Caroline McTaggart Among Top Performers In Day 4 Prelims At NCSA Juniors

Photo Courtesy: Holton-Arms High School

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ORLANDO – Today’s short course yards prelims at the NCSA junior national featured more fast swims from the top stars as the 18-and-unders get ready to race tonight in long course finals.

Lucie Nordmann, just 14 years old, is looking for her second junior national title tonight as she posted the top qualifying time in the 100 backstroke with a 53.64. The 200 backstroke champion will have major competition, with Aquajets’ Zoe Avestruz (53.89) and St. Croix Swim Club’s Mickayla Hinkle (53.98) also posting times under 54 seconds. How the athletes transition to long course racing tonight will go a long way in determining the winner.

Paige Madden of City of Mobile Swimming is the fastest seed for tonight’s 400 free final after a 4:45.29 in this morning’s 500 freestyle prelims. It’s not a lifetime best, but was good enough for the top time ahead of the 4:46.05 from Mason Manta Rays’ Sydney Lofquist.

After two days of sprinting, Riley Scott of Marin Pirates finally gets to swim her specialty, and she dominated the prelims of the 200 breaststroke with a 2:11.89. About 1.5 seconds behind were Maggie Aroesty of Long Island and Emily Barksdale, who both posted times in the 2:13 range. Aroesty took the second seed with a 2:13.55 ahead of the 2:13.66 by Barksdale.

Caroline McTaggart used last night’s win in the 50 butterfly to post a major lifetime best in the short course 100 fly with a 52.83. That knocks a bit more than a second off her best time of 54.01 from this past December. Look for the 18-year-old to chase after her long course lifetime best of 1:02.51 tonight. She’ll have some good competition, as Nation’s Capital’s Cassidy Bayer (53.23), Chattahoochee Gold’s Lauren Case (53.54) and Nation’s Capital’s Kylie Jordan (53.53.91) all broke 54 seconds to get into the top four in qualifying.

As was his modus operandi yesterday, Andrew Seliskar of Nation’s Capital Swim Club did just what was needed to get the top time in two events this morning. He started with a 1:53.35 in the 200 breast and followed it up with a 46.60 in the 100 fly. Seliskar already owns the 17-18 national age group mark in the 200 breast with a 1:51.57, an in a bid to conserve energy for Nation’s Capital in the 800 free relay, didn’t go after Tom Shields’ national age group record of 44.91 in the short course 100 fly.

John Shebat looks to be in control of tonight’s 100 back final after a 46.88 in prelims that fell a bit shy of his lifetime best of 46.71. Ethan Young of Carpel Capital Aquatics was the only other swimmer under 48 today with a 47.69 for the second seed. The rest of the A final field was close, with the remaining six posting times within five tenths of each other.

Six tenths of a second separate the top eight for tonight’s A final in the men’s 100 free, led by the 44.23 posted by Justin Ress of Marlins of Raleigh. It’s a big improvement for the 17-year-old, with a previous lifetime best of 45.67 to his credit. Right behind was Knox Auerbach of Dynamo Swim Club with a 44.26.

Nation’s Capital couldn’t be caught in the short course timed final of the 800 free relay, with a 1:34.94 leadoff from Seliskar setting the pace. A 1:39.38 from Adrian Lin was followed by a 1:38.97 from Owen Van Krimpen. Matthew Hirschberger wrapped things up with a solid 1:37.65 to give his team a 6:30.94. The foursome were on pace to break SwimMAC Carolina’s 15-18 national age group record of 6:28.90 after Seliskar’s leg, but fell off the pace.

2015 NCSA Junior Nationals, Day 4 Prelims – Results

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