Phoebe Bacon Goes Sub-51 in 100 Back for First Time in Her Career

2019 NCAP INVITATIONAL

• December 12th-15th, 2019
• University of Maryland College Park
• SCY (25y) pool
• Psych Sheets
• Results on Meet Mobile

The 200 butterfly races were the highlights of Saturday’s racing at the 2019 NCAP Invitational. In the boys’ final, Landon Gentry of the hosts NCAP swam a 1:46.06. Not only was that a lifetime best by almost 3 seconds, but it’s the 5th-best time for a 15-year old boy in USA Swimming history.

Top 6 All-Time, Boys’ 200 Yard Fly, 15-Year Olds

1. Luca Urlando – 1:43.55
2. Brendan Burns – 1:45.24
3. Michael Phelps – 1:45.50
4. Michael Andrew – 1:45.97
5. Landon Gentry – 1:46.06
6. Andrew Seliskar – 1:46.49

The time also jumps him to 20th-place all-time in the 15-16 age group rankings, even though he’s in the front-half of the age group. Gentry doesn’t age up until May, either, which means that he will have at least one more taper meet, at the NCSA Spring Junior National Championships, in March before even turning 16.

Gentry’s jump in short course follows a good swim in the 200 fly in long course last week at the U.S. Open. There he swam 2:01.30, but was disqualified for a 15 meter violation, so he doesn’t yet have an Olympic Trials standard in the race.

In the girls’ 200 fly, US National Teamer Torri Huske followed a best time on Friday in the 100 fly with one on Saturday in the 200 fly in 1:55.17. That improves her previous lifetime best by a second. This swim moves Huske, who turned 17 last week, up to 16th place all-time in the 17-18 age group in the event. On Friday, she won the 100 fly, her better distance, in 50.49, which ranks her 4th in the age group history.

She also won the 400 IM (4:11.26) on Friday and the 50 free (22.08) on Saturday, giving her 4 individual victories at the meet so far. She’s entered in the 100 free and 200 IM for Sunday.

The 2nd-fastest 200 fly of the day actually came out of the 13-14 age group final, where Long Island Aquatic Club’s Tess Howley swam a 1:55.59. That’s three-tenths of a second away from her National Age Group Record of 1:55.29 set in March at NCSAs.

Phoebe Bacon, after placing 2nd behind Huske int he 50 free, won her specialty race the 100 back in 50.70 on Saturday. Bacon, who last week won the U.S. Open title in the 100 back in this race in long course, dropped .48 seconds from her previous best swim in that event. She has jumped, among others, Kathleen Baker, Missy Franklin, and Katharine Berkoff to now rank 5th all-time in the 17-18 age group (even as a 17-year old).

Top 5 Performers All-Time, Girls’ 17-18 100 Yard Backstroke

1. Regan Smith – 49.66
2. Isabel Ivey – 50.42
3. Amy Bilquist – 50.50
4. Rachel Bootsma – 50.54
5. Phoebe Bacon – 50.70

Other Notable Results from Saturday:

• 18-year old Brian Brennan from the Suburban Seahawks won the boys’ 50 free in 20.19 – within a tenth of a second of his lifetime best. He’s verbally committed to the University of Virginia.
• Anna Keating of Machine Aquatics won the girls’ 200 breaststroke in 2:10.21 – more than 3 seconds ahead of the field. She’s also a Virginia commit.
• Machine Aquatics swept the 200 breaststrokes when Joe Schaefer won the boys’ race in 2:00.39. He’s a West Virginia commit.
• NCAP’s Paige McKenna won the girls’ 400 free in 4:40.41, which is a new best time for her and jumps her a few spots on the all-time 15-16 age group rankings to 23rd, just ahead of Olympic medalist Elizabeth Beisel. Cavan Gormsen, who already has a 13-14 age group win in the 1650 free, won the 13-14 500 on Saturday in 4:45.42.
• Garrett McGovern from NOVA won the boys’ 500 free in 4:28.76 ahead of mile winner JuanCarlos Castrillon (4:29.42). The 15-year old Castrillon, who dropped 23 seconds to win the mile, dropped five-and-a-half seconds to place 2nd in this 500 free.