2023 SPEEDO WINTER JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – WEST
- December 6-9, 2023
- FMC Natatorium, Westmont, Illinois
- Prelims: 9:00 am (CST)/ Finals: 5:00 pm (CST)
- Wednesday finals (relays only): 6:00 pm (CST)
- SCY (25 yards)
- Meet Central (USA Swimming)
- How To Watch
- Psych Sheet
- Live Results or on Meet Mobile
- Day 3 Finals Live Recap
FRIDAY EVENING HEAT SHEETS
Lakeside Aquatic Club 17-year-old Maximus Williamson stole the show on Friday with a new national age group (NAG) record in the 200-yard freestyle (1:31.37), but there were plenty of other impressive swims from the third finals session at the 2023 Winter Junior Championships – West.
Here are a handful of swims you may have missed amid all the fast swimming:
400 IM
Santa Clara Swim 17-year-old Eunice Lee and Irvine Novaquatics 16-year-old Kaitlyn Nguyen both dipped under 4:16 in the girls’ 400 IM for the first time as they led the B-final.
Lee, a Yale commit, won the B-final in 4:15.65, shaving almost half a second off her previous-best 4:16.11 from March. Nguyen was right behind Lee in 4:15.73, dropping about a few tenths off her previous-best 4:16.02 from last month.
On the boys’ side, NASA Wildcat Aquatics 17-year-old Charlie Bufton continued his incredible time drop from prelims to lead the B-final. He came into the day with a lifetime best of 4:00.67 from March that he brought all the way down to 3:54.01 in prelims before blazing a 3:51.01 in the final — more than nine seconds faster than his previous best before today.
A couple seconds behind Bufton was Aquajets 16-year-old Jiarui Xue, who took more than two seconds off his best time from last December with a 10th-place effort in 3:53.53.
100 Fly
Aquajets 17-year-old Grace Rabb had never been under 54 seconds in the girls’ 100 butterfly before today with a best time of 54.43 from January. But after going 53.83 in prelims, the Florida commit knocked her personal best all the way down to 52.84 tonight to win the B-final.
On the boys’ side, Sooner Swim Club 15-year-old JD Thumann placed 11th in 48.00, shaving a few tenths off his previous-best 48.32 from prelims. Before today, his best time was 49.46 from last month.
200 Free
Irvine Novaquatics 14-year-old Alyssa Ton placed 10th in the girls’ 200 free with a personal-best 1:47.36, moving up to 32nd in the U.S. 13-14 girls’ NAG rankings. She shaved more than a second off her previous-best 1:48.44 from last month.
Ahead of Ton was Longhorn Aquatic 17-year-old Amelia Bodenstab, who won the B-final in 1:45.96. The Louisville commit dropped a couple tenths off her previous-best 1:46.24 from March.
On the boys’ side, Blue Tide Aquatics 16-year-old John Simmons hit his second personal best of the day in the 200 free. After bringing his best time down from 1:38.47 (last November) to 1:38.02 in prelims, he skipped 1:37-point entirely on his way to a B-final victory in 1:36.99.
100 Breast
A pair of 13-year-old girls threw down some jaw-dropping times in the 100 breast on Friday night. Dart Swimming 13-year-old Mikayla Tan placed 10th in 1:01.37, moving up to 18th in the U.S. 13-14 girls’ NAG rankings and improving her best time from 1:01.78 in March. NASA Wildcat 13-year-old Grace Koenig-Song placed 20th in 1:02.00, just off her personal-best 1:01.94 from last month.
Irvine Novaquatics 16-year-old Kaitlyn Nguyen won the B-final in 1:01.11, shaving a couple tenths off her previous-best 1:01.39 from last month.
On the boys’ side, FMC Aquatic 17-year-old Brady Johnson won B-final in a personal-best time of 53.39, which would have placed 4th in A-final. The Arizona State commit owned a previous best of 53.75 from last month.
100 Back
NASA Wildcat Aquatics 16-year-old Tierney Lenahan got under 53 seconds in the 100 back for the first time with her 5th-place showing in 52.82. The Duke commit had been as fast as 53.68 before today, when she went 53.15 in prelims.
Right after competing in the men’s 100 breast, FMC Aquatic 17-year-old Brady Johnson turned around and won the 100 back B-final with a personal-best 47.70. It was his first time under 48 seconds in the event as his previous best stood at 48.08 from February.
Yes, John! Way to go, bro!