2024 YMCA Summer Nationals: 13-year-old Cullen Cashman Drops 2:24.58 200 Breast for NE Record

2024 YMCA Summer Nationals

• July 30-August 3, 2024
• Ocala, FL
• LCM (50 meters)
• Livestream

The second night of the 2024 YMCA Summer National Championship featured some of the longest events on the slate with the 200 free, 200 back, 200 breast, and 200 free relay.

Despite only placing 13th overall, 13-year-old Cullen Cashman of the South Shore YMCA had a huge performance in the boy’s 200 breaststroke, dropping .4 seconds off his personal best to finish in a time of 2:24.58. With his time, Cashman, one of the youngest swimmers at the meet, broke the New England Record in the event after just missing the mark a few weeks ago, moving himself up to #55 all-time in 13-14 age-group history. The previous record NE Record stood at a 2:24.83, which was set by Maxwell Reich back in 2017. 17-year-old Drew Gaerthofner from the Oshkosh Community YMCA was the top finisher in the event as he finished in 2:18.08, a few tenths off of his best time.

The men’s 200 freestyle featured a showdown between 18-year-olds Nathan Spetz of the Powel Crosley Jr YMCA and Shane Eckler of the Ridley YMCA. Coming off of a win in the 100 freestyle, Eckler was out first at the 100 meter mark, splitting 54.37 to Spitz’s 55.30. However, Spitz made up the deficit with a huge 57.08 back half, roaring home to a victory in a time of 1:52.38, dropping almost 2 seconds off of his best time of 1:54.20 in the process. Eckler settled for second in a 1:52.84, posting a huge 5 second drop off of his personal best, which stood at a 1:57.93 entering the meet. Both swimmers are slated to swim in the NCAA this fall, with Eckler heading off to Notre Dame and Spetz attending the University of Cincinnati.

The girl’s 200 breaststroke also featured a great battle for first place as Grace Hunt from the Greater Spartanburg YMCA held off Butler County YMCA’s Giona Lavorini for the victory. Hunt posted a time of 2:32.36 for the win, knocking a tenth of a second off of her best time. Hunt previously won the 50 breaststroke on the first day of competition. Lavorini, a Pitt Committ, dropped over 3 seconds off of her best time en route to her second place finish, with her final time clocking in at a 2:32.49.

Although neither swimmer posted a personal best, Greater Spartanburg YMCA’s Hayden Penny and Upper Main Line YMCA’s Devyn Sargent threw down in the girl’s 200 backstroke, coming out with the closest finish of the night. Despite Sergent taking the race out over a second faster than Penny (1:06.57 to 1:08.11), Penny used a great back-half to overtake Sargent in the closing meters of the race with the two swimmers touching almost simultaneously. In the end, it was Penny who came out victorious by .05 with a time of 2:17.75 to Sargent’s 2:17.79. Penny is committed to swim at the University of Kentucky, while Sargent is committed to Yale.

Another Hayden, Hayden Meyers from the M.E. Lyons YMCA won the boy’s 200 backstroke in a personal best of 2:02.38, dropping almost a half second off of his best time entering the meet, which stood at a 2:02.85. Meyers, who will swim for Georgia in the fall of 2025, successfully defended his 200 backstroke title from the 2024 YMCA Short Course National Championship with his win.

In a dominating win, 17-year-old Colleen Bull from the Somerset County YMCA clocked a time of 2:03.91 in the girl’s 200 freestyle. Bull, who is committed to Indiana University for the fall of 2025, won the event by over a second ahead of her competition as Kenzie Padilla finished second in a time of 2:04.97.

The Wyckoff Family YMCA claimed the victory in the girl’s 200 freestyle relay, with the team of Isabel Lee, Katie Lawrence, Izzie Piccinich, and Jessie Wolf combining for a time of 1:45.43 to win by .3 over the Greater Somerset County YMCA (1:45.73). In the boy’s race, the Ridley Area YMCA team of Eckler, Jonathan Hoole, Tristan Ronayne, and Jake Kenny posted a time of 1:33.12 for the win.