2019 Speedo Winter Junior Championships – West: Day 2 Prelims Live Recap

2019 SPEEDO WINTER JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – WEST

• December 11th-14th, 2019
• King County Aquatic Center, Federal Way, Washington
• Thursday-Saturday: Prelims 9 AM / Finals 5 PM (Pacific Time)
• SCY (25y) Course
• Pre-scratch timeline
• Psych Sheets
• Real-time Results

Girls 500 Freestyle – Prelims

• 13/14 NAG record: 4:35.14, Katie Ledecky (2011)
• 15/16 NAG record: 4:28.71, Katie Ledecky (2013)
• 17/18 NAG record: 4:26.58, Katie Ledecky (2015)

Top 8 qualifiers:

1. Cox (Austin Trinity) – 4:44.75
2. Strouse (Scottsdale) – 4:45.01
3. Miller (Cypress Faibanks) – 4:45.75
4. Herceg (Nitro) – 4:46.38
5. Ristic (Irvine Nova) – 4:46.68
6. Roghair (Iowa Flyers) – 4:47.58
7. Williams (Riverside) – 4:47.64
8. Grafmiller (Blue Tide) – 4:49.62

Austin Trinity 14-year-old Jillian Cox had a five-second drop this morning to surge to the #1 spot. With that swim, she also moves up to #22 all-time in the 13-14 age group. Cox came into the meet with a 4:49.56 personal best, but went 4:44.75 this morning. She’s a current high school freshman in Texas and should be rising up the list of college recruits in her class.

Top-seeded Ashley Strouse did what she had to to make the final, going 4:45.01. Strouse has been 4:41.41 and was third in this meet last year, with the top two not present this year.

It’s a relatively young A final. 15-year-old Hayden Miller of Cypress Fairbanks went 4:45.75 for third, and five of the eight A finalists are 16 or younger. Miller cut four seconds in that swim.

Boys 500 Freestyle – Prelims

• 13/14 NAG record: 4:24.79, Lleyton Plattel (2017)
• 15/16 NAG record: 4:15.36, Drew Kibler (2016)
• 17/18 NAG record: 4:12.33, Michael Phelps (2004)

Top 8 qualifiers:

1. Carrozza (Longhorn) – 4:17.04
2. Heasley (Hillsboro) – 4:18.67
3. Johnston (Rockwall) – 4:19.81
4. Frandson (Central Iowa) – 4:20.95
5. Affeld (Alto) – 4:21.04
6. Hobson (Lakeridge) – 4:21.05
7. Bonson (Hurricane) – 4:23.05
8. Matheson (Scottsdale) – 4:23.16

Longhorn Aquatics 18-year-old Coby Carrozza is the top qualifier here. He’s the defending champ, and went 4:16.95 last year, though he was just 4:18 in prelims. Almost hitting that personal best in prelims today (he was 4:17.04), Carrozza could be in line to push further up the all-time 17-18 ranks tonight. He currently sits #40 in age group history.

Ethan Heasley is second at 4:18.67. That’s a drop of about a second for the 18-year-old. It also gives the West meet two swimmers faster than the top finisher at East prelims this morning.

David Johnston out of Rockwall was the only other swimmer under 4:20, blasting a 4:19.81 with a massive seven second drop from his previous best.

The top three seeds are all high school seniors, and all committed to swim at Texas next fall. Fourth-ranked Trent Frandson is a Cal commit.

Girls 200 IM – Prelims

• 13/14 NAG record: 1:56.20, Alex Walsh (2015)
• 15/16 NAG record: 1:54.02, Alex Walsh (2017)
• 17/18 NAG record: 1:51.65, Ella Eastin (2016)

Top 8 qualifiers:

1. Rudolph (Un) – 1:57.70
2. Stadden (Aquajets) – 1:58.40
3. Baron (Bellevue) – 1:59.80
4. Bell (Fort Collins) – 1:59.97
5. Felner (Bellevue) – 2:00.15
6. Pearson (SOCAL) – 2:00.39
7. Yeager (Nitro) – 2:00.81
8. Dunn (Hinsdale) – 2:00.88

Janelle Rudolph is the top qualifier in the girls 200 IM, going 1:57.70. That’s a lifetime-best by about seven tenths of a second for the 17-year-old, swimming Unattached.

