Double Andrew NAGS, huge Seliskar 200 breast highlight night 4 of NCSA Juniors

Michael Andrew took down a pair of National Age Group records and Andrew Seliskar blazed to an outstanding 1:52.21 NAG record-breaking win of his own in the 200 breast, highlighting Friday night’s action at NCSA Junior Nationals in Orlando Florida.

Our prelims recap is here.

Championship Central is here.

Girls 100 Back

As the Georgia women lead the NCAA Championships up north in Minneapolis, Georgia-bound Kylie Stewart won another event at NCSA Juniors at the southern end of the country. The 17-year-old Stewart went 51.96 to win a tight battle with top-seeded Beata Nelson of Wisconsin. Nelson broke 53 for the first time this morning and nearly broke 52 at night, going 52.03. At 15-years-old, Nelson now looks like a threat to break the 15-16 NAG record held by Olympian Rachel Bootsma at 51.53.

NCAP’s Janet Hu took third, just behind in 52.20. SwimAtlanta’s Megan Bestor was fourth with a 52.60. A pair of Minnesotans came in next: Zoe Avestruz of the Aquajets and St. Croix’s Mickayla Hinkle. Saint Andrews’ Megan Moroney and NCAP’s Carrie Boone rounded out the championship final.

Boys 100 Back

Baylor’s Luke Kaliszak held onto his top seed in a field where almost every swimmer dropped time at finals. Kaliszak went 46.47, dropping another half-second after breaking 47 for the first time in his career at prelims. That was enough to easily hold off NCAP’s Andrew Seliskar, who took second in 46.89.

Kaliszak’s Baylor teammate Sam McHugh was 47.78, just nipping Michael Andrew for third. Andrew was 47.83 to break his own National Age Group record for 13-14s and become the youngest swimmer under 48 seconds in the 100 back.

NCAP’s John Shebat took fifth (48.10), followed by Joshua Sembrano, Brennan Balogh and Alexander Martin.

Girls 500 Free

Another top seed dropped big time to hold on for the win in the girls 500 free. Sydney Lofquist of the Mason Manta Rays went 4:42.28. She held off Dynamo’s Kylie Stewart – Stewart went 4:42.75 for second.

City of Mobile Swim Association’s Paige Madden went 4:43.26, dropping over five seconds off her prelims swim to take third. The youngest swimmer in the A final was right on her heels, though – Isabella Rongione went 4:43.40 for fourth place.

Kirsten Jacobsen went 4:44.89 for fifth before there was a bit of a dropoff. NCAP’s Megan Byrnes was 4:47.88, Katherine Duggan 4:48.13 and Molly Treble 4:53.23 to round out the A heat.

The consol final saw a great race as well, with Zoe Thatcher topping Katherine Drabot 4:46.64 to 4:46.96.

Boys 100 Free

Distance-man Townley Haas showed some speed in winning the 100 free. The NOVA of Virginia product went 43.82 to top some big sprinting names including James Jones of NCAP (2nd, 43.97) and Justin Plaschka of Team Suffolk (3rd,, 44.11).

Palm Harbor Y’s Tristan Sanders has been most notable for his backstroking this weekend, but he took fourth here in a nice 44.22. Michigan Lakeshore Aquatics Tabahn Afrik (44.58) and Dynamo’s Knox Auerbach (44.58) came in close together and Nicholas Bigot and Ryan Nicholson rounded out the champ final.

Girls 200 Breast

Marin Pirates 16-year-old Riley Scott chopped another second off her lifetime-best to win in 2:11.18. That was a runaway win, over two seconds ahead of the rest of the field. There was a spirited battle for second, with Cougar Aquatic Team’s Meaghan O’Donnell coming from behind to touch out Ozaukee’s Katherine Drabot 2:13.12 to 2:13.21. Just behind was Pauline Kaminski of the Academy Bullets in 2:13.99.

St. Charles Swim Team’s Shea Hoyt went 2:14.70, just beating out Olivia Anderson of the Aquajets. Marin Pirates 15-year-old Halle Morris and Aquajets 16-year-old Alexandra Preiss rounded out the top 8.

Boys 200 Breast

NCAP’s Andrew Seliskar ran away with the boys event, going 1:52.21 and breaking the 17-18 NAG record belonging to Kevin Cordes. His teammate Carsten Vissering took second in 1:55.44, dropping a second off his lifetime-best and closing in on the 15-16 NAG record Seliskar left behind at 1:54.87.

Shane McNamara was third in 1:57.75 for Empire Swimming, and Clovis’s Connor Hoppe followed with a 1:58.13.

Dynamo got in on the action with fifth-place Gunnar Bentz, who went 1:58.68 to just touch out NASA Wildcats’ Jae Park‘s 1:58.76.

Girls 100 Fly

NCAP’s Janet Hu picked up another win for the week, taking the 100 fly in 52.00 to complete a sweep of the butterfly events for the NCSA meet. That’s not quite her lifetime-best but still was enough to beat the field by half a second.

Wisconsin’s Beata Nelson took second in 52.49, just about four tenths off her own 15-16 NAG record.

There was a bit of a dropoff from there, but the next three swimmers put on an exciting show, finishing within a tenth of one another. 14-year-old NCAP-er Cassidy Bayer went 53.30, breaking Nelson’s 13-14 National Age Group record and taking third. Simone Manuel was just behind in 53.34 for First Colony, and SwimAtlanta’s Megan Bestor went 53.36 for fifth.

Boys 100 Fly

Andrew Seliskar made it three in a row for NCAP, continuing to cut time off his lifetime best with a 46.50, his first time under 47 seconds and a runaway win. Michael Andrew was second, taking down his second NAG of the night with a 47.40.

Just behind Andrew was Dynamo’s Gunnar Bentz, who went 47.56 for third place. That top three was pretty well checked out from the field as the whole rest of the top 8 was in the 48s.

Sam McHugh led that crew for Baylor, going 48.24 and taking fourth. Steven Tan of Delta was 48.39, a tenth ahead of Team Suffolk’s Justin Plaschka (48.49). Ryan Nicholson of the Syracuse Chargers took seventh and Ben Kennedy was eighth for Carter Center Aquatics.

Full results are available here or on Meet Mobile under “2014 NCSA Spring Championship.”