AUSTIN, Texas, July 11. THE Austin stop of the Texas Senior Circuit witnessed some world-class swims tonight.
Aggie Swim’s Breeja Larson opened up the night with a sterling time in the women’s 200-meter breast. She won in 2:25.18, which shot her right up to 16th in the SwimVortex world rankings. BlueFish’s Laura Sogar wound up taking second tonight in 2:32.05 and watched her season best of 2:26.14 get bumped out of the top 20 by Larson’s time. Longhorn’s Madisyn Cox rounded out the top three in 2:32.51.
The Woodlands’ Michael McBroom had a lifetime best in the men’s 400-meter free as the 23-year-old clocked a 3:48.93 for the win. That swim cleared the 3:49.26 he posted at the Santa Clara stop of the Arena Grand Prix last month, and shot him to 18th in the SwimVortex world rankings. That’s a big swim for the former Longhorn. Sam Lewis finished second in 3:53.67, while Longhorn’s Clay Youngquist placed third in 3:53.67.
Another big-hitter at the meet, Simone Manuel of First Colony, put up an easy-speed 25.53 to win the women’s 50-meter freestyle tonight. She’s been faster this year with a 25.27 at the Austin stop of the Arena Grand Prix, but it was enough for the win tonight. Lakeside’s Lauren Pitzer took second in 25.92 – her first time under 26 seconds. Her previous best had been a 26.20 from the Bill Nixon Memorial in June. Jacqueline Fehr clinched third in 26.14.
Nitro’s Will Licon topped the men’s 200-meter breaststroke finale with a time of 2:15.48, while teammate Cole Hurwitz finished a distant second in 2:17.90. The Woodlands’ Matt Korman snared third overall in the championship heat with a 2:20.35. Another Nitro win went to Matt Ellis, who posted a 22.53 to win the men’s 50-meter free. NYAC’s Jimmy Feigen checked in with a second-place 22.59, while Alamo Area’s John Murray picked up third in 22.95.
NCAP’s Kaitlin Pawlowicz won the women’s 200-meter fly by more than a second with a 2:13.56. That’s just a bit slower than her in-season best of 2:12.79 set at this meet a year ago. Longhorn’s Kelsey Leneave hit the wall second in 2:14.59 tonight, while her teammate Dakota Luther earned third in 2:14.68. That’s a huge lifetime best for the 14-year-old Luther, who entered today with a 2:16.67 personal record from the Austin stop of the Arena Grand Prix this year.
Longhorn’s John Martens nearly beat his lifetime best in the men’s 200-meter fly with a time of 1:59.71. That swim came up short of the 1:59.57 he set at the 2013 U.S. Open, but it did become his first in-season 1:59 ever. Teammate Clark Smith placed second in the finale in 2:00.12 with Missouri’s Andrew Phillips placing third in 2:03.00.
Aggie Swim’s Sarah Henry earned the women’s 400-meter free title in 4:12.58. Longhorn’s Madisyn Cox kept busy with another podium as she took second in 4:16.20. Lakeside’s Lauren Pitzer, just 15, had another lifetime best as she clocked a third-place 4:18.08. Her best time coming into today was a 4:21.92 from the Bill Nixon Memorial.
Full results on Meet Mobile.