2022 Winter Juniors – West: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

2022 SPEEDO WINTER JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – WEST

• December 7-10, 2022
• Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center, Austin, Texas
• Short Course Yards (25 yards), Prelims/Finals
• Prelims @10:00AM ET, Finals at 6:00 PM ET (except for day 1 timed finals)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheet
• Storylines to Watch
• Live Results

GIRLS FRIDAY HEAT SHEET

BOYS FRIDAY HEAT SHEET

Today is the third day of racing at the 2022 Speedo Winter Junior Championships in Austin, Texas. This morning’s events will include the prelims of the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, and 100 back.

We will see both Bella Sims and Maximus Williamson get another shot at the 200 free after putting up incredible performances at Wednesday’s relay session. Sims clocked the fastest 200 freestyle since 2019, while Williamson broke Drew Kibler‘s 15-16 NAG in the event.

Katie Grimes and Williamson come in as the top seeds and the meet record holders in the 400 IM. Both are less than a second off of the 15-16 NAGs, making the 400 IM a race to keep an eye on today.

The boys’ 200 free should also be a good race, as Rex Maurer is having a great meet so far and comes in seeded 2nd behind Williamson. Maurer clocked the 2nd-fastest time ever in the 17-18 age group last night in the 500 with a 4:12.33.

GIRLS 400 IM – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 4:00.66, Katie Grimes (2021)
• Pool Record: 3:57.03, Ella Eastin (2019)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 4:06.95, Kayla Han (2004)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 4:00.62, Dagny Knutson (2008)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 3:58.40, Ella Eastin (2016)

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Katie Grimes (SAND) – 4:03.04
2. Kayla Han (RMDA) – 4:10.82
3. Caroline Bricker (PPA) – 4:15.87
4. Abby O’Sullivan (MVN) – 4:15.99
5. Asia Kozan (MVN) – 4:16.24
6. Teagan Steinmetz (DSA) – 4:16.44
7. Elise Clift (MAC) – 4:16.68
8. Katie McCarthy (EDI) – 4:17.26

Katie Grimes cruised to a 4:03.04 this morning to take the top seed. Grimes is the meet record holder in the event with a 4:00.66, so we know she can be much faster this evening.

14-year-old Kayla Han posted a 4:10.82 to take the 2nd-fastest time out of the morning. She was off her best by almost four seconds, and we can also expect her to be faster tonight.

After Grimes and Han, the next six athletes are all within a second and a half of each other. Mission Viejo is the only team to get two girls in the top 8, as Abby O’Sullivan dropped just under a second for a 4:15.99 to take 4th and Asia Kozan posted a 4:16.24 for 5th.

BOYS 400 IM – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 3:42.22, Maximus Williamson (2021)
• Pool Record: 3:34.50, Chase Kalisz (2014)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 3:51.46, Thomas Heilman (2022)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 3:42.08, Michael Phelps (2002)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 3:35.27, Carson Foster (2020)

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Maximus Williamson (LAC) – 3:45.08
2. Cooper Lucas (LAC) – 3:48.05
3. Diego Nosack (THSC) – 3:48.33
4. Anthony Laurito (AQUA) – 3:48.52
5. Humberto Najera (EVO) – 3:48.59
6. Lance Johnson (EBSC) – 3:48.99
7. Luke Ellis (SAND) – 3:49.45
8. Luke Stibrich (BTA) – 3:50.14

Similar to Grimes, Maximus Williamson easily cruised to the top seed heading into tonight’s finals with a 3:45.08. His teammate, Cooper Lucas, was just off his own best time to grab the 2nd spot in 3:48.05.

Behind Williamson, the final tonight should be a close race, as five of the top eight athletes posted prelims times that are less than a second apart.

Aquastar’s Anthony Laurito put up a big best time this morning to take 4th. He dropped almost six seconds from his best time to record a 4:48.52. Lance Johnson and Luke Ellis were the only other athletes in the top-8 to drop from their entry times.

GIRLS 100 BUTTERFLY – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 51.73, Regan Smith (2016)
• Pool Record: 49.26, Louise Hansson (2019)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 50.64, Claire Curzan (2019)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 49.51, Claire Curzan (2021)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 49.24, Claire Curzan (2022)

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Maggie Schalow (NOVA) – 53.17
2. Emma Kern (AQJT) – 53.22
3. Ava Whitaker (AMBU)/Clare Watson (BC) – 53.32
4. Alana Berlin (SSTY) – 55.38
5. Lexi Greenhawt (TOPS) – 53.44
6. Kelsey Zhang (PASA) – 53.46
7. Kayla Fu (FCST) – 53.46

Maggie Schalow leads a tight field heading into the A-final of the 100 fly with a 53.17. Emma Kern from Aquajets dropped over half a second from her seed time to follow in a 53.22. All of the athletes in A-final tonight are within about three tenths of each other, meaning it really could be anyone’s race this evening,

Alana Berlin and Kayla Fu each dropped over a second off their seed times to post a 53.38 and 53.46, respectively.

