Khader Baqlah Posts 1:48.18 200 FR At Gainesville Sectional Day 2

2018 SZS SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

• July 6-9th, 2018
• O’Connell Center, Gainesville, FL
• Hosted by Gator Swim Club
• Friday Results 
• Saturday Results

On the 2nd day of the Speedo Sectional in Gainesville, FL (search “Southern Zone South Sectional Championships” on MeetMobile for results), soon-to-be University of Florida Junior Khader Baqlah posted a 1:48.18 200 free to take 1st after going a 1:53.37 in prelims. Baqlah was the only swimmer in the A-Final to break 1:50, with Jan Switkowski coming in 2nd at 1:50.54. His time was also only half a second off his personal best of 1:47.68, which Baqlah set last Summer. Caeleb Dressel finished all the way back in 6th with a 1:53.42. Dressel posted the fastest time in prelims with a 1:52.26.

Notably, in the B-Final, Florida swimmer Maxime Rooney won in 1:48.76 – the second-best time of the day.

Isabel Ivey took the women’s 200 free, narrowly missing the 2-minute mark with a 2:00.08. Ivey was out fast, hitting the 100 mark in 57.65, but fell off a bit with a 30.83 3rd 50, and 31.60 last 50. Ivey’s season best of 1:59.74 is the 18th fastest women’s 200 free in the country this season.

Marco Guarente won the men’s 100 breast with a 1:01.92, winning by well over a second. That marked a significant drop from Guarente’s previous best of 1:03.81. Emma Ball threw down a 28.92 in the women’s 50 back to touch out her Gator Swim Club teammate Caitlin Brooks (29.15) for 1st. Ball’s best time in the 50 back is 28.47 from the Mel Zajac invite last month. Ball also has a yards best time of 23.68, from leading off the Florida 200 medley relay at this year’s SEC Championships.

Maxime Rooney blasted a 53.31 to win the 100 fly, beating Jan Switkowski by nearly a full second. Rooney was out in 24.94, and came back in 28.37, while Switkowski was out in 25.85, and also came back in 28.37. Kelly Fertel took the women’s 400 IM with a 4:44.84, narrowly missing her lifetime best of 4:44.46. Mark Szaranek capped off the individual races in the session with a 4:21.39 win in the men’s 400 IM. Szaranek has already been 4:13 this year at the Commonwealth Games in April.