Everything you need to follow along live with day four finals of the 2016 Speedo Winter Junior Championships West. Competition begins at 6 p.m. EST in College Station, TX.<\/p>\n
Events:<\/strong><\/p>\n The women’s 1650 proved to be a challenging race against the clock for top competitors, since\u00a0Gabrielle Kopenski\u00a0<\/strong>of Texas Ford Aquatics set the pace in the afternoon in 16:08.92.\u00a0La Mirada Armada’s Taylor Ault<\/strong>\u00a0demonstrated extraordinary mental toughness in rising to the challenge for gold in the evening. Ault\u00a0hung fairly tight with Kopenski’s pace during the first half of the race but allowed Joy Field<\/strong> of Magnolia Aquatic Club and top seed, Mansfield Aquatic Club’s Haley Yelle<\/strong>, to charge ahead during the first 200, and swam a generally conservative first half until about the 600 mark.<\/p>\n During the second half of the race, while Kopenski floundered in the afternoon, Ault gained water–splitting low 29s in several consecutive difference-making fifties. Ultimately, it was her final fifty that closed the last few tenths of the victory margin. Ault split a gutsy 27.13, putting her at 16:07.92, while Kopenski could only manage a 29.18 for her 16:08.92.<\/p>\n The bronze also went to a competitor from the afternoon. Field’s teammate, Kaitlynn Sims<\/strong>, finished seven seconds behind the leaders, in 16:15.19. Natalie Jaspeado<\/strong> of Scottsdale Aquatics, with a 16:23.13, just touched out Yelle (16:23.20) for fourth. Early leader Field finished sixth in 16:24.93, while\u00a0Melissa Pish<\/strong> of Waves Bloomington was the final finisher in the top eight from the fastest heat, in 16:30.17, while Sandpipers of Nevada’s\u00a0Reese Lamph<\/strong>\u00a0squeezed in for eighth at 16:30.85.<\/p>\n Alamo Area Aquatics’ Zach Yeadon<\/strong>\u00a0stayed relaxed and controlled to hold pace with the leaders until the final 400, where he abruptly shifted to 26 fifty pace and pulled away from the top three competitors. His calculated pacing ultimately provided him with an impressive 14:49.90, the 16th fastest time of all time in the nation for 17- and 18-year-olds. Yeadon was followed by Scottsdale’s\u00a0Aaron Apel<\/strong>, a leader throughout the event, who found the touchpads in 14:57.71.<\/p>\n Michael Brinegar<\/strong>, the top seed swimming unattached, managed third in 15:02.20.\u00a0Loveland Swim Club’s\u00a0Liam Gately <\/strong>(15:03.51)\u00a0touched just ahead of La Mirada’s\u00a0Brad G<\/strong>onzales\u00a0<\/strong>(15:03.97).\u00a0Brooks Fail<\/strong>, swimming unattached in the afternoon, slid in for sixth in 15:07.58, followed by the evening’s\u00a0Johnthomas Larson<\/strong>, of Edina Swim Club, who posted a 15:11.62. In the afternoon,\u00a0Mikey Cavillo <\/strong>of Alamo Area Aquatics rounded out the top eight, with a 15:15.76.<\/p>\n Regan Smith<\/strong> of Riptide Swim Team once again dominated this backstroke event, right on the heels of her back-to-back victories and 13-14 NAG records last night in the 100 back and 100 fly. Smith pulled away from the pack almost immediately to swim a blazing 1:51.79. Her swim marked the second-fastest time of all time in the event for 13- and 14-year-olds, second only to Missy Franklin<\/strong>, who swam a\u00a01:51.07 in 2010. The time was also just a second shy of Clara Smiddy<\/strong>‘s\u00a0meet record time of 1:50.59.