UVA Commit Anna Keating Swims 59.6 Breaststroke at HS Conference Meet

2019 Concorde Conference Championships

• January 25th-26th, 2019
• SCY (25y)
• Oakton, Virginia
• Women’s Results
• Men’s Results
• Team Results

James Madison high school junior Anna Keating swam a new lifetime best this weekend at the Virginia High School League Concorde Conference Championships to kick off Virginia high school championship season. The 16-year old posted a 59.65 to win the 100 yard breaststroke, which took nearly a full second from her previous lifetime best of 1:00.5, done at last year’s NCSA Spring Nationals.

Keating, a Virginia commit, is still only 16 (and will be through the end of the long course season). That jumps her up to 8th-place all-time in the 15-16 age group in the 100 yard breaststroke: one spot (and .02 seconds) ahead of Lilly King, who is now the fastest-ever 100 yard breaststroker.

She ranks 3rd among all high school-aged swimmers overall this season, and the swim is the fastest done at an actual high school meet so far.

The Virginia Cavaliers, to whom Keating is committed, don’t have any women under 1:00 in the 100 breaststroke this season. Their best is a freshman, Kaki Christensen, who has been 1:00.00 exactly, and will be a junior by the time Keating arrives. So too will UVA’s #2 in the event, Alexis Wenger, who also went a season-best time in the 100 breast this weekend.

Keating also won the 200 IM in 2:00.15, which is another big personal best for her. She swam a 2:01.72 at this meet last year, her previous mark.

Keating helped lead James Madison to the conference championship, finishing just 17 points ahead of Oakton.

Final Team Scores

Girls:

1. James Madison – 475
2. Oakton – 458
3. Chatilly – 368
4. Centreville – 313
5. Westfield – 270

Boys:

1. Oakton – 575
2. James Madison – 495
3. Centreville – 353
4. Chatilly – 299
5. Westfield – 164

Other Highlights from the Meet:

• Besides Keating, there was one other double winner on the girls’ side: Centreville senior Lexi Cuomo (who is also a UVA commit). She swam 50.29 to top the girls’ 100 free and 55.57 to top the girls’ 100 backstroke. She also had a 23.12 butterfly split on the 200 medley relay. We can’t confirm that she actually split 23.1, but it seems plausible, given that everyone else on the relay had a split in line with their times in individual races.
• On the boys’ side, Oakton had the only two double winners: Daniel Gyenis and Anthony Grimm. Gyenis, yet another Virginia commit, won the 200 free in 1:39.14 and the 500 free in 4:32.47. While neither of those were best times, his 21.50 on a 200 free relay leadoff was.
• Grimm, a sophomore, won the boys’ 50 free in 20.22 and the 100 back in 47.08. He also split 19.78 on a 200 free relay anchor and 21.34 on a 200 medley relay leadoff. Among those swims, only the medley leadoff was a new best time for him.