New Teammates Gabi Brito (14) and Gabby Rose (47) Both Win at CA/NV Sectionals in Chula Vista

2025 San Diego Sectionals (CA/NV Sectionals)

• July 17-20, 2025
• Southwestern College Jaguar Aquatic Center, Chula Vista, California
• Long Course Meters (50 meters)
• Results on Meet Mobile:

A pair of American Olympic Trials qualifiers, at opposite ends of the age spectrum, took to the pool on Thursday to kick off the 2025 CA/NV Sectionals meet in Chula Vista, California.

One is 14-year-old Gabi Brito, who finished 49th in Indy last year in the 50 free as the youngest competitor at the meet.

On Thursday, she posted a 55.97 in the 100 free to win the final by over a second. That followed a new personal best of 55.74 from the heats.

These were her first two swims under 56 seconds in the event. He best time of 56.05 was done at the Fran Crippen SMOC in April, and she swam 56.14 at Worlds Trials in June.

The times move her up five spots in the all-time U.S. 13-14 girls’ rankings, where she now sits in 6th place.

Top 10 All-Time, Girls’ 13-14 100 Meter Free

1. Missy Franklin – 54.03 (2009)
2. Lia Neal – 55.00 (2009)
3. Rylee Erisman – 55.09 (2024)
4. (TIE)
   • Taylor Ruck – 55.51 (2015)
   • Erika Pelaez – 55.51 (2021)
6. Gabi Brito – 55.74 (2025)
7. Teagan O’Dell – 55.82 (2021)
8. (TIE)
   • Reina Liu – 55.87 (2024)
   • Erin Gemmell – 55.87 (2019)
10. Elizabeth Willets – 56.00 (2008)

Brito also split 25.76 on the leadoff leg of Beach Cities’ Swimming’s runner-up 200 free relay, which finished in 1:47.01 behind Utah Aquatics’ collegiate relay (1:46.54).

At the other end of the spectrum was Gabby Rose, now 47, who was the oldest competitor at last year’s Olympic Trials. The former Brazilian and U.S international won the 200 breaststroke in 2:32.42 on Thursday. She swam 2:32.42, which is about two seconds shy of what she went at the World Championship Trials.

Rose (Alpha Aquatics) and Brito (Beach Cities Swimming) are now, technically, teammates, though they are competing under different banners at this meet. Their clubs recently announced a merger and will compete under the name Beach Cities Alpha starting in the fall.

The other notable swim came from Giovanni Sullo. He won the 200 fly in 2:01.17.

The Sandpipers of Nevada product just finished his freshman year at Boston University and is back home training with the Sandpipers, one of the best USA Swimming clubs in the nation.

Historically a distance swimmer (unsurprising given the Sandpipers’ specialty), he dropped time in his primary events in his first season in college. That included a nine second drop in the mile to place 3rd at the Patriot League Championships in 15:21.69. He wound up as the Terriers’ 3rd-best scorer at that meet.

His last drop in the 200 yard fly, though, came in 2023. That trend should change during the next college season after another huge drop in long course on Thursday, his second of the summer. In total, he has now dropped almost six seconds in the 200 meter fly this summer.

He is now the 43rd-best American of any age in that event this season and 21st-best teenager.

Other Day 1 Highlights & Winners:

• Utah undergrad Nicholas Chirafisi won the men’s 100 free in 50.42, which takes more than a second-and-a-half off his previous best time that was done at the 2023 Junior National Championships. That follows an NCAA season where he dropped a second in his 100 yard free to help Utah’s 5th-place 400 free relay at the season-ending CSCAA NIC Championship. Hunter Cehelnik from UCSD finished 2nd in 51.35.
  • 15-year-old Michael Wang from Irvine Novaquatics was the top-finishing junior in 3rd place. His time of 51.48. That’s a best time for him by over half-a-second, and his second consecutive weekend of dropping time. He entered 2025 with a PB of 52.26 and has bettered that at three separate meets and has now hit his first Summer Juniors standard in the event (cut time = 51.99)
• Hungarian Dori Hathazi, who swims in the US for Washington State, won the 200 fly in 2:14.82. Not far behind her was Eryn Arnold, who is teammates with Brito at Beach Cities Swimming, in 2:15.94. That’s a lifetime best by about a quarter-of-a-second for the 15-year-old rising high school sophomore.
• 14-year-old Adalyn Lee from Brea Aquatics won the women’s 1500 free by 15 seconds. She swam a time of 17:12.49, which undercuts her own lifetime best from last summer by about 10.5 seconds.
• Max Carlsen won the men’s 800 free in 8:07.85. Another Sandpipers distance swimmer, Carlsen is a six-time individual high school state champion in Nevada and is committed to NC State.
• Rising University of Utah junior Caleb Gallagher found a new gear on the third 50 of the 200 breaststroke to pull past teammate Daniel Yi. Gallagher held on for the win in 2:18.36, while Yi placed 2nd in 2:18.66. That swim by Gallagher undercut his best time by five-and-a-half seconds, which echoes a nearly-four second improvement in yards. He placed 14th at the 2025 Big 12 Championships to rebound from a freshman season where his times saw some regression.