Speedo Sectionals Day 3
By Contributor Brenten Gilbert
This is the 3rd post of the 4-part series from Brenten Gilbert, a contributor to Reach for the Wall, In case you missed it, here’s the link to Day 1: Speedo Sectionals Day 1 and Speedo Sectionals Day 2
Speedo Sectionals are designed to be the gateway to National Championship meets. The qualifying times for these meets are typically more challenging than the LSC championships, but it is the first tier of the USA Swimming Championship Series (hence the single star in the logo).
Sectionals are typically organized by the USA Swimming Zones, but in efforts to keep entry numbers manageable, the Eastern Zone has broken up into Regions and Region 2 is hosted by Virginia Swimming at the Christiansburg Aquatics Center, home to the Virginia Tech programs.
With representative swimmers from over 50 clubs competing, this very well may be the launching pad to future successes for some of these swimmers.
SATURDAY
Saturday in Christiansburg brought a chill to the air and snowflakes in the sky. Coming in from the cold, the swimmers contested the 200 Butterfly, 50 Free, 200 Breaststroke, 100 Back, and 500 Free. Teams will also swim the 200 Medley Relay and 400 Freestyle Relay. Time to see who has ice in their veins and can swim fast enough to leave their competition with shivers.
Girls 200y Medley Relay
TIMED FINALS
There were four heats for this relay, two in the morning and two in the evening. The first heat was won by Penelope Celtnieks, Theresa Lankford, Brooke Shinnick, and Claire Chason who posted a 1:52.90 for Loyola Blakefield and the time to beat. Heat two went to Arlington Aquatics, as their B team, consisting of Scarlett Gray, Brooke Bailey, Ashley Deabler, and Lauren Fatouros dipped below 1:50 to raise the stakes for the evening relay teams. The standard was now 1:48.99.
Five teams would rise to the challenge in heat three and undercut that time, but Lancaster Aquatics stood in a class of their own as Kayla Parry, Camryn Schwartz, Ashley Mellinger, and Ava Knopsnyder powered them to a winning time of 1:46.32. That would ultimately be good enough for fifth overall, but the fireworks had just begun.
The final heat was one for the ages as Jade Castro blasted off a 25.71 backstroke leg to give the Nittany Lions an early advantage and forcing the field to chase her teammates Madison Watschke, Molly Workman, and Camryn Blair. Fox Chapel, NCAP, and Occoquan slowly reeled in the Lions and Fox Chapel’s relay of Talia Bugel, Alexis Schrecongost, Sophie Shao, and Isabel Huang actually took the lead during Breaststroke. However, Annaleagh Stahl, Emma Hannam, and Sophia Heilen of Occoquan had kept it close enough for teammate Jamie Cornwell to bring it home with the afterburners, splitting a heat-leading 22.84 to get to the wall first – a mere 0.01 second ahead of Blair. NCAP’s team of Gwyneth Frick, Victoria Santino, Madisyn Carter, and Lexi Sawwa would settle for fourth place behind Fox Chapel.
PODIUM:
- Occoquan Swimming – 1:45.25
- Nittany Lion Aquatics – 1:45.26
- Fox Chapel – 1:45.41
Boys 200y Medley Relay
TIMED FINALS
The Three Rivers team of Joseph Roth, Alexander Roth, Samuel Kline, and Ryan Turner, set themselves apart from the field, winning the opening heat by a two-second margin in a time of 1:40.15. Heat two failed to beat that time, but Great Mills Aquatics outlasted the relay teams from YMCA Hagerstown and Lancaster Aquatics to touch first in 1:41.30.
The Annapolis Swim Club threw down a speedy 1:34.69 in heat three to run away from the pack and make the top time substantially more difficult to beat. Joe Hayburn led off with an unmatched 22.88 backstroke leg, followed by Dominic Kazzi (26.68), Niccolo Gurri (23.46), and Antonio Gurri (21.67). That 1:34 held strong in the following heat as the H2okie squad came closest to eclipsing the mark, but still turned a 1:35.29, falling six-tenths short.
The final heat brought a barnburner to the pool as the relays from Arlington Aquatics and Occoquan Swimming went toe to toe in lanes one and three. Collin McKenzie gave AAC a slight advantage at the start with a 22.98 backstroke leg to outpace Owen Hoban’s 23.14. Michael Zhang (AAC) and Dawson Truong (OCCS) went stroke for stroke in the breaststroke leg before Occoquan’s Josh Hochard blasted a 22.03 butterfly split to take the lead. Malcolm McKenzie kept AAC in range, however, as the teams headed into freestyle where Ben Huffman put forth a valiant effort to close with a 20.89. Unfortunately for OCCS, Matvei Namakonov swam a lights-out 20.03 to find the wall first.
