Caleb Maldari Swims 1:45.69 200 Yard Back At 15 Years Old

2020 CRA November COVID Meet

• November 27th – 29th, 2020
• Boston Sports Institute, Wellesley, MA
• Short Course Yards (SCY) format
• Results on Meet Mobile: “CRA November COVID Meet”

In Massachusetts, Bluefish Swim Club and Charles River Aquatics followed up their fast performances at the October CRA meet with more best times at a larger meet of 7 competing teams.

15-year-old Caleb Maldari highlighted the meet by posting best times in all 5 events that he swam, including in the 200 back with a time of 1:45.69. This swim is the 3rd fastest 200 back among 15-16 year-olds in the country this year and it lowers the Summer Juniors qualifying time he first made in late October. With the majority of his high school career still ahead of him, Maldari is now ranked #68 among the all-time fastest 15-16 year olds in the event nationally.

Maldari also swam:

• 100 back – 49.32
• 200IM – 1:50.52
• 200 free – 1:40.16
• 200 breast – 2:05.89

He cracked the top 10 in the 100 back as well, establishing himself as the 10th fastest swimmer in his age group this year. His previous best, 50.04, was from December of 2019. Maldari ended the meet with a new Summer Juniors qualifying time in the 100 back event and a new Winter Juniors time in the 200IM.

In the 1650 free, high school sophomore Josh Parent ended the race with a commanding lead, touching the wall  at 15:37.54. This Winter Juniors qualifying time is not quite a best time for Parent who swam a 15:20.71 in December of last year, but it is the closest time he’s posted to it since then. His recent swim is the 2nd fastest 1650 free among 15-16 year-olds this year.

On the girl’s side, 13-year-old Zuri Ferguson took down the 200 back with a time of 2:03.97. This is right on her best time, 2:03.88, which she swam in January just before the coronavirus pandemic shut down. Already this swim is the 13th fastest 100 back in her age group this year.

National Junior Team member and Tennessee commit Summer Smith followed up an array of best times in October with another, posting a 1:48.38 in her 200 free and securing a new Winter Juniors qualifying time. She crushed her previous best 200 free time from 2018 by nearly 2 seconds.

She also finished the 200IM with a time of  2:02.04, maintaining her Winter Juniors cut and adding about 2 seconds to her best time from December, 2018.

Smith, who qualifies for Olympic Trials in the long course meters 200IM, 400IM, 200 fly, 200 back, and distance freestyle events, went on to drop time in 4 of her “off” events:

• 100 breast – 1:06.96
• 50 free – 24.08
• 100 free – 51.21
• 200 breast – 2:20.94

Other Notable Swims:

• Alana Leen, who turned 15 this month, dropped more time in the 200 back with a time of 2:01.50. She swam her previous best, 2:02.14, at the October CRA meet. This time ranks her 33rd in the event out of 15-16 year-olds this year.
• 13-year-old David Sapozhnikov posted a best time 54.59 in his 100 fly, taking nearly a full second off of his previous best from the same October CRA meet.