Future Sun Devil Henry Wins 200 Free, 100 Fly in College Station

2018 COLLEGE STATION SECTIONALS

• March 1st-4th, 2018
• Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
• 25y (SCY) Course
• Results – Meet Mobile “2018 Speedo Sectionals Championship Series”

After 15-year old Gianluca Urlando stole the show on day 3 of the 2018 College Station Sectionals, Tigershark Swim Team star Noah Henry, a senior at Belton High Sschool in Texas, earned the headline back for Texas and for the veterans.

Henry picked up two individual wins on the day, both of which came in new lifetime bests. First he won the 200 free in 1:34.96, which improved upon his previous best of just 1:37. He followed that with a 46.80, which lopped three-tenths from his best time to win the Texas State Championship in the event in February.

For Henry, best known as a butterflier and backstroker, the 200 free will have his future Arizona State coach Bob Bowman salivating. He now moves into a narrow window where the Sun Devils will have a chance at racing for an 800 free relay top-3 finish perhaps as soon as 2019, if not 2020. He’ll join a team that includes sophomore Cameron Craig, currently ranked 7th in the NCAA in 1:32.72, and freshman Grant House, one of the fastest high school 200 freestylers ever. It takes under a 6:10 to contend for top 3 finishes these days, which means averaging about a 1:32.5 per swimmer. The Sun Devils also bring in Cody Bybee, another 1:34 freestyler, next season.

On paper, Henry and Bybee also becomes Arizona State’s top sprint butterflier for next season after Andrew Porter’s graduation.

Urlando finished 2nd to Henry in the 100 fly in 46.93, That ranks behind just Andrei Minakov as the fastest-ever time by a 15-year old, and sneaks just ahead of Michael Andrew’s best 14-year old time of 46.95.

Urlando then came back to win the 400 IM, further emphasizing his versatility, in 3:49.58. He is best known for his butterfly and backstroke splits, but he actually pulled away from runner-up Michael Calvillo on the breaststroke leg, where Urlando split 1:05.8 and Cavillo was just 1:07.1.

The day’s double winner on the women’s side was Metroplex swimmer Vanessa Pearl, who won the girls’ 200 breaststroke in 2:10.78 and followed that up with a 4:11.35 in the 400 IM. That 400 IM swim beat Gabrielle Kopenski, already winner of the 500 and 1000 at this meet, by almost 4 seconds.

Other Day 3 Winners:

• The women’s 100 fly was a battle between 3 of the stars of this meet. The event was ultimately won by Davis swimmer Amalie Fackenthal, who touched 1st in 52.09. That’s her new lifetime best by 7-tenths of a second. She’ll head to Stanford next year at a key moment: they graduate their top 3 swimmers in the 100 fly at the end of this season, and Fackenthal is now faster than any returning Cardinal swimmer next year. She beat out Emma Sticklen (52.73), who won the 200 fly on Friday, and future Longhorn Julia Cook (52.81), who has 3 wins at the meet already, including one in the 200 free on Saturday in 1:44.21.
• Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics hasn’t won many individual events, but they have dominated the relays, especially on the women’s side. They picked up another victory on Saturday in the girls’ 400 medley, finishing in 3:39.69 with the team of Danielle Carter (53.62), Zoe Lusk (1:02.42), Gabrielle Anderson (53.93), and Iabelle Henig (59.72).
• The Westminster Academy Swim Club from Florida won the boys’ 400 medley relay in 3:18.73, knocking-off PASA (3:19.26) for the title.Westminster’s relay included a 55.58 from Gregory Penny on the breaststroke leg.