<\/p>\n Fort Collins Area\u2019s Bayley Stewart\u00a0<\/strong>claimed silver and a 1:54.44, thanks to an admirable back half.\u00a0Grace Ariola<\/strong> of Waves Bloomington nabbed the bronze with a 1:55.25 and touched out\u00a0Missoula Aquatic Club\u2019s Katharine Berkoff<\/strong>, who swam a respectable 1:55.76.<\/p>\n Jennifer Lathrop<\/strong> of the Sierra Marlins proved good for sixth with a 1:56.04, beating out Fort Collins Area’s\u00a0Audrey Reimer<\/strong>, who achieved a 1:56.39. Meanwhile,\u00a0Sophie Krivokapic-Zhou<\/strong> of Santa Clara Swim Team grabbed seventh with a 1:57.24, ahead of\u00a0Gold Medal Swim Club\u2019s Taylor McCoy\u00a0<\/strong>in 1:59.09.<\/p>\n Daniel Carr<\/strong> of Pikes Peake Athletics coasted to gold and to a 1:42.80, Carr controlled the entire race, maintaining a nearly body-length lead off of every turn after the first fifty yards.\u00a0Noah Henry<\/strong> of Tigersharks Swim Club stayed close to Carr during the first fifty, allowing him to take the silver in 1:44.81.<\/p>\n Ethan Harder<\/strong>\u00a0brought home bronze for Billings Aquatic Club with a 1:45.09, just touching out\u00a0Texas A & M\u2019s Anthony Kim\u00a0<\/strong>(1:45.18).\u00a0Palo Alto Stanford\u2019s Alex Liang<\/strong>, the sixth place finisher, also stayed within the 1:45 range with a 1:45.80. The final three finishers all added time, including Jeffco Hurricanes\u2019 Michael<\/strong> Zarian\u00a0<\/strong>(1:46.72), Lane Four Aquatics’\u00a0Caleb Aman<\/strong>\u00a0(1:48.67), and Lakeside Aquatic Club\u2019s Stephen Cheng\u00a0<\/strong>(1:49.48).<\/p>\n Aquazot Swim Club\u2019s Eva Merrell\u00a0<\/strong>made amends for her close loss last night against\u00a0Regan Smith\u00a0<\/strong>with an aggressive swim for gold tonight, in 48.51. Merrell tied with top-seed,\u00a0Aggie Swim Club\u2019s Julia Cook<\/strong>, in a 23.30 opening fifty, and maintained her lead in the second fifty.\u00a0Amalie Fackenthal<\/strong> of the Davis Aquadarts earned silver thanks to her second fifty (25.13), which was the fastest in the pool.\u00a0Daria Pyshnenko<\/strong> of CATS Aquatic Team laid claim to bronze with a 48.75, while top seed Cook took fourth in 48.89, due to a lagging back half.<\/p>\n Palo Alto Stanford\u2019s Isabelle Henig\u00a0<\/strong>achieved fifth place and a 49.04, and\u00a0Samantha Shelton<\/strong> of Mission Viejo Nadadores, the 200 freestyle victor, placed sixth with a 49.71. Cathy Teng<\/strong> of Santa Clara Swim Team took seventh with a 49.88, and\u00a0SOCAL Aquatics\u2019 Elise Garcia<\/strong> just topped the 50-second barrier for eighth, in 50.08.<\/p>\n Ryan Hoffer<\/strong> of Scottsdale Aquatics, who led off Scottsdale\u2019s winning, NAG record-breaking 200 freestyle relay last night with a scorching 18.76, won the 100 free handily with a 41.71, just shy of his own meet record (41.23).\u00a0Terrapins Swim Team\u2019s Alexei Sancov\u00a0<\/strong>was the event’s next highest finisher, with a 43.46, just ahead of bronze medalist Dad Clubs Swim Team’s\u00a0Clayton Bobo<\/strong>, who hit a 43.81.<\/p>\n Matthew Willenbring<\/strong> of Austin Swim Club achieved a 43.84, just touching out\u00a0North Texas Nadadores\u2019 Jack LeVant<\/strong> (in 43.98) for fourth. A mere splash likewise separated\u00a0Trident Aquatics\u2019 Patrick Callan\u00a0<\/strong>(44.91) and Pikes Peake Athletics’\u00a0Daniel Carr\u00a0<\/strong>(44.97). Mike Thibert\u00a0<\/strong>of Texas A & M trailed in the field in 45.50.