USA Junior Nationals: Meet Wraps Up With Several More Meet Records; 24-year-old Finnish Record Falls in Women’s 1500 Free

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, August 10. THE Speedo Junior National Championships closed out two solid weeks of outstanding swimming at the IU Natatorium at IUPUI with the fifth-and-final night of finals as six more meet records went into the books.

Additionally, Eva Lehtonen of the Oakland Live Y'ers gave her Finnish fans something to cheer about by breaking that country's longest standing record set by Sanna Harkonen in the women's 1500 free in 1983.

Women's 200 IM
Bluefish's Elizabeth Beisel continued an incredible run at the meet, this time by picking off the meet-record time of 2:18.38 set by Lauren Beaudreau last year when Beisel won in 2:17.21

Meanwhile, Parkland Aquatics' Breanna Folk, the top seed from prelims, also surpassed the previous standard with a second-place readout of 2:17.28. Dallas Mustang Spindrift Beck rounded out the top three in 2:18.64.

Click here to view event results PDF file.

Men's 200 IM
Dallas Mustang Matt Thompson clipped his meet-record time of 2:05.71 set in Irvine a year ago with a winning effort of 2:05.63. He had to overtake Kyle Whitaker, representing Duneland Aquatics, who led at the 150-meter mark, 1:34.42 to 1:35.94.

Whitaker watched Thompson fly by on the freestyle leg and wound up second in 2:05.96. Meanwhile, Barracuda Brad Craig picked up bronze in 2:06.40, just head of Curl-Burke's Andy Brake (2:06.62)

Click here to view event results PDF file.

Women's 50 freestyle
Samantha Woodward's meet record of 25.85 survived a scare from Pirate Aquatics' Karlee Bispo. Bispo won the race in a quick 25.96, while Sun Devil Aquatics' Traycie Swartz placed second in 26.02. Gator Swim Club's Lily Ramirez comprised the rest of the medalists with a time of 26.06.

Click here to view event results PDF file.

Men's 50 freestyle
Chattahoochee Gold's Michael Arnold cut down the meet record with a winning time of 23.35. That performance erased the 23.49 set by Michael Richards in Irvine last year. Meanwhile, Swimming World Magazine's High School Swimmer of the Year Austin Staab of Westerville also eclipsed the previous record with a second-place time of 23.46. Tualatin Hills' Morgon Henderson-Kunz pocketed third-place honors in 23.53.

Click here to view event results PDF file.

Women's 1500 freestyle
Open water star Chloe Sutton of Mission Viejo knocked six seconds off the meet record with a winning time of 16:40.29. That effort wiped out the 16:46.47 set by Samantha Vanden Berge last year.

SoNoCo's Alicia Mathieu also swam faster than the previous standard with a second-place 16:45.77, while Swim Pasadena's Sara Sun took third in 16:49.42.

Notably, Eva Lehtonen of the Oakland Live Y'ers broke a long-standing Finnish national record with a time of 17:18.16 for 28th place. The previous standard of 17:18.17 has stood since 1983 when Sanna Harkonen clocked the time in Los Angeles. Special thanks to our Finnish friends at Uinnista for this tidbit.

Incredibly, the record was nearly as old as the pool Lehtonen broke it in. The IU Natatorium at IUPUI was built in 1982 and is celebrating its 25th year of existence.

Click here to view event results PDF file.

Men's 1500 freestyle
Tyler Clary's meet record of 15:40.84 held up as Mission Viejo's Charlie Rimkus won the men's metric mile in 15:48.31. Miami Swimming's Mateo De Angulo wound up second in 15:49.50, while Long Island Aquatics' Tommy O'Neill finished third in 15:54.48.

Click here to view event results PDF file.

Women's 400 medley relay
Curl-Burke's team of Mei Christensen (1:04.17), Ellyn Baumgardner (1:10.79), Suzanne Schwee (1:03.37) and Kristen Moores (57.78) cut more than three seconds off the meet-record of 4:19.73 set by Lakeside Swim last year. The Curl-Burke squad touched in 4:16.11 for the win.

Lakeside's foursome of Heidi Hatteberg, Amanda Faulkner, Leah Reinhardt and Abbie Fish finished second in 4:19.22, while Dallas Mustangs Meredith Monroe, Spindrift Beck, Catia Weickgenant and Lauren Roth took third in 4:20.65.

Click here to view event results PDF file.

Men's 400 medley relay
Barracuda Swim Team's Gabe Strickler (1:00.33), Brad Craig (1:04.24), Tony Wahl (54.64) and Morgan Priestley (52.04) set a meet record with a readout of 3:51.25. That clocking chopped plenty of time off the previous standard of 3:55.30 set by Irvine Novaquatics last year.

Mecklenburg Aquatics' squad of Charles Higgins, Chandler Thomas, Charles Hetzel and Jared White touched second in 3:51.59, while Waukesha Express' Paul Young, Collin Neitzel, Kyle Thompson and Weston Lagerhausen hit the wall third in 3:53.98.

Click here to view event results PDF file.

For a complete recap with results of the fifth day of prelims, click here.

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