{"id":233230,"date":"2016-12-11T10:38:42","date_gmt":"2016-12-11T17:38:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=233230"},"modified":"2017-12-04T15:25:28","modified_gmt":"2017-12-04T22:25:28","slug":"moving-on-up-the-not-so-junior-level-swims-at-junior-nationals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/moving-on-up-the-not-so-junior-level-swims-at-junior-nationals\/","title":{"rendered":"Moving On Up: The Not-So-Junior Level Swims at Junior Nationals"},"content":{"rendered":"

By David Rieder.<\/em><\/p>\n

While following the two Junior National meets being held concurrently this weekend in Columbus, Ohio, and College Station, Texas, you might have noticed that some of the times seemed especially quick.<\/p>\n

Well, they were. Ten different athletes posted times that would have placed in the championship finals at last year\u2019s NCAA championships.<\/p>\n

Remember that these are high schoolers<\/em>, and only two of the ten are seniors. Three are 15 years old or younger.<\/p>\n

Hypothetical Placement of Junior Nationals Swimmers at 2016 NCAA Championships<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Name<\/th>Event<\/th>Time<\/th>Place<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Morgan Tankersley<\/td>Women's 500 Free<\/td>4:38.13<\/td>7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gabrielle Kopinsky<\/td>Women's 500 Free<\/td>4:37.94<\/td>6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Alex Walsh<\/td>Women's 200 IM<\/td>1:54.48<\/td>4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Brooke Forde<\/td>Women's 200 IM<\/td>1:55.55<\/td>5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kate Douglass<\/td>Women's 50 Free<\/td>22.04<\/td>tie-8 (prelims)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ryan Hoffer<\/td>Men's 50 Free<\/td>18.71<\/td>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Brooke Forde<\/td>Women's 400 IM<\/td>4:02.51<\/td>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ryan Hoffer<\/td>Men's 100 Fly<\/td>45.47<\/td>5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Isabel Ivey<\/td>Women's 200 Free<\/td>1:43.64<\/td>7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Alex Walsh<\/td>Women's 100 Breast<\/td>58.80<\/td>7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Zoe Bartel<\/td>Women's 100 Breast<\/td>59.03<\/td>8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Regan Smith<\/td>Women's 100 Back<\/td>51.09<\/td>6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Regan Smith<\/td>Women's 200 Back<\/td>1:51.79<\/td>8 (prelims)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Isabel Ivey<\/td>Women's 100 Free<\/td>47.88<\/td>7 (prelims)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ryan Hoffer<\/td>Men's 100 Free<\/td>41.71<\/td>4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Zoe Bartel<\/td>Women's 200 Breast<\/td>2:07.73<\/td>6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Reece Whitley<\/td>Men's 200 Breast<\/td>1:52.37<\/td>4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Special mention as well to Grace Ariola<\/strong> (22.20 in the women\u2019s 50 free), Eva Merrell<\/strong> (22.26 in the women\u2019s 50 free, 51.93 in the 100 fly), Drew Kibler<\/strong> (1:33.36 in the men\u2019s 200 free, 4:15.36 in the 500 free), Grace Zhao<\/strong> (2:09.23 in the women\u2019s 200 breast) and Ruby<\/strong> Martin<\/strong> (1:54.74 in the women\u2019s 200 fly), all of whom almost made the cut as well.<\/p>\n

Point made: kids these days are fast.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hardly surprising to see Brooke Forde<\/strong> or Ryan<\/strong> Hoffer<\/strong> on this list. After all, each has had fast-rising stock over the past few years, and each was a huge get for their respective Bay Area universities\u2014Forde has committed to swim at Stanford and Hoffer at Cal.<\/p>\n

In Columbus, Forde dropped her 400 IM best time down to 4:02.51\u2014which still ranks her 18th all-time in the event\u2014and cut almost two seconds off her top mark in the 200 IM, finishing second in the event in 1:55.55.<\/p>\n

Hoffer, meanwhile, continues to utilize his underwater dolphin kicks better than any sprint specialist ever has. His 100 free time of 41.71 was not his personal best, but it\u2019s still faster than any returning NCAA swimmer aside from Caeleb Dressel<\/strong> posted at last season\u2019s championships. And of course, there was Hoffer’s impressive 18.71-second 50 free, a best time by more than three tenths.<\/p>\n

Hoffer is headed to swim for Dave Durden,<\/strong> who\u2019s spent nearly a decade at Cal pumping out sprinters. (Remember Michael Jensen\u2019s<\/strong> breakout performance<\/a> at the Georgia Invite\u00a0last week?) Hoffer has yet to show much in the long course pool, but Durden\u2019s track record says that might be only a matter of time. (Tom Shields<\/strong>, anyone?)<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll arrive on campus in Berkeley with personal best times just off the school records in his two best events\u20140.05 in the 50 free and 0.15 in the 100 free. By the way, both of those records are held by a guy named Nathan Adrian.<\/p>\n

It seems\u00a0like Reece Whitley<\/strong> has been around forever, too, but the 6\u20198\u201d breaststroker does not turn 17 until early next year. But after a rough go this summer\u2014including at Olympic Trials, where he was eliminated in the semifinals of both breaststroke events\u2014Whitley is back in business.<\/p>\n

Whitley won the 200 breast at the Junior Nationals East meet in Columbus, posting a time of 1:52.37 that is his best by more than a second and ranks 25th all-time in the event. He also finished first in the 200 IM in (1:43.93), 400 IM (3:47.15) and 100 breast (52.95), none of them shabby times in the slightest.<\/p>\n

Anyone else get the impression he was rather pleased with his 200 breast Saturday night?<\/p>\n

\"Reece

Photo Courtesy: USA Swimming<\/p><\/div>\n

One of Whitley\u2019s fellow high school juniors got some love<\/a> last week when joined some older faces a cup of coffee in Atlanta last week. At Winter Nationals, Ivey finished a close second to Olympic gold medalist Melanie<\/strong>\u00a0Margalis<\/strong> in the 200 free and then won her first National title in the 100 free.<\/p>\n

Next up on Ivey’s busy travel schedule was a trip to Columbus for Junior Nationals, and while there she put on a show. Friday night, she won the 100 fly in 52.61 and then minutes later took first in the 200 free in 1:43.61. A day later, she dominated the 100 free final, finishing in 47.88.<\/p>\n

For some comparison, her best times entering last week stood at 1:46.88 in the 200 free and 48.44 in the 100 free, both from Junior Nationals last year in Atlanta, when a giddy 15-year-old Ivey won her first Junior National title.<\/p>\n