On day 3 of the 2011 Tom Dolan Invitational, the age-group star was 13-year old Allie Szekely of the Central Bucks Swim Team, who as of the end of the summer was the youngest Olympic Trials qualifier.
She first won the girls 13-14 200 breaststroke in a 2:16.42. That breaks the Potomac Valley (PVS) LSC age group record, and she has over a year to lower that mark even further. Her next chase will be Katie Hoff’s National Age Group record of a 2:12. Szekely would also placed 2nd the 13-14 100 backstroke event in 57.25, just .01 ahead of another 13-year old: Curl Burke’s Annie Boone in 57.26. The winner of that event was Sofia Revilak, also of Curl Burke, in 57.02 (though for some reason, the official results show Szekely as the winner).
Michael Andrew, the 12-year old from Kansas who recently broke three NAG records at one meet in Indiana, won the boys 50 free in 21.96. That’s not his best time, but it is faster than the old NAG mark prior to him breaking it in two consecutive meets, and it gave him the win in the 11-12 age group.
In the open division, Janet Hu of Curl Burke added two more individual victories to her total. She swam a 54.00 to break the PVS all-time record that was previously set by Clemson grad Michelle Parkhurst in 2004. She also marked an all-time LSC mark in the 50 free with her win in 22.85. Hu is already a top-10 recruit in the class of 2014 (she’s a sophomore this year), and she’s really solidified that position with a great meet so far.
Meanwhile, in the men’s 100 backstroke, Rockville-Montgomery’s Jack Conger took a win and continued to make big strides in his new age group with a searing 46.98 in the 100 back. That’s a second faster than he’s ever been in yards.
Katie Ledecky was back to individual action on Saturday, and took a win in the open girls’ 500 free in 4:44.01. That’s nowhere near the NAG record she set in the event a few weeks ago, but again we must remember that she is coming off of a tough illness, so this is still a good time as she likely begins building again towards the Olympic Trials.
Garrett Powell went a career-best to win the boys’ 500 free in 4:23.14.
And finally, in the open division of the girls’ 200 breast, Stanford commit Sarah Haase took the win in 2:12.92. Though that’s not her best time, she’s historically dropped two-or-three seconds in this event between this Tom Dolan Invitational and NCSA Junior Nationals in March. That should be very exciting for Stanford fans, as the Cardinal have struggled with their breaststrokers this season.
Full meet results available here.
Very good time for Allie Szekely. And look tonight at Jack Conger in the 200 backstroke. Perhaps an answer to Jacob Pebley and Ryan Murphy. What a group of young backstrokers in USA! And I don’t forget David Nolan who is older.