2021 Speedo Winter Junior Championships – West: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2021 SPEEDO WINTER JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS WEST

• December 8-11, 2021
• Jamail Texas Swim Center, Austin, Texas
• Short Course Yards (25 yards), Prelims/Finals
• Prelims: 9 am (ET)
• Finals: 5 pm (ET) – Wed. relays at 6 pm
• Meet Central
• Live Results
• Psych Sheets
• Live Stream
• Friday Prelims Recap

Friday Finals Heat Sheets

The 2021 Speedo Winter Juniors – West keeps rolling along tonight with finals of the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 back, and 100 breast, along with timed finals of the 200 free relays.

Most of the names that dominated the headlines through the first two days — including Sandpipers Katie Grimes (400 IM) and Bella Sims (200 free), North Texas Nadore Maximus Williamson (400 IM), and iNspire’s Nate Germonprez (200 free) — took top seeds in this morning’s prelims.

Girls 400 IM

• Meet record: Brooke Forde (Lakeside Seahawks): 4:02.51

1. Katie Grimes (SAND), 15 – 4:00.66
2. Justina Kozan (Una SET), 17 – 4:06.74
3. Lucy Bell (Fort Collins), 17 – 4:10.78

15 year-old Katie Grimes shattered both the West and overall meet record with a powerful 4:00.66 tonight. Grimes was over a second ahead of the field after the backstroke leg and never backed own, winning by over 6 seconds.

Grimes’ time moves her to #2 all-time in the 15-16 age group, ahead of Katie Hoff, and only 0.04s off of the NAG record set by Dagny Knutson back in 2008.

USC commit Justina Kozan took 2nd in 4:06.74, about a second away from her lifetime time best, while Fort Collins’ Lucy Bell, who’s committed to Stanford, took 3rd in 4:10.78.

Boys 400 IM

• Meet record: Carson Foster (Mason Manta Rays): 3:38.65

Top 3:

1. Maximus Williamson (NTN), 15 – 3:42.22
2. Cooper Lucas (LAC), 16 – 3:46.26
3. Humberto Najera (UN), 16 – 3:47.33

We’re struggling to keep up with the incomprehensibly fast swimming this week, and Maximus Williamson didn’t do us any favors (although as swim fans, these are good problems to have). The 15 year-old clocked a 3:42.22 that rattled the 15-16 National Age Group record.

That NAG mark is held by one Michael Phelps, who went 3:42.08 back in 2002. Williamson is now, of course #2 all-time in the age group, and again, he’s only 15. He came into today with a personal best of 3:47.33.

Cooper Lucas took 2nd behind Williamson in 3:46.26, lowering his best by three seconds followed by Humberto Najera at 3:47.33.

Girls 100 Fly

• Meet record: Claire Curzan (TAC Titans): 50.87

1. Bella Sims (SAND), 16 – 52.21
2. Lucy Bell (FAST), 17 – 52.65
3. Annika Parkhe (PAC), 16 – 52.80

You were may have been waiting for Bella Sims to win the next event, the 200 free, the one in which she had the fastest time in this morning prelims. But she was the #2 seed in this event, and she upset Lucy Bell to win 52.21 to 52.65. Sims shaved 0.05s off of her lifetime best in this event, while Bell was about half of a second off of her best time of 52.17.

Patriot’s Annika Parkhe took 3rd in 52.80, just 0.08s away from her lifetime best of 52.72, which she hit just last month at the Illinois High School State Championships.

Boys 100 Fly

• Meet record: Ryan Hoffer (Scottsdale Aquatic Club): 45.46

1. Ilya Kharun (SAND), 16 – 45.59
2. Connor Foote (AAAA), 17 – 46.31
3. Brian Lee (BC), 17 – 46.81

In case you missed it, Ilya Kharun had a really big October. But apparently he had plenty more in the tank, as he cranked out a 45.59 tonight to take the National Age Group record of 45.62 previously held by Luca Urlando. While the Sandpipers are probably best known currently for their female distance swimmers, Khaurn and Sims’ back-to-back fly wins show that that’s not all the Sandpipers can do.

