Levenia Sim and Maggie Wanezek Drop 52-Lows in 100 Back at NCSA Prelims

2021 NCSA SPRING INVITE

GIRLS MEET

A big battle is shaping up in the 100 back, with 14-year-old Levenia Sim of TNT Swimming going 52.34 ahead of 15-year-old Maggie Wanezek of Elmbrook Swim Club (52.41).

Sim added .39 from her lifetime best of 51.95, while Wanezek dropped .06 from her old best. For Sim, all eyes will be on Regan Smith’s NAG record of 51.09, which she’s within a second of with her lifetime best. Sim has already become the fastest 14 & under in the 50 back ever with her 24.00 last night, and she has consistently dropped significant time from prelims to finals this weekend.

The entire top-eight in the 400 IM broke 4:20 here, led by three NOVA of Virginia swimmers. Zoe Dixon went 4:10.02, just over the 4:10 barrier, while Grace and Caroline Sheble touched second and third in 4:11.81 and 4:13.10, respectively. For the latter Sheble, that’s a new best by over a second. Lucy Malys of OLY Swimming was fourth in 4:15.22, while Elmbrook Swim Club 15-year-old Campbell Stoll was fifth in 4:15.48, each earning new bests, too (and Malys by over two seconds).

Santa Maria Swim Club’s Claire Tuggle led the way in the 200 free, posting a 1:47.00 ahead of Machine Aquatics’ Paige Hall. Tuggle’s lifetime best is a 1:44.93 from three years ago, so expect her to be faster tonight.

BOYS MEET

Five boys broke 48 seconds in the 100 back, led by iNspire Swim Team’s Luke Barr at 47.27 and Flood Aquatics Swim Team’s Joshua Zuchowski (47.63), both within two-tenths of lifetime bests. 200 back runner-up Sam Powe of McCallie GPS was third in 47.68, dropping almost a full second, so look out for him in tonight’s final.

In fourth and fifth were two more iNspire swimmers, with Mateo Miceli breaking 48 for the first time at 47.79 ahead of Nate Germonprez at 47.84, the latter just .12 off of a best.

Zuchowski could have a tough double tonight if he sticks with the 400 IM, where his 3:50.52 this morning was the second-fastest swim of the morning behind OLY Swimming’s Michael Cooper (3:50.00). For Cooper, that’s a new best by nearly four seconds, and he’ll look to swim past the 3:50 barrier tonight.

The big mover in the boys 200 free was Birmingham Swim League’s Mason Mathias, who dropped almost three seconds from seed to take the top time in prelims at 1:36.52. He was over a second ahead of the next-best swimmer, City of Richardson’s Harris Durham, who dropped .7 to go 1:37.62.

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About Karl Ortegon

Karl Ortegon

Karl Ortegon studied sociology at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, graduating in May of 2018. He began swimming on a club team in first grade and swam four years for Wesleyan.

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