Loyola Blakefield finished third in the heat and overall, pushing the Annapolis relay off the podium and NCAP’s A relay team of Ryan Strotheide, Vincent Nguyen, Noah Robinson, and Brayden Wence claimed fifth place overall.
PODIUM:
- Arlington Aquatics – 1:30.93
- Occoquan Swimming – 1:31.00
- Loyola Blakefield – 1:33.34
Girls 200y Fly
PRELIMS
Veronika Owen of Herndon Aquatics found her way to the C final with a swim of 2:11.43 from the first heat of the day. That time would put her in a tie with Alexia Wright for 21st place. She joined Sophie Elliott and Elena Baird from RMSC who both dropped down from B seed times to land in the C final. Also dipping down to the C final was Olivia Waugh of Machine Aquatics, originally seeded 9th. Machine’s Miranda Schuman and NCAP’s Madisyn Carter who both turned their C seeds into places in the C final, which now featured six swimmers from the DMV.
B-seeded swimmers Emma Dorsey and Anna Li – both from RMSC – qualified for the B finals by swimming times of 2:09.34 and 2:10.43, respectively. Joining them would be NCAP’s Alden Zerkle, who was originally seeded sixth. Moving up into the A finals from the 19th seed was Occoquan’s Tess Peny, whose time of 2:08.65 was good enough for the eighth seed. Penny will be competing against her teammate Sophia Heilen, as well as Madeleine Simmons (ASA) and Jane Macik (NCAP)
A FINALISTS:
- Kayla Parry – 2:04.31
- Sophia Heilen – 2:04.45
- Sophie Shao – 2:05.25
- Ashley Mellinger – 2:07.40
- Jane Macik – 2:07.46
- Mary Feliz – 2:07.70
- Madeleine Simmons – 2:07.89
- Tess Peny – 2:08.65
FINALS
Elena Baird of RMSC took first place in the C final with a time of 2:08.73, followed by Schuman and Waugh who touched second and third in the heat with a pair of 2:09s. Madisyn Carter’s 2:10.44 was good enough to place fifth in the heat while Elliott and Owen both posted 2:13s to round out the heat.
The B final went to Ava Knopsnyder, who touched out in 2:07.68. Emma Dorsey stopped the clock with a best time of 2:07.72 for second in the heat. Zerkle took third for the heat, while Anna Li finished fifth with a 2:09.90.
Sophia Heilen managed to out-touch Sophie Shao as the two went 2:02.13 and 2:02.47 to take first and second place in the event. Tess Peny posted a personal best time of 2:07.33 to take sixth place, followed by Madeleine Simmons and Jane Macik, who both finished with 2:08s to complete the heat.
PODIUM:
- Sophia Heilen – 2:02.13
- Sophie Shao – 2:02.47
- Kayla Parry – 2:04.72
Boys 200y Fly
PRELIMS
Heat five of the prelims produced two finalists as NCAP’s Noah Robinson dropped just over three seconds to land in the A finals with a best time of 1:54.82 and Occoquan’s John Verosko dropped over two seconds to a 1:56.94 and a spot in the B finals.
The C final featured NCAP’s Jackson Tishler and Chris Shankle, who both were previously B seeds, as well as Evan Ingraham, also representing NCAP. In the B final, John Verosko would be pitted against teammates Aiden Grendysz and Boden Pearson, as well as a pair of RMSC swimmers: Liam Rooney and Lucas Quiroga. Aydin Erkan of RMSC improved his A seed to a 1:54.82, which would be good enough to join Robinson in the A final.
A FINALISTS:
- Cameron Shinnick – 1:52.59
- Ethan Shonk – 1:53.59
- Radomyr Couture – 1:53.60
- William Retsch – 1:53.67
- Aydin Erkan – 1:54.31
- Noah Robinson – 1:54.82
- Niccolo Gurri – 1:55.53
- Matthew Purcell – 1:55.70
FINALS
Jackson Tishler took first in the C final with a personal best time of 1:55.42. Robot Walters (AAC) and Michael Kaiser (RMSC) both bumped into the C final after scratches and took advantage of the opportunity to take third and fourth in the heat, swimming 1:57s. Shankle took sixth in the heat with a 1:58.
