14-year old Ryan Hoffer from the Scottsdale Aquatic Club became the youngest swimmer to ever dip under 45 seconds in the 100 yard freestyle on Thursday evening, swimming a 44.81 in the men’s final of the race at the Federal Way, Washington Sectional Championship meet.
That swim broke Hoffer’s own 45.10 set in prelims. The two swims combined to lower the 45.21 swum by Edward Kim in this same pool in 2010. Kim, who is now 17, was actually swimming here and took 3rd in 44.38.
That 100 free final was loaded. Tyler Messerschmidt, who is representing the same Scottsdale Aquatic Club on his hiatus from Cal, won the race in 42.32, which is a new Meet Record (which he broke in prelims as well). The old record was 21-years old, set by Keith Anderson in 1992. Also in the race were Cal commit Long Gutierrez, who was 5th in 44.58, and Minnesota commit Daryl Turner, who was 6th in 44.70. Every swimmer in the A-Final was faster than he was in prelims.
On the women’s side, the star of the meet was Missy Franklin. She “warmed up” with a 47.28 in the 100 yard free, which breaks her own 17-18 National Age Group Record of 47.60. Among even collegiate swimmers, only Margo Geer of Arizona has been faster this season in the event, and that time moves Missy to the position of the 7th-fastest swimmer of all-time in the race (with only a few tenths separating her from a position in the top three).
17-year old Jasmine Mau from the Kamehameha Swim Club was 2nd in 49.04, and Jeffco Hurricanes swimmer Lexie Malazdrewicz was 3rd in 49.56.
Franklin’s second swim of the night, in the 200 back (1:48.42), was also a 17-18 National Age Group Record, breaking a 1:49.16 set by Liz Pelton back in 2011. Another, much more significant, Pelton record almost went down, however. Franklin’s time was .03 seconds away from the American Record set by her future Cal teammate at the Pac-12 Championships just 12 days ago. Had Franklin’s time been done two weeks earlier, it would have been a record for her. She and Pelton, beginning this fall, will be training partners under Teri McKeever, and what an incredible battle they should have on a daily basis in practice.
Hannah Weiss of the King Aquatic Club (no relation to Michael) was 2nd in 1:55.54. Malazdrewicz again took 3rd in 1:55.91.
Another impressive young swimmer from Scottsdale, 15-year old Amy Bilquist, was 4th in 1:56.81.
Thomas Brewer from Current Swimming won the men’s 200 breaststroke in 1:58.23 – three seconds better than he’d been coming into the meet. That’s the 4th-best time by a 15-16 year old this season.
Michelle Cefal, a member of the Junior National Team, won the women’s 200 fly in 1:55.50. That’s a new Meet Record for her, and easily a best time (she was two-minutes on the dot coming into the meet). That brings her yards times more in line with her impressive long course results.
Jasmine Mau took 2nd in 1:58.63.
Full, live meet results available here.
Other winners at the meet:
- The Scottsdale Aquatic Club won the 200 medley relay running away, with a very unique lineup. They were led off by a 23.07 50 backstroke from Hoffer, passed to 15-year old Marcello Quarante for the breaststroke leg. Next came a 20.77 fly split from 20-year old Tyler Messerschmidt, and anchoring in 19.99 was 26-year old Daren Brubaker.
- The King Aquatic Club won the 200 medley relay running away in 1:41.07, including a 28.04 breaststroke split from Carolyn McCann. The only split better than that was Franklin, who was a 27.75 on the Colorado Stars’ 4th-place relay.
- Thane Maudslien won the men’s 200 back in 1:43.97. He’ll go to Arizona next season. Carter Griffin took 2nd in that race in 1:44.38.
- Alex Schultz from Arizona Gold won the men’s 200 fly in 1:47.00. Gutierrez very nearly ran him down, but ran out of room and finished 2nd in 1:47.02.
- Brianna Jurries, also from Arizona Gold, won the women’s 200 breaststroke in 2:14.04.
Cefal is having a year. She’s going to tear it up this summer and at Tennessee next year.
The time wasn’t in the article, but it was actually 1:48.42.
Not to mention she goes into next year as possibly the best 50 breaststroker for Cal? (Yikes!)
You’re right gosharks – wow, totally forgot to put the number in. Went and added it, thanks for the catch!
