2022 Winter Junior Championships – East
- December 7-10, 2022
- Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, North Carolina
- Short Course Yards (25 yards), Prelims/Finals
- Prelims @9:00AM ET, Finals at 5:00 PM ET (except for day 1 timed finals)
- Psych Sheets
After this weekend’s U.S. Open concludes at the Greensboro Aquatics Center, the pool will be spun from a 50-meter course to a 25-yard course and welcome in some of the country’s top junior swimmers for the 2022 Winter Junior Championships – East.
The meet is one of two Winter Junior Championships, with the other being held in Austin, Texas.
The meet will be highlighted by some of the top junior swimmers from this week’s open-age meet, including Olympian and World Junior Record holder Summer McIntosh. The Canadian-born swimmer who moved to train full-time with the Sarasota Sharks earlier this year.
On Friday night at the US Open, she swam a 4:28.61 in the 400 meter IM. That breaks the Commonwealth, Americas, and World Junior Record in the event. She also battled to a 2nd-place finish in the 400 free against Katie Ledecky.
At Winter Juniors, her schedule includes the 200 free, 500 free, 100 fly, 200 fly, and 200 back. McIntosh doesn’t have any yards experience, so she’s entered with her best long course times – that means she’ll swim in early heats in prelims.
She is one of several Sarasota girls who will be top seeds on Sunday, showing maybe why that training group appealed to McIntosh. Michaela Mattes is the top seed in the girls’ 500 free, and Addison Sauickie is the top seed in the girls’ 200 free.
The list of swimmers staying over also includes new National Age Group Record-breaker Daniel Diehl. He broke the 17-18 National Age Group Record in the 100-meter backstroke in 53.07 on Friday; he’s the 4th seed in the yards version of the event at Winter Juniors.
Diehl’s best time is 46.84, and he’ll face off against a group of five swimmers who have already been under 47 seconds in the event: Scotty Buff (45.89), Will Modglin (45.90), Jonny Marshall (46.74), and Hudson Williams (46.88).
All five of those swimmers are in the 17-18 age group, where they chase Ryan Murphy’s record of 44.63. That event is one of three where Buff, a high school senior headed to Florida in the fall, is the top seed: he’s also #1 in the 50 free (19.56) and 100 fly (45.40).
Diehl is also the top seed in the 200 back (1:41.92) against many of the same swimmers, #9 seed in the 200 IM, #1 seed in the 200 free, and #7 seed in the 100 free. The top seed in that 100 free is another star of the meet: Kaii Winkler from Eagle Aquatics in Miami. He is the top seed in the 100 free in 42.52 and the #2 seed in the 200 free, behind Diehl, in 1:34.18.
At the Florida High School State Championships in November, Winkler broke the 15-16 National Age Group Record in the 100 free. Now he will be chasing both that mark, and Drew Kibler’s 200 free record of 1:33.30.
Eagle Aquatics has the top seeds for both 100 frees: Erika Pelaez, a recent NC State commit, leads the field in the girls’ 100 free in 48.80.
Another high profile male entrant is National Age Group Record breaker Thomas Heilman. The Junior Pan Pacs and Summer Junior National Champion in the 100 fly this year, he didn’t race at the US Open this week. He will, however, be in this meet.
Heilman has several National Age Group Records to his name, including long course 15-16 records, but doesn’t have any short course 15-16 records. He is entered in the 100 fly (45.81), 200 fly (1:42.77), 100 breast (56.83), and 200 IM (1:46.61). Still only 15, Heilman is closest to records in the 100 fly (Urlando, 45.62) and 200 fly (Urlando, 1:40.91).
