Florida’s Talia Bates Highlights Florida Sectionals With 25.66 50 Meter Free

Southern Zone South Sectional Championships

• July 8-11, 2021
• Site 1: O’Connell Center, Gainesville, FL
• Site 2: Plantation Aquatic Center, Plantation, FL
• Long Course Meters (50m)
• Results on MM: “Southern Zone South Sectional Championships

The three-day Southern Zone South Sectional Championships was held at two different locations about 275 miles apart in Florida. The meet was highlighted by both current Florida Gators and up-and-coming age groupers.

Combined Team Scores (Top 5)

1. Area Tallahassee Aquatic Club – 94
2. Saint Petersburg Aquatics – 68
3. Blue Dolfins – 56
4. Golden Panther Aquatics – 48
5. Sarasota Tsunami Swim Team – 39

Florida’s Talia Bates won every event she swam, posting one lifetime best time in the 50 free prelims race of 25.66 to take .07 off her previous best from 2018. The Gainesville-native also swam: 

• 50 fly –27.10 
• 50 back – 29.34 
• 200 free – 2:00.21 
• 100 fly – 1:00.38 
• 50 free – 25.66 
• 100 free – 55.98 

She was right on her lifetime bests from the 2018 Irish Open Championships in the 50 fly and 50 back. In the 100 free, she was right on her best time from May and she was within one-third of a second of her best 200 free time from May.

Bates swam a 1:00.38 100 fly, within half a second of her lifetime best from the 2018 Irish Open Championships.

She raced the 100 free, 200 free and 100 fly at the recent U.S. Olympic Trials Wave II. She posted times of 56.24, 2:01.67, and 1:00.11 respectively.

Sara Stotler of Planet Swim Aquatics got 2nd to Bates in both the 100 fly (1:01.31) and 100 free in prelims (57.05). Tennessee commit Stotler was about 1.7 seconds off her lifetime best from April in the 100 fly and about .7 off her best 100 free time from May.

Florida commit Micayla Cronk of Blue Dolfins snagged 2nd in the 100 free behind Bates with a 56.30, within a second of her lifetime best time from 2019 Summer Nationals.

Stanford commit Hayden Kwan United Swim Club won 50 back with a 1.4 second lead over the field and a lifetime best time of 27.03. Later took 2nd in 200 back (2:07.22) and 3rd in 100 back (58.25). He came within 1.3 seconds of his lifetime 100 back time and 4.5 seconds of his best 200 back time, both of which were from May.

Adrianna Deboer of Florida won the 50 breast 32.62, .12 off her best time from 2019. In 2nd place was Madeline Huggins of Florida (33.29) who claimed 2nd place in the 100 breast (1:12.29) and 200 breast (2:34.69).

This was a lifetime best 50 breast time for Huggins and she came within 1.3 seconds of both her best 100 breast and 200 breast times which are both from March.

Florida’s Tylor Mathieu dominated the breaststroke scene at this meet. She won the 100 and 200 breast with lifetime best times of 1:09.64 and 2:34.42, respectively. She took .14 off her previous best 100 breast time from May and .22 off her 200 breast time, also from May.

Mathieu also won the 800 free (8:43.32) and placed 2nd in the 400 free (4:16.81), taking 1.6 seconds off her best 800 free time from May and coming within 4 seconds of her fastest 400 free time from May.

Florida’s Isaac Davis won 50 breast as the only swimmer to crack 30.00 with a lifetime best time of 29.92. Davis also won the 50 fly (24.31) and placed 2nd in the 100 fly (54.19 from prelims) and the 50 free (23.48).

In the 50 free, Davis dueled his teammate and twin brother Will Davis and Will touched the wall first at 22.72, more than half a second ahead of Isaac whose prelims time of 23.27 was a lifetime best.

Will’s fastest 50 free time is a 22.08 from the U.S. Olympic Trials Wave II.

Will won the 100 fly (53.84) where Isaac took 2nd place (54.55), within a second of his best time from the 2018 Irish Open Championships. Will’s best time is 53.50 from 2019 Summer Nationals.

Kentucky commit Nick Caruso of Gator Swim Club won the 200 free (1:52.40), about one-third of a second off hif best time June. 

He posted lifetime best times in the 400 free (3:56.93) and in the 800 free (8:16.36) to snag 3rd and 4th place, respectively.

