With USA Swimming splitting its Winter Junior National meets for the first time in history, we here at SwimSwam are combining them right back again. For interested fans, we’ll be compiling a composite top 10 with the fastest 10 swims in each event from the combined results of both meets, along with some analysis of each night’s results.
Though night 1 was swum as timed finals, we’ll be compiling the rest of our lists based solely on finals times, not prelims results.
2015 Speedo Winter Junior Nationals – Night 1
Girls 4×50 Medley Relay
Composite Junior National Champions: Palo Alto Stanford (Isleta, Zhao, Henig, Schaffer) – 1:39.63
- Palo Alto Stanford (WEST) – 1:39.63
- SwimMAC Carolina A (EAST) – 1:39.75
- Nashville Aquatic Club (EAST) – 1:39.84
- SwimMAC Carolina B (EAST) – 1:40.10
- Lakeside Swim Team (EAST) – 1:40.23
- Crow Canyon County (WEST) – 1:40.66
- Cardinal Aquatic (EAST) – 1:40.96
- Gator Swim Club (EAST) – 1:41.14
- Scottsdale Aquatic Club (WEST) – 1:42.23
- Ozaukee Aquatic Club (WEST) – 1:42.28
Boys 4×50 Medley Relay
Composite Junior National Champions: Palo Alto Stanford (Ho, Babinet, Molinari, Gwo) – 1:28.03
- Palo Alto Stanford (WEST) – 1:28.03
- Bolles School Sharks (EAST) – 1:28.64
- Upper Dublin Aquatic Club (EAST) – 1:29.36
- Scottsdale Aquatic Club (WEST) – 1:29.40
- NOVA of Virginia (EAST) – 1:29.89
- Dynamo Swim Club (EAST) – 1:30.07
- King Aquatic Club (WEST) – 1:30.68
- SwimMAC Carolina (EAST) – 1:30.90
- North Texas Nadadores (WEST) – 1:31.49
- SwimAtlanta (EAST) – 1:31.69
Girls 4×200 Free Relay
Composite Junior National Champions: SwimMAC Carolina (Brown, Marsh, Lappin, Merritt) – 7:11.88
- SwimMAC Carolina (EAST) – 7:11.88
- Nashville Aquatic Club (EAST) – 7:12.64
- Gator Swim Club (EAST) – 7:13.66
- Ozaukee Aquatics (WEST) – 7:16.19
- Dynamo Swim Club (EAST) – 7:16.49
- Bloomington Waves (EAST) – 7:16.78
- Lakeside Swim Team (EAST) – 7:18.70
- Marlins of Raleigh (EAST) – 7:19.08
- Y-Spartaquatics (EAST) – 7:19.31
- Scottsdale Aquatic Club (WEST) – 7:20.37
Boys 4×200 Free Relay
Composite Junior National Champions: Nitro Swimming (Rawls, Grieshop, Slaton, Abbott) – 6:32.88
- Nitro Swimming (WEST) – 6:32.88
- Upper Dublin Aquatic Club (EAST) – 6:33.56
- NOVA of Virginia (EAST) – 6:34.17
- Palo Alto Stanford (WEST) – 6:34.67
- Bolles School Sharks (EAST) – 6:35.11
- North Texas Nadadores (WEST) – 6:36.91
- Scottsdale Aquatic Club (WEST) – 6:38.09
- Dynamo Swim Club (EAST) – 6:38.25
- Lakeside Swim Team (EAST) – 6:39.25
- Sierra Marlins (WEST) – 6:39.86
We’ve only seen the early returns, of course, but night 1 showed the East meet to be deeper, while the West meet was mostly faster at the top.
West teams won 3 of 4 composite Junior National titles, including Palo Alto sweeps of the medley relays and Nitro’s dominant 800 free relay win led by a big 1:36.30 split from Sean Grieshop.
But East filled more slots in our top 10. That was keyed mostly by the girls 800 free relay, in which 8 of the 10 fastest times came out of the East meet. The boys 800 free relay was split 5-5 between the two meets, and East led both medleys 6-4.
The West also saw two Winter Junior Nationals meet records fall, though one of them was bested by a team in the East. Ozaukee took the girls 4×200 free relay record and Nitro obliterated the same record on the boys side. The East fired back, though, with SwimMAC destroying both the old girls 4×200 free relay record and the time set by Ozaukee at the West meet. SwimMAC was led by a 1:45.33 anchor job from Jessica Merritt.
This is taking the format of high school swimming where there is no true national championship meet. Each state has their respective championship and then at the end of the season the times are compared and “Mythical National Championships” are awarded. Things can change when they are actually racing next to each other and kids respond differently to that kind of pressure.
There is no need to invent ‘False Champions’, although I agree that there should only be one junior national championships. It is what it is; times were not made up last night and most definitely, times don’t lie. PASA Girls and Boys both won the 4×50 Medley Relays fair and square based solely on their times. A well deserved CONGRATULATIONS to this year’s 2015 Winter Junior National Champions in the Girls and Boys 4×50 Medley Relays, Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics!!!
22.81 anchor leg by Gretchen Walsh also from my list of swimmers to watch.
Not bad for a 12-year-old girl! 🙂
Indeed not bad for a 12 yo girl!
Just imagine her talent explodes when she’s 14.
That’s exactly what I hate about that new format.
We’re gonna compare the times and invent false national champions.
It’s really pathetic.
And they should have at least the decency to not name these meets “nationals”.
What is “national” when the best US juniors don’t swim against each other?
Back to day 1, 14-year-old Alex Walsh shows a good shape and is ready for a very fast 100 back later in the week with a possible 13/14 NAG record if she doesn’t swim too many races before. Because I see she swims all relays.
And like AquaJosh, I’m impressed by Isabel Ivey. I mentioned her name yesterday in the swimmers to watch and she confirms… Read more »
1:44.30 anchor from 15-year old Isabel Ivey of Gator Swim Club
First time I’ve watched her swim was during a webcast of Florida age group championships in the summer of last year. Elizabeth Beisel was behind the micro all session (great job by her and great future of TV commentator in my opinion) and she said she knew very well Isabel Ivey who trains at Gator Swim Club and was impressed by her versatility and her good technique overall and predicted a bright future for the Floridian teenager.
Is Isabel Ivey Mitch Ivey’s daughter?
yes
First time I watched her was 3 years ago…Bobo, I’m surprised you didn’t find Isabel earlier than I did
She is pretty versatile. She was still 14 at Juniors this summer when she went 56.2 in the 100m Free final and hopped on the blocks one event later and went a 4:51 in the 400m IM final.
21.20 50 bk split out of Ryan Hoffer
That’s already up there with the top ncaa 200 medley realys. Outside Murphy and Nolan, everyone was going mid to low 21’s last year. Hoffer spit a 19.89 in fly last year. It appears that he is even faster this year. He could have been a 19.5 last night which is insane. Hoffer is such a beast in yards. With his 50 back/fly split, 50 free, 100 free, 100 fly his relay value is through the roof for college swimming. He is in the class of 2017 so by next year, he could be one of the top recruits ever by that time.
Fast swimming all around! Didn’t the PASA girls break the 200 MR meet record as well?
SwimFan – that’s how it appeared on live results, but the records had apparently not been updated for live results at the West meet. Live results for the East meet list the record as faster than PASA went.
Got it, thanks for the quick clarification!
Records are definitely wrong at West meet. Grieshop owns record in 500 from last year and they were announcing his time this morning as new record. East live result has the correct record.