Connor Foote knocked a total of a second off of his seed time today to take 2nd in a very strong 46.31, while BC’s Brian Lee was the only other man under 47 with a 46.81.

Girls 200 Free

• Meet record: Regan Smith (Riptide) 1:43.27

Top 3:

1. Bella Sims (SAND), 16 – 1:42.92
2. Leah Hayes (TIDE), 16 – 1:44.13
3. Teagen O’Dell (NOVA), 15 – 1:44.62

The fast swims just keep coming. The Sandpipers have now won four of out five events. Bella Sims came back barely 20 minutes after winning the 100 fly to not only win the 200 free, but do it in record-setting fashion.

Her time of 1:42.92 not only set the over meet record, but it also moves her up to #3 all-time in the 15-16 age group, behind only Katie Ledecky and Dagny Knutson.

Fox Valley’s Leah Hayes took 2nd in 1:44.13, followed by Novaquatics’ Teagen O’Dell at 1:44.62. 14 year-old Claire Weinstein touched 4th in 1:44.72, and her time moves up to #3 all-time in the 13-14 age group, behind only Sippy Woodhead and Miss Franklin.

Boys 200 Free

• Meet record: Drew Kibler (Carmel Swim Club): 1:33.40

Top 3:

1. Nate Germonprez (ISWM), 17 – 1:34.19
2. Rex Maurer (ROSE), 17 – 1:34.59
3. Zach Larrick (ROSE), 17 – 1:35.27

iNspire’s Nate Germonprez hit a big new personal best in the 200 free to win in 1:34.19, Germonprez, a Texas commit, came into today with a lifetime best of 1:36.16. He lowered that time to 1:35.54 this morning, then knocked nearly another second and a half of that time tonight.

Rosebowl’s Rex Maurer had nearly as big of a drop, going from 1:35.91 to 1:35.58 to 1:34.59 as he took 2nd. Maurer’s teammate Zach Larrick finished 3rd in 1:35.27.

Girls 100 Breast

• Meet record: Alex Walsh (Nashville Aquatic Club): 58.19

Top 3:

1. Emma Weber (TOPS), 17 – 59.03
2. Aubree Brouwer (SPA), 17 – 59.37
3. Caroline Bricker (COSA), 16 – 1:00.37

Emma Weber of the Hilltoppers went out fast, splitting a 27.82 on the opening 50, but she also closed with the fastest split in the field (31.21), clocking a 59.03 to get the win. That’s a new personal best for the UVA commit, improving on her 59.74 from this meet two years ago.

Springfield Aquatics’ Aubree Brouwer took 2nd in 59.37, going under 1:00 for the first time ever. Coming into today, she had a best time of 1:00.68; she then went 1:00.01 before busting through the one-minute barrier in a big way. Weber and Brouwer should have plenty of opportunities to race each other in the future, as Brouwer has committed to NC State.

Caroline Bricker couldn’t quite match her best time, but tonight’s 1:00.37 was enough to take 3rd by nearly half a second.

Boys 100 Breast

• Meet record: Michael Andrew (Indie Swimming): 52.21

Top 3:

1. Charlie Arnold (BC), 17 – 53.22
2. Logan Brown (FCST), 16 – 53.57
3. Kledi Kadiu (CSP), 18 – 53.72
4. Kael Mlinek (ISWM), 17 – 53.82

Bellevue’s Charlie Arnold parlayed the fastest second 50 in the field (28.30) into a win, touching in 53.22 to take first by exactly half a second. Arnold has had an incredible day in terms of improvements. The USC commit’s best time before the meet was a 55.42 from November; he then went 53.80 in prelims before his winning time in tonight’s final.

