Are Junior Nationals Producing Faster Times Than Senior Nationals?

melanie-margalis-2016-o-trials-4318
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

By Jason Tillotson, Swimming World College Intern

The month of December plays host to several of the nation’s fastest meets. During the last month of the year we saw the NCAP Invitational, Jingle Bell Classic and our Winter Junior and Senior National Championships meets take place, each with their own speedy swims.

The fastest of the nation’s swimmers usually gather at the Senior National meet, which was held in Atlanta, Georgia. However, this year, we saw a different trend begin.

The 2016 East & West Winter Junior Nationals were faster than the 2016 Winter Senior Nationals. After reading that bold statement, one may think: “That simply can’t be true! Junior Swimmers are younger and therefore slower!”. While the 18 and under swimmers may be a bit younger than some of the senior national participants, they are not that much slower and, in many cases, they are faster. We see evidence of this in this year’s results.

On the men’s side, five of the top times out of the 13 total individual events, from both junior nationals were faster than the top times of the senior national meets. In some events, the juniors actually obliterated the times posted at Senior Nationals. For example, in the men’s 50 freestyle and 100 Freestyle, no one from the Senior Nationals broke 19 seconds or 42 seconds in either of the sprint freetyles whereas the Junior National Champion, Ryan Hoffer from Scottsdale, swam an 18.71 in the 50 freestyle and 41.71 in the 100 freestyle.

In some of the cases that the senior national’s swimmers were faster than the junior swimmers, the times were fairly close. For example, in the men’s 200 IM, Vini Lanza from Indiana University claimed the Senior National title with a 1:43.57. In the same race at his Junior National meet, Reece Whitley from Penn Charter Aquatics clocked a 1:43.93, which would have been right behind Lanza had they faced off in the same pool. In that same event, no junior swimmer in the top-eight from either the East or West went above 1:47.60, whereas in that event at senior nationals we saw three swimmers above 1:47.60 from just the top eight, and many more from the B and C finals.

We see this in several other events too, like the men’s 1650 freestyle. Zachary Yeadon of Alamo Area posted the top time from both junior meets with a 14:49.90. That is comparable to IU’s Marwan El Kamash’s 14:48.34 from senior nationals. Also, interestingly enough, both junior meets had more swimmers under 15 minutes than the senior meet did.

The junior men aren’t the only one’s who are starting to beat the veterans at Senior Nationals. The women’s Junior Nationals was also significantly faster than the senior meet. From both the east and west Junior National meets, eight of the 13 total events had top times that were faster than the top times at Senior Nationals. Much like the men’s side, when the junior women were not faster than the senior women, they were very close. In the women’s 100 Breaststroke, Melanie Margalis from Athens Bulldogs posted the top time from Senior Nationals with a 58.09, while the fastest time from both Junior National championships was 58.80 by Alexandra Walsh, out of Nashville Aquatic Club.

ryan-hoffer-winter-junior-nationals-2014-23

Photo Courtesy: Melissa Lundie

Like Hoffer on the men’s side, Riptide’s Regan Smith swam the fastest times by any junior from either the East or West in the 100 and 200 backstroke, with times of 51.09 and 1:51.79 respectively. Smith’s 100 backstroke time would have put her one and a half seconds ahead of the Senior National champion in that event and her 200 backstroke time was about a half second ahead of the Senior National Champion.

We saw a few athletes compete at both the Junior and Senior National Championships, but no one besides Gator Swim Club’s Isabel Ivey won events at both meets. Her success is an anomaly in my analysis of the two meets because she won the 100 freestyle at both Senior Nationals and swam the fastest time out of both junior meets. Although, she did go on to progress from a 48.33, which won her a Senior National title, to a 47.88, which would win her a Junior National East title. The pure fact that Ivey is only 16 years old and was able to dominate Senior and Junior Nationals, contributes to the original point that Winter Junior Nationals are now faster than Winter Senior Nationals.

It’s not just individual events that were faster either, some of the junior relay events far outshine their senior counterparts. In the women’s 800 freestyle relay, the top three times from both junior meets, beat the fastest time from the senior meet. Also, the fourth place team at Senior Nationals, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill would not have placed in the top eight if you were to combine both Junior National meets.

A few other events show similar comparisons as well. When we see so many Junior National Champions like Hoffer and Ivey post times that would have far surpassed what was done at Senior Nationals and with Yeadon and Whitely, being so close to our Senior National champions, it might make us wonder; which is the faster meet? Are our elite-level Junior swimmers ready to take on the seasoned veterans? Will we see another young Olympic team? With evidence like this, it might make us answer “yes” to these questions.

All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use

9 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Diana W
7 years ago

senior nationals did not have many of the top collegiate swimmers because of in-season meets plus world SCM meet.

Dunc1952
Dunc1952
7 years ago
Reply to  Diana W

Thank you, Diana. A full and complete answer to questions some may have raised.

Kristie Wisniewski
7 years ago

Kids are getting faster and faster.

Jenny Walland Steinberg

Alexandria Marie

Jay
Jay
7 years ago

Yeah, but in the past if you actually qualified for a Senior National or Olympics Trials time in an event you were no longer allowed to swim that event at Juniors. It kept the pure competition for all involved in those events at even levels rather can creating another showcase for the few.

Bill Bell
7 years ago

Exactly. Look at Hoffer. Aside from his 18.7 50 all just other winning times were slower than what he swam the year before. He goes to juniors and Lays down fast times and wins handily but he shouldn’t have been there in the first place. He belonged @ Atlanta a week earlier against senior competition, not @ College Station cleaning house against kids clearly not as fast,

If he doesn’t compete @ World Championship Trials next summer or senior nationals afterwards and opts for juniors again it’ll be a waste of just tine and ability.

Joan Chidester Craft
7 years ago

To me it seems like the water is a bit muddy between the 2 meets. Why can kids with senior cuts swim those events at Juniors?

Jay Reaves
7 years ago

Yeah, but in the past if you actually qualified for a Senior National or Olympics Trials time in an event you were no longer allowed to swim that event at Juniors. It kept the pure competition for all involved in those events at even levels rather can creating another showcase for the few.

Suzanne Maranto Baker
7 years ago
Reply to  Jay Reaves

This is exactly what I have been saying! If you have a National or Olympic Trial cut you can’t swim that event at Junior Nationals!! We need to level out the playing field!! It seems only fair way of doing it!!

9
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x