Campbell Stoll, who entered the meet as the top seed, notably missed the A-final and ended up 12th with a 53.74.

BOYS 100 BUTTERFLY – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 45.46, Ryan Hoffer (2015)
• Pool Record: 44.06, Joseph Schooling (2017)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 45.81, Thomas Heilman (2021)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 45.62, Luca Urlando (2018)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 44.75, Aiden Hayes (2022)

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Hayden Bellotti (FCST) – 46.43
2. Jacob Wimberly (TFA) – 46.61
3. Colin Geer (GWSC) – 47.03
4. David Schmitt (EVO) – 47.34
5. Carter Ruthven (LOVE) – 47.39
6. Simon Lins (PST) – 47.51
7. Lance Swanepoel (DSMY) – 47.66
8. Ethan Harrington (PASA) – 47.77

Hayden Bellotti and Jacob Wimberly both posted significant personal best times to lead the field going into tonight’s final. Bellotti dropped nearly two seconds to post the fastest time of the morning with a 46.43, while Wimberly dropped over a second to post the 2nd-fastest time with a 46.61.

All but one of the top eight swimmers dropped from their seed time this morning. Ethan Harrington, who won the 50 free last night, rounds out the top 8 with a best time of 47.77.

GIRLS 200 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 1:40.78, Bella Sims (2022)
• Pool Record: 1:40.26, Mallory Comerford (2019)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 1:44.10, Sippy Woodhead (1979)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 1:42.03, Katie Ledecky (2013)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 1:40.31, Missy Franklin (2014)

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Bella Sims (SAND) – 1:44.81
2. Claire Weinstein (SAND) – 1:45.13
3. Teagan O’Dell (MVN) – 1:45.15
4. Madi Mintenko (PPA) – 1:45.66
5. Katie Grimes (SAND) – 1:45.95
6. Madeleine Herbert (TRA) – 1:46.25
7. Macky Hodges (SAND) – 1:46.27
8. Bailey Hartman (CROW) – 1:46.27

To no one’s surprise, Bella Sims is the top seed going into tonight’s A-final with a 1:44.81. Her teammate, Claire Weinstein follows close behind with a 1:45.13, just off her own personal best. Sims clocked a 1:40.78 a few days ago as the lead-off of the Sandpiper’s 800 freestyle relay, and we can expect her to be much closer to that time (if not faster) tonight.

The Sandpipers also got Katie Grimes (1:45.95) and Macky Hodges (1:46.27) into the A-final, to take a total of 4 of the top 8 spots.

15-year-old Madi Mintenko and 17-year-old Madeleine Herbert are the only athletes in the top 8 to drop from their seed times, as Mintenko clocked a 1:45.66 for 4th and Herbert clocked a 1:46.25 for 6th.

BOYS 200 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 1:33.07, Maximus Williamson (2022)
• Pool Record: 1:29.15, Dean Farris (2019)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 1:34.68, Thomas Heilman (2021)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 1:33.07, Maximus Williamson (2022)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 1:32.18, Maxime Rooney (2017)

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Maximus Williamson (LAC) – 1:34.71
2. Keaton Jones (NEP) – 1:34.82
3. Chase Mueller (FST) – 1:35.8
4. Rex Maurer (ROSE) – 1:36.02
5. Jeremy Kelly (NTRO) – 1:36.15
6. Ian Pickles (NEP) – 1:36.54
7. Cooper Lucas (LAC) – 1:36.61
8. Jones Lambert (LSC) – 1:37.22

Maximus Williamson swam the fastest time this morning with a 1:34.71. Although he improved on his entry time by a few tenths, he clocked a 1:33.07 only a few days ago and should be faster tonight. He will be joined by teammate Cooper Lucas in the A-final, who seam a 1:36.61 for 7th.

Swim Neptune had a strong showing this morning, as both Keaton Jones and Ian Pickles are advancing to A-final. Jones dropped about half a second from his time to post 1:34.82, good for 2nd. Pickles was seeded with a long course time, but clocked a personal best time by almost three seconds to grab 6th.

