10 Swimmers to Watch at the 2018 Cleveland Speedo Sectionals

Photo Courtesy: USA Swimming

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The 2018 Speedo Sectionals Series – Cleveland kicks off tomorrow in Cleveland, Ohio. Co-hosted by the Firestone Akron Swim Team and the Hudson Explores Aquatic Team, the meet will run from July 19-22 at Cleveland State’s Busbey Natatorium.

2018 Speedo Sectionals – Cleveland – Psych Sheet

It’s sure to be a fast meet with many club and college swimmers alike competing. Below are five women and five men to watch out for this weekend.

Women’s Meet

1. Delaney Duncan

Coming off a breakthrough junior collegiate season in which she finished fourth at the Women’s NCAA Championships in the 100 breast for Eastern Michigan, Delaney Duncan is back in the pool in Cleveland looking to transfer that success into long course. Representing Club Wolverine this weekend, Duncan is the top seed in both the women’s 50 and 100 breast and is the No. 2 seed in the 200 breast.

2. Katie Duggan

A rising senior at Michigan, Katie Duggan is looking to dominate the distance freestyle events this weekend. Also representing Club Wolverine, Duggan is the top seed in the 1500 free by 18 seconds and is seeded first in the 800 free. She will aim to improve upon her time in the 400 free in which she is the second seed by less than one second behind Big Ten rival Kerrigan Vargo of Ohio State.

3. Claire Maiocco

Just finishing her freshman campaign at Michigan, Claire Maiocco is your top qualifier in both the 50 fly and 100 fly in Cleveland. She sits at the top of a competitive 100 fly field, where less than a second separates the fastest eight times. Maiocco is also seeded tenth and 11th in the 100 free and 50 free, respectively, and will seek to improve upon those times as well.

4. Felicia Pasadyn

Sixteen-year-old Felicia Pasadyn leads the way in both of the shorter backstroke distances. An Ohio native, she was this year’s state champion in the 100 back. Competing for SwimUnited, Pasadyn is a U.S. Open qualifier in the 200 back and has Winter Junior cuts in the 200 free, 500 free, 200 IM and 400 IM. She will also look to improve upon her 9th seed in the 200 free and her 18th-seeded 400 free.

5. Freya Reyner

Freya Reyner will prove to be the sprint queen this weekend in Cleveland as the top qualifier in both the 50 and 100 freestyle events. Reyner, who finished fifth at the 2018 Big Ten Championships in the 50 free, holds the top time in the splash-and-dash by nearly a full second. Competing for Ohio State, she is seeded fifth in the 50 back and will also compete in the 50 fly.

Men’s Meet:

1. Justin Grender

Cincinnati Marlin’s Justin Grender will have a busy meet with four top-five seed times, including holding two No. 1 spots in the 100 back and 200 free. The OHSAA record-holder will also race the 50 and 100 free before furthering his career at Virginia this upcoming fall. Grender has helped St. Xavier High School to ten consecutive Ohio state titles in addition to being a six-time U.S. Open qualifier.

2. Alex Jahan

A rising junior at Ohio State, Alex Jahan is your top qualifier in both the 50 and 100 breaststroke and is the second seed in the 200 breast. He is the only swimmer in the field under the 1:05 mark in the middle distance but will face tough competition from Eastern Michigan’s Ben Gingher. Jahan recently competed at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Columbus where he finished 20th in the 100 breast and 27th in the 200 breast. He will also swim the 100 fly and 200 IM in Cleveland.

3. David Madej

Racing this weekend for SwimUnited, David Madej is the No. 1 seed in the 50 fly by three-quarters of a second. Madej, who is headed off to Stanford this fall, is a five-time Ohio High School state champion and recorded seven top-eight finishes at this year’s NSCA Junior National Championships. He is also the second seed in both the 50 and 100 freestyles this weekend; he will go head-to-head with Grender after beating him by .03 in the 50 free at the Ohio state meet.

4. Austin Mortimer

Austin Mortimer will continue to make a name for himself in distance swimming as the top seed in both the 400 free and 1500 free. Last year’s 1500 free champion, Mortimer competes collegiately for Ohio State and finished sixth in the mile at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Columbus earlier this month. The rising senior also holds the third seed in both the 200 and 800 freestyles.

5. RJ Kondalski

Swimming unattached at this meet, RJ Kondalski is seeded first in the 50 and 200 backstrokes. The two-time U.S. Open qualifier is also the two-time runner-up in the 100 back at the Ohio State Championships. Kondalski is also the No. 2 seed in the 100 back and will race the 50 free and 100 fly in Cleveland as well. He is off to Ohio State next month and will get the chance to compete against his future teammates this weekend.

Follow along with the meet on Meet Mobile – 2018 LE Speedo Sectionals at Cleveland State.

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