Leah Shackley Posts Impressive Double During First Full Night at YMCA Nationals
The first standout performance of YMCA Short Course Nationals in Greensboro, N.C., belonged to Leah Shackley, a 16-year-old representing Blair Regional YMCA and already committed to Indiana University for the fall of 2024. During the first full night of racing at the meet, Shackley won the first two women’s individual events, both in meet-record fashion, and she just off the times required to qualify for NCAA A-finals in both events — despite still having a year-and-a-half to go before her college career begins.
Shackley won the 200 backstroke in 1:51.27, knocking three tenths off the previous meet record of 1:51.56 set by Meghan Small in 2016. In the process, Shackley beat the field by more than three seconds and her previous best time (1:53.45) by more than two. Not long after, Shackley returned to win the 100 butterfly in 50.96, shattering the meet record of 52.43 by Caitlin Tycz from 2016. Shackley lowered nearly a second from her entry time of 51.93.
One other meet record fell Tuesday as Daniel Diehl hit the wall in 1:40.47 in the men’s 200 back to beat the mark of 1:41.48 set by eventual NCAA champion Austin Katz. Diehl was less than a second off his own best time (1:39.62). In other men’s events, Lynchburg’s Brendon Whitfield won the 100 fly (46.26), and the 200 breast title went to Birmingham’s Ethan Schwab (1:56.06). Piedmont’s Sara Czirjak won the women’s 200 breast in 2:13.11.
The meet actually opened Monday with the 1000 free, with ME Lyons’ Ava Sutphin (9:55.93) and Schroeder’s Isaac Fleig (9:02.78) winning the women’s and men’s events, respectively.
The Greater Somerset team of Anna Moesch, Colleen Bull, Zoe Arakelian and Emily Thompson opened Tuesday’s finals with a win in the women’s 200 free relay (1:31.85) while Ridley Area’s Shane Eckler, Jake Kennedy, Jonathan Hoole and Ben Kutufaris won the men’s in 1:20.14, eclipsing the national record of 1:20.86 set by Schroeder last year.
Meanwhile, Schroeder swept the women’s and men’s 400 medley relays, with the team of Emma Lemier, Tori Brostowitz, Alana Berlin and Lucy Art winning the women’s in 3:38.52 while Sam Lorenz, Aiden Strath, Brody LePine and Jack Sullivan won the men’s in 3:16.36