Fourteen year old Aiden Grendysz won the B final, posting a personal best 1:55.42, followed closely by Rooney. Lucas Quiroga and John Verosko both clocked in with 1:56s to improve their best times, while Boden Pearson landed in sixth place for the heat with a 1:58.
PVS was held off the podium as Cameron Shinnick won the event with a 1:51.42, followed by Couture’s 1:52 and Retsch’s 1:53. Aydin Erkan hit the wall three tenths behind Retsch, but it was enough of a gap to push him down to sixth place. Robinson finished eighth overall.
PODIUM:
- Cameron Shinnick – 1:51.42
- Radomyr Couture – 1:52.22
- William Retsch – 1:53.31
Girls 50y Free
PRELIMS
Not too many surprises in the early heats of the 50 Free, but Leena Knepper of York managed to move into the C finals despite being seeded 40th coming into the event. Also moving up was 13-year old Charis Roundtree (CSC). Anna Li will also represent RMSC in the same heat. Occoquan’s Alyssa Martel is the sole PVS swimmer in the B final and her teammates Jamie Cornwell and Emily Haugen both held their spots in the A final.
A FINALISTS:
- Lily King – 22.83
- Jamie Cornwell – 23.59
- Katelyn Jackovic – 23.64
- Sophia Routzahn – 23.94
- Kaitlyn Connors – 24.00
- Madeline Chen – 24.05
- Andrea Leng – 24.11
- Emily Haugen – 24.12
FINALS
Hanna Kingensmith took first place in the C final with a 24.30, a mere 0.06 ahead of Roundtree who posted her lifetime best for second place in the heat. Anna Li’s 24.44 was good enough to tie for third place in the heat along with Ava Knopsnyder. Knepper hit the wall seventh for the heat.
Molly Workman broke 24 seconds for the first time as she laid claim to the B final, while Martel’s 24.46 was good enough to secure her 13th place.
In the A final, Lily King was unbeatable with a lifetime best 22.68. Cornwell took second place in 23.26, while teammate Emily Haugen lowered her personal best to finish eighth overall.
PODIUM:
- Lily King – 22.68
- Jamie Cornwell – 23.26
- Katelyn Jackovic – 23.54
Boys 50y Free
PRELIMS
It took a 21.92 to make it back for finals and, fortunately for 41st seed Dawson Truong of Occoquan Swimming, he swam a PB 21.90 to earn a return trip. Troung will join Michael Williams (NCAP) in the C finals. Machine’s Daevin Oey and NCAP’s Brayden Wence both swam 21.64 to land in the B finals, tied for 14th, where Occoquan’s Benny Firtag was waiting after posting a lifetime best, 21.51.
PVS also put five swimmers into the A final, bookended by AAC’s Malcolm McKenzie’s 21.50 for 8th place and Matvei Namakonov’s 20.61 for 1st. Namakonov was the only swimmer under 21 seconds in the prelims. Occoquan Swimming will be represented by Joshua Hochard and Ben Huffman, while Shark Tank’s Christopher Stankiewicz qualified fourth.
A FINALISTS:
- Matvei Namakonov – 20.60
- Joshua Hochard – 21.02
- Daniel Simoes – 21.08
- Christopher Stankiewicz – 21.13
- Joseph Roth – 21.37
- Haihan Xu – 21.42
- Ben Huffman – 21.43
- Malcolm McKenzie – 21.50
FINALS
Dawson Troung dropped a new personal best time of 21.52 to win the C final while Jayon Ross finished third in the heat exactly one tenth behind that pace. Oey, swimming unattached, won the B final with a 21.12. Brayden Wence finished twelfth overall.
The top four finishers dipped under 21 seconds tonight and all four posted their best times of all time. Namakonov won the event with a 20.31, while Daniel Simoes and Christopher Stankiewicz swam to a second place tie knotted at 20.72. Joshua Hochard’s 20.82 shaved a sliver off of his personal best and teammate Huffman’s 21.09 was a new best for him as well. Malcolm McKenzie’s best time of 21.34 was good enough for seventh and Firtag, who scratched into the A final, claimed eighth with a 21.56.
