By Kevin Donnelly, Swimming World College Intern.
Night three of action at the 2018 Cary Futures Championships saw the women’s and men’s 200 fly, 50 free, 200 breast, 100 back, and 400 free take place. Another night of phenomenal swimming and massive time drops shone through as countless impressive swims took place.
Women’s 200 Fly
28-year-old Leah Gingrich of Columbus Aquatic Club continued her incredibly impressive return to competitive swimming by claiming first place in the women’s 200 fly. Gingrich entered with a seed time of 2:15.66, but blasted her way to a Phillips 66 Summer Nationals time standard of 2:14.47. Gingrich, who graduated from the University of Texas back in 2012, has found her passion for the sport once again and has shown that age, even in an incredibly taxing event like the 200 fly, is just a number.
Ashley Worden of the Marlins Of Raleigh took second place with a new best time of 2:15.13. Worden held the lead over Gingrich at the 150 mark before being closed down on the final length. Chloe Hampson of the Blue Dolfins was third, back at a 2:17.75.
Men’s 200 Fly
Tyler Watson of North Florida Swimming entered the day with a best time of 2:04.52, and was coming off a finals session Friday that saw him claim second in the 400 IM. Watson had his eyes set on the top of the podium tonight, and was able to get there, closing his final 50 meters in 30.69 to blow away the field with a final time of 2:02.72. Nobody else in the field came within even a second and a half of his last 50 split.
Scott Piper of Mid-Michigan Aquatics held the lead at the 150 mark before fading down the stretch, and settled for second at 2:04.61. Mason Laur of T2 Aquatics, who claimed the Summer Junior Nationals time standard in the morning with his 2:04.89, cut another tenth of a second down to 2:04.80 to take third. Jaden Kring of the Marlins Of Raleigh also snuck in under the Summer Junior Nationals time standard, hitting the cut right on the nose at 2:05.09 to complete a two-second drop on the day.
Women’s 50 Free
After watching the women’s B final that saw SwimMAC Carolina’s Janie Smith victorious out of lane 1, AquaKids Sharks Swim Team’s Hailey Jerew was also determined to make lane 1 work for her, and did so in strong fashion. Jerew entered the day with a best time of 26.65, and after a decent morning swim held an outside lane for the championship final at 27.12. But with a lane comes a chance, and Jerew took advantage of that chance, dropping nearly a second from her prelims swim with a new best time and Summer Junior Nationals time standard of 26.15.
Elizaveta Susorova of Cardinal Aquatics also claimed the Summer Junior Nationals time standard, swimming a best time of 26.26 to cut down from her 26.57 in prelims. Leah Gingrich returned to the pool after her win in the 200 fly to take third overall in the 50 free at 26.32. 13-year-old Sydney Kang of the Gator Swim Club was fourth, also sneaking under the Summer Junior Nationals time standard at 26.58.
Men’s 50 Free
The trend that started with the women’s A and B final of lane 1 winning the 50 frees coincidentally continued into the men’s 50s, as the A, B, and C finals for the men were all won by the swimmers out of lane 1. Wen Zhang of Dothan Dolphins Swim Team was the lane 1 swimmer in the A final. Zhang entered the meet as the top seed at 23.66, but slipped up a bit in prelims with a time 24.11. In finals, however, Zhang didn’t disappoint the crowd, winning the final by a convincing 17 hundredths with his final time of 23.34.
Dawson Joyce of Seminole Aquatics, who dipped under the Summer Junior Nationals time standard in prelims at 23.92, dropped an even bigger chunk of time, down to 23.51, to take second. Aquatic Team of Mecklenburg’s Jacob Rauch, fresh off his 100 breast victory from last night, took third, at 23.64.
Women’s 200 Breast
100 breast champion Alicia Henry of Dynamo Swim Club continued to impress in the 200 breast, crushing her entry time of 2:38.33 with a winning time of 2:35.06. Henry, just 14 years of age, completed her breaststroke sweep in style, hitting the 100 wall at 1:14.17 and closing out in a 1:20.89 to finish well under her previous best time.
Sophie Anderson of the TAC Titans, who achieved her first Summer Junior Nationals time standard in prelims at 2:37.82, cut another two seconds in finals down to a 2:35.53. Brooke Zettel, also of the TAC Titans, took third at 2:38.40.