Minnesota Aquajets swimmer Isabelle Stadden is her top competition, going 1:58.40 this morning. Stadden is a Pan Ams medalist in backstroke, but hit a lifetime-best 1:58.40 in the IM this morning.

Bellevue’s Sam Baron is the third qualifier, and 15-year-old Lucy Bell joined her under two minutes.

Boys 200 IM – Prelims

• 13/14 NAG record: 1:45.29, Michael Andrew (2014)
• 15/16 NAG record: 1:42.77, Michael Andrew (2015)
• 17/18 NAG record: 1:41.39, David Nolan (2011)

Top 8 qualifiers:

1. Affeld (Alto) – 1:45.38
2. Dillard (Sierra Marlins) – 1:46.10
3. Frazier (Eastern Iowa) – 1:46.82
4. Barr (Sarpy County) – 1:47.17
5. Kopp (Katy) – 1:47.24
6. Lierz (Elevation) – 1:47.36
7. Zheng (Aquajets) – 1:47.38
8. Lu (Seattle Metro) – 1:47.48

Jonathan Affeld of Alto Swim Club went 1:45.38 this morning, a drop of 1.6 seconds to blow out the prelims field. That moves him into the top 60 of all-time in the 17-18 age group, with a shot at a 1:44 tonight. Affeld has made the A final of both events this morning, and will either have to scratch one or swim an awfully tough double tonight.

Sierra Marlin Ben Dillard went 1:46.10, dropping a few one-hundredths for the second spot. Iowa’s Forrest Frazier is third. The top three are all committed to different California colleges: Affeld to Stanford, Dillard to USC and Frazier to Cal.

Girls 50 Free – Prelims

• 13/14 NAG record: 21.89, Claire Curzan (2019)
• 15/16 NAG record: 21.82, Gretchen Walsh (2018)
• 17/18 NAG record: 21.32, Simone Manuel (2015)

Top 8 qualifiers:

1. Tang (Un) – 22.06
2. Zenick (North Texas Nadadores) – 22.46
3. Dobler (Dolphins) – 22.47
4. Sticklen (Katy) – 22.67
5. Shaw (Denver) – 22.94
6. Beers (Bainbridge) / Delgado (Gators) – 22.97
7. —
8. Winter (Quicksilver) – 23.02

It almost took sub-23 just to make the final in the girls 50 free. 16-year-old Amy Tang is the top qualifier, blasting a 22.06 that was nearly a full second better than her incoming personal best of 22.9. Tang moves up to #5 all-time for the 15-16 age group, and is on the cusp of becoming just the third 15-16 girl to break 22 in this event.

Katherine Zenick of the North Texas Nadadores is second in 22.46, a hundredth ahead of top pre-meet seed Kaitlyn Dobler (22.47).

Boys 50 Free – Prelims

• 13/14 NAG record: 19.76, Michael Andrew (2014)
• 15/16 NAG record: 19.24, Michael Andrew (2015)
• 17/18 NAG record: 18.67, Caeleb Dressel (2015)

Top 8 qualifiers:

1. King (Bellevue) – 19.89
2. Hayes (Sooner) – 19.97
3. Miller (Elevation) – 20.08
4. Szabados (Chicago Wolfpack) – 2.010
5. Lowe (Spring) – 20.29
6. Lukashev (Rancho) – 20.31
7. Syrkin (Rose Bowl) – 20.32
8. Dang (Bellevue) – 20.35

17-year-old Matt King is the top qualifier, but tonight should be a great showdown between him and Aiden Hayes. King was 19.89 this morning, close to his 19.83 personal best. Hayes was 19.97, but has been 19.73 previously. Both have a chance to rewrite the national age historical rankings. The 16-year-old Hayes is already 10th all-time in that age group. King just aged up to the 17-18s, and could crack the top 50 all-time with a best tonight.

Lukas Miller out of Elevation is third in 20.08, and fourth finisher Bence Szabados has previously been under 20 seconds.