<\/p>\n Zoe Bartel<\/strong> of Fort Collins Area Swim Team trounced the meet record set last year by second-place finisher and top seed\u00a0Grace Zhao<\/strong> of Palo Alto Stanford, along with the SCY National Age Group Record for 15- and 16-year-olds in the 200 breaststroke. The 16-year-old dashed to a 2:07.73, over a second ahead of Zhao’s meet record of 2:09.23. Bartel’s final fifty split of 33.10 was the deciding factor in her back-half bypass of Zhao.<\/p>\n Zhao had an impressive race as well, breaking her own meet record in 2:09.23 and remaining far ahead of the pack with Bartel. In the mean time, Crow Canyon\u2019s\u00a0Zoie Hartman<\/strong>\u00a0dropped down to a 2:11.83, two seconds faster than her prelims race, for bronze.<\/p>\n Loveland Swim Club\u2019s Morgan Friesen<\/strong>\u00a0finished in 2:12.30 for fourth, just ahead of the Terrapins\u2019 Emily Lo<\/strong>, who posted a 2:12.90. The last three finishers all touched in the 2:14 range.\u00a0Halladay Kinsey<\/strong> of Davis Aquadarts came out on top for sixth in 2:14.12. Irvine Novaquatics\u2019 Isabelle Odgers<\/strong>\u00a0was six hundreths behind her in 2:14.18, while\u00a0Kelsey Lloyd<\/strong> of BREA Aquatics took eighth in 2:14.78.<\/p>\n Daniel Roy<\/strong>, swimming unattached, annihilated his competition with a time of 1:55.60. The time also cracked the meet record of 1:55.88, which had been set by Orinda Aquatics’ Steven Stumph in 2012. Three seconds behind Roy,\u00a0Trent Pellini<\/strong> of Mission Viejo Nadadores snagged second in 1:58.74, while\u00a0Portland Aquatic Club\u2019s Josh Bottelberghe\u00a0<\/strong>took bronze with a 1:58.57.<\/p>\n San Clemente Aquatics\u2019 Brad Prolo\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0West Coast Aquatics\u2019 Jonathan Cook\u00a0<\/strong>remained under two minutes, taking fourth (in 1:59.68) and fifth (1:59.97), respectively.\u00a0Caleb Aman\u00a0<\/strong>of Lane Four Aquatics grabbed sixth in 2:01.49, while\u00a0Carlson Temple\u00a0<\/strong>took seventh in 2:01.83. Palo Alto Stanford\u2019s Maximilian Pokutta\u00a0<\/strong>was disqualified from the event.<\/p>\n Iowa Flyers Swim Team’s Ruby Martin <\/strong>won gold in a three-woman race, posting the\u00a0fifth-fastest time of all time for 15- and 16-year-olds, a 1:54.74. She also just dodged the meet record time of 1:54.37. Razorback\u2019s Taylor Pike\u00a0<\/strong>finished just behind her in 1:54.95, and Dakota Luther<\/strong> of Austin Swim Club took the bronze in 1:55.25.<\/p>\n Also of note, fourth-place finisher\u00a0Regan Smith<\/strong>, the 14-year-old Riptide Swim Team “Rocket,” swam the\u00a0second-fastest 200 SCY butterfly event of all time for 13- and 14-year-old girls: a 1:56.57. After Smith,\u00a0Kara Eisenmann<\/strong> of Lakeside Aquatic Club broke the two-minute barrier and grabbed fifth place in 1:59.09.<\/p>\n Two tenths behind Eisenmann, the North Texas Nadadores’\u00a0Natalie Whalen\u00a0<\/strong>snatched sixth in 1:59.29.\u00a0Diablo Aquatics\u2019 Makenna Turner\u00a0<\/strong>swam to seventh and a 2:01.52, while\u00a0SOCAL Aquatics\u2019 Elise Garcia\u00a0<\/strong>was disqualified from the event.<\/p>\n Jack LeVant<\/strong> of North Texas Nadadores has been a consistent performer throughout the weekend, and his solid efforts paid off with gold and a 1:45.20 in the longer butterfly event. LeVant’s victory campaign began during the third fifty, where he pulled away from the field, and ultimately came down to the final stroke, where he got his fingertips on the pad just six hundreths before the top seed,\u00a0Irvine Novaquatics\u2019 Andrew Koustik.