Friday, December 10, 2021
Speedo Winter Junior Championships Night Two Dominated by National Team, National Junior Team Talents
Stock photo of Bella Sims courtesy of Mike Lewis
Bella Sims and Leah Hayes broke Speedo Winter Junior Championships meet records in the West meet, while Baylor Nelson and Carmel Swim Club added new meet records in the East during the second night of competition at the multi-site Speedo Winter Junior Championships.
After helping Sandpipers of Nevada lower the meet record in the women’s 800-yard freestyle relay last night, Olympian Bella Sims continued her record-setting meet tonight in Austin with another Juniors record, this time in the 500y free. Sims battled with fellow Olympian and Sandpipers teammate Katie Grimes the majority of the race, but ultimately Sims got to the wall first, 4:32.38 to 4:32.97. Sandpipers swept the top-three spots as 14-year-old junior national teamer Claire Weinstein grabbed third in 4:38.46.
In the women’s 200y IM, U.S. National Junior Team member Leah Hayes took down the Junior West record with a 1:54.09, finishing just in front of Sims, who touched in 1:54.90. Irvine Novaquatics’ Teagan O’Dell, a 2021 National Junior Team member as well, took third in 1:56.11.
A couple of meet records nearly fell in the night’s other finals, with Rose Bowl’s Rex Maurer (men’s 500y free, 4:15.40) and North Texas Nadadores’ Maximus Williamson (men’s 200y I.M., 1:43.16), both finishing less than a second off the meet records in their respective events. The 50y free was also contested tonight, with the splash and dash wins going to Foxjets’ Caroline Larsen (22.50) and Pikes Peak Athletics’ Quintin McCarty (19.35).
Sandpipers of Nevada picked up another relay win with Katie Grimes (53.28), Audrey Yu (1:02.82), Bella Sims (52.26) and Claire Weinstein (48.74) posting a 3:37.10 in the women’s 400y medley relay. Rose Bowl’s foursome of Tommy Park (48.90), Daniel Li (53.91), Ronald Dalmacio (47.70) and Rex Maurer (43.48) took home the men’s medley relay win in 3:13.99.
SwimMAC Carolina’s Baylor Nelson tabbed the only individual meet record of the night at the East meet in Greensboro, clocking in at 1:42.01 in the men’s 200 IM to take down Carson Foster’s 1:42.43 time from 2019. Later in the evening, Nelson helped his teammates Caleb Maldari (48.35), Matthew Kroll (54.36) and Logan Zucker (47.03), to a win in the men’s 400y medley relay with a 3:12.14.
The other meet record came in the women’s 400y medley relay, with Carmel’s Berit Berglund (52.09), Devon Kitchel (1:00.11), Alex Shackell (51.97) and Gretchen Lueking (49.71) lowering Fort Collins Area Swim Team’s 2017 record of 3:33.93 to 3:33.88. Berglund, Kitchel and Shackell were on the 200y medley relay last night that also lowered another FAST Juniors record.
Sarasota’s Michaela Mattes (500 free, 4:42.06), SwimMAC Carolina’s Logan Zucker (500 free, 4:19.46) and Carmel’s Devon Kitchel (200 IM, 1:56.39) also won events tonight at the East meet. National junior team member Anna Moesch, swimming unattached, out-touched Carmel’s Alex Shackell to win the women’s 50y free, 22.33 to 22.34. Cavalier Aquatics’ Thomas Heilman, who has set numerous national age group records recently, took home the men’s 50 free title in 19.83, just a hair off Michael Andrew’s 13-14 NAG record of 19.76.
Bella Sims and Leah Hayes broke Speedo Winter Junior Championships meet records in the West meet, while Baylor Nelson and Carmel Swim Club added new meet records in the East during the second night of competition at the multi-site Speedo Winter Junior Championships.
After helping Sandpipers of Nevada lower the meet record in the women’s 800-yard freestyle relay last night, Olympian Bella Sims continued her record-setting meet tonight in Austin with another Juniors record, this time in the 500y free. Sims battled with fellow Olympian and Sandpipers teammate Katie Grimes the majority of the race, but ultimately Sims got to the wall first, 4:32.38 to 4:32.97. Sandpipers swept the top-three spots as 14-year-old junior national teamer Claire Weinstein grabbed third in 4:38.46.
In the women’s 200y IM, U.S. National Junior Team member Leah Hayes took down the Junior West record with a 1:54.09, finishing just in front of Sims, who touched in 1:54.90. Irvine Novaquatics’ Teagan O’Dell, a 2021 National Junior Team member as well, took third in 1:56.11.
A couple of meet records nearly fell in the night’s other finals, with Rose Bowl’s Rex Maurer (men’s 500y free, 4:15.40) and North Texas Nadadores’ Maximus Williamson (men’s 200y I.M., 1:43.16), both finishing less than a second off the meet records in their respective events. The 50y free was also contested tonight, with the splash and dash wins going to Foxjets’ Caroline Larsen (22.50) and Pikes Peak Athletics’ Quintin McCarty (19.35).
Sandpipers of Nevada picked up another relay win with Katie Grimes (53.28), Audrey Yu (1:02.82), Bella Sims (52.26) and Claire Weinstein (48.74) posting a 3:37.10 in the women’s 400y medley relay. Rose Bowl’s foursome of Tommy Park (48.90), Daniel Li (53.91), Ronald Dalmacio (47.70) and Rex Maurer (43.48) took home the men’s medley relay win in 3:13.99.
SwimMAC Carolina’s Baylor Nelson tabbed the only individual meet record of the night at the East meet in Greensboro, clocking in at 1:42.01 in the men’s 200 IM to take down Carson Foster’s 1:42.43 time from 2019. Later in the evening, Nelson helped his teammates Caleb Maldari (48.35), Matthew Kroll (54.36) and Logan Zucker (47.03), to a win in the men’s 400y medley relay with a 3:12.14.
The other meet record came in the women’s 400y medley relay, with Carmel’s Berit Berglund (52.09), Devon Kitchel (1:00.11), Alex Shackell (51.97) and Gretchen Lueking (49.71) lowering Fort Collins Area Swim Team’s 2017 record of 3:33.93 to 3:33.88. Berglund, Kitchel and Shackell were on the 200y medley relay last night that also lowered another FAST Juniors record.
Sarasota’s Michaela Mattes (500 free, 4:42.06), SwimMAC Carolina’s Logan Zucker (500 free, 4:19.46) and Carmel’s Devon Kitchel (200 IM, 1:56.39) also won events tonight at the East meet. National junior team member Anna Moesch, swimming unattached, out-touched Carmel’s Alex Shackell to win the women’s 50y free, 22.33 to 22.34. Cavalier Aquatics’ Thomas Heilman, who has set numerous national age group records recently, took home the men’s 50 free title in 19.83, just a hair off Michael Andrew’s 13-14 NAG record of 19.76.