TAC TITANS INVITATIONAL MEET
- August 7-9, 2020
- Triangle Aquatic Center, Cary, North Carolina
- 25 yard (SCY) course
- Psych Sheets
- Results on Meet Mobile: “2020 TAC Titans Invitational Meet”
On the first day of the TAC Titans Invitational, which is functioning as a dual meet between the TAC Titans and the nearby Marlins of Raleigh, National Age Group Record breaker Claire Curzan put up more fast times.
After breaking 3 National Age Group Records in the 15-16 age group, while racing against male swimmers, in her first meet back from quarantine, Curzan almost broke another on Friday.
She swam a 21.61 to win the girls’ 50 free, racing only female swimmers this time. That’s a tenth of a second slower than she swam in July to break the record, but it is still better than the 21.77 National Age Group Record in the event that she set last year.
Curzan is scheduled to swim the 100 fly, 100 back, and 100 free later in the weekend.
Her teammate Brooke Morgan finished 2nd in the event in 23.34. That’s a new lifetime best for the West Virginia commit. Abby Arens finished 3rd in 23.38, and Brooke Zettel placed 4th in 23.98.
In the 500 free, a pair of swimmers in the USA Swimming National Team system battled it out. Ashley Twichell, who is already qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games in open water, won in 4:40.57. That follows a 4:44.49 that she swam 3 weeks ago and is the 7th-best time of her career. She has only been faster once in the last two-plus years, a 4:40.00 in March of 2019.
In the process, she out-battled fellow USA Swimming National Teamer Charlotte Hook. Hook, who was on the 2018-2019 Junior National Team and the 2019-2020 senior National Team in the 200 fly, finished 2nd in 4:41.83. That included a 54.65 final split that saw her nearly close a 3-second gap on Twichell over the final 100 yards.
Hook’s time knocked 4.44 seconds off her previous lifetime best in the event.
Also swimming a best time, as part of a 1-2-3 TAC Titans finish in the race, was Caroline Pennington in 4:46.76. That took over a second off her best time. Pennington, a rising high school senior, is committed to Virginia.
Not long after her win in the 500 free, Hook also won the 200 IM in 1:57.69, which is about 3 seconds slower than her personal best. Arens took 2nd in 1:59.67, and 16-year old Anya Mostek swam a best time of 2:02.55 for 3rd.
Other Day 1 Winners and Notable Results:
- The top 3 finishers in the boys’ 500 free all swam new personal best times. Lance Norris swam 4:23.80 to win the event. That’s another best time for him after he swam a 4:24.19 last month. Just before quarantine shut down most competitions, he swam his previous best time of 4:27.61. His teammate Christian Bayo took a second off his best time to touch in 4:26.51, while Michael Moore took 3rd in 4:26.72. Moore’s swim was a best time by 2-and-a-half seconds as he prepares to head to NC State this fall.
- The top 5 finishers in the boys’ 200 IM swam best times, led by Michael Cotter in 1:48.42. That took a second-and-a-half off his best time. Ryan Silver, son of Marlins of Raleigh head coach Paul Silver, took 2nd in a best time of 1:51.34, while Colin Cotter finished 3rd in a best time of 1:51.46.
- Michael Ivy won the boys’ 50 free in 20.49.
That is lightning in the water. Damn.