The girls’ prelims of the 2014 Virginia 6A North Region Swim and Dive Championships ran on Thursday at the Oak Marr Recreation Center in Oakton, Virginia, and once again, for the last time, Janet Hu stole the show for the home team Oakton High School.
Hu swam a 22.11 in the 50 free to cruise to the top time and destroy the region record of 23.13. Hu has been under 22 seconds (at Winter Nationals in December), and is in fact the fastest ever high school swimmer in the 50 yard free (21.82), but she is not the fastest in high school competition. That honor belongs to former Illinois high school swimmer Olivia Smoliga, now a freshman at Georgia, who was a 21.99 in the 2012-2013 season. National High School Records can only be set in high school competitions.
Hu’s other results from the meet include a 53.75 in the 100 yard backstroke, a 24.67 backstroke lead-off on the medley, and a 49.18 anchor on the 400 free relay, which gives her four top seeds for the powerhouse Oakton team (Megan Byrnes is also on that team).
Other notable names from the girls’ prelims includes Isabella Rongione, a freshman at Langley High School, who is the top seed in both the 200 (1:48.97) and 500 (4:48.98) yard freestyles. Byrnes is three seconds back in that 500 as the 2nd seed.
From this meet, swimmers will move on to the state championship in two weeks by a system of qualifying-by-time.
Full results for this meet are on Meet Mobile under “6A North Region Swim and Dive Championship”. The boys’ prelims are on Friday, with a combined finals session on Saturday.
I have a 50 free record of 21.82 for Janet Hu.
I remember an interview of her at the last US short course nationals and she said she wanted to break the 50 free and the 100 fly high school records this season.
It should be done. She has records of 21.82 and 51.76 in both events. The records to beat are 21.99 and 51.92.
And Isabella Rongione has swum 4.44.06 last week in the 500 free. A new best time for her.