he was runner-up in the 200 free with a PB of 1:34.97 and 5th in this event.

The 18-year-old swims year-round at Lakeside Aquatic Club and has rocketed to the #8 position on our most recent ranking of top boys recruits from the high school class of 2026.

Streamline Aquatics’ Grant Lilly was the only other swimmer to break 4:20, clocking 4:19.04. The Notre Dame commit sliced over a second off his former best time, 4:20.09 logged at the UIL State meet last February.

Lilly was featured in SwimSwam’s “Best of the Rest” section in the ranking of the top 20 recruits in the boys’ class of 2026. 

16-year-old Syunta Lee rounded out the top three qualifiers in a time of 4:20.01, leading a trio of swimmers in the 4:20-low range. Lee demolished his best time of 4:24.03 by over four full seconds, which he produced at the WIAA Boys 4A State meet last February.

It took 4:22.13 to make the championship final this year, just a touch slower than the 4:21.63 required to advance last season.

GIRLS’ 200 IM – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 1:52.21, Katie Grimes – 2022
• 13-14 NAG Record: 1:55.73, Audrey Derivaux – 2024
• 15-16 NAG Record: 1:53.38, Teagan O’Dell – 2023
• 17-18 NAG Record: 1:51.36, Kate Douglass – 2020

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Maddie Thornton (BEND) – 1:56.97
2. Kelsey Zhang (PASA) – 1:58.34
3. Gabi Brito (BCA) – 1:58.70
4. Maya Hetland (PASA) – 1:58.78
5. Mikayla Tan (SRVA) – 1:59.13
6. Lucy Velte (EKC) – 1:59.71
7. Isabel Wu (SCSC) – 1:59.88
8. Katrin Otaegi (SRVA) – 1:59.96

17-year-old Maddie Thornton was the only swimmer to break 1:58 in the girls’ 200 IM prelims, dropping three seconds from her entry time to stop the clock at 1:56.97.

The Georgia commit, who trains year-round with Bend Swim Club, set her best time at this meet last year where she hit the wall 18th.

Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics’ Kelsey Zhang notched 1:58.34 to secure the second seed, just over a second outside her career-best 1:57.15 from this meet last year where she placed fifth.

We ranked Zhang #5 on our most recent list of top recruits from the high school class of 2026.

15-year-old Gabi Brito, who represents Beach Cities Alpha, rounded out the top three qualifiers with a time of 1:58.70. She took third in this race last year and is coming off a recent best time of 1:55.76.

She clocked 1:56.39 in prelims last year but 1:56.49 in finals, so while she’s much slower this year, she is coming off a PB. It could just be energy conservation for a big meet ahead.

If you broke two minutes, you made the championship final in the event, with the cutoff for the top eight at 1:59.96, over a second slower than the 1:58.74 needed last year.

BOYS’ 200 IM – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 1:41.18, Maximus Williamson – 2023
• 13-14 NAG Record: 1:45.29, Michael Andrew – 2014
• 15-16 NAG Record: 1:41.41, Thomas Heilman – 2023
• 17-18 NAG Record: 1:40.81, Maximus Williamson – 2024

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Ty Thomas (RCA) – 1:45.08
2. Rowan Cox (TXLA) – 1:45.21
3. Jackson Hartzler (CFSC) – 11:45.57
4. Shareef Elaydi (SCSC) – 1:45.88
5. Joshua Smith (LRAD) – 1:46.17
6. Brayden Capen (ACAD) – 1:46.49
7. Joey Sudermann (FST) – 1:46.83
8. Syunta Lee (WEST) – 1:47.16

GIRLS’ 50 FREE – PRELIMS

• 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

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Avery Daigle (FINS) – 22.21
2. Adalynn Biegler (EDI) – 22.29
3. Khanh Seaton (AAA) – 22.40
4. Stella Canoles (OAPB) – 22.46
5. Kennedi Southern (LAC) – 22.47
6. Gabi Brito (BCA) – 22.57
7. Ava De Anda (RAA) – 22.65
8. Zoe Smith (LRAD) – 22.67

15-year-old Avery Daigle dropped nearly six tenths from her personal best to grab the top seed in the girls’ 50 freestyle.

Daigle, who swims for Franco’s Fins, stopped the clock at 22.21 to elevate herself from her 15th-seed status entering the competition. She took 35th in the event last year with a then-lifetime best of 23.07.

Daigle will be challenged closely tonight by Adalynn Biegler, who logged 22.29 to come with hundredths of her career-best 22.16.

Biegler swims for Monticello High School and Edina Swim Club. She is our #10 recruit on the Way Too Early list of top girls’ swimmers in the high school class of 2027.

Additionally, she owns the distinction of being the third-fastest swimmer in the class in two of the most important events in college swimming, the 50 and 100 free.

Albany Armada Aquatics’ Khanh Seaton rounded out the top three qualifiers in 22.40. The 16-year-old chopped .33 off her previous personal best in the process.

Gabi Brito successfully pulled double duty, qualifying for her second A final of the session. She was the sixth-fastest swimmer in 22.57, just .27 shy of her lifetime best.

It took 22.67 to make the championship heat, right on par with the 22.57 required to reach the top eight a year ago.

BOYS’ 50 FREE – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 18.71, Ryan Hoffer – 2016
• 13-14 NAG Record: 19.76, Michael Andrew – 2014
• 15-16 NAG Record: 19.24, Michael Andrew / Thomas Heilman – 2014 / 2023
• 17-18 NAG Record: 18.67, Caeleb Dressel – 2015

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

The Cal commit obliterated his best time of 19.61, and is nearing a full second faster than the 20.16 he produced at this meet last year, when he touched 14th.

Valley Splash’s Yury Kuzmenko, 17, rounded out the top three at 19.95, coming in just four one-hundredths off his fastest-ever time. Kuzmenko is slated to join the Princeton Tiger’s class of 2030.

Ty Thomas (19.62), like Brito, successfully pulled off the 200 IM/50 free ‘A’ final qualification double and is situated fourth overall going into tonight. He chipped exactly four tenths off his former best time to break through the 20-second barrier for the first time in his career.

Cox nearly pulled off the triple, but is tied for eighth with Brody Chandler. A swim-off will be required to determine the final qualifier. Chandler added nine one-hundredths while Cox dropped over two tenths to break 20 for the first time.

It took 20.09 last year to make the championship final, and this year 19.91 was needed. A 19.99 just missed out on the heat in ninth and was relegated to the consolation final.