For full results, recaps, live broadcast of finals and photos from the meet, go to the CeraVe Invitational Event Landing Page
Day One Video Highlights, Interview Package
Full Day One Open Finals Video (Large File)
Reporting by special Swimming World student reporters Joey Cusmano, Regan Fink, Zach Miller
PISCATAWAY, New Jersey, January 9. THE age groupers took center stage during the first day at the CeraVe Invitational sponsored by Berkeley Aquatic Club and held on the campus of Rutgers University.
Women's 800 free
After a close race, Lauren Morford (8:55.36) of Agua Swim Team, who was seeded first, won the 800 freestyle tonight. Nicole Vernon (8:55.46) from Delaware Swim Team moved up to second place by dropping five seconds from her seed time. Both Morford's and Vernon's times qualified for Juniors. Morford's teammate Daniela Rueda (9:08.27) finished third.
Men's 800 free
Jonathon Derlath of the Long Island Aquatic Club won the men's distance event with a time of 8:26.53, just under his seed time of 8:27:78. Sean Minderlein of the Delaware Swim Team touched for second place, with a final time of 8:32.74. Both Derlath and Minderlein achieved Junior times in this race. Luca Spinazolla of the Bluefish Swim Club went a time of 8:36.21, more than two seconds under his seed time.
Women's 100 breast
After a solid morning, 14-year-old Annie Zhu (1:11.87) from Agua Swim Team won the 100 breast at finals. She dropped two tenths of a second and earned a World Championship Trials cut.
"It's good to be the youngest, I like great competition, I get better experience by going against people older than me," Zhu told Swimming World when asked about being a young swimmer at the meet.
Following Zhu, Bluefish Swim Club's Emma Jackson (1:12.64) dropped three seconds from her preliminary time and qualified for the U.S. Open. Alexandra Gorki (1:14.74) of Westchester Marlins placed third.
Men's 100 breast
Robert Power placed first with a time of 1:06.90, just edging out second-place finisher Ian Clark, who went a time of 1:07.22. Both swimmers are from SSC, the Suburban Swim Center.
"It makes me practice really hard," Powers told Swimming World about training with Clark. "It's mentally tough though knowing that [Ian Clark] is seven years older than me.
"I'm very happy," Powers said about his race. "I got the time that I wanted to go out and get."
Daniel Fine of the Peddie Aquatic Association lowered his prelim time by more than three seconds, to finish with a time of 1:08.29 for third.
Women's 200 free
Cutting three seconds off her preliminary time, Alex Frasier (2:06.61) of Bluefish Swim Club captured first in the 200 freestyle. Despite coming into the meet more than a second ahead of the others, being the favorite in the race never affected her mindset.
"The time is what counts," Frasier said. "Really, you win when you get into the Olympics, and you can't get into the Olympics unless you have a good time."
Lofty goals for the 16-year-old, but she has Olympic teammate Elizabeth Beisel as proof positive that it can happen.
Making her second appearance tonight, Annie Zhu (2:07.20) of Agua Swim Team touched second and swam three seconds faster than her preliminary time. Teammate Lauren Morford (2:07.55), who also swam the 800 freestyle tonight, finished immediately after Zhu.
Men's 200 free
Connor Signorin of the Peddie Aquatic Association was able to secure first place in the men's 200 free.
"It didn't change my mindset," Signorin said about being the top seed tonight. "Being the top seed just makes me want to go out fast and get the win".
Signorin's time, 1:53.28, was almost five seconds faster then his prelim time. Signorin touched out the competition by almost five seconds as well. The second and third place finishers were Sean Mackenzie of Eastern Express (1:59.59), and Jeffrey Thomas of the Bluefish Swim Club (1:59.76). However, in the B Final, Wesley Mullins of the Peddie Aquatic Association finished with the second-fastest time of the race, with a 1:58.24.
Women's 100 fly
Alex Forrester (1:01.10) of Bluefish Swim Club placed first tonight in the 100 butterfly, dropping a second while qualifying for the World Championships Trials.
