MAUI, Hawaii, August 28. IN the penultimate night of long course meter swimming at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships, Japan's Sayaka Akase and New Zealand's Gareth Kean shined.
Akase stopped the clock in 2:09.68 in the women's 200 back, lowering Elizabeth Pelton's 2009 meet record of 2:10.25. Akase also jumped from 18th in the world with a 2:10.14 at the Japanese High School Championships earlier this month to 16th in the world. USA's Bonnie Brandon earned second in 2:11.89, while teammate Madison White finished third in 2:11.82.
Kean twice-lowered the meet record in the men's 200 back. First, he clocked a 1:58.84 in prelims to beat his record from last year of 1:59.52. He finished the evening with a winning performance of 1:57.78. He vaulted into a 14th-place tie with Ashley Delaney in the world rankings after sitting at 23rd with a 1:58.55 from Pan Pacs in Irvine. USA's Jacob Pebley touched second in 1:58.96, while Australia's Mitch Larkin earned third in 2:00.33.
USA went 1-2 in the women's 400 free to start the night with Chelsea Chenault cleareing the meet record in the middle distance event with a 4:10.79 for the win. She clipped the 2005 standard of 4:10.81 set by Australia's Haylee Reddaway. Tristin Baxter took second for the U.S. in 4:12.19, while Australia's Jessica Ashwood wound up third in 4:12.47.
USA's Nicholas Caldwell and Australia's Ned McKendry battled in the men's 400 free with Caldwell claiming a 3:50.51 to 3:50.71 triumph as both wiped out Ryan Napoleon's 2009 meet record of 3:51.12 in the event. USA's Evan Pinion claimed third overall in 3:52.56.
Japan's Rino Hosoda (59.14) and USA's Kelly Naze (59.36) cleared Stephanie Rice's 2005 meet record in the women's 100 fly during prelims, while Hosoda topped the finale in 58.72. Naze (58.87) and teammate Jasmine Tosky (59.53) completed the top three.
Australia's Jayden Hadler captured the men's 100 fly title in 52.91, while USA's David Nolan earned second overall in 53.12. Japan's Hirofu Ikebata picked up third-place honors in 53.50.
USA's Lia Neal, Jasmine Tosky, Madeline Schaefer and Chelsea Chenault set the meet record in the women's 400 free relay with a time of 3:40.97. They smashed the previousy record of 3:42.73 set by the U.S. last year. Canada's Sandrine Mainville, Chantal Vanlandeghem, Lauren Earp and Fionnuala Pierse finished second in 3:42.50, also under the previous record, while Australia's Emma McKeon, Yolane Kukla, Amy Levings and Brittany Elmslie posted a third-place 3:42.58 to beat the previous record as well.
USA's Tyler Messerschmidt, Kip Darmody, Seth Stubblefield and Clay Youngquist claimed the men's 400 free relay title in 3:20.09.