Lillie Nesty Cracks Trio of 15-16 Girls Meet Records at 2023 FL Spring Senior Champs

2023 FLORIDA SWIMMING SPRING SENIOR CHAMPS

• March 9 to 12, 2023
• SCY (25 yards)
• Rosen Aquatic and Fitness Center, Orlando, Florida
• Full Results 

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS (COMBINED)

1. Sarasota Sharks – 1711
2. Planet Swim Aquatics – 1361
3. Blue Dolphins – 906.5
4. Southwest Stars Swim Club – 883.5
5. Bolles School Sharks – 741.5
6. Gator Swim Club – 729.5
7. T2 Aquatics – 648
8. Area Tallahassee Aquatic Club – 612
9. Academy Aquatic Club – 548.5
10. West Florida Lightning Aquatic – 536.5

Florida Swimming held their Spring Senior Championship meet from March 9-12 at the Rsoen Aquatic and Fitness Center in Orlando. We covered Katie Ledecky’s US Open and American Record performance in the 1650 at that meet but hadn’t yet done a full meet recap. Now that all the excitement around NCAAs and the late March/early April International meets has come and gone, here is a deeper look into the 2023 Florida Senior Champs meet.

Sarasota Sharks won the combined team scoring by a huge margin, racking up 1711 points to beat out runner-up Planet Swim Aquatics by 350 points.

There were a number of Championship Records broken at the meet as well. Izzy Ivey, who recently left Cal to move back to Florida, broke Melanie Margalis‘ meet record in the women’s 200 IM. Ivey first cracked Margalis’ mark of 1:57.60 in prelims, where she swam a 1:57.26. She then lowered that mark to 1:56.32 in finals. The swim was well off Ivey’s lifetime best of 1:53.02, however, it was her fastest time of the season, since she sat out the 2022-2023 NCAA season. Ivey is set to compete for Florida as a fifth year swimmer next year.

Gator Swim Club’s Lillie Nesty, 16, was also on a tear at the meet, breaking three girls 15-16 meet records. Nesty first won the girls 15-16 200 IM in a sizzling 1:59.76, taking down Hannah Burns‘ previous meet record mark of 2:00.37. It was a huge performance for Nesty, marking her first time under 2:00 in the event.

Nesty then went on to post a 25.05 en route to victory in the girls 15-16 50 back, breaking Elise Haan’s meet record of 25.44 by a whopping 0.39 seconds. Once again, that swim was a lifetime best for Nesty. She also would go on to win the girls 15-16 200 back in meet record fashion, speeding to a 1:55.36. The previous record was also held by Haan at 1:56.05. Nesty won the race by a giant margin, touching first by nearly six seconds.

On top of her meet record performances, Nesty also won the girls 15-16 50 fly in 24.66, finishing just off the meet record of 24.46. That was one of Nesty’s tighter races, as Planet Swim Aquatics 15-year-old Penny Zarczynski came in second in 24.86. Zarczynski was the champion in the girls 15-16 100 fly, swimming to a new lifetime best of 54.69.

Ethan Ekk, a 15-year-old out of Area Tallahassee Aquatic Club, was exceptional in the 200 back, setting a new boys 15-16 meet record. Ekk, just 15, won the event in 1:45.74. That swim came after he dropped a 1:45.26 in prelims dipping under Tristan Sanders’ meet record of 1:45.87, which had stood for ten years. He opened up a lead on the first half of the race in finals, splitting 51.07 on the first 100, then expanded his lead over the field on the second half of the swim.

Ekk was one of the top performers of the meet, winning four other boys 15-16 events on top of his 200 back victory. He took the boys 15-16 1000 free in 9:06.45 to open the meet, shredding his previous personal best of 9:30.65 by 24 seconds. Ekk then won the boys 15-16 400 IM in 3:52.31, once again clocking a new lifetime best. He won the boys 15-16 100 back, swimming a 49.55. That swim wasn’t a personal best, however, as Ekk had clocked a new PB of 49.49 leading off the 400 medley relay the night before. Ekk had a huge swim in the boys 15-16 500 free, swimming a 4:26.19 to win the race. He swam a 4:28.96 in prelims, which was his first time under 4:30 in the event. Ekk also came in second in the boys 15-16 200 free, swimming a new lifetime best of 1:38.94. Bolles School’s Xavier Sohovich won the boys 15-16 200 free in 1:38.05.

Another meet record went down at the hands of 16-year-old Caleb Rohacs, who swims for Swim Melbourne. Rohacs won the boys 15-16 50 fly in 22.50. While that time was good for the win in finals, he had clocked a new lifetime best of 22.28 in prelims, cracking the meet record of 22.40.

Planet Swim Aquatics’ Annie Wohlgemuth, 17, also set a new meet record in Orlando. She won the women’s 50 back in 24.65, tearing down the previous record of 25.04. Wohlgemuth also won the women’s 50 fly in 24.49.

Another great performance came from Southwest Stars Swim Club 15-year-old Walter Kueffer, who won the boys 15-16 50 free in a blistering 20.71. The swim marked a huge personal best for Kueffer, as well as his first time under 21 seconds in the event.

Sarasota Sharks 15-year-old Lolly Milbaum had a terrific meet. Milbaum won the 15-16 girls 1000 free on the first night of the meet, swimming a new lifetime best of 9:58.21. The swim only took less than a second off Milbaum’s personal best in the event, however, she would go on to clock best times in all of her events at the meet. Primarily a distance freestyler, Milbaum saw quite a bit of improvement in her non-free events at the meet. The 15-year-old swam new career bests in the 100 breast (1:11.09), 200 breast (2:27.49), 100 fly (59.62), 200 back (2:05.53), and 200 IM (2:07.08).

Similarly, Clare Custer, another Sarasota Sharks 15-year-old posted a bunch of lifetime bests over the course of the meet. Custer came in second in the 15-16 girls 1000 free, clocking a 9:58.35 to finish just 0.14 seconds behind Milbaum. However, unlike Milbaum, Custer’s performance in the 1000 marked a downright massive lifetime best. She blew away her previous mark of 10:35.22 by a whopping 36.87 seconds.

Custer went on to double down on that 1000 performance, roaring to a huge new career best in the 1650 free at the end of the meet as well. She swam a 16:50.63 en route to winning the 15-16 girls mile. That swim took nearly 24 seconds off her previous best. Custer also posted new personal bests in the 200 free (1:55.71) and 500 free (4:55.60), as well as the 400 IM (4:28.62) and 200 back (2:06.58).