"We train together, so it's nice to have someone out there with you," Forrester said about swimming against teammate Kaia Simmons in finals.
Moving up a spot from prelims, Peddie Aquatic Association's Carolyn Fittin (1:02.89) touched second and cut three seconds off her prelim time. Swimming two seconds faster and finishing one spot higher than during prelims, Morgan Karetnick (1:03.86) of Westchester Marlins received third place. Simmons, meanwhile, took fifth in 1:05.22.
Men's 100 fly
Nimrod Hayet of the Peddie Aquatic Association snagged the men's 100 fly. Hayet's time of 55.08 was not only more than two-and-a-half seconds faster then his prelim time, but it was a time that qualified Hayet for the U.S. Open, and scored Hayet a meet record.
"I felt pretty good, I can't really describe it, but it felt good," Hayet said about his race.
Hayet looked strong during what is easily his race of the meet thus far. Hayet's time is .80 faster then the previous meet record of 55.88 set by Doug Lennox. The time had been a record for almost a year.
In second place, Bluefish Swim Club's Louis Arruda touched with a time of 57.23, a U.S. Open qualifying time. Connor Signorin of the Peddie Aquatic Association placed third with a time of 58.49.
Women's 200 IM
Making her third appearance tonight, Annie Zhu (2:19.06) of Agua Swim Team captured first place with a World Championship Trials qualifying time, and dropped almost three seconds from her prelim time.
"I didn't really think that I would be able to win both finals [going into the meet]," Zhu said about doubling. "I knew that I trained hard, but I didn't know how the competitors would be."
Making a Juniors cut and dropping five seconds from this morning, 14-year-old Kaitlyn Jones (2:21.46) from Delaware Swim Team moved up one place from prelims and finished second. Seeded fourth, Westchester Marlins' Alexandra Gorki (2:24.05) placed third and swam three seconds faster than this morning.
Men's 200 IM
Ian Clark of the Suburban Swim Center finished in the top two again tonight, this time with a win in the men's 200 IM.
"Going in as the top seed actually gives me more confidence," Clark said when asked about being the top seed.
Clark took off more than six seconds from his prelim time, giving him a final time of 2:04.24. Along with Clark, Nimrod Hayet scored in the top two again for the second time tonight. Hayet dropped more then 11 seconds in his race, with a time of 2:05.97, which qualified Hayet, along with Clark, with a World Championship Trials time.
Suburban Swim Center's Robert Power (2:10.60) finished third.
Women's 800 free relay
The Bluefish Swim Club A Relay (8:36.70), made up of Alex Forrester, Alex Frasier, Anna Senko and Kaia Simmons, took an early lead and held it to the end.
Despite the many races they have swum in only a few hours, they said that being able to swim one last time for the day was not difficult. Kaia Simmons said,
"We do a lot of race-based stuff in practice so we're used to going over and over again," Simmons said.
The Agua Swim Team A Relay (8:43.31), consisting of Lauren Morford, Daniela Rueda, Lili Shiota, and Annie Zhu, touched second.
Moving up one spot from prelims, the Berkeley Aquatic Club A relay (8:38.99), which had Kate Toth, Stephanie Koziol, A.J. Van Nispen, and Lauren Ross, placed third.
Men's 800 free relay
The top seeded Bluefish Swim Club, which consisted of Jeffery Thomas, Pat Myers, Luca Spinazzola, and Louis Arruda, ran away with a win in the distance relay.
"To swim fast in meets, you have to swim fast in practice," Thomas said after the race.
The Bluefish finished with a time of 8:03.32, followed by the Berkley Aquatic Club's relay, (Chris DeLafuente, Cameron Rattray, Paul Soley, and Sam Peterson) with a time of 8:16:28, that just edged out Eastern Express's Relay (Scott Heil, Mike Leddy, Matthew Kietlinski, and Sean Mackenzie) who placed third with a time of 8:16.42.