Men’s 200 Breast
Dynamo Swim Club continued to impress into the men’s 200 breast, as Dynamo swimmer and Cornell University rising sophomore Owen Downs won the event with a time of 2:19.22. Downs entered the day with a seed time of 2:21.32, and went 1:06.67/1:12.55 to sneak under the 2:20 barrier for the first time in his career.
Connor Dalbo of the Marlins Of Raleigh claimed second in the heat, fighting hard with Downs over the first 100 meters but falling back over the final 50. Dalbo’s time of 2:20.35 is good for a three-second drop from his entry time of 2:23.46, as well as a new Summer Junior Nationals and Winter Senior Nationals time standard. Cameron Luarde of Swac Swim Team was third, dropping over two seconds from his entry time with his final time of 2:20.70.
Women’s 100 Back
Ellie Waldrep of the Baylor Swim Club was disqualified yesterday in the women’s 100 fly, but came back today for the 100 back in epic style, claiming victory by over a second over the rest of the field. Waldrep split 30.55 over the first 50 meters, nearly a second ahead of the closest competitor (Mary Kelley split 31.55), and closed the race in 32.60 to finish with a time of 1:03.15. Waldrep snuck just under her seed time of 1:03.35 in her victory.
Brooke Zettel of the TAC Titans returned to the pool to take second with a 1:04.25. Mary Kelley, swimming unattached for the Episcopal Amberjax, finished in third, at 1:04.80.
B final champion Eliza Whitmire of Aquatic Team of Mecklenburg had the second-fastest time of the day, at 1:04.20, and would have claimed the silver medal ahead of Zettel had she been in the championship final.
Men’s 100 Back
Joseph Licht of Tampa Bay Aquatic Club entered the meet with a seed time of 58.22, and was looking to crack the 58-second barrier for the first time with his swim. Licht took his race out aggressively, splitting 27.66 over the first 50 meters, and closed in a 30.08 to finish with a new best time of 57.74.
Jacob Rauch of Aquatic Team of Mecklenburg, fresh off a third-place finish in the 50 free, returned to take second in the 100 back with a best time of 57.78, narrowly behind Licht’s 57.74 for silver. Elvis Kotikovski of Pine Crest Swimming led a small pack of guys behind the leaders, touching in third with a 58.04, a full second faster than his entry time of 59.41.
Women’s 400 Free
The women’s 400 free saw Dynamo Swim Club claim their third event of the evening, as Abigail Pilkenton took control of the race early and never looked back, finishing with a time of 4:20.48. Pilkenton took a massive lead through 200 meters, at 2:06.50, and split 1:06.53/1:07.45 over the last two 100s to finish nearly two seconds ahead of the next-closest swimmer.
Second place went to the Marlins Of Raleigh’s Adrianna Cera, who finished with a best time and new Winter Junior Nationals qualifying time of 4:22.31. Cera cut nearly three seconds from her prelims swim of 4:25.11 with her time in finals. Aquatic Team of Mecklenburg’s Katie Rauch, who swam in the championship final of the 100 back barely a half-hour before the 400, was third at 4:23.43.
The fastest time of the day, however, belonged to Aquatic Team of Mecklenburg’s Ellie Marquardt, who stormed away from the field in the women’s B final with an amazing time of 4:19.93. Marquardt entered the day with a best time of 4:23.90, but had a shaky prelims swim that saw her place 13th with a time of 4:27.30.
Men’s 400 Free
14-year-old Braeden Haughey of the TAC Titans blew away the competition over the last 100 meters, splitting an incredibly 59.22 to finish with a best time and new Summer Junior Nationals qualifying time of 4:00.46. Haughey, who entered the meet with a best time of 4:08.82, moved himself all the way up to seventh all-time in the 13-14 boys age group in the 400 free with his time.
John Vandeusen of the Bolles School Sharks claimed second with a 4:01.91, cutting nearly a second off his previous personal best of 4:03.22. Noah Smith of the Central Florida Marlins was third, at 4:04.03.
Team Scores
Through three days of tough competition, Dynamo Swim Club and the Marlins Of Raleigh have emerged as far and away the top two teams, with Dynamo holding a strong lead over MOR for first. Dynamo and MOR, who were separated by just one point last year at the 2017 Futures in Nashville, have 586 and 446 points through Night Three, respectively. Those both have already surpassed their totals of 388 (Dynamo) and 387 (MOR) from 2017 Futures.
Aquatic Team of Mecklenburg continues their stellar meet and is running third overall, with 324 points.
