Federal Way, Washington Sectionals
No Missy Franklin on the final day of the USA Swimming Sectional Championship Meet, but her teammate Kara Lynn Joyce did pick up her first win of the meet with a 25.49 in the 50 free. That’s a mile ahead of where she was at her last meet – The Austin Grand Prix – where she swam only a 25.90, but still not quite as fast as expected after a very good 100 free. Still, that’s very-much splitting hairs for an in-training meet like this, and she’s now the 4th-fastest American in 2012 (though American women never sprint very fast in-season).
The runner-up in that 50 was Florida sophomore Alana Pazevic in 26.36. That swim is a lifetime best by roughly a second. It’s also her first Olympic Trials cut, which will be huge experience for a swimmer who has every opportunity to be an important player for the Gators next year in both the sprint freestyles and the sprint backstrokes (Pazevic didn’t swim for the Gators in the 2nd semester of the 2011-2012 season).
On the men’s side of the final day of competition, Westside YMCA’s Christopher Webb capped off an impressive meet with a fourth win, this time in the 200 IM in 2:05.86.
Full Meet Results available here.
Greensboro, North Carolina Sectionals
SwimMAC finished another amazing night at the Greensboro Sectional meet with four wins in the final six events.
The festivities began in the 100 free, where the sprint-happy crew from Charlotte really went off. The newest member of the elite squad, Madison Kennedy, won the 100 free in 55.31. That cuts half-a-second off of her time from Austin, and continues an upward path since moving east from Cal. She also had a great 50 free earlier in the meet. The runner-up in that race was Tennessee commit Faith Johnson in 56.15, which is just a tenth off of her best time.
In the men’s race, SwimMAC took 8 out of the top 9 spots. That included a 50.11 win from Josh Schneider and Cullen Jones was 2nd in 50.30. The only swimmer to break up a clean-sweep of the A-Final was former Auburn sprinter Bryan Lundquist, who tied for 4th in 50.62.
Nick Thoman dominated the 200 backstroke in 2:00.77. Other winners on the day include Justine Mueller in the women’s 200 IM (2:16.07) just ahead of Micah Lawrence (2:18.62); future Georgia Bulldog Matias Koski in the men’s 1500 free (15:23.33) which is a personal best by three seconds; and high school junior Rachel Muller in the women’s 1500 free (17:07.20).
