Hastings Doubles, Nonnenmacher Drops 57 Seconds To Open YNats

2019 YMCA LONG COURSE NATIONAL SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• July 30th-August 3rd, 2019
• Eppley Recreation Center, College Park, Maryland
• LCM (50m)
• Meet site
• Results
• Psych Sheets
• Meet Mobile:
  • “2019 LCYNationals” for the main meet
  • “2019 LCYNationals TT only” for time trial swims

17-year-old Grace Hastings of ME Lyons pulled a double on the opening night of YMCA Long Course Nationals, winning the 1500 free and helping her 200 free relay qualify first.

Hastings anchored the 200 free relay in 26.82. That’s a solid swim, three tenths better than her best flat-start 50 free time. She joined Meredith Moellering, Claire Studenka and Madeline Hart to go 1:47.30. Hart led the way with a 36.50 split, and Moellering led off in 26.89.

The fastest split in the field was a leadoff leg: a 26.18 from 16-year-old Kate Morris, competing for B R Ryall.

Hastings came off that relay to win timed finals of the 1500 free. She was 17:12.18, a career-best by 14 seconds. In fact, per the SWIMS database, Hastings only swam the mile for the first time earlier this month, going 16:26.67.

Her teammate, 14-year-old Ava Sutphin, was second in 17:24.10.

The men’s mile went to Wilton Y’s Max Nonnenmacher, who had an incredible drop of almost a full minute. Nonnenmacher came in with a best time of 16:49.33 from June. He blasted a 15:52.25 to win the race, besting Somerset Valley’s Nathan Borges by .25 seconds in a thrilling finish across heats. Borges put up a 15:52.50 in the first boys heat, and Nonnenmacher narrowly clipped it in the following boys heat.

Nonnenmacher has been improving rapidly this year. He cut 35 seconds to go 17:00 back in May, and has since chopped well over a minute from that time. He’s just 12 seconds away from cracking the top 100 times in 17-18 age group history for USA Swimming.

Greenwich Y qualified first in the boys 200 free relay. Marcus Hodgson led with a 22.97 split on the third leg. Tommy Lewis, Charlie Clark and Mark Merson rounded out the relay, which went 1:35.38.

Finals of the two relays will take place on Wednesday night along with the finals session.