Han Blasts 4:16 400 Meter Free in Roseville, #47 All-Time in 13-14 Age Group

2021 Summer CA-NV Sectionals-CCA

• July 15-18, 2021
• Roseville Aquatics Complex, Roseville, CA
• LCM (50m)
• Results on MeetMobile: “2021 Summer CA-NV Sectional-CCA”

13-year-old Kayla Han of La Mirada Armada dominated the 400 free, touching the wall in 1st place (4:16.53), about 4 seconds ahead of 2nd-place finisher Bailey Hartman from Crow Canyon Country Club Sharks. 

Han took a second off her lifetime best time from May which set the 11-12 National Age Group Record. Recently aged-up Han is now #47 all-time in the 13-14 age group. She took out the race in 1:02.44, about half-a second-faster than her swim in May. Han came home in 1:04.43 on the last 100 meters.

15-year-old Hartman dropped more than 2 seconds from her lifetime best from May.

Hartman and Han had a tough double that session, swimming the 400 free and then the 100 fly. Hartman kept up her momentum and won the 100 fly with a time of 1:00.44. 14-year-old Ella Detter of Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics touched the wall 2nd (1:01.80) 

Hartman was within .8 of her lifetime best time from the U.S. Olympic Trials Wave I which ranks her #28 out of the all-time fastest 15-16 year-olds in the event. Detter took about .7 off her best time from May to rank herself #74 all-time in her age group in a tie with Gretchen Walsh.

Han placed 18th (1:05.29) but she posted a 1:04.72 in prelims which was a .92 second drop from her best time from August 2020.

Dart Swimming’s Tara Halsted won the women’s 200 back with a time of 2:18.30, but it was 15-year-old Emilia Barck of Orinda Aquatics who was in 1st at the halfway point. Barck went out 1:07.8, about one second faster than Halsted, to take 2nd place with a time of 2:19.07

Halsted was about 3 seconds off her lifetime best time from 2013 Summer Nationals. This was a 9 second drop for Barck whose previous best was set in June.

The fastest time in the men’s 200 back came from Alto Swim Club’s Leon MacAlister who touched the wall at 2:01.08. De Anza Cupertino Aquatics’ Robert Griswold took 2nd place (2:04.53).

MacAlister took down his lifetime best time from May by nearly 2 seconds while Griswold crushed his previous best from June by 4.5 seconds.

It was the 4×200 free relay night in Roseville where La Mirada Armada crushed the women’s event. Their team of Sabrina Bennani, Maelynn Lawrence, Katie Sulkevich, and Han won the race with a time of 8:27.53.

Lawrence had a double, took 3rd in the 400 free (4:24.56) and 15th in the 100 fly (1:03.83). Her 400 free was a best time by nearly 2 seconds while 100 fly was within .4 of her best time from 2020.

Notably, Han split a 2:04.67 on the anchor leg which was about 2.5 seconds faster than the next fastest split on the relay, 2:07.09 from Lawrence. Han’s lifetime best 200 free time is 2:05.87 from April.

In the men’s 4×200 free relay, Alto’s A and B relay went 1-2. Their ‘A’ relay of MacAlister, Rick Mihm, Luke Maurer, and Michael Lincoln touched the wall 1st at 7:32.94. MacAlister’s leadoff split of 1:51.06 was the fastest.

Team Scores After Day 3 (Top 5)

1. Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics – 1528
2. Alto Swim Club – 1376.5
3. Orinda Aquatics – 1123
4. Quicksilver Swimming – 914
5. La Mirada Armada – 901.5

Other Notable Swims and Event Winners

• 14-year-old Mason Wendler of Terrapins Swim Team 21st place 4:12.84. His previous lifetime best time according to USA Swimming was 4:45.65 from 2019.
• Canyon’s Ana Adame won the 100 breast with a time of 1:09.80, finishing 2.3 seconds ahead of 2nd-place finisher Audrey Holden of Palo Alto (1:12.05). Adame’s  lifetime best time of 1:09.25 ranks her #45 out of the all-time fastest swimmers in her age group.  16-year-old Holden was right on her best time from July.
• Daniel Comforti of Walnut Creek Aquabears claimed 1st place in the 100 breast (1:03.73) after a close race with Tom Higdon of Shasta YMCA Sharks who finished in 2nd place half-a-second behind Comforti. Comforti posted a lifetime best of 1:02.21 in June and Higdon’s best time is 1:03.01 from the U.S. Olympic Trials Wave I.
• Brea Aquatics’ Michael Tenney won the men’s 100 fly (54.41) by fending off two Alto swimmers, Jonathan Affeld and Rick Mihm who touched the wall at 54.51 and 54.65, respectively. Mihm crushed his best time of 55.57 from 2018 while Tenney was within .2 of his best time from 2019. Affeld’s best time stands at 53.21 from May.
• In the men’s 400 free, Alto’s Luke Maurer battled Quicksilver Swimming’s Mason Carlton. Maurer took out the race faster with a 58.59 first 100 meter split and his early lead was enough to fend off Carlton’s 59.68 last 100 meters which was 2 seconds faster than Maurer’s last 100 meters. Maurer finished 1st with a time of 4:01.45, about 3 seconds off his best time from 2019 Summer Nats while Carlton’s 4:01.53 was right on his best time from November 2020.