2024 Virginia Swimming (VSI) SC Senior Champs
- February 29 – March 3, 2024
- Collegiate School Aquatic Center – Richmond, VA
- SCY (25 yards)
- Meet Central
- Day 1 Distance Results (Thursday)
- Day 2 Results (Friday)
- Day 3 Results (Saturday)
- Day 4 Results (Sunday)
- Full Team Scores
Cavalier Aquatics’ David King and Stingrays Swim Team’s Kyle Peck made some noise at the Virginia Swimming Inc. (VSI) Short Course Senior Championships over the weekend, both cracking the top-20 all-time in a boys’ backstroke event in the 17-18 age group.
King, a UVA commit for 2024, recorded four lifetime best swims that rank in the top 100 all-time for 17-18 boys, highlighted by his 200 back swim of 1:40.52.
The 18-year-old, who set his previous best time of 1:41.69 at Winter Juniors – East this past December, takes over 13th all-time with his performance, having previously ranked 41st.
He also broke the Virginia LSC Record (both 17-18 and Open) of 1:41.31 set by Clark Beach in 2017.
King also went 1:34.24 in the 200 free to rank 52nd all-time in the 17-18 age group and 6th this season, while his 46.76 clocking in the 100 back is 78th all-time (and 14th this season) and his 43.33 in the 100 free slots into 99th (and tied for 20th this season).
Peck, who is slated to join the University of Texas next season, dropped half a second to break the 46-second barrier for the first time in the 100 back, touching in 45.98 on the lead-off leg of the Stingrays’ medley relay to rank 20th all-time in the boys’ 17-18 age group and break his own Virginia LSC Record of 46.54 from December.
The 18-year-old set his previous PB of 46.48 just a few weeks earlier at the VA Class 4 State (High School) Championships.
Peck added new best times in the 50 free (19.74) and 200 free (1:37.13), with the time in the 50 ranking 20th in the age group this season.
The most well-known name contesting the event was NAG Record holder and 2023 World Championship medalist Thomas Heilman, who set a new best time in the 500 free and picked up a trio of individual victories.
The 17-year-old UVA commit was the runner-up to King (4:17.90) in the 500 free in a time of 4:19.00, lowering his previous best of 4:21.64 set in November. Heilman’s time falls just shy of cracking the top 100 all-time for 17-18s despite only recently aging up.
He won the 50 free (19.70), 200 free (1:35.38) and 200 fly (1:41.65), with the 200 fly being his most noteworthy performance as it marks his third-fastest ever and moves him into 10th all-time in the 17-18 age group (overtaking Michael Phelps‘ 1:41.72). It also obliterated the LSC 17-18 record of 1:44.02 set by Noah Bowers in 2018.
Heilman’s lifetime best and the current 15-16 NAG Record sits at 1:40.73, set at Winter Juniors – East in December.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
- Old Dominion Aquatic Club’s Gabe Nunziata put up numerous best times including a 1:56.57 clocking in the 200 breast, ranking him 38th all-time among 17-year-old boys. He also went 54.02 in the 100 breast and 3:51.66 in the 400 IM, ranking him 34th and 56th, respectively, among 17-year-olds this season.
- Poseidon Swimming’s Lexi Stephens, a Tennessee commit, set a new PB of 1:54.90 in the 200 backstroke, ranking her 9th this season among 17-year-old girls. Stephens also logged one of the top swims of the meet in the 100 back in 53.01, with her best time standing at 52.48.
- Sixteen-year-old Kate Hotem was the runner-up to Stephens in the 200 back in 1:57.62, the fourth-fastest of her career (but still one of the top swims of the meet), having been as fast as 1:56.42 last March.
- Emerson Callis, a 15-year-old out of Quest Swimming, picked up wins in seven of the girls’ events, six of which marked new lifetime bests. Callis’ time of 2:13.08 in the 200 breaststroke ranks 2nd among 15-year-old girls this season and 58th all-time, and also went 4:12.81 in the 400 IM and 53.59 in the 100 fly, which rank 2nd and 4th, respectively, this season.
- NOVA of Virginia’s Nathan Szobota, 16, set several new best times, including a 49.15 showing in the 100 back to rank 34th in the 15-16 age group this season. In the 1650 free, he earned the win in a time of 15:20.12, with his PB of 14:53.83 ranking #10 all-time in age group history. Szobota also had a big 200 IM swim in 1:49.48, placing 2nd and tying for 24th in the 15-16 age group this season.
- Szobota’s NOVA teammate Cooper Dillman, 17, also hit multiple best times, including a win in the 1000 free (9:14.31) and a 2nd-place finish to Szotoba in the 1650 free (15:22.18).
Team Standings – Girls (Top 5)
- Nova of Virginia Aquatics, Inc – 1086.5
- Quest Swimming, – 70.5
- Tide Swimming – 374
- Cavalier Aquatics-Piedmont Family YMCA – 317
- 757 Swim – 284
Team Standings – Boys (Top 5)
- Nova of Virginia Aquatics, Inc – 990
- Cavalier Aquatics-Piedmont Family YMCA – 577
- Stingrays Swim Team – 419
- Old Dominion Aquatic Club – 334
- Tide Swimming – 321
Just wondering why the High Point girl, Emerson Callis, is mentioned third in the article? Strange editing
I must have missed the tenet of writing where “high point scorers must always be the first name mentioned in an article.”
Should we just list the high point standings and be done with the story? What about when there are age groups – which age group gets listed first?
Big yikes from the head age group coach 😬
What is in the water in Virginia?! Low-key might be the fastest state (relative to its size).
One of the main things I love about swimming is how it isn’t stagnant.
I’m old enough to remember an age group teammate getting recruited by Texas for being a :48/1:48 backstroker, and now those times wouldn’t even register.
I love it!
Some of the boys events were waaay faster this year than last.
Keep striving Tom
200 free relay was the most entertaining race