2016 Speedo Winter Junior Championships West: Day 2 Finals Recap

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Photo Courtesy: Andy Ringgold/Aringo Photos

Read below for all of our coverage of day two finals of the 2016 Speedo Winter Junior Championships West in College Station, Texas.

Live Results
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Full results

Events:

  • Women’s 500 Free
  • Men’s 500 Free
  • Women’s 200 IM
  • Men’s 200 IM
  • Women’s 50 Free
  • Men’s 50 Free
  • Women’s 400 Medley Relay
  • Men’s 400 Medley Relay

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Women’s 500 Free:

Gabrielle Kopenski of Texas Ford Aquatics delivered a top showing in finals of the women’s 500 free, touching in a final time of 4:37.94. Kopenski blasted up from her seventh place seed time of 4:46.96, shaving a full nine seconds off her prelims time.

La Mirada Armada’s Taylor Ault took second overall with a final time of 4:41.88, while Haley Yelle of Mansfield Aquatics grabbed third with a time of 4:43.35.

Dakota Luther finished fourth overall with a time of 4:44.27, followed closely by Magnolia Aquatics’ Kaitlynn Sims and her time of 4:44.98.

CSP Tideriders’ Evie Pfeifer slid to sixth after turning in the top time during prelims. Pfeifer concluded the race with a time of 4:45.22.

Zoe Gawronska of TWST and Ruby Martin of Iowa Flyers were seventh and eighth respectively with times of 4:46.73 and 4:47.56.

Men’s 500 Free

Trident’s Patrick Callan took over the lead at the 400-yard mark and then held off charges from North Texas Nadadores’ Jack LeVant and Alamo Area’s Zach Yeadon down the stretch.

Callan finished in 4:19.07 to claim the win, while Yeadon’s strong finish pushed him to second place in a time of 4:19.67. Lakeside’s Alexander Zettle touched third in 4:19.83, just ahead of LeVant (4:19.89).

Scottsdale’s Aaron Apel actually led for the majority of the race, but he fell off around the 350 and ended up fifth in 4:20.41.

Edina’s Johnthomas Larson (4:23.58), North Texas Nadadores’ Colter Carman (4:24.67) and Empire KC’s Liam Bresette (4:25.66) finished sixth through eighth.

Women’s 200 IM

14-year-old Regan Smith took a big lead on the backstroke leg and then held strong as 15-year-old Chloe Clark closed in on the back half. Smith, representing Riptide, ended up taking the win in 1:56.69, less than a half-second off Alex Walsh’s 13-14 NAG record of 1:56.20.

Sierra Marlins’ Clark finished second in 1:57.32, well ahead of Fort Collins’ Zoe Bartel, who touched in 1:58.27 to pick up the final spot on the podium.

Aggie’s Julia Cook just missed out on a top-three spot, finishing fourth in 1:58.77, and Iowa Flyers’ Ruby Martin took fifth in 2:00.04.

CSP Tideriders’ Evie Pfeifer finished sixth in 2:00.13, followed by Longhorn’s Regan Barney (2:01.42) and Sierra Marlins’ Dasha Pastushenko (2:02.30).

Men’s 200 IM

In the lead for the entire race, Sierra Marlins’ Bryce Mefford had to work hard on the way home to maintain the advantage. But he managed to do so and won by a half-second, touching in 1:45.46.

Alex Liang from Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics posed the biggest challenge on the freestyle leg, but he had to settle for second in 1:45.98. Just behind was Pikes Peak’s Daniel Carr in 1:46.09.

St. Croix’s Shane Blinkman got in for fourth in 1:46.61, and Shaine Casas finished next in 1:47.59.

Lane Four Aquatics’ Caleb Aman finished sixth in 1:47.73, followed by Jeffco Hurricanes’ Michael Zarian (1:48.15). Austin Swim Club’s Matthew Willinbring was disqualified in the “A” final.

Women’s 50 Free

Waves Bloomington’s Grace Ariola picked up the win in the girls’ splash-and-dash as she touched out Aquazot’s Eva Merrell, 22.20 to 22.26.

CATS’ Daria Pyshnenko and Davis Aquadarts’ Amalie Fackenthal tied for third with matching marks of 22.38.

Aggie’s Julia Cook (22.50), Fort Collins’ Kylee Alons (22.57), Quicksilver’s Lauren Green (22.61) and SOCAL’s Elise Garcia (22.96) also made the “A” final.

Men’s 50 Free

Ryan Hoffer blasted out a monster swim in the men’s 50 free, winning by a full bodylength and touching in 18.71, lowering his personal best of 18.88 from the morning prelims and tying Olympic gold medalist Nathan Adrian’s pool record in the event.

Hoffer won the race by more than a second as Dads Club Swim Team’s Clayton Bobo finished second in 19.90, becoming the only other swimmer to break 20 seconds.

Shaine Casas took third in 20.16, while Sierra Marlins’ Bryce Mefford, after winning the 200 IM earlier, returned to finish fourth in 20.24.

Scottsdale’s Jack Blake (20.39), North Texas Nadadores’ Jack LeVant (20.40), Austin Swim Club’s Matthew Willenbring (20.55) and Truckee-Tahoe’s Cooper Deryk (20.72) also swam in the championship final.

Women’s 400 Medley Relay

Fort Collins dominated the relay by more than four-and-a-half seconds as Bayley Stewart (53.97), Zoe Bartel (59.19), Coleen Gillilan (52.72) and Kylie Alons (49.24) finished in 3:35.12.

Santa Clara Swim Club finished second in 3:39.69 with Nicola OlivaJenny MaSophie Krivokapic-Zhou and Cathy Teng in the water, and Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics’ team of Zoe LuskGrace ZhaoGabrielle Anderson and Isabelle Henig was a tenth back in third, touching in 3:39.79.

Brea Aquatics (3:40.43), Waves Bloomington (3:40.57), Austin Swim Club (3:40.68), Aquazot (3:41.41) and Davis Aquadarts (3:42.28) finished in the top eight.

Men’s 400 Medley Relay

Scottsdale Aquatic Club picked up the win in the men’s relay in 3:14.83 with Ryan Hoffer (46.51), Sean Gage (55.32), David Hudson (48.65) and Jack Blake (23.48) competing.

Nitro’s Isaa GwinRyan GehebMatthew Connealy and Corban Rawls finished second in 3:17.19, and third went to Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics’ Alex LiangMaximillian PokuttaAlbert Gwo and Michael Lincoln in 3:17.44.

Other teams in the top eight included Mission Viejo (3:20.44), Terrapins (3:21.16), Lakeside (3:21.36), Sierra Marlins (3:21.70) and Irvine Novaquatics (3:21.73).

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brian♊️
7 years ago

@jacklevant10399 my boy

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