By Delaney Lanker, Swimming World College Intern
The 2016 Speedo Sectionals Series continues in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin starting this Thursday, March 10th. The four day long prelims, finals competition will be hosted by The Lake Forest Swim Club. There are more than 750 swimmers entered in the long course meet and will be a great opportunity for swimmers to snag a spot at Olympic Trials this summer.
This meet is full of fast and young swimmers on both the men’s and women’s side that are looking to put up quick times along their older competition in this Olympic season.
In the women’s freestyle events, sixteen-year-old Melissa Pish has the fastest entry time in the 100 free, 200 free, 400 free and 800 free and is second in the 1500 free. She has Olympic trials and national cuts in every event.
Grace Ariola is seeded first in the women’s 100 and 200 backstroke events. The fifteen-year-old already has the Olympic trials cuts in both and will be looking to best her times for a better seed at trials this summer.
The only event of the meet that does not have an Olympic trials entry time for both men’s and women’s is the 200 IM. The top seed of the women is Samantha Stratford, 19, with a 2:21.32. The trials cut is a 2:18.69. On the men’s side, top seed Sam Iida, 17, is less than a second away from the trials cut of 2:05.09.
In both the men’s 50 and 100 freestyle 16-year-old Daniel Krueger is seeded first and is a young swimmer to watch. He already has the Olympic trials and nationals cuts in the events. Krueger will be strong competition in the 50 free for his elder competition, Zachary Hayden who is 28 years old and tied for first place with Krueger with the time of 22.89.
Hayden is swimming unattached and also is tied for first in the men’s 100 breaststroke with unattached, Nicholasbill Shafer, 24. Shafer is also first in the men’s 200 breast entered with a 2:11.25, which is over seven seconds faster than the Olympic trials cut.
Full psych sheet available here
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