COLLEGE PARK, Maryland, December 9. AFTER a few days of drastic U.S. National Age Group record book revision, swimmers in attendance missed shooting down any more records at the Tom Dolan Invitational. However, plenty of lifetime bests were seen LIVE on Swimming World.TV. For full coverage of the meet, including on-demand race footage and interviews, check out our landing page.
Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky of NCAP cruised to victory in the girls open 1000 freestyle event with a time of 9:25.90. She had been gunning for her 15-16 U.S. National Age Group record of 9:22.35, but likely ran out of steam after helping her squad to several relay NAG records.
RMSC's Jack Conger gave the 17-18 U.S. National Age Group record a run in the boys open 200 back with a winning time of 1:38.75, crushing his personal best of 1:40.41. That performance just missed Ryan Murphy's 1:38.15 from earlier this year. For some context, the two swimmers would have placed 1-2 at the NCAA Division I Men's Championships last season. Conger had taken down Murphy's 100 back NAG earlier at this meet with a 45.32.
Central Bucks' Allie Szekely, who crushed the 13-14 U.S. National Age Group record in the 200-yard breast earlier this meet, demonstrated some versatility with a swift 1:57.19 to win the girls 13-14 200 back this evening. Szekely doubled up in the girls 13-14 100 free with a time of 51.73, breaking 52 seconds for the first time. Szekely then cracked 2:00 for the first time in the 200 IM, winning the girls 13-14 event in 1:59.14. That swim cleared her lifetime best of 2:01.74 from March, and fell a second-and-a-half off Missy Frankin's NAG record of 1:57.70.
DST's Kaitlyn Jones dominated the girls open 200 backstroke finale with a 1:53.46, cutting two seconds off her personal best time of 1:55.05 from the 2011 version of this meet. DST's David Crossland topped the boys 13-14 200 back with a time of 1:55.91. Jones returned with a 1:58.10 to capture the girls open 200 IM title. That swim dropped a second from Jones' lifetime best of 1:59.03 from February 2011.
Penn Charter's Reece Whitley, a 6-4 prodigy in the sport who already broke the 11-12 U.S. National Age Group records in the 100 breast (59.90) and 200 breast (2:09.40), captured the boys 11-12 100 IM title in 56.89. He has plenty of time to make up in that event, as Michael Andrew holds the record with a 53.86 from earlier this year. NCAP's Rachel Denegger tracked down the girls 11-12 100 IM crown with a 1:02.89.
NCAP's Megan Byrnes won the girls 13-14 1000 free in 9:49.72, while teammate Brandon Fabian clinched the boys 13-14 1000 free title in 10:00.92. NCAP's Gavin Springer claimed the boys open 1000 free event in 9:14.26.
NCAP's Janet Hu, who holds the 15-16 U.S. National Age Group record in the 50 free with a 22.13, ripped off a lifetime best time of 48.81 to win the girls open 100 free this evening. She had turned in a 48.91 at Winter Nationals. Hu doubled up with a 1:55.27 to 1:58.22 triumph in front of Ledecky in the girls open 200 fly.
NCAP's Joe Pascale, a 29-year-old swimmer who also fights as a mixed martial artist, posted a personal best to win the open 100 free title with a 44.33. That swim cleared his previous best of 44.37 from March 2011.
RMSC's Sanjay Wijesekera topped the boys 11-12 100 fly finale with a time of 57.33, while NCAP's Cassidy Bayer snared the girls 13-14 200 fly title in 1:59.03. UDAC's Michael Jensen claimed the boys 13-14 100 free with a time of 45.67, half-a-second back of Edward Kim's 2010 National Age Group record of 45.21. TAC's John Benning clinched the boys open 200 fly with a time of 1:48.67. Whitley then touched out Wijesekera, 1:48.67 to 1:49.08, in the boys 11-12 200 free. N
CAC's Madison Homovich earned the girls 11-12 200 free title in 1:54.00. Jensen won again, this time with a 1:55.87 in the boys 13-14 200 IM finale. AGUA's Michael Domagala downed his personal best in the 200 IM with a 1:47.96 to win the boys open event. That swim cleared his 1:48.72 from 2011 Junior Nationals.
