SwimAtlanta’s Sergile, Aikins & Johnson Shine At Peach State 18&U Championships

PEACH STATE 18 AND UNDER CHAMPIONSHIPS

• December 10-13, 2020
• Freeman Aquatic Center
• Norcross, Georgia
• SCY (25 yards)
• Psych Sheets (PDF)
• Results on Meet Mobile: “Peach State 18 and Under Championships”
• Live Stream (Spartans YouTube channel)
• USA Swimming 18 & Under Winter National Results Tool

After dropping a massive best time in the 200 fly on Friday, vaulting himself into 10th place all-time in the boys’ 15-16 age group, SwimAtlanta swimmer Sebastien Sergile continued his momentum with a standout performance on Saturday.

The 16-year-old first put on a clinic in the boys’ 400 IM, opening up a massive lead with a 50.96 fly leg before finishing in a time of 3:49.25, taking over three seconds off his personal best time of 3:52.37 set in March. Sergile moves up from 64th to 22nd all-time amongst 15-16s.

Not including any of this weekend’s meets, Sergile’s time would rank sixth in USA Swimming’s Winter 18 & Under Championships.

His SwimAtlanta teammate Matthew Steele, 18, took second in 3:57.20, under a second off his lifetime best (3:56.24).

At the end of the session, Sergile faced off with teammate Jack Aikins in the 200 freestyle.

Aikins blasted out to the early lead, flipping in 45.04 at the 100 before holding on for the victory in 1:36.10, improving on his previous best of 1:36.87. Sergile, following a 1:36.30 PB in the heats, took second in 1:36.76. That prelim swim also moved him into 26th all-time in the 15-16 age group.

Aikins also won the boys’ 100 back, following up a monster 1:40.9 200 back last night with a swim of 47.49, tying his personal best time set in the prelims. The 18-year-old came into the meet with a best of 47.51. Spartans swimmer Nate Stoffle was six-tenths off his best in second, clocking 47.78.

Following an impressive double on Friday, winning the girls’ 200 IM and 100 breaststroke, Gigi Johnson did it again tonight, claiming the 200 breast and 200 free.

In the 200 breast, the 16-year-old won by almost nine seconds in a time of 2:14.29, less than a half-second shy of her 2:13.80 personal best set in December of 2018 (which ranks her 27th all-time among 13-14s).

The 200 free featured an epic head-to-head battle between Johnson and SwimAtlanta teammate Abigail McCulloh. Johnson took over the lead on the last 50 with a 27.32 split to win in a time of 1:48.64, sliding under her best of 1:48.71. McCulloh, who won the 200 fly on Friday, was just .07 back in 1:48.71.

Also doubling up was 15-year-old Gaby Van Brunt, who was coming off of winning the 100 free on Friday.

The Georgia Coastal Aquatic Team swimmer dominated the girls’ 100 back field in a time of 53.91, taking over a second off her personal best time of 55.00. Stingrays swimmer Hampton Gucky, 17, took second in 56.73, four-tenths off her PB.

About an hour later, Van Brunt threw down a 54.18 to win the 100 fly, the second-fastest swim of her career. Her best time of 53.72, done in February, ranks her 29th in the 13-14 age group.

SwimAtlanta’s Caroline Irwin (55.38) edged ABSC’s Olivia Dellatorre (55.46) in a tight race for second.

OTHER EVENTS

• Following a pair of runner-up finishes on Friday, SwimAtlanta’s Lily Burke sealed a win in the girls’ 400 IM with a blistering 58.26 freestyle leg, finishing in a time of 4:20.63. The 17-year-old set her best time of 4:18.55 back in March. Burke’s teammate Jordan Edwards took second in 4:25.93.
• Following his 200 IM/100 breast double last night, 18-year-old Henry Bethel unloaded a pair of monstrous best times in the 200 breast on Saturday. Bethel brought his PB from 2:04.80 to 1:59.29 in the prelims, and then got all the way down to 1:56.77 in the final to win by close to six seconds. The Carpet Capital Aquatics swimmer now ranks 74th all-time in the 17-18 age group.
• Spartans Aquatic swimmer Kamal Muhammad used a blazing 21.69 opening 50 to win the boys’ 100 butterfly in a time of 48.31, with teammate Peter Sacca second in 48.98. The two own respective lifetime bests of 48.02 and 48.62, both set in October.