Gretchen Walsh Wins 2 More, Letitia Sim Swims 3 More Best Times in Nashville

2021 SOUTHEASTERN SWIMMING LSC CHAMPIONSHIPS

After picking up a win in her primary 100 breaststroke event on Friday, Olympic Trials semi-finalist Letitia Sim of TNT Swimming grabbed three more best times and added another win on Saturday at the Southeastern Swimming LSC Championships.

Sim skipped the 200 breaststroke on Friday and instead focused on three secondary events. She won the 400 IM in 4:59.22, which takes almost 5 seconds off her 2019 best time in the event. She then rolled into a 2:18.96 in the 200 fly, which was a second-and-a-half faster than her previous best time, and a 26.95 in the 50 free, which knocks two tenths off her best time.

She placed 2nd in the 200 fly and 8th in the 50 free.

For Sim, a University of Michigan commit, those results show improved versatility as she looks for more scoring events at the collegiate level next fall.

Her younger sister, 15-year old Levenia Sim, also swam a best time on Saturday. Levenia, who swam the 100 backstroke at the Olympic Trials, swapped places with her sister and swam a 2:42.89 for 4th place in the 200 breaststroke – a more than 5 second improvement off her previous best time.

The women’s 200 breaststroke win went to Baylor Swim Club’s Lillie Boggs in 2:39.52. She has been 2:37 in the event.

Also adding more wins to her tally on Saturday was Gretchen Walsh of the Nashville Aquatic Club. After winning the 50 fly and 100 back on Friday, Walsh added individual wins in the 50 back (28.60) and her specialty the 50 free (25.46) on Saturday. She finished 5th at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June in the 50 free in a time of 24.74.

Walsh also led off the winning Nashville 400 medley relay with a 1:01.16 backstroke leg. Other swimers on that relay were Allie Raab (breast – 1:10.73), Alex Massey (fly – 1:02.13), and Maggie Petty (58.73).

In other action, Mason Mathias of the Birmingham Swim League used two more big time drops to win two more races on Saturday. After dropping more than 4 seconds to win the 200 free in a 1:50.92 on Friday, Mathias dropped more than 11 seconds to win the 400 IM in 4:29.82 and dropped almost 6 seconds to win the 200 fly in 2:07.91, and dropped almost 8 seconds to win the 400 free in 4:00.24.

After big time drops during the short course season, where he finished 2nd at the Alabama High School State Championship meet in the 200 free and 500 free, the Auburn commit has done well to carry those drops into the long course season.

Other Saturday Highlights:

  • Alex Massey, who was set to swim her first season at Yale last year before COVID-19 canceled the team’s schedule, won the 200 fly in 2:15.70. That’s her 3rd all-time win in the senior category at these long course championships in the 200 fly: she also swam a 2:15 to win the race at the 2018 long course championships. Massey finished 8th at Wave I of the US Olympic Swimming Trials in the 200 fly in early June, swimming 2:13.0 in prelims and 2:14.2 in finals.
  • After losing the 100 back to Stephen Conrad on Friday by .01 seconds, Evan Petty of the Nashville Aquatic Club won the men’s 50 backstroke fairly-comfortably in 25.98. Conrad placed 3rd in that event.
  • 16-year old Oliver Pilkinton of Ensworth Aquatics won the boys’ 50 free in 23.65, beating-out Petty’s 23.73. Pilkinton’s best time prior to this meet was a 25.00, swum in July 2019. That swim jumps Pilkinton into the top 20 swimmers aged 16 or younger in the U.S. so far this season.
  • Kallie Chelsvig of Ensworth Aquatics won the women’s 400 free in 4:26.27, which is close to her best time. The rising Notre Dame sophomore was the runner-up in the 200 free on Friday.
  • Julian Killius of the Nashville Aquatic Club won the boys’ 200 breaststroke in 2:19.27. That swim is almost a three-second drop for him the race. That makes him two-for-two in the breaststrokes after winning the 100 meter race in 1:02.99 on Friday. He’ll shoot for the sweep in the 50 meter race on Sunday, where he’s heavily favored to win.

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Bobo Gigi
2 years ago

Gretchen Walsh didn’t perform as expected by many swim fans at olympic trials. And I’m sure she was disappointed. I continue to think she’s the best hope for US women’s sprint to follow Simone Manuel’s footsteps in the next few years. If she wants to be the woman to beat in paris on sprint freestyle she must focus on the 50/100 free and stop dispersing with the 100 fly and the 100 back.

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Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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