Former college standouts Laura Sogar and Megan Romano each won a title on Saturday night of the Speedo Sectional in Austin, Texas.
Sogar, a Texas Longhorn alum, won the 200 breast by a wide margin. Her 2:27.38 won by nearly ten seconds and wasn’t far off what she went at the French Open last week.
Meanwhile Romano, who starred for the Georgia Bulldogs but now trains in Austin, won the 100 back in the very next event, going 1:02.47. That topped Texas’s Tasija Karosas (1:02.91) by about half a second.
Texas A&M’s new French standout Beryl Gastaldello also had a nice night, going 25.56 to win the 50 free. That was enough to beat yet another Longhorn Aquatics pro, Princeton grad Lisa Boyce and her 25.91.
On the men’s side, Nitro 17-year-old Taylor Abbott won one of the night’s tightest races, going 2:02.76 to knock off North Texas Nadadore Jack LeVant (2:02.88) in the 200 fly. LeVant is just 15.
Thiago Parravicini, a graduate of the University of the Incarnate Word, won the men’s 200 breast, going 2:16.21 to win by three seconds. Parravicini is a Brazilian national.
16-year-old Emma Seiberlich also had a great session. The youngster won the women’s 200 fly to open the night in 2:12.69, and added a third place finish in the 100 back. She also competed in the 400 free late in the night, completing a tough triple with a 12th-place showing.
Other winners:
- Streamline Aquatics’ Andrii Nikishenko took the men’s 100 back in 56.85.
- 16-year-old Joy Field, also out of Streamline Aquatics won the women’s 400 free in 4:15.50, beating Texas Longhorn Kaitlin Pawlowicz.
- Christopher Yeager, also 16, won the men’s race, going 3:57.38 to run away with the title.
Full results available on Meet Mobile.
Hard to write that but Megan Romano has really disappeared since her great summer of 2013.
Jared, in which event Abbott and Levant in 2.02? I presume it’s a 200 back.
And nice to have some news of our best French girl swimmer of the moment Béryl Gastaldello.
I can’t beleive that Romano is still racing the backstroke races at this point . She doesn’t seem to be training maybe for a spot on the Us freestyle team !!!! As u said , she is nowhere in the freestyle events to far . weird , weird .
200 fly Jared? Ok.
Yes Jean-Michel, since Megan turned pro 2 years ago it’s getting worse and worse.
I don’t know the reason. Injuries? Burn out? Not the right training place?
She would shallenge herself much more on free racing and be part of a great line up for the 400 free relay next year .
There was some technical difficulties during the A flight of the women’s 100 back that had them start and relax repeatedly until they eventually just had them get out and move their race until later. I suspect all those women would have been faster.
16 year old Lance Rodriguez with again the most impressive swim of the night with his 4:10.73 in the 400 free. Amazing swim considering he found out he had stage 6 diabetes last week. Exceptionally amazing swim considering he swam the entire 400 breaststroke. He also was up all last night because he was busy delivering birth to the homeless who can’t afford to go to the hospital. Great guy, great morals, great future.
I have to say that I don’t get it.