PODIUM:
- Matvei Namakonov – 20.31
- (TIE) Daniel Simoes / Christopher Stankiewicz – 20.72
Girls 200y Breaststroke
PRELIMS
The prelim heats were unkind to the A seeds in the 200 Breaststroke. RMSC’s Joyce Wu, seeded second, fell to 15th and Melia Truong fell from 7th to 25th, while her Occoquan teammate Sophia Heilen scratched the event. On the flip side, however, NCAP’s Katherine Crown moved up from the 44th spot to claim a spot in the C final as did Machine’s Megan Cleaver from 33. Maria Grishaeva (NCAP) and Brooke Bailey (AAC) would join Wu in the B final and Lauren Fatouros qualified 22nd for the C final.
A FINALISTS:
- Sarah Shaffer – 2:22.15
- Sophia Routzahn – 2:22.55
- Eliza Miller – 2:23.92
- Naomi Furman – 2:24.01
- Madison Watschke – 2:24.14
- Peri Gaguzis – 2:24.24
- Anna LIttle – 2:24.51
- Kayla Parry – 2:24.59
FINALS
Lydia Couric swam a 2:26.75 on her way to winning the C final. Couric just out-touched a trio of PVS swimmers as Melia Truong (Occoquan), Megan Cleaver (Machine), and Lauren Fatourus (AAC) all finished less than a quarter second behind her. Katherine Crown finished eighth.
The B final went to Isabella Van Ess, who swam a personal best 2:21.48 that would have been good enough for third overall. Joyce Wu took fourth in the heat with a 2:25.48. Grishaeva and Bailey finished seventh and eighth in the heat.
Devoid of DMV swimmers, the A final went to Sarah Shaffer with a 2:19.88. Peri Gaguzis and Sophia Routzahn went stroke-for-stroke to finish second and third.
PODIUM:
- Sarah Shaffer – 2:19.88
- Peri Gaguzis – 2:21.42
- Sophia Routzahn – 2:21.49
Boys 200y Breaststroke
PRELIMS
Andrew Wong of RMSC found his way to the C final from heat four to join NCAP’s Vincent Nguyen. They both swam 2:12s to make it through to the evening. Daniel Isman of NCAP moved up from a C seed to compete in the B finals, joining teammate Andrew Hendrickson. Also qualified for the B final was Shark Tank’s Christopher Stankiewicz and PAC’s Michael Venit. Meanwhile Matvei Namakonov moved up from a B seed to join his AAC teammate and top seed, Michael Zhang in the A final.
A FINALISTS:
- Benjamin Spragg – 2:03.08
- Zachary Erb – 2:03.94
- Haihan Xu – 2:05.04
- Michael Zhang – 2:05.16
- Matvei Namakonov – 2:07.10
- Jack Nussbaum – 2:07.12
- Kevin Snyder – 2:07.85
- Shawn Erdley – 2:08.29
FINALS
Joseph Gardner won the C final with a 2:05.44. Vincent Nguyen touched third in the heat with a 2:10, ahead of Andrew Wong’s 2:14. The B final went to Michael Venit in 2:06.65. Hendrickson and Isman touched fourth and fifth in the heat, each turning in a 2:09-low. Stankiewicz finished eighth with a 2:12 for his efforts.
Michael Zhang lit up the A final with the lone sub-2:00 swim and a personal best: 1:59.08. Zhang’s teammate Namakonov also posted a personal best of 2:04.14 to claim fifth overall.
PODIUM:
- Michael Zhang – 1:59.08
- Haihan Xu – 2:02.41
- Benjamin Spragg – 2:02.64
Girls 100y Back
PRELIMS
Qualifying for the C final were Charis Roundtree of Cavalier Swim, Anna Klotz from NCAP, and RMSC’s Annie Liu. The B final would feature Jamie Cornwall and Annaleagh Stahl of Occoquan Swimming, Liza Goetcheus from All Star Swimming, and Zoe Celi of NCAP. Alyssa Sagle moved up to the fifth place from a C seed to join Gwyneth Frick in the A final.
A FINALISTS:
- Isabel Huang – 56.25
- Gwyneth Frick – 56.67
- Talia Bugel – 56.72
- Penelope Celtnieks – 56.77
- Alyssa Sagle – 56.85
- Ria Dietz – 57.47
- Norah Guillot – 57.48
- Elise Nardozzi – 57.69
FINALS
Charis Roundtree, in her second final of the night, put up the top time in the C final with a 57.44. Klotz’s 58.29 came in third for the heat, while Occoquan’s Stella Chierico, who scratched into the finals left with a 59.37 to her credit.