Florida State’s Mason Herbet  of Blue Dolfins won 100 breast (1:04.96), out touching 2nd-place finisher Grant Sanders of Gator Swim Club by about 1.3 seconds. Herbert was about a second off his best time from May

Herbert went on to win the 100 back (57.27), within a second of his best time from May.

Sumner Chmielewski of Sarasota Tsunami Swim Team and Alabama commit Stella Grace Watts of Area Tallahassee Aquatic Club went 1-2 in the 400 IM with times of 5:00.86 and 5:01.92. Chmielewski was about 5 seconds off her best time from 2019 while this was a best time for Watts by half a second.

This was Watts’ 3rd best time of the meet including 1500 free (17:04.81) which earned her 3rd place.

Tyler Watson and Brennan Gravley of Florida had a close race in the 400 IM where Watson touched the wall in 1st place (4:23.05), .24 ahead of GRavley. This was a huge best time for Gravley whose lifetime best going into this meet was 4:28.23 from 2020.

Watson’s best time going into this meet was 4:24.64 from May and he downed it in both prelims and finals. Watson took 1st in the 400 free (3:55.70) and 200 fly (2:03.02.) 

He was within .23 of his best 400 free time from the recent U.S. Olympic Trials Wave II, while his 200 fly took .7 of his best time from 2018.

Gravely triumphed in the 1500 free (15:19.58) and 800 free (8:02.98). Took about 2.5 seconds off his 800 free time from 2019 and he shave .01 off is 1500 free lifetime best from 2019.

Florida’s Trey Freeman won the 100 free (50.70), out touching Willie Davis by .10. This was a best time for Will by .17 from 2019 while Freeman was about .6 off his best time from 2017.

 Freeman won the 400 free prelims, crushing his lifetime best time from the U.S. Olympic Trials Wave II by 1.8 seconds with a time of 3:47.04. He scratched the 400 free final and snagged 2nd in the 200 back (2:04.66) behind Florida’s Advait Page  (2:03.43). 

Page took a full second off his lifetime from 2019. He came within 5 seconds of his fastest 800 free time from 2019 to snag 2nd place (8:05.37).

Florida’s Miguel Cancel dominated 200 breast with a time of 2:22.94, winning the race by nearly 5 seconds, the same margin he beat his best time by. He was followed by Austin Wheeler of Episcopal AmberJax (2:27.89) and 16-year-old Luca Oliva  of Blue Dolfins (2:27.95). 

These were best times for Wheeler by 1 second and for Oliva by 2 seconds.

Other Event Winners and Notable Swims:

• 15-year-old Ryan Turner of Highlander Aquatic Club had the biggest time drop in the men’s 1500, posting a 16:32.16 to take 34 seconds off his time from June to earn 8th place. This was his second time ever swimming the event.
• On the women’s side, 16-year-old Marin Rose of Blue Dolfins dropped 18 seconds from her best time from February to place 7th.
• Golden Panther Aquatics’ Stephanie Hussey won 200 IM (2:20.07), narrowly out touching second place finisher Allison Piccirillo of Florida by .18. Hussey dropped 2 seconds from her fastest 200 IM time from 2019 while Piccirillo dropped 2.5 seconds from May.
• Florida’s Kathleen Golding won the 400 free (4:16.81), coming within 4.5 seconds of her lifetime best from the 2019 summer Nationals.
• Florida’s Lain Shahboz won 200 back (2:17.24), half a second ahead of Club Seminole’s Madeleine McDonald. Shahboz was about 1.5 seconds off her best time from 2020 while McDonald beat her best time from 2019 by 1.3 seconds.
• McDonald went on to win 100 back (1:03.26), .34 ahead of Kentucky commit Jordan Agliano of Highlander Aquatic Club who finished 2nd (1:03.60). McDonald came within .23 of her lifetime best from the 2019 Canadian Swimming Trials while Agluano was about .3 off her best time from May.
• Florida’s Nikki Miller won 200 fly (2:14.65), though this was not a best time for Miller who posted a 2:13.10 in 2019. 3rd place finisher Lockett Bowley of Blue Dolfins touched the wall at 2:17.00. The Alabama commit came within 1.21 seconds of her best time from Apr