Heilman Logs 1:57.81 200 Fly; Arnall Sisters Impress On Day 3 Of Richmond Sectionals

16-year-old Emerson Callis of Quest Swimming won the women’s 200 fly in 2:14.26, a controlled swim, just off her lifetime best of 2:12.61 from the 2024 ISCA International Senior Cup. The 16-year-old NC State commit also took 3rd in the 400 free with a time of 4:24.77, continuing a strong meet after claiming the 100 fly and 400 IM titles on Friday.

Madeleine Simmons of All Star Aquatics, an 18-year-old Northwestern commit, dominated that 400 free, breaking 4:30 for the first time in prelims with a swift 4:27.76 before lowering her time even further to 4:21.19 in the final. Sara Reppucci of Crimson Aquatics nabbed 2nd in 4:22.86.

The 200 fly also saw Westchester Aquatic Club’s Ines Arnall take 2nd in 2:16.53, narrowly missing her best of 2:16.30 from Futures last summer. Her sister Alba, also 16, was 3rd in 2:17.25, just shy of her 2:16.64 career best from the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim Series earlier this month.

Ines returned for the 100 back, where she touched for the win in 1:02.53, close to her 1:01.97 PB. 15-year-old Lane Francis of NOVA of Virginia hit the wall in 1:02.80 for silver, and Nation’s Capital’s Emma Young finished in 1:03.83 to round out the top three.

Cavalier’s Thomas Heilman led prelims of the men’s 200 fly with a time of 1:57.81 before scratching the final. The 2023 4×100 medley world champion was just off his 1:57.49 from this timeframe last year, though that swim came in a final, making direct comparisons difficult with U.S. World Championship Trials two weeks away.

Heilman’s best time remains the 1:53.82 he posted to finish 4th at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka. His fastest time last year was 1:54.50, which he notched en route to claiming the Olympic Trials crown, before finishing 10th in 1:54.87 at the Paris Games.

In his absence, Paul Mullen of Nation’s Capital— a 17-year-old Naval Academy commit—won the final in 2:03.94, narrowly missing his 2:03.56 personal best. He was followed by Parker Knapp of Tide Swimming in 2:05.97 and Andrejs Brooks of All Star Aquatics in 2:06.28. Brooks was the victor in Thursday’s 100 free (51.60), where he broke new ground by breaking 52 seconds.

Andrew Roose of Williamsburg Aquatic Club broke 57 seconds in the 100 back for the first time, going 56.65 in prelims and lowering it to 56.57 in finals. The 18-year-old Virginia Tech commit was joined under 57 by NOVA’s Benjamin Ackerly (56.88). Tide’s Chase Wilkerson placed 3rd in 58.21.

NOVA’s Nathan Szobota, a 17-year-old Virginia commit, won the men’s 400 free in 4:03.60, well off his 3:52.49 best time from 2023 Nationals. Cooper Zakorochemny (4:05.23) and Alexander Grocholski (4:05.25) followed in a close race for 2nd.

In 800 free relay action, NOVA of Virginia claimed gold in the women’s race with a time of 8:34.36, edging out Westchester Aquatic Club (8:34.91) in a tight battle.

NOVA’s foursome was represented by Lane Francis (2:10.59), Emory Deguenther (2:06.68), Allison Bischoff (2:10.38), and Mia Eubank (2:06.71), delivering a balanced and composed effort.

Westchester’s quartet featured a sharp 2:06.74 best-time leadoff from Alba Arnall, who finished 3rd in the 200 fly. Sunny Kang checked in at 2:09.82 on the second leg, Liv Doruk-Olsen clocked 2:11.03 on the penultimate split, and Ines Arnall recorded a strong anchor in 2:07.32.

On the men’s side, All Star Aquatics ran away with the win by nearly six seconds, posting a time of 7:48.13. Kirk Morgan led off in 1:57.82, followed by strong swims from Andrejs Brooks, Anderson Bishop, and Joonsoo Yeou, who sealed the deal over the final 600 meters.

The session concludes tonight at 5:30 PM Eastern with finals of the 200 back, 50 free, 200 breast, women’s 800 free, men’s 1500 free, and 400 medley relays. 

Team Scores (after Day 3)

Women’s Top 5:

1. NOVA of Virginia — 479 points
2. All Star Aquatics — 398 points
3. Westchester Aquatic Club — 375 points
4. SwimRVA — 223 points
5. Nation’s Capital Swim Club — 180.5 points

Men’s Top 5:

1. Nation’s Capital Swim Club — 402 points
2. All Star Aquatics — 369 points
3. NOVA of Virginia — 295 points
4. Old Dominion Aquatic Club — 243 points
5. Rockville Montgomery Swim Club — 175 points

Combined Top 5:

1. NOVA of Virginia — 774 points
2. All Star Aquatics — 767 points
3. Nation’s Capital Swim Club — 582.5 points
4. SwimRVA — 386 points
5. Westchester Aquatic Club — 375 points