Flatiron Athletic Club Wins 3 on Opening Day of Phoenix Sectionals

2024 Speedo Spring Sectionals – Phoenix

• March 21-24, 2024
• Phoenix Country Day Aquatic Center, Paradise Valley, Arizona
• Long Course Meters (50 meters)
• Psych Sheet
• Meet Central
• Results on Meet Mobile: “2024 Speedo Sectionals – Phoenix, AZ”

A sweep of the 200 butterfly races from swimmers of the Flatiron Athletic Club in Colorado highlighted the first day of racing at the Speedo Sectionals meet in Phoenix, Arizona.

The meet, one of five Sectionals across the country this weekend, is being swum in long course. In a deviation from typical Sectionals format, the meet didn’t start with a distance day, but jumped straight into the meat of the meet.

In the girls’ race, 15-year-old Lexi Byrn won the 200 fly in 2:17.59, improving her best time of 2:19.25 done last summer. She was aggressive in her first 50, opening in 30.24, before settling-in to the race. That makes her the 8th-best 15 & under in the country this season in the 200 meter fly.

Her teammate James Kershaw, a Brown commit, won the boys’ race in 2:04.11, almost a second ahead of Ethan Reniewicki (2:05.10). That shaved .03 seconds off Kershaw’s previous best time from last summer’s Futures Championships.

The pair helped their team to a 4th-place standing after one day of racing behind the leaders from the hosts at the Phoenix Swim Club.

Flatiron also got a win on day 1 in the girls’ 800 free, where Morgan Cady swam 8:58.21. That’s her best time by 12-and-a-half seconds – she was 9:10.68 at last summer’s Junior National Championships.

That win just held off Kyra Rabess, who was 2nd in 8:58.44 and was about a second faster over the final 100 meters.

Team Standings After Day 1:

Combined Top 5:

1. Phoenix Swim Club – 795
2. Scottsdale Aquatic Club – 453
3. Gold Medal Swim Club – 451
4. Flatiron Athletic Club – 404
5. Highland Ranch Aquatics – 397

Boys’ Top 5:

1. Phoenix Swim Club – 346
2. Scottsdale Aquatic Club – 294
3. Swim Neptune – 237
4. Foothills Swim Team – 236.5
5. Flatiron Athletic Club – 199

Girls’ Top 5:

1. Phoenix Swim Club – 449
2. Gold Medal Swim Club – 314
3. Highland Ranch Aquatics – 226
4. Flatiron Athletic Club – 205
5. (tie) Scottsdale Aquatic Club/Swim Neptune – 159

Among the winners for the Phoenix Swim Club was 26-year-old Carla Gonzalez in the 100 free. She swam 57.01, just pipping another Flatiron swimmer Amelia Mason (57.04). Gonzalez is a former Nebraska Cornhusker who represents Venezuela internationally.

16-year-old Devin Irons from the Phoenix Swim Club won the boys’ 800 free in 8:29.23. He cruised for most of this race, but dropped a huge 1:01.76 over the final 100 meters, erasing a second deficit going into the last lap.

Other Day 1 Winners and Notables:

• August Vetsch of Swim Neptune won the boys’ 100 free in 50.56. That’s a best time by about six-tenths of a second for the Cal commit.
• Maria Erokhina from the University of Northern Colorado won the girls’ 200 breaststroke in 2:31.72, a second ahead of Singaporean 19-year-old Sarah Bernard from Commonwealth Swimming in Boston. The top junior-aged swimmer was 15-year-old Reagan Uhlik from the Gold Medal Swim Club. She finished 3rd in 2:37.42, her best time by more than two seconds and putting her under the USA Swimming Winter Juniors Championships standard in the event.
• The Arizona Dolphins won the girls’ 200 free relay in 1:47.76. Delaney Barbee led them off in 26.40, the fastest split of the group, joined by Han-Chien Chang (27.60), Julia Schoenfelder (27.43), and Ella Schoenfelder (26.87).
• The Phoenix Swim Club closed the day with a win in the boys’ 200 free relay. Ryan Coetzee (23.74), Cole Faut (24.44), Olympic gold medalist Roland Schoeman (22.09), and Tanner Sheffert (24.19) combined for a 1:34.46.