Kledi Kadiu followed a similar path today, going from 55.52 to 53.57 in prelims, then adding just a bit of time to finish 2nd in 53.72 in finals. He just touched out Kael Mlinek, who took 3rd in 53.82.

Girls 100 Back

• Meet record: Katherine Berkoff (Missoula Aquatic Club): 50.72

Top 3:

1. Kennedy Noble (PSC), 17 – 52.62
2. Emma Kern (AQJT), 16 – 52.83
3. Annika Parkhe (PAC), 16 – 53.15

Phoenix Swim Club’s Kennedy Noble held onto her position as top seed, clocking a 52.62 to win by 0.21s over Aquajets’ Emma Kern.

Noble, a NC State commit, was about a second off of her lifetime best of 51.51, while Kern, a Texas commit, improved her best time from 53.40 to 53.33 to 52.83 today. Patriot’s Annika Parkhe once again took 3rd, after finishing in the same spot earlier this evening the 10 fly. She improved her best time from 54.80 to 53.15 over the course of the day.

Noble 51.51

Kern 53.33/53.40

Parkhe 53.83/54.80

Boys 100 Back

• Meet record: Ryan Hoffer (Scottsdale Aquatic Club): 45.58

Top 3:

1. Nick Simons (LOSC), 17 – 46.39
2. Quintin McCarty (PPA), 18 – 46.55
3. Kyle Brill (UN-CA), 18 – 47.37

Quintin McCarty of Pikes Peak was out fast, flipping in 22.26 at the 50, but Lake Oswego’s Nick Simons came back with a 23.98 second 50 to pass McCarty and get his hand on the wall first with a time 46.39.

That time is a new personal best for Simons, a Tennessee commit. He came into the day with a best of 46.84, then went 46.65 in prelims before shaving another 0.26s off his best in finals.

McCarty also hit a new best with his time of 46.55. That’s the first time under 47 for McCarty, who is heading to NC State next year.

Future UCSB Gaucho Kyle Brill took 3rd in 47.37, also hitting. new best time.

Glancing a bit further down the results, Keaton Jones and  Maximus Williamson took 5th in 47.92 and 6th in 48.12, respectively, each after having already swum in the 400 IM and the 200 free earlier tin the session.

Girls 200 Free Relay – Timed Finals

• Meet record: Chelsea Piers Aquatic Club (B Semenuk, S Moore, M Parker, K Douglass), 2018: 1:29.04

Top 3:

1. Sandpipers – 1:31.10
2. Irvine Novaquatics – 1:31.38
3. Elevation – 1:32.06

The Sandpipers closed out a dominant night with a 1:31.10 win in the 200 free relay. Bella Sims, having already won the 100 fly and 200 free, led of in 22.74, then Katie Grimes (23.01), Audrey Yu (22.71), and Claire Weinstein (22.64) provided the other three legs.

Irvine Novaquatics came in a close 2nd at 1:31.38, led by Teagen O’Dell’s 22.60 leadoff, and Elevation placed 3rd in 1:32.06.

Boys 200 Free Relay – Timed Finals

• Meet record: Bolles School Sharks (Caeleb Dressel, Santo Condorelli, Emiro Goossen, Joseph Schooling, 2012: 1:19.03

Top 3:

1. Rose Bowl – 1:20.71
2. Lakeside – 1:21.13
3. Coronado – 1:21.14

Rose Bowl picked up their third boys relay win with a 1:20.71 effort tonight. Rex Maurer led off in 20.36, Ronald Dalmacio had one of the faster splits in the field with a 19.94, Zach Larrick split 20.26, and Nathan Kim anchored in 20.15.

Lakeside put together a 1:21.13, with four fairly close splits, including Conor McKenna’s 20.01 anchor leg. Coronado came within a whisker of beating Lakeside, thanks to Lucius Brown’s 19.43 anchor leg (assuming the results are accurate), touching in 1:21.14.