Missy’s 27.75 breast relay split is important for Cal in 2014. Cal’s best 2013 breast split was 26.88 by Leverenz at Pac-12s. The best relay splits from 2014 returners are 27.69 by Yvette Kong (Georgia Invitational) and 27.87 by Melissa Bates at Pac-12s (exhibition). Neither Bates (1:01.34-59th in 100 breast) nor Kong (2:15,43-135th in 200 breast) came even remotely close to qualifying as individuals in 2013. Freshman breaststroker Taylor Young may help in 2014. Cal potentially qualifies 17 individuals next year, so they could use Missy as a breastsroker on relays without having to bring Kong or Bates as relay only swimmers in 2014.
Using Missy as a relay breastsroker is like using a thoroughbred to plow a field,… Read more »
I really hope whoever it was that was posting as “Disappointed Armchair Fan” in the Pac-12 Cahmpionship comments a couple of weeks ago sees these results.
He said,
“Sure the much vaunted Missy Franklin will likely make their backstroke squad second to none in both depth & talent, as well strengthen their relays — but, and it’s a BIG “but”, one person alone won’t have that much of an impact at the collegiate level even if she’s an Olympic & World champ…
Furthermore, Missy isn’t a pure sprinter as is well-known, nor does she do as well in short course with her weak starts & walls. ”
1:49.1 and 47.2 speak for themselves. She’s going to be just… Read more »
Sorry, still not all that impressed, to be honest.
For someone who is the current world record holder in the long course version of this event, the inability of a reportedly *rested/tapered* Missy Franklin to swim faster than an *unrested/untapered* Liz Pelton clearly points to the former’s continuing weakness and failure to fully translate her LCM speed to the very different world of SCY where quite a different set of skills is often needed to be successful at the very top level.
And, sorry, 47.28 doesn’t really speak for itself. If that’s the very best that can be achieved by Missy, it is notably still some way off her heroine Natalie Coughlin’s 2011 American record, and a number of… Read more »
you neglected to mention Missy also has the WR for the 200 back in SCM!
We know Missy is much better in long course and it’s great for her. The olympic games and the most important world championships are in long course. Ok her times are not as impressive in SCY as in long course. It was the same thing with MP and it wasn’t the end of the world for him. The international recognition is in long course. And after one year of work with Teri McKeever and all the great Cal backstrokers she will probably improve dramatically her starts, her turns and her underwaters. There will be no problems for Missy in college. She will dominate her races. Don’t worry for her.
Still Disappointed – I’m so glad that I revisited this article to hear your thoughts.
You must be particularly irked this morning, as Franklin has become so presumptuous that she goes and swims a 4:34 in the 500 free. Does she now fancy herself a distance swimmer? There will undoubtedly be any number of up-and-coming young girls quitting the sport after this season, thanks to the brazen actions of Missy Franklin who thinks that she is entitled to swim fast over 6-7 events.
Thank goodness for swimmers such as Liz Pelton and Natalie Coughlin, who use their American records to expose Franklin’s continuing weaknesses and failures – failures that have gone unnoticed by the mainstream swimming media. We… Read more »
Where is the commenter who said Missy Franklin will not be “much of a factor” next year in college?
Impressive 42.32 for Tyler Messerschmidt in the 100 free. Cal must cry.
Impressive new NAG record for Ryan Hoffer in 44.81. I believe Michael Andrew has a serious target now. He’s only 13 and has swum 46.06 last week. He knows what he has to do next season. Interesting to see the 50 free. Can Ryan Hoffer swim under 20 this week? His PB is 20.45 and with what he has shown in the 100 free it’s really possible. Michael Andrew has already swum 20.94 and could do it next year. I believe Ryan Hoffer would be very proud to be the first 14-year-old swimmer to do it.
Even if I don’t understand perfectly English I remember what Todd Schmitz had said in a swimswam interview after the last grand prix. He had said these sectionals in Federal Way would be fast or fun for Missy. Traduction : it’s clearly her taper meet of the winter in SCY. 3 years ago in this same meet she has smashed her best times. And she was only 14. She had swum 22.49 in the 50 free, 47.94 in the 100 free, 1.44.55 in the 200 free, 4.42.00 in the 500 free, 25.52 in the 50 back, 54.16 in the 100 back, 1.51.07 in the 200 back and 1.57.70 in the 200 IM. I don’t know how she has finished this… Read more »
Amazing swims by Hoffer and Franklin! Missy’s 1:42.2 and 27.7 (breast) on the relays also impressive.