Top Seeds By Event:
- W. 500 free: Michaela Mattes, Sarasota Sharks, 4:40.12
- M. 500 free: Andrew Taylor, Tampa Bay Aquatic Club, 4:19.17
- W. 200 IM: Katie Christopherson, Swim Atlanta, 1:56.72
- M. 200 IM: Will Modglin, Zionsville Swim Club, 1:44.10
- W. 50 free: Lily Christianson, Irish Aquatics & Charlotte Crush, Lakeside Swim Club, 22.14
- M. 50 free: Scotty Buff, Greater Toledo Aquatic Club, 19.56
- W. 400 IM: Lilla Bognar, Team Greenville, 4:05.50
- M. 400 IM: Will Scholtz, Lakeside Swim Team (KY), 3:48.75
- W. 100 fly: Kiley Wilhelm, Lifetime North Carolina, 51.07
- M. 100 fly: Scotty Buff, Greater Toledo Aquatic Club, 45.40
- W. 200 free: Addison Sauickie, Sarasota Sharks, 1:45.38
- M. 200 free: Daniel Diehl, Cumberland YMCA, 1:33.68
- W. 100 breast: Grace Rainey, SwimMAC North Carolina, 1:00.14
- M. 100 breast: Will Heck, Bolles School Sharks, 52.38
- W. 100 back: Berit Berglund, Carmel Swim Club, 51.32
- M. 100 back: Scotty Buff, Greater Toledo Aquatic Club, 45.89
- W. 1650 free: Maddie Waggoner, Jersey Wahoos, 16:06.48
- M. 1650 free: Bobby DiNunzio, TIDE Swimming, 15:06.71
- W. 200 back: Jo Jo Ramey, Fishers Area Swimming Tigers, 1:52.42
- M. 200 back: Daniel Diehl, Cumberland YMCA, 1:41.92
- W. 100 free: Erika Pelaez, Eagle Aquatics, 48.08
- M. 100 free: Kaii Winkler Eagle Aquatics, 42.52
- W. 200 breast: Grace Rainey, SwimMAC Carolina, 2:10.13
- M. 200 breast: Will Heck, Bolles School Sharks, 1:56.01
- W. 200 fly: Alex Shackell, Carmel Swim Club, 1:54.26
- M. 200 fly: Thomas Heilman, Cavalier Aquatics, 1:42.77
McIntosh will be around 4:28 in the 500 if I had to guess making her the 3rd ever under 4:30?
Clearly dating myself, but is there no cap anymore on how fast someone can be to still swim at Juniors? Didn’t it used to be if you had a Seniors cut you couldn’t swim that event at Juniors even if you were still young enough?
I don’t know if that’s ever been true, but it definitely isn’t now.
Unlike Futures, which has always had a stated purpose of being a stepping stone meet, Juniors is a championship meet to determine the country’s fastest juniors. I see no good reason to cap Juniors – becuse then the Junior National Champion is just the fastest junior without a senior cut, or which swimmers timed their training cycle right to not get their seniors cuts until juniors. To me, that’s not that fun and devalues the event as a “championship.”
(That, and Senior Nationals meets have gotten really big. Most of the A and B finalists at Juniors will have seniors cuts. If you eliminate all swimmer with… Read more »
I seem to remember this as well in the late 90s. I mase trials cuts in the 1000/1650 in January but didn’t go to seniors or trials. But then that summer i was told I couldn’t swim the 800 or 1500 at juniors bc I had already made those cuts previously. But who knows if that was an official thing or something my coach made up.
I’m glad someone else at least remembers being told this. Braden, I totally get your point, and that may be why they changed it/removed the cap. But I think it used to be emphasized that they wanted everyone swimming at the highest level they qualified for, and they’d rather have those teenagers racing the top level of senior competition, rather than dominating the Junior Nationals. I think it was thought of more as a Senior Nationals (top level/primary meet) and Junior Nationals (secondary meet), as opposed to more age group defined. I clearly don’t have any proof on this, but pretty confidently remember that from the 90s as well.
She’s gotta be able to take a shot at the 4im or 500 record at some point
This should be very interesting! Looking forward to seeing what she will do especially in the 400 IM
But she’s not swimming the 4IM?
Also I have no idea where Heilman is at in training but I’m going to take a fun guess what he goes in his events at the meet.
1 fly: 45.2
2 fly: 1:41.1
1 breast: 54.0
2 IM: 1:42.9
Again not sure whether he’s going to go faster or slower than these times I’m just guessing what he might go in these events but will see when it happens. Love to see what others think though.
Also it isn’t mentioned here but Lydia Jacoby will be at the other winter Jrs meet.
Edit never mind there was an article just posted for Lydia.
Good plan for her. I’m a firm believer in racing a lot while you’re young and recovery comes quickly. Lessons learned in these kinds of meets can carry over well to bigger senior level competitions.
Winkler is misspelled in the list and I think you have the wrong time for Bobby DiNunzio in the 1650.