2027 Rice Commit Liliana Hineman Shines in 400 IM on Day 2 of Walnut Sectionals

2026 Walnut Speedo Sectionals

  • July 16-19, 2026
  • Walnut — CA
  • LCM (50 Meters)
  • Live Results Available on Meet Mobile: “2026 CA/NV Summer Speedo Sectionals @ BREA -“
  • Recaps: Day 1

Day two of the Walnut Sectionals meet in California saw some big drops from high schoolers, led by 2027 Rice commit Liliana Hineman.

The 16-year-old Gold Medal Swim Club athlete won the women’s 400 IM in 4:55.96, a second ahead of University of Denver ace Sabrina Rachjaibun. This swim for Hineman was a monster drop from the 5:02.28 mark she set in May of this year. She came into the season at 5:04.02 from July of 2024.

This swim brings Hineman more in line with her SCY best time of 4:20.86, which she set in March of 2026 at the Four Corners Sectionals meet. It will also rank 17th among all 15-16 year-old girls in the country this season, just ahead of Clovis Swim Club’s Rowyn Wilber‘s 4:56.07.

Rachjaibun swam 4:57.02 to finish 2nd, a near four second add from the 4:53.38 mark she set in July of 2019.

Also from Gold Medal Swim Club, 15-year-old Marley Spray won the women’s 100 backstroke, stopping the clock in 1:02.76 to take more than a second off the 1:03.93 mark she set in June of this year. She came into the season at 1:04.29 from August of 2025.

Claire O’Mara, who swims for Rancho San Dieguito, swam 1:03.56 to finish 2nd and take two hundredths off her best of 1:03.58 from May.

Adalyn Lee, from Brea Aquatics, a rising high school sophomore, won the women’s 200 freestyle in a monster personal best 2:03.00. This was a new personal best for the 15-year-old by two seconds from the 2:05.28 that she set in June of 2025.

It will also move Lee up to 13th in the current season 15-16 girls rankings for Americans, just ahead of Sarasota Tsunami’s Zoe Rattee, who sits at 2:03.19.

The men’s 400 IM also saw a monster drop with Eric Chen, from Irvine Novaquatics. Chen won the event in 4:27.51, four seconds ahead of 2nd place finisher Ian O’Neil’s 4:31.96, and took two seconds off his previous best of 4:29.64 from April of 2026. He lives and trains in Hong Kong during the school year and is committed to Penn for the class of 2027.

O’Neil, a rising junior at the University of Denver, dropped almost four seconds from his previous best of 4:35.62, which he set in July of 2024.

Other Event Winners

0
Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of

0 Comments
newest
oldest most voted