Cal Commit Ayla Spitz Wins a Pair at Yucaipa Sectionals

2018 Yucaipa Sectionals

• December 14th-17th, 2018
• Yucaipa, California
• SCY (25y) pool
• Results

After Junior Nationals, but before the holiday break, the annual California-Nevada short course Sectional Championships was hosted in Yucaipa, California.

Among the high scorers was 18-year old Niklas Weigelt of the Terrapins Swim Team, who swept the boys’ 50-100-200 freestyle races, all in new lifetime bests. His new top marks in the 100, 200, and 500 freestyle would all rank him #1 among UMBC swimmers so far this season.

Weigelt’s drops, 2018 Yucaipa Sectionals

On the girls’ side of the meet, Cal commit and the 20th-ranked recruit in the class of 2019 Ayla Spitz took a pair of victories in her only two events, winning the 100 back in 54.41 and the 100 fly in 53.85. She swam a 53.8 in prelims of the 100 back which is jut 4-tenths away from her best in that event; she didn’t swim the 100 free, 200 free, 200 back or 200 IM: arguably her four best events.

Other Noteworthy Swims:

• 16-year old Liberty Williams of Riverside won the 200 free in a new lifetime best of 1:50.51. She then took the 500 free title as well in 4:49.70, which wasn’t quite her fastest time (4:47.8).
• 16-year old Kaikea Crews had a breakthrough meet, especially in the freestyles. He dropped time in 5 of the 7 individual events that he swam, including a second-and-a-half in the 100 free (45.61) before scratching finals; 3.2 seconds in the 200 free (1:39.64), and almost a second in the 100 fly.
• Andrew Rodriguez of the Terrapins Swim Team won the boys’ 200 back by more than 5 seconds in 1:48.32. That shaved 4-tenths from his seed time and pushed him into the top 100 junior backstrokers in the US this season.
• Zachary van Zandt of Ccat Swimming swept the butterfly races, winning the 100 in 48.90 and the 200 in 1:48.42. Those were both lifetime bests for him, with the 200 being a 4.3-second drop. It just-missed the 2019 Junior Nationals cut, however.
• Daniel Syrkin won the 200 IM in 1:52.47, which was more than a 3-second drop from his prior lifetime best.
• 14-year old Ronald Dalmacio, a National Age Group Record holder, swam 4 events. He placed 3rd in the 50 free (21.25), dropped a 1:41.80 in prelims of the 200 free, swam 4:52 in the 500 free, and took 2nd in the 200 IM in 1:52.82. That 200 IM was a full-second drop from his previous lifetime best.

Team Scores

Boys Top 5

1. La Mirada Armada – 1,078
2. North Coast Aquatics – 609.5
3. Terrapins Swim Team – 574
4. Mesa Aquatics – 393.5
5. Temecula Swim Club – 377

Girls

1. North Coast Aquatics – 1,020.5
2. La Mirada Armada – 718
3. Irvine Novaquatics – 687.5
4. Terrapins Swim Team – 401.5
5. The Olympic Club – 359.5

Combined

1. La Mirada Armada – 1,796
2. North Coast Aquatics – 1,630
3. Irvine Novaquatics – 1,053.5
4. Terrapins Swim Team – 975.5
5. Rose Bowl Aquatics – 638