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Palo Alto Stanford\u2019s Alex Liang\u00a0<\/strong>also stayed in the thick of the hunt throughout the event, finishing in 1:45.55 for bronze in the end. He was followed by\u00a0<\/strong>Daniel Kim<\/strong> of Mission Viejo, who achieved a 1:47.38. The fight for the next three places was a tight one.\u00a0Connor Lee<\/strong>, swimming unattached, held on for fifth with a 1:48.09, but\u00a0Michael Zarian<\/strong> of Jeffco Hurricanes put up a strong back half and 1:48.14 for sixth.\u00a0Brayden Love<\/strong>, also swimming unattached, posted a 1:48.91, and\u00a0James Bilbrey\u00a0<\/strong>of Mesa Aquatics rounded out the heat with a 1:49.26.<\/p>\n Fort Collins Area Swim Team enjoyed a decided victory and 3:19.85, thanks to the combined efforts of the Zoe Bartel<\/strong> (50.73), Audrey Reimer (50.25),\u00a0Kylee Alons<\/strong> (49.12), and Coleen Gillilan (49.75). Aquazot Swim Club finished behind them, led by the 100 freestyle champion, Eva Merrell<\/strong> (49.25), along with Katie Glavinovich<\/strong> (50.81),\u00a0Samantha Pearson\u00a0<\/strong>(50.11), and\u00a0Kate Krolikowski\u00a0<\/strong>(50.26). Irvine Novaquatics brought home the gold as a result of the talents of Ayla Spitz<\/strong> (50.20), Mackenzie Degn<\/strong> (49.38), Lauren Vitort<\/strong> (51.05), and Jacquelyn Harris<\/strong> (50.84).<\/p>\n Other notable finishers included Palo Alto Stanford in fourth (3:22.25), Davis Aquadarts just behind them (3:22.51), and Ozaukee Aquatics on the tail end of the second (3:22.73).<\/p>\n Scottsdale’s men, the meet champions, smoked the field once again.Their team effort utilized\u00a0Aaron Apel\u00a0<\/strong>(46.23),\u00a0Parker Hughes\u00a0<\/strong>(45.64), and anchor\u00a0Jack Blake\u00a0<\/strong>(44.20).\u00a0Ryan Hoffer<\/strong>, unsurprisingly, torched the competition with a phenomenal 41.77 third leg. Irvine Novaquatics finished two seconds behind Scottsdale in 2:59.75, thanks to\u00a0Hunter Hitchens\u00a0<\/strong>(45.97),\u00a0Justin Nguyen\u00a0<\/strong>(44.48),\u00a0Ben Blevins-Boor\u00a0<\/strong>(44.89), and\u00a0Owen Kao<\/strong> (44.41).<\/p>\n Other notable finishers included Palo Alto, who added two seconds from their seed time for a 3:00.45, and Terrapins Swim Team, who posted a 3:01.02 for bronze.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Everything you need to follow along live with day four finals of the 2016 Speedo Winter Junior Championships West. Competition begins at 6 p.m. EST in College Station, TX. Events:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":176310,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7],"tags":[59633],"class_list":["post-233053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-usa","tag-2016-speedo-winter-junior-championships-west"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\n\n
Women’s 1650 Freestyle:<\/h2>\n
Men’s 1650 Freestyle:<\/h2>\n
Women’s 200 Backstroke:<\/h2>\n
Men’s 200 Backstroke:<\/h2>\n
Women’s 100 Freestyle:<\/h2>\n
Men’s 100 Freestyle:<\/h2>\n
Women’s 200 Breaststroke:<\/h2>\n
Men’s 200 Breaststroke:<\/h2>\n
Women’s 200 Butterfly:<\/h2>\n
Men’s 200 Butterfly:<\/h2>\n
Women’s 400 Freestyle Relay:<\/h2>\n
Men’s 400 Freestyle Relay:<\/h2>\n