Event coverage sponsored by SpeedoUSA
SAN JOSE, California, March 6. THERE were blowout swims a-plenty on the third night of finals at the 2013 Speedo Far Western Short Course Championships at the Morgan Hill Aquatic Center. The meet started and ended with adrenaline-pumping 200 medley relays, and kept up the adrenaline throughout the night with a handful of new meet records.
For on-demand prelim and final races, video interviews and finals re-caps, visit the 2013 Speedo Far Western Short Course Championship landing page.
A remarkable three teams were under the boys 11-12 200 medley meet record, set in 1983 by San Jose Aquatics: NOVA, Pleasanton and DACA all raced under the 1:52.16 mark. The NOVA team, comprised of Shawn Lou, Maxwell McKendry, Hunter Hitchens and Owen Kao, came away with the win at a 1:48.97.
Andrew Liang and Chris Scheaffer put together an exciting race in the men's 17-18 200 yard butterfly. Scheaffer set the meet record in the men's 17-18 100 butterfly earlier in the meet, and ended up stroke-for-stroke with Liang throughout the race. Liang came away with the win and a new meet record at a 1:48.44. Scheaffer was a mere hundredth off the previous meet record, clocking 1:48.99.
The 500 freestyle was exciting across all age groups. Shae Nicolaisen, of GOLD in Arizona, captured the 11-12 girls 500 freestyle title to add to her 200 freestyle meet record on the first night of finals. Her 5:02.31 final time saw her waiting on the wall for over ten seconds before her nearest competitor finished. NOVA's Hunter Hitchens, who has been no stranger to the Far Western podium, took the boy's 11-12 500 freestyle title, winning with a 4:59.59, far outstripping his nearest the field. Pleasanton's Maxime Rooney controlled the lead from the get-go in the boy's 13-14 500 freestyle. Rooney, the 200 freestyle NAG record holder for 13-14 boys, looked effortless throughout the swim, and won with a very respectable 4:30.15 final time, just off Nick Silverthorn's 4:29.08 meet record.
The boys and girls 10&U 500 freestyle were both blowout races. NOVA's Alyssa Watson won the race by over ten seconds, with a 5:38.34. It wasn't Maya DiRado's crazy fast 5:26.63 2004 meet record, but it still showcased 10-year-old Watson's talent in freestyle. Harrison Lierz, of the Jeffco Hurricanes, had a similar swim on the boy's side, using his consistently fast tempo to win the event in a 5:29.13.
Five meet records fell amongst the age groups in the 100 backstroke. Sidney Cooke cleared Catherine Breed's meet record in the 17-18 age group with a 55.61. Both first-place Jason Chen (50.23) and second-place Andrew Liang (50.34) were under the 17-18 boy's meet record. Fanetupau Wolfgramm took down the girl's 11-12 100 backstroke record with a 57.39, and her brother Zerin Wolfgramm captured the 10&U boy's 100 backstroke meet record with his 1:02.97 winning time. 200 backstroke NAG record holder Benjamin Ho smashed the boy's 13-14 100 backstroke meet record in prelims, 51.82 set last year by Aidan Burns. He bettered his 49.38 prelim time with a 48.93 winning time in finals.
Cole Hurwitz (TDPS) won the 17-18 men's 100 breaststroke in a 56.16, far under the previous 57.32 meet record set in 2012 by Byron Sanborn. Stephanie Ting (DACA) captured the last meet record of the night in the girl's 13-14 100 breaststroke. She slipped under Aileen Lee's 1:03.38 2012 mark by a few tenths, winning the event in a 1:03.30.
