NC State-Bound Tyler Bardak Pops 2:01.2 200 Fly on Opening Day of 2025 Minneapolis Sectionals

2025 Summer Sectionals – Minneapolis

• July 10-13, 2025
• Jean K Freeman Aquatic Center, Minneapolis, MN
• LCM (50m)
• Results available on MeetMobile, search “2025 USA Swimming CZ North Speedo Sectionals”

This week marks the kick off of the main block of Speedo Sectionals meets around the country. Yesterday, the Minneapolis Sectional kicked off at Minnesota’s Jean K Freeman Aquatic Center. The meet has attracted a lot of teams from Minnesota, of course, as well as a high number of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa teams, along with programs from the surrounding states. It looks like Utah’s Park City Swimming made the furthest trip to attend this meet, traveling about 1000 miles.

One of the most exciting race of the night came at the end of last night’s finals session, where unattached 18-year-old Tyler Bardak won the men’s 200 fly in 2:01.25. A rising freshman at NC State, Bardak was a hair off his career best of 2:01.11, which he swam last May. Bardak swam a relatively conservative race, getting out to a 58.50 on the opening 100, then coming home in 1:02.75.

Hornet Swim Club 17-year-0ld Matt Vatev won the men’s 200 breast in 2:16.69 last night. Vatev, a 2026 recruit for Penn, was almost 2 seconds off his career best, which comes in at a very impressive 2:14.86 from the US Nationals meet last month. Kohawk Aquatics 17-year-old Andrew Seifert had a huge swim for 2nd, clocking a 2:17.36. Seifert is a 1:57.86 yards 200 breaststroker, however, his career best LCM came in at 2:28.58 from a meet on June 28th. With that being said, he took 11.22 seconds off his career best yesterday.

FMC Aquatic 18-year-old Max Goettsch won the men’s 100 free in 50.77. The rising Cal freshman clipped his previous personal best of 50.92, which he swam at the CW Eric Namesnik Memorial Open last month. Vatev was 2nd in this race, swimming a 50.92, which took nearly 2 seconds off his career best of 52.77.

Libbi McCarthy, the 17-year-old sister of standout Minnesota distance swimmer Katie McCarthy, won the women’s 100 free in 56.27 last night. Following in her sister’s footsteps, Libbi McCarthy is committed to Minnesota for the fall of 2026. Her performance of 56.27 marked a huge career best, taking more than a second off her previous best of 57.35. McCarthy’s teammate at Edina Swim Club, 16-year-old Adalynn Biegler, was 2nd in 56.39. Biegler holds a career best of 55.58 from US Nationals last month. Of note, Katie McCarthy came in 5th with a 57.26, marking a career best.

Katie McCarthy would go on to win the women’s 200 fly, swimming a 2:13.61. That swim also stands as a career best for McCarthy, marking a pair of personal bests on the day. In the 200 fly, she was out pretty fast, splitting 1:03.51 on the opening 100m, then coming home in 1:10.10.

Iowa State’s Anja Peck won the women’s 200 breast in 2:34.47. Peck entered the meet with a career best of 2:37.94, marking a huge improvement on the day.

Thursday’s events also featured the men’s and women’s 800 freestyles. In the women’s 800 free, Schroeder YMCA Swim Team’s Anne Dickinson won with a time of 9:00.15. A recruit for Indiana’s class of 2026, this 17-year-old took 12 seconds off her career best last night. She was out pretty quick, swimming a 4:27.78 on the opening 400m, then came home in 4:32.37 on the back half.

The men’s 800 free saw University of Wyoming’s Derek Long, who is competing for Barrington Swim Club in Illinois, win the race in 8:22.56. That performance comes in a few seconds off his career best of 8:18.53, which he swam back in August of 2023. Ozaukee Aquatics 15-year-old Grant Freeze put up a great performance yesterday, taking 2nd in 8:23.31. With the swim, Freeze took 4 seconds off his career best of 8:27.55.

There was a para event on the day as well, seeing YMCA of Dane County Swim Team’s Chiara Bauer swim the 100 free in 1:22.22. With the swim, the 16-year-old took 1.51 seconds off her previous best. Bauer also competed in the women’s 800 free, swimming a 13:13.23.

Additionally, St. Croix’s Summer Schmit, 21, competed in the women’s 800 free, where she swam a 10:07.68. That performance marks a new American Record for the S9 classification. Schmit routed the previous record, which had stood at 10:12.60.