Ashley Twichell Swims First 800 Free Since 2021 To Win Greensboro Sectional

2024 Greensboro Spring Sectionals

• March 7-10, 2024
• LCM (50 meters)
• Meet Mobile “2024 Speedo ESSZ Spring SC Championships”

Some of the top swimmers are competing in Greensboro this week at Sectionals. Night 1 featured the individual 800 free as well as the 800 free relay.

Kicking off the night was Ashley Twichell who won the 800 freestyle in a 8:36.97. Twichell’s best time stands at a 8:25.31 that she swam back in 2016 at the US Open. Tonight’s swim was her first time swimming then event since April 2021.

The 34-year-old notably won gold in the open water 10K at the 2023 Pan Am Games just 17 months after giving birth. Twichell represented the US at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at the age of 32, becoming the oldest first-timer for the US since 1908.

Finishing behind Twichel was North Carolina Aquatic Club’s Daisy Collins. The 15-year-old touched in a 9:04.14, faster than her previous best time of a 9:06.15 that she swam at NCSAs this past summer. Katherine Bailey (Unattached) was 3rd in a 9:04.79. Bailey competed collegiately for Queens.

Leading the men’s 800 free was Hudson DeGroote (Marlins of Raleigh) who touched in a 8:14.16 to win by over five seconds. That was a huge lifetime best for the NC State commit as his previous best was a 8:23.56 from Futures in July 2023. Frederick Klein of SwimMAC was second in a 8:19.45. Klein is headed to Cal this fall. Klein’s teammate Jack Rutledge was 3rd in a 8:20.11, a best time by over seven seconds.

SwimMAC’s ‘B’ relay won the girls 800 free relay touching in a 8:36.22, just ahead of the team’s ‘A’ relay who tocuehd in a 8:37.47. The ‘B’ relay consisted of Sophia Pero, Shaelyn Shields, Taylor Klein, and Macie McCarter. Shields had the fastest split with a 2:06.74.

The SwimMAC boys won the 800 free relay. The team of Maksym Nechydyuk, Gavin McCarter, Christian Losh, and Jack Haywood won in a 7:48.69. Haywood anchored in a 1:56.18. Nechydyuk led off in a huge personal best of a 1:56.37 as he had not ever broken the 2:00 mark prior to this swim.