Durocher Out-Battles Reece Whitley for 200 Fly Title at NCAP Invite

12017 NCAP INVITATIONAL

• December 7-10th
• University of Maryland
• Short course yards
• Psych Sheet
• Results on Meet Mobile (2017 NCAP Invitational)

Luke Durocher of the home-team NCAP won 2 events, and National Junior Team member Reece Whitley showed off his versatility on the 3rd day of the 2017 NCAP Invitational.

Durocher’s first win of the day came in the 200 fly, where he put in a 1:46.18 for his first victory of the meet. Not far behind him was Whitley in 1:46.42 – his best time in the event by more than two seconds. Whitley has been known as a breaststroker for most of his career, but this season he’s shown monstrous improvements in the IM and especially butterfly events. In the last 3 months alone, he’s gone best times in the 200 IM (1:43.55), 400 IM (3:44.71), 100 fly (48.23), 200 fly, 200 free (1:38.20), and has generally multiplied his value for Cal next season.

All of that comes while not losing a step in his breaststroke: he swam best times of 51.81 and 1:51.43 in the 100 and 200 yard breaststrokes at last weekend’s US Winter Nationals as well.

Durocher’s 2nd win of the day came in the 100 back, where he swam 49.27.

NCAP swimmer, U.S. National Teamer, and Cal commit Cassidy Bayer picked up her first win of the 2017 NCAP Invitational with a 1:56.08. That’s her best time in over 18 months. Bayer opened in a 54.43, and then split 1:01.65 on the back-half: a bit of a fade by her standards, implying that this probably isn’t a taper meet for her.

The other double-event winner of the day in the open-age division was Morgan Scott from the Central Bucks Swim Team. She won the girls’ 50 free in 22.72 – she was the only swimmer under 23 seconds in that race. She came back later in the day to win the 100 backstroke (54.21) by a much narrower margin – .04 seconds. Katie Mack of NCAP took 2nd in both races.

Other Open Event Winners:

• NCAP’s Brandon Hamblin won the boys’ 50 free in 20.24, which was just barely slower than his prelims swim of 20.21. He swam a lifetime best of 20.18 at Winter Nationals last weekend.
• 15-year old Anna Keating of Machine Aquatics won the girls’ 200 breaststroke by more than 3 seconds – finishing in 2:12.67.
• Keating’s Machine Aquatics teammate Casey Storch won the boys’ 200 breaststroke by almost as much in 1:57.64. Asphalt Green’s Dylan Rhee took 2nd in 2:00.48.
• Chase Travis, another 15-year old, won the girls’ 500 free in 4:44.34. She and eventual runner-up Sinead Eksteen (4:45.30) were neck-and-neck going into the last 100, but a closing 56.38 split for Travis pulled her away for the win.

Team Scores After Day 3:

Boys

1. NCAP – 1617
2. Long Island Aquatic Club – 830
3. Machine Aquatics – 533
4. Asphalt Green – 292
5. Suburban Seahawks – 283

Girls

1. NCAP – 1498.5
2. Long Island Aquatic Club  717.5
3. NOVA of Virginia Aquatics – 521
4. Suburban Seahawks – 435
5. Machine Aquatics – 332