Luke Ellis Closed out CA-NV Sectionals with an 8:44.62 1000 FR, Weinstein Clocks 47.95 100 FR

2024 CA-NV December Sectionals

• December 19-22, 2024
• Mt. San Antonio College Aquatic Complex, Walnut, CA
• Hosted by BREA Aquatics
• SCY (25 Yards)
• Results on MeetMobile
  • “2024 CA-NV December Sectionals at BREA”

TOP 5 TEAM SCORES – FINAL

COMBINED

1. Sandpipers of Nevada – 3470
2. La Mirada Armada – 2118
3. Irvine Novaquatics – 1675
4. Alpha Aquatics – 1395.5
5. Pleasanton Seahawks – 1332.5

MEN

1. Sandpipers of Nevada – 1448
2. La Mirada Armada – 1100
3. Alpha Aquatics – 914.5
4. Pleasanton Seahawks – 779.5
5. Irvine Novaquatics – 765

WOMEN

1. Sandpipers of Nevada – 2022
2. La Mirada Armada – 1018
3.  Irvine Novaquatics – 910
4. Beach Cities Swimming – 838
5. Riverside Aquatics Association – 791

The 2024 CA-NV Sectionals meet in Walnut, CA concluded yesterday, seeing Sandpipers of Nevada sweep the team awards. La Mirada Armada was 2nd in men’s, women’s, and combined scoring.

Saturday night finals saw 18-year-old Sandpipers swimmer Katie Grimes win the women’s 500 free in 4:32.19. Grimes’ swim marked a season best in the event, however, she was off her career best of 4:28.27, which she swam last December at this Sectional meet. Teammate Claire Weinstein, 17, came in 2nd with a 4:38.02 (personal best 4:29.38). Meanwhile, Sandpipers 16-year-old Riley Christensen took 3rd with a 4:53.06, blowing away her previous best of 4:57.55, which she swam in prelims on Saturday morning.

Sandpipers made it a sweep of the 500 free, seeing Noah Mudadu win the men’s 500 free in 4:21.69. Mudadu had a great meet, and his 500 was no different. He entered the meet with a personal best of 4:27.10, marking an improvement of 5.41 seconds.

Mudadu would go on to rip a huge career best of 9:01.83 in the men’s 1000 free. That was a personal best by over 12 seconds. It was Sandpipers 18-year-old  Luke Ellis who won the men’s 1000 free, popping a new personal best of 8:44.62. He clipped his previous best of 8:45.19, which he swam at this Sectional meet last year. Gabriel Manteufel came in 2nd with an 8:53.90, just off his career best of 8:51.54.

Both Grimes and Weinstein opted out of the 1650 on Sunday, and instead Weinstein put up an excellent 100 free, winning the event in 47.95. That swim marks her first time under 48 seconds in the event. 38-year-old Brooke Boak put up a 48.98 for 2nd in the women’s 100 free. That swim came in a little over half a second off her career best of 48.38, which she swam at the 2006 NCAA Championships.

Grimes ended up in the women’s 200 back on Sunday, winning the event by nearly 8 seconds with a 1:50.72. She was just off her career best of 1:50.56, which she swam at this Sectional last December.

Ellis had a strong performance in the men’s 200 fly on Saturday night, winning the race in 1:46.47. That swim marked a career best by over a second for Ellis.

Applejean Gwinn, a Sandpipers 18-year-old had a string of great swims on Saturday and Sunday. She won the women’s 200 fly on Saturday in 1:59.90, touching 0.01 seconds off her personal best. Gwinn then went on to post a truly massive career best in the 1650 free, swimming a 16:39,11. She won the race over teammate Christensen, who swam a big career 16:43.92. Gwinn entered the meet with a PB of 17:12.30.

Gwinn then went on to finish 2nd in the women’s 200 IM, clocking a 1:58.15, which was 2.55 seconds under her career best.

Beach Cities Swimming 14-year-old Gabriella Brito won the women’s 100 back in 53.57, which clipped the 53.67 she established the week prior at the Winter Junior Championships West meet.

Miles Blackson-Dunbar, a 17-year-old out of Alpha Aquatics had a huge swim in the men’s 100 free. He won the race in 43.39, taking down his previous best of 43.71, which he just swam the previous week at the Winter Junior Championships West meet. Pleasanton Seahawks 16-year-old Songrui Wu had a big swim as well, taking 2nd in 43.86. That swim marked Wu’s first time under 44 seconds in the event

OTHER EVENT WINNERS

• Men’s 100 back: Lucas Hubbard (Alpha Aquatics) – 49.04
• Women’s 50 free: Brooke Boak (Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics) – 22.15
• Men’s 50 free: Yury Kuzmenko (VS) – 20.15
• Women’s 200 breast: Gabrielle Rose (Alpha Aquatics) – 2:10.21
• Men’s 200 breast: Brandon Fischer (Tri Valley Aquatics) – 1:53.20
• Women’s 200 medley relay: Sandpipers of Nevada ‘A’ (Grimes, Weinstein, Emery Vannah, Billie Blu Mondedo) – 1:41.82
• Men’s 200 medley relay: Alpha Aquatics ‘B’ (Luke Hubbard, Pavel Romanov, Luka Van Dijk, Fred Brown) – 1:30.27
• Men’s 200 back: Harrison Smith (TSM Aquatics) – 1:46.64
• Women’s 200 IM: Kayla Han (La Mirada Armada) – 1:57.86
• Anthony Dornoff (La Mirada Armada) – 1:48.03
• Women’s 400 free: Sandpipers of Nevada ‘A’ (Grimes, Vannah, Mondedo, Weinstein) – 3:19.05
• Men’s 400 free relay: Sandpipers of Nevada ‘A’ (Caleb Kattau, Mudadu, Ellis, Gyang) – 3:01.42