Jillian Crooks Clocks 22.24 50 Free, 52.37 100 Back PBs on Day 3 of Cary Sectionals

2023 SPEEDO ESSZ SPRING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Thursday, March 9 – Sunday, March 12, 2023
• Triangle Aquatic Center — Raleigh, NC
• SCY (25 Yards)
• Results: “2023 Speedo ESSZ Spring SC Championships” on MeetMobile

The third day of the 2023 Speedo Spring Sectionals meet in Raleigh, NC, featured the 200 fly, 50 free, 200 breast, 100 back, and 500 free.

The finals session kicked off with the women’s 200 fly, where TAC Titans 16-year-old Nicole Zettel swam a 1:58.26 to earn the win. The performance took over a second off Zettel’s previous best of 1:59.40. 18-year-old teammate Taylor Bloom came in second, swimming a 1:58.92. It was a huge swim for Bloom, marking her first time under 2:00 in the event.

Zettel then went on to win the women’s 500 free decisively at the end of the session. She clocked a new personal best of 4:46.58, touching first by nearly five seconds. Zettel’s previous best was a 4:47.44, which she had just swum in January of this year. Last night, she put together a consistent race, splitting 55.36, 57.90, 58.06, 58.07, and 57.19 respectively by 100.

Unattached 18-year-old Mitchell Ledford won the men’s 200 fly in 1:45.87. The swim marks a new lifetime best for Ledford, taking 0.45 seconds off his previous best. He was out fast last night, splitting 49.62 on the first 100, then came home in 56.25.

TAC Titans 16-year-old Jillian Crooks continued to build on her strong performances at this meet, winning the women’s 50 free in 22.24. With the performance, Crooks lowered her best time in the event by 0.18 seconds.

Crooks then went on to win the women’s 100 back decisively, swimming a 52.37. That swim marks a lifetime best for Crooks by nearly three full seconds. Her previous best of 55.26 was just set last March.

The men’s 50 free saw TAC Titans 17-yer-old Jerry Fox post a 19.75 to win the event. The swim clipped Fox’s previous best of 19.88, which he had just swum a month ago at a high school state meet.

Another TAC Titan, 17-year-old Samantha Armand, won the women’s 200 breast in a sizzling 2:10.85. It was a massive swim for Armand, coming in well under her previous best of 2:12.30, which she just swam in January.

In the men’s 200 breast, TAC’s Jorge Murillo, 31, swam a 1:56.11, winning the event. Coming in second was TAC’s Grayson Nye with a 1:56.55. With the swim, Nye established a new personal best.

David Wahlen won the men’s 100 back in 47.54, touching just off his prelims time of 47.42. TAC’s Will Thompson, 17, came in second with a 47.75. Thompson clipped his personal best with the swim, dipping under his previous mark of 47.93.

TAC’s Keith Williams, 18, won the men’s 500 free convincingly, swimming a 4:25.29. It was a huge swim for Williams, coming in over three seconds under his previous best time of 4:28.45, which he swam at this meet last year.