Jamie Cornwell took first in the B final with a personal best time of 56.52, ahead of teammate Annaleagh Stahl’s 57.40 which was good enough for third in the heat. Liu and Goetcheus both posted 58-lows to claim fourth and fifth, while Celi rounded out the heat with a 58.81.
It was Gwyneth Frick who won the A final, with a personal best and top time in the event of 55.75. NCAP teammate Alyssa Sagle followed suit with a personal best of her own to claim fourth place with a 56.46.
PODIUM:
- Gwyneth Frick – 55.75
- Penelope Celtnieks – 56.07
- Talia Bugel – 56.13
Boys 100y Back
PRELIMS
RMSC’s Chase Keeler worked his way through the ranks to the C final with a personal best time of 53.12 out of heat four. Heat seven saw NCAP teammates Christian Carroll (52.77) and Evan Ingraham (52.93) join Keeler with personal bests of their own. Also qualifying for the C final was Miles Haraldsson (Sea Devils) and Anderson Church (Machine).
Joshua Wolf of Shark Tank moved up from a C seed to the B finals to join NCAP’s Ryan Strothiede. The lone PVS qualifier for the A final was Occoquan’s Owen Hoban with a 50.96.
A FINALISTS:
- Joe Hayburn – 49.04
- Joseph Roth – 50.24
- Owen Hoban – 50.96
- Ethan Shonk – 51.39
- Dominic Cortopassi – 51.51
- Daniel Simoes – 51.52
- Andrew Roose – 51.59
- Benjamin Sheets – 51.68
FINALS
Anderson Church won the C final with a best time of 52.25. Carroll and Ingraham put up a pair of 52-highs to claim fourth and fifth in the heat ahead of Keeler’s 54.51. Ryan Strotheide dipped under his best time to win the B final with a 51.45. Wolf touched third in the heat while Haraldsson, who was bumped up into the B final, took sixth with a 53.39.
Joe Hayburn dominated the A final with a 47.95 that put him at the top of the podium. Joseph Roth, the only other swimmer under 50 seconds, turned in a 49.81 to claim second and Daniel Simoes came in third. Owen Hoban’s 50.99 was good enough for fourth overall.
PODIUM:
- Joe Hayburn – 47.95
- Joseph Roth – 49.81
- Daniel Simoes – 50.42
Girls 500y Free
PRELIMS
Heat two produced a C finalist as Natalie Webb from RMSC found her way into 24th place. She’ll join Madeleine Simmons (All Star), who moved down from the B final. Machine’s Anbel Huffstutler would represent PVS in the B final. Meanwhile, top seed Alyssa Martel (Occoquan) qualified for the A finals along with NCAP’s Lexi Sawwa. Things will likely shift around after scratches.
A FINALISTS:
- Ashley Mellinger – 5:01.83
- Alyssa Martel – 5:03.58
- Peri Gaguzis – 5:06.60
- Madeline Berg – 5:07.01
- Lexi Sawwa – 5:07.24
- Hanna Klingensmith – 5:07.70
- Zoe Poe – 5:08.47
- Maeve Kelley – 5:09.12
FINALS
Four swimmers scratched into finals after all the dust settled and their reward was to swim another 500 free. Which they wanted to do. NCAP’s Victoria Santino turned her bonus swim into a C final victory with a time of 5:08.35. Her teammate Emily Buckey went to the wire with All Star’s Addison Mostofi, out-touching her by 0.01 second as the two placed fourth and fifth in the heat. Natalie Webb turned in a 5:15 to finish the heat.
It was a 5:05.51 from Mary Feliz that won the B final ahead of Huffstutler’s sixth place effort. In the A final, Ashley Mellinger pulled off the upset, touching in 4:56.49, ahead of Martel’s 4:59.60. The win marked Mellinger’s third of the meet. Lexi Sawwa finished fifth with a 5:04.84.
PODIUM:
- Ashley Mellinger – 4:56.49
- Alyssa Martel – 4:59.60
- Maeve Kelley – 5:03.27
Boys 500y Free
PRELIMS
Four PVS swimmers worked their way into the C finals from outside seeding, led by Occoquan’s Alex Grocholski. Joining him were NCAP’s Noah Robinson and J.P. Vanderloo along with Caelan Fulton of RMSC. Colin Wood of NCAP joined his teammate Xavier Orlic in the B final after moving up from a C seed.
