2022 Piranhas Senior Invitational
- March 2-6, 2022
- Plantation, Florida
- LCM
- Full results
Several of Florida’s top club teams converged on Plantation, Florida this weekend for the Piranhas Senior Invitational, and the meet provided several long course highlights ahead of next month’s Phillips 66 International Team Trials.
Eagle Aquatics’ Kaii Winkler put up the biggest fireworks of the weekend, including setting new lifetime bests in the 50, 100 and 200 free. Winkler took home event titles in the 50, with a 23.50, and the 200 with a 1:52.06. His 50 free ties him for 78th all time in the 15-16 boys, while his 200 ranks 73rd all time.
The biggest highlight came in the 100, however, where Winkler dropped over a full second from his lifetime best to touch in 50.24.
The swim makes Winkler the fastest American 15 year old ever, and also put him in a tie for tenth in the all time 15-16 rankings. He is now tied with the legendary Joe Hudephol, who previously held the 15-16 NAG in this event for over 20 years and made both the 1992, while in high school and competing for the Cincinnati Marlins, and 1996 American Olympic teams.
All Time Top 15-16 Boys 100 LCM Free
-
- Caeleb Dressel: 49.28
- Destin Lasco: 49.40
- Jack Alexy: 49.67
- Adam Chaney: 49.95
- Luca Urlando: 49.97
- Danny Krueger: 50.01
- Drew Kibler: 50.13
- Tie- Michael Andrew/Carson Foster: 50.21
- ——–
- Tie- Joe Hudepohl/Kaii Winkler: 50.24
Race video:
Winkler was far from the only impressive high schooler in Plantation. 16 year old Gracie Weyant, representing the Sarasota Sharks, won the 400 IM in a new lifetime best of 4:50.59. Weyant, whose older sister Emma won the silver medal in Tokyo in the 400 IM, is now the 5th fastest in the nation for 16 year old girls this year.
Her teammate, high school junior Michaela Mattes, swam a new lifetime best of 8:41.33 in the 800 free to win handily. That time makes Mattes, Swimswam’s 6th ranked recruit for the class of 2023 and a Florida commit, the second fastest 17-18 girl in the country this year.
Other highlights:
- Bolles’ School Sharks senior Martin Espernberger, an Austrian native and Tennessee commit, won the 200 fly in a new lifetime best of 2:00.72. He also cracked a new lifetime best in the 100 fly, winning in 54.34.
- Erika Pelaez, another 15 year old sprinter from Eagle Aquatics, won the 100 free in 56.03 and the 50 free in 26.05. Both swims were just off of her lifetime bests of 55.51 and 25.42, respectively.
- Flood’s Josh Zuchowski, a Stanford commit, carried a fairly light schedule for the weekend. Zuchowski finished 2nd in the 200 back in 2:03.45, three seconds off of his lifetime best of 2:00.22. He did win the 50 back in 27.32.
Who coaches this kid? Breathing off the wall and pretty much every stroke after that? Much room to improve.
Oxygen is underrated
Southam swam a 49.65 at the same age. I doubt they’ll be challenging Dressel or Chalmers (or Popovici or Kolesnikov etc) in Paris, but LA could be Southam v Winkler.
In 2019, Baku, Popovici beat out everyone in the men’s 100m freestyle, posting a lifetime best of 49.82 as a 14-year-old.
In 2020, as a 16 year old, dude fired off a lifetime best mark of 49.26 in the men’s 100 free. Which, by the way, is better than any American swimmer of the same age in history, Dressel included.
You don’t want to look too far ahead and of course a million things will happen in the coming years – some guys fall off, late-blooming talent comes on – but it’s interesting to see three really great young swimmers, almost the same age, ramping up in similar events. i.e. Williamson, Heilman and Winkler.
… 4×100 relay in Los Angeles 2028 (they’ll all be age 21-22)
Don’t forget Daniel Diehl!
All scams, Marchand, McIntosh, Sates, Southam, Seelinger, Morozov and Whittle are the real deal
Morozov? Mans in in his late 20s
This happened to me when my son broke in First National record at 10! “Don’t
be to excited about this because if they start young it never continues “! Don’t ever
believe this or let your child hear it, it puts a negative out there!
I was at the meet and he’s like 6 foot 5. Looks nothing like the photo. I don’t even think that it him
yes Kaii was 10 on that photo, the portrait was taken for a book that featured children with different nationality in both parents. He does look a bit different today at almost 16.👍
Has a decision been made on whether he would compete for the US internationally?
Impressive swim. Hamann, glad to see you’re doing what you love!
Dude looks 12, which means when he looks 20 he’ll probably be like 45.5….wow people are fast now. Would’ve beat Spitz in 1972. Bright future, hopefully in Gainesville
Many female medalists from Tokyo are faster than the male medalists from the 1972 Olympics. For instance, it only took 4:00.27 to win gold in the men’s 400m free back then. Tatjana Schoenmaker’s 200 breast time is 2.5 seconds faster than the men’s 1972 gold medal winning time (2:21.55).
Every single female gold medallist in 2020 was faster than every single male gold medallist in 1968, including relays. For 1972, the women beat the men in 400 free, 1500 free and 200 breast (100 breast Jacoby was 0.01 slower but Schoenmaker’s Olympic record in the heat was faster).
MA on the list? Didn‘t expect that tbh
He used to hold the 13-14 NAG at 51.3
Here is the race video
https://youtu.be/C68z46mVAc0
Take good care of that boy!