Leah Shackley Swims 1:50.99 in the 200 Back to Lead a Pile of Best Times in Charlotte

2023 SwimMAC LC/SC Invitational

• November 11-12, 2023
• SwimMAC Training Facility/KAC, Charlotte, North Carolina
• LCM Prelims, SCY Finals (50m prelims, 25y finals)
• Result on Meet Mobile: “2023 NC SwimMAC November LC SC Invitational”

As with many meets in the pre-Olympic year, SwimMAC Carolina this weekend his hosting a combo-course event during the traditional short course season. For prelims, the pool is setup in its 50-meter course, while during finals it is spun to a short course yards format.

US Junior National Teamer Leah Shackley swam her first official meets since the World Junior Championships in September, where she won gold in the 50 fly and silver in the 100 fly. She picked up where she left off on Saturday, posting a long course time of 59.42 and a short course time of 51.88 to win the events.

In both courses, she now ranks as the fastest American 18 & under of the new season:

She also swam, and won, the 200 back on Saturday, with a 2:12.18 in long course and a 1:50.99 in yards. That time in the 200 yard distance was a best time by two-tenths and another best-junior-swim this season (Florida freshman Bella Sims at 1:52.49 is next).

Shackley, 17, swims for the Blair Regional YMCA in central Pennsylvania and is committed to NC State for fall 2024, not far from this meet. She’s one of a number of swimmers from outside of the state who made the trip for the meet, including swimmers from the Scarlet Aquatic Club in New Jersey, NOVA of Virginia, Gwinnett Aquatics in Georgia, the AquaHawgs in Arkansas, and Team Greenville in South Carolina.

SwimMAC 16-year-old Elle Scott was 2nd in the 100 fly in 53.12, and her 15-year old teammate Caroline Mallard was 3rd in 53.89. Scott, a high school junior, is primarily a breaststroker, but that’s a new best time for her in the 100 fly. She’s part of that all-time great Cal class committed for fall 2025. Mallard is only a high school sophomore.

Scott later won her specialty, the 100 breast, with a 59.84 in yards. In the morning, she swam 1:09.70 in long course. That yards time is a new lifetime best and her first swim sub-minute, while the long course time matched her best from US Nationals over the summer.

15-year-old Eliza Wallace from Mecklenburg Swim Association, crushed her best time to join Scott under 1 minute in 59.96. Her previous best was a 1:03.15.

Scott now ties for 19th-best all-time in the 15-16 age group, while Wallace is now 23rd-best, both chasing Alex Walsh’s National Age Group Record of 58.19.

For her part, Wallace becomes just the 9th 15-year-old to break 1 minute in the event. The fastest 15-year-olds in the event’s history:

1. Alex Walsh – 58.80
2. Kaitlyn Dobler – 59.17
3. Emily Weiss – 59.37
4. Raya Mellott – 59.57
5. Molly Sweeney – 59.63
6. Nikol Popov – 59.64
7. Zoe Bartel – 59.84
8. Piper Enge – 59.83
9. Eliza Wallace – 59.96

Other Highlights from Saturday:

• Texas commit Kate Hurst from the Scarlet Aquatic Club in New Jersey won the 200 free in 1:47.95 after a long course 2:02.92 in prelims. She’s been half-a-second faster in long course, but that 200 yard time was about seven-tenths faster than she was in March for her previous season-best. That demonstrates a growing freestyle range for the distance specialist, important to Texas as the 200 free will be an area of need for them next season as they move into the SEC.
• Hurst wasn’t done – she also swam 9:43.72 in the 1000 yard free, which knocked almost six seconds off her previous best time from March 2022.
• Baylor Stanton from Gwinnett Aquatics in Georgia won a big head-to-head matchup with Norvy Clontz from the Mecklenburg Swim Association in the 200 free. Stanton swam 1:37.64, while Clontz, a member of the Junior National Team, was 2nd in 1:38.30. Not far behind was Timothy Lee, a 15-year-old from Scarlet Aquatics, in 1:39.19. That’s a new best time for him by 1.5 seconds.
• Stanton later won the 400 yard IM in 3:48.91, again winning a big head-to-head with Scarlet Aquatics’ Richard Poplawski (3:49.55).
• SwimMAC’s Sophia Plaza, a Florida commit, won the girls’ 400 IM in 4:09.73, which takes almost four seconds off her personal best. That’s not a big surprise – over the  summer, she knocked six seconds of her best time in long course to land an Olympic Trials cut (4:47.14).
• Colombian swimmer Anthony Rincon, who is a member of the varsity at Harvard, won the 200 yard back in 1:42.50. That’s only about seven-tenths behind his best time. He hasn’t raced yet for Harvard this season, and is listed as competing for the Aquahawgs at the University of Arkansas.
• SwimMAC 16-year-old Jordan Willis, a member of the US Junior National Team, won the 100 breast in 55.01, ahead of former teammate Clontz (56.05). Willis’ previous best was 56.20 at the North Carolina High School State Championship meet. He’s a high school junior committed to the University of Florida.
• 15-year-old Caden Martin won the girls’ 50 yard free in 22.88, which is her best time. She’s been fast in November before – almost exactly a year ago, she swam 23.26 in the 50 yard free, which was her previous personal best. SwimMAC’s Bree Smith was 2nd in 23.30.
• Pro swimmer and two-time World Champion Michael Chadwick made his first appearance in competition since July, swimming 19.64 in the 50 yard free. More importantly, he was 23.22 in prelims.