Reina Liu, New WAVE Boys Lower LSC Records At North Carolina Age Group Championships

2023 NC SC Age Group Championships

• February 16-19, 2023
• Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center, Charlotte, N.C.
• SCY (25 yards)
• Full Results (PDF)
• NCS LSC SCY Records

Five new North Carolina Swimming LSC records fell by the wayside and there were several other standout performances at the NC Short Course Age Group Championships Feb. 16-19 in Charlotte.

Greensboro YMCA’s Reina Liu stole the show by resetting three LSC records and launching up the all-time rankings in the girls’ 11-12 age group.

Liu moved into a tie for fourth all-time in the age group in the 50 back (25.80), third in the 100 back (55.55) and eighth in the 200 back (2:01.13) while also lowering the LSC records in the events.

Both the 50 and 100 back swims came on relay lead-offs, with Liu winning the events individually in 25.82 and 55.73, respectively.

The previous record in the 50 back stood at 25.99 from U.S. Olympic medalist Claire Curzan, while the previous 100 back (55.80) and 200 back (2:01.48) records belonged to another Olympic medalist, Kathleen Baker.

Liu entered the competitions with best times of 26.67, 56.21 and 2:04.80 in the three events, respectively.

Liu added personal best times in the 50 free (24.42), 50 fly (25.84), 100 fly (57.22), 100 IM (58.61) and 200 IM (2:07.88), with the 100 IM swim notably moving her into a tie for 14th all-time in the 11-12 age group.

New LSC records also went down in two relays, as the New WAVE Swimming boys set new standards in the 13-14 200 free and 200 medley relays.

In the 200 free relay, the New WAVE quartet of Rammel Mattaus (21.75), Ben Smith (21.93), Ethan Holloway (21.38) and Drew Sito (20.85) combined for a time of 1:25.91 to lower the previous record of 1:28.19, set by SwimMAC Carolina in 2018. SwimMAC was the runner-up in the race, also going under the old record in 1:27.76.

The time was also less than three-tenths shy of the decade-old National Age Group Record of 1:25.63, set by a Ryan Hoffer-led Scottsdale Aquatic Club group in 2013.

The 200 medley relay saw Sito (24.73), Raston Sharron (28.17), Rammel (23.30) and Holloway (21.25) combine for a time of 1:37.45, dipping under the LSC record previously held by SwimMAC by just one one-hundredth.

New WAVE also came incredibly close to a third record in the 400 free relay, as Sito anchored in 47.14 and the team finished in 3:10.85 to fall just .15 off the record set by SwimMAC in 2021.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS – BOYS

• Sito, 13, added an individual win in the 200 back (1:52.86) and unloaded a personal best of 51.87 in the 100 back leading off the 400 medley relay, with the two swims ranking him second in the 2022-23 season among 13-year-old boys.
• Another 13-year-old, SwimMAC’s David Sammons, had a monstrous performance to take third in the boys’ 13-14 200 fly, clocking 1:53.86 to trail teammate Santi Alzate (1:51.51) and East Carolina Aquatics’ Owen Lin (1:52.72), who are both 14. Sammons’ swim ranks him third among 13-year-old boys this season, while Alzate moved into 65th all-time in the 13-14 age group and sixth this season.
• TAC Titans’ Oliver Marrujo, also 13, placed second in the boys’ 13-14 200 breaststroke in a time of 2:06.30, ranking him first this season among 13-year-olds and 10th all-time.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS – GIRLS

• New WAVE Swimming’s Nikki Nixon won the girls’ 13-14 100 fly in a time of 54.46, launching her up to 12th all-time among 13-year-old girls. She came into the meet with a PB of 56.44. Nixon also placed second in the 100 back (56.79), making her the 10th-fastest 13-year-old this season.
• Enfinity Aquatic Club swimmer Kaidy Stout moved to #3 all-time among 13-year-old girls in the 200 breaststroke, recording a time of 2:13.59. Stout also clocked 1:03.45 in the 100 breast, which ranks 44th all-time and first this season. Entering the meet, Stout had never broken 2:20 in the 200 breast (best of 2:20.20 from December), while her previous 100 breast PB was 1:05.89.
• TAC Titans’ Sloane Whelehan won five events in the girls’ 13-14 age group as a 13-year-old, including a blistering 1:59.42 in the 200 back to rank 30th all-time and first this season for 13-year-old girls. Whelehan also won the 50 free (23.59), 100 free (51.36), 200 free (1:50.89 – 1:50.40 on a relay lead-off) and 400 IM (4:23.15), adding a runner-up finish in the 200 IM (2:05.16) and a third-place showing in the 100 back (56.96). All of the swims were new personal bests.