Qualifying for the A final, John Verosko of Occoquan dropped two seconds from his 27th seed time to land in eighth. His teammates Peter Gilbert and top seed Ben Huffman will contest the A final with him alongside Sea Devil Miles Haraldsson.
A FINALISTS:
- Teddy Blake – 4:35.90
- Samuel Huggins – 4:39.00
- Ian Metzgar – 4:39.04
- Ben Huffman – 4:39.43
- Miles Haraldsson – 4:39.39
- Peter Gilbert – 4:42.03
- Matthew Merke – 4:43.05
- John Verosko – 4:43.96
FINALS
Leonardo Demartino won the C final with a 4:42.74. Grocholski posted a personal best 4:43.47 to touch in second. Matheus Feltin, who scratched into the final, took fourth in the heat, ahead of Vanderloo and Fulton, who both posted 4:48s.
Xavier Orlic’s time of 4:42.22 was enough to win the B final. Colin Wood turned in a 4:52 in his finals swim. In the A final, Teddy Blake went out quickly and had enough left to fend off a charging Huffman for the win in dramatic fashion. The two finished with 4:31s, just 0.08 seconds apart. Peter Gilbert maintained his original seed of fifth place with a 4:38 ahead of Haraldsson and Verosko.
PODIUM:
- Teddy Blake – 4:31.53
- Ben Huffman – 4:31.61
- Samuel Huggins – 4:36.20
Girls 400y Free Relay
TIMED FINALS
Swimming in the first heat, Jessica Rothrock, Sophia Keller, Kendall Madison and Ashley Conner from Annapolis put together a nice race that moved them up through the ranks, touching out in 3:38.94. Taking the challenge, the Steel City Aquatics crew of Madeline Berg, Emily Connors, Vanesa Valli, and Megan Tomasic answered with a 3:37.02 out of heat two.
That 3:37 edged out the Occoquan team of Sophia Heilen, Tess Peny, Brooke Worth, and Emma Hannam, but would not hold up long. The third heat produced faster times from H2okie Aquatics (3:36.33), Fox Chapel (3:35.38), and Arlington Aquatics (3:34.05), but the Nittany Lion Aquatics team of Jade Castro, Molly Workman, Camryn Blair, and Kiaha McCool claimed first in the heat with a new best time of 3:31.05.
In the final heat, only two teams had it in them to undercut that time. Occoquan’s B relay of Emily Haugen, Alyssa Martel, Lily Von Herbulis, and Jamie Cornwell – who closed with a sizzling 50.71 – combined for a 3:30.54. However, first place went to Team Pittsburgh and Amanda Aidar, Kaitlyn Connors, Hannah Llingensmith, and Elise Nardozzi. NCAP’s Lexi Sawwa, Kalina Frick, Gwyneth Frick, and Ellia Kwon swam to a fourth place finish, while AAC’s 3:34 from the previous heat held up for fifth.
PODIUM:
- Team Pittsburgh – 3:28.17
- Occoquan Swimming – 3:30.54
- Nittany Lion Aquatics – 3:31.05
Boys 400y Free Relay
TIMED FINALS
On the boys’ side, it was JCC Swimming, who came in with the lowest seed, setting the standard in the first heat out of lane seven as Daryn Din, Kirill Pankov, Daniel Grigoryev, and Nicholas Shats swam a 3:15 to win the heat by four seconds. In heat two, the Nittany Lion team posted a 3:14 and Shark Tank produced a 3:12, but it was the Annapolis team of Joe Hayburn, Dominic Kazzi, Connor Page, and Niccolo Gurri, with a 3:10.56 to win the heat.
The Arlington Aquatic squad of Michael Zhang, Matvei Namakonov, Collin McKenzie and Malcolm McKenzie obliterated the field in heat three, throwing down a 3:03.56 which would end up as the top time of the night. Loyola Blakefield took second in the heat with a 3:10.47, ultimately fifth overall.
The quartet of Joshua Hochard, Benny Firtag, Matt Jensen, and Ben Huffman of Occoquan Swimming had their eyes on the AAC mark of 3:03, but they came up a little short, clocking in with a 3:04.03 to win the heat, but settle for second overall. NCAP’s A relay (Brayden Wence Albert Kang, Christopher Boucree, and Colby Lane) claimed third place, followed by their B relay counterparts of Evan Ingraham, Matthew Rose, Alex Crown, and Joshua Kim.
PODIUM:
- Arlington Aquatics – 3:03.56
- Occoquan Swimming – 3:04.03
- Nation’s Capital – 3:09.06