COLLEGE PARK, Maryland, December 8. A handful of U.S. National Age Group records fell tonight at the Tom Dolan Invitational. The meet is being broadcast live globally on SwimmingWorld.TV. For all on-demand videos, including interviews and race footage, visit the Event Landing Page.
Allie Szekely, 14, trounced the 13-14 U.S. National Age Group record in the girls 200-yard breast live on SwimmingWorld.TV. Szekely turned in a stunning time of 2:10.22 in the finale.
Szekely's swim smashed the previous record of 2:12.08 set by Olympian Katie Hoff back in 2003. Szekely, of Central Bucks, had a previous best time of 2:12.27 from Junior Olympics in March. Szekely's time this evening would have put her into the B final at the 2012 NCAA Division I Women's Championships.
Allie Szekely race footage via SwimmingWorld.TV
Reece Whitley, 12, followed up his 200 breast 11-12 U.S. National Age Group record from yesterday by becoming the youngest male ever under 1:00 in the 100-yard breast. He won the 100 breast this evening in an astonishing time of 59.90. Whitley, a 6-4 prodigy from Penn Charter, broke Michael Andrew's short-lived National Age Group record of 1:00.07.
Olympian Brendan Hansen even chimed in on the amazing time.
@swimmingworld what makes him more dangerous is the coach he swims for. Congrats Coach Berkoff and Reece!
— Brendan Hansen (@BrendanHansen) December 9, 2012
Reece Whitley race footage via SwimmingWorld.TV
A third record fell in the 100-yard back as Texas-commit Jack Conger ripped off a 45.32 to win the event. That performance undercut the 45.34 set by Ryan Murphy earlier this year. Conger and Murphy would have placed second and third at NCAAs last year, behind only Tom Shields' 44.86 to win in March.
Jack Conger race footage via SwimmingWorld.TV
NCAP's Janet Hu (52.34), Brooke Malone (1:01.72), Kristina Li (56.51) and Ledecky (49.96) then charted a 3:40.53 in the women's 400 medley relay. That performance bettered the 15-16 U.S. National Age Group record in the event of 3:41.21 set by SwimMAC this weekend at Juniors.
NCAP race footage via SwimmingWorld.TV
Plenty of other action occurred tonight. NCAP's Devin Truong won the boys 13-14 200 breast in 2:10.62, while teammate Andrew Seliskar topped the boys open 200 breast finale in 1:57.58. NCAP's Rachel Danegger also nabbed the girls 11-12 100 breast title in 1:08.54.
CBST's Hannah Zurmuhl clinched the girls 13-14 50 free crown in 23.49, while NCAP's Janet Hu topped the girls open 50 free in 22.26, just off her 15-16 U.S. NAG of 22.13. CBST's Morgan Scott touched in 24.42 to win the girls 11-12 50 free crown. UDAC's Michael Jensen picked up the boys 13-14 50 free title in 21.21, while NCAP's Zach Hayden downed teammate Joe Pascale, 20.27 to 20.44, in a battle of twentysomethings for the boys open 50 free title. PCAC's Sam Grossi hit the wall in 24.26 to capture the boys 11-12 50 free finale.
NCAP's Annie Boone touched in 54.52 to win the girls 13-14 100 back title, while Janet Hu doubled up with a 52.07 in the girls open 100 back, just half-a-second off Rachel Bootsma's 15-16 U.S. NAG of 51.53. DST's David Crossland topped the boys 13-14 100 back in 52.94.
NCAP's Lea Gwenapp cruised to victory in the girls 13-14 500 free with a 4:56.69, while Ledecky snapped off a 4:34.71 to win the girls open 500 free. That swim just missed shooting down Katie Hoff's 15-16 U.S. NAG of 4:34.21 set back in 2006. UDAC's Michael Jensen topped the boys 13-14 500 free in 4:39.97, while NOVA's Townley Hass won the boys open 500 free in 4:23.47. NCAC's Madison Homovich placed first in the girls 11-12 200 IM With a 2:08.77, while Whitley nearly cracked 2:00 in the boys 11-12 200 IM with a winning 2:00.62.
NCAP's Annie Boone, Reni Moshos, Cassidy Bayer and Hannah Baker topped the girls 13-14 400 medley relay in 3:47.30, while teammates Austin Henry, Timothy Wu, Sam Pomajevich and Brandon Fabian claimed the boys 13-14 400 medley relay title in 3:37.13. RMSC's Jack Conger, Austin Dickey, Jack Foster and Barry Mangold closed out the night with a 3:17.52 to win the boys open 400 medley relay.