GIRLS 100 BREASTSTROKE – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 58.94, Zoie Hartman (2018)
• Pool Record: 55.73, Lily King (2019)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 1:00.02, Alexis Wenger (2015)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 58.19, Alex Walsh (2017)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 57.54, Lydia Jacoby (2022)

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Lydia Jacoby (TEX) – 59.03
2. Raya Mellott (CROW) – 59.57
3. Piper Enge (BC) – 1:00.14
4. Gillian Tu (BC) – 1:00.59
5. Bella Brito (CITI) – 1:01.00
6. Sarah Bennetts (DART) – 1:01.04
7. Kinley Wigle (BEND) – 1:01.50
8. Hannah O’Leary (AQTX) – 1:01.71

Olympic gold medalist Lydia Jacoby cruised to the fastest time of the morning with a 59.03. She swam a 57.54 at the Minnesota Invite just last weekend, so she should be much quicker tonight.

15-year-old Raya Mellott from Crow Canyon had a great swim this morning, and dropped over half a second to post the 2nd-fastest time in prelims with a 59.57. The swim marks her first time dipping below the 1:00.0 barrier.

12-year-old Mikayla Tan notably broke Leah Hayes’ 11-12 National Age Group record in the event, as she posted a 1:02.61. She will get another opportunity to swim the event again tonight, as she qualified for the C-final in 24th.

BOYS 100 BREASTSTROKE – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 52.21, Michael Andrew (2015)
• Pool Record: 49.85, Ian Finnerty (2019)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 53.06, Reece Whitley (2014)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 51.75, Michael Andrew (2015)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 51.16, Reece Whitley (2018)

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Nathaniel Germonprez (ISWM) – 52.59
2. Daniel Li (ROSE) – 53.31
3. Joshua Corn (FST) – 53.37
4. Logan Brown (FCST) – 53.72
5. Kaden Guzman (ISWM) – 54.33
6. Andrew Zou (TXLA) – 54.36
7. Charlie Egeland (AQJT) – 54.38
8. Jake Eccleston (LOVE) – 54.45

Nathaniel Germonprez from Inspire Swim Team dropped half a second to the post the fastest time of the morning by over a second with a 52.59. He will be joined by his teammate, Kaden Guzman in tonight’s A-final, as Guzman posted a best time of 54.33 to qualify in 5th.

Joshua Corn swam a massive best time this morning to qualify in 3rd. He dropped 2.50 seconds to post a 53.37, only 0.06 hundredths behind 2nd-place Daniel Li, who also posted a best time.

GIRLS 100 BACKSTROKE – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 50.58, Regan Smith (2018)
• Pool Record: 49.18, Beata Nelson (2019)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 51.03, Levenia Sim (2021)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 50.03, Claire Curzan (2021)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 49.52, Claire Curzan (2022)

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Bella Sims (SAND) – 52.11
2. Emma Kern (AQJT) – 52.12
3. Alana Berlin (SSTY) – 52.73
4. Grace Rabb (AQJT) – 53.04
5. Teagan O’Dell (MVN) – 53.14
6. Charlotte Wilson (TOPS) – 53.34
7. Macky Hodges (SAND) – 53.48
8. Adriana Smith (OAPB) – 53.88

Bella Sims recorded a personal best time by a second to go a 52.11 as the fastest swim of the morning. Aquajets’ Emma Kern was only 0.01 slower than Sims this morning, as she also clocked a personal best time at 52.12. The race tonight between the two should be exciting.

16-year-old Grace Rabb, also from Aquajets, recorded a big personal best, as she dropped over a second to qualify in 4th with a 53.04.

Macky Hodges, also from the Sandpipers, will join Sims in the A-final as she was the 7th-fastest this morning. She dropped a few hundredths to post a 53.48.

BOYS 100 BACKSTROKE – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 45.58, Ryan Hoffer (2015)
• Pool Record: 43.66, Dean Farris (2019)
• 13-14 NAG Record: 47.44, Daniel Diehl (2020)
• 15-16 NAG Record: 45.60, Anthony Grimm (2019)
• 17-18 NAG Record: 44.63, Ryan Murphy (2014)

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Keaton Jones (NEP) – 47.54
2. Maximus Williamson (LAC) – 47.56
3. Luke Logue (AQJT) – 47.65
4. Chase Mueller (FST) – 47.77
5. Marre Gattnar (NBA) – 47.83
6. Max Cahill (ROSE) – 47.89
7. Edward Huang (CDST) – 48.02
8. Jeremy Kelly (NTRO) – 48.09

This race should be a good one tonight, as the top six swimmers in prelims clocked times within three tenths of each other. Keaton Jones from Swim Neptune leads the field heading into tonight with a new best time of 57.54.

Maximus Williamson is just 0.02 behind Jones with a 47.56. His personal best in the event is the fastest of the heat at a 47.14, and he should be closer to or faster than that this evening.

Rounding out the top 8 is Nitro’s Jeremy Kelly, who had a big drop this morning. He shaved off over a second and a half from his previous best to record a 48.09.