Sarasota Men Take Down National Record On Night 4 of YMCA Nationals

2017 YMCA Short Course Nationals

• Monday April 3 – Friday, April 7, 2017
• Greensboro Aquatic Center
• Greensboro, NC
• Mon: 5:30PM Timed Finals / Tues: 8:45AM Prelims, 5:30PM Finals / Wed-Fri: 8:45 AM Prelims, 5:15PM Finals
• Meet site
• Results

The Sarasota YMCA men’s 800 freestyle relay team beat their own national record mark from last year of 6:35.21, finishing this evening in 6:34.89. The team, led by national record holder and University of Texas commit, Austin Katz, won the event by nearly six seconds. Katz, who won both backstroke events this week handedly, led off in a time of 1:36.07.

Courtney Harnish won yet another individual event in convincing fashion on night four of the spring, Short Course YMCA Nationals. Harnish, finished over three seconds ahead of top seed and teammate Leah Braswell to begin the finals session. Harnish and Braswell finished at 4:40.27 and 4:43.90, respectively. The University of Georgia commit has won an event on every night of competition thus far.

National record holder Maxwell McHugh completed the sweep of the breaststroke events at this year’s national championships. McHugh who set the national mark last year at 53.00, finished first this year in a time of 53.44 ahead of 400 IM champion Paul DeLakis.

McHugh also finished 5th in the 50 yard freestyle later in the session to complete an evening double. Champion in the men’s 50 freestyle was 16 year old Henry Schutte of Rapid Area YMCA clocking a 20.19. In the women’s event, a trio of ladies broke the 23 second barrier but it was Bailey Grinter who took home the title in 22.75.

In the final women’s event of the evening, the relay team from York YMCA took home the national championship in the 800 freestyle relay highlighted by a lead off leg from Braswell and an anchor leg from Harnish. York was the only relay team to break 7:20 and the only team to have three swimmers under the 1:50 mark.

Other event champions from day 4 finals:

• Ross Dant, Hickory, Men’s 500 Freestyle: 4:21.33
• Brooke Perrotta, Cheshire, Women’s 100 Breaststroke: 1:00.73

Team Scores Following Night 4:

Women:

• York and York County – 243
• Boise Family YMCA – 187
• Greater Spartanburg – 181

Men:

• Sarasota Family YMCA – 360
• Wilton Family YMCA – 194
• Upper Main Line – 193

Combined:

• Sarasota Family YMCA – 471
• Boise Family YMCA – 303
• York and York County – 258