2022 USA Swimming Futures Championships – College Station
- July 27-30, 2022
- Texas A&M Natatorium, College Station, TX
- LCM (50m)
- Results on MeetMobile
While the U.S. Summer Nationals are going on in Irvine, USA Swimming is simultaneously hosting 5 Futures Championships throughout the country this week. The Futures meets were initially intended for swimmers who were between Sectionals cuts and Summer Junior Nationals cuts, however, there are no time caps for events. This year, we’re seeing a number of elite national-level swimmers competing at the Futures meets.
One such notable swimmer in College Station is Sydney Pickrem. An Tokyo 2020 Olympic medalist and individual World Championships medalist, Pickrem was slated to represent Canada at the Commonwealth Games, but recently pulled out of the meet, citing “personal reasons”. Instead, Pickrem is racing at the College Station Futures meet, which makes sense for her from a convenience standpoint, as she trains out of Texas A&M, where the meet is taking place.
Pickrem competed in the women’s 200 free and 100 breast today, taking 2nd in both. In the 200 free, she swam a 2:00.90, while she clocked a 1:09.05 in the 100 breast. It was Miranda Tucker, a 10-time NCAA All-American who won the women’s 100 breast, clocking a 1:08.57.
The women’s 200 free was won by 14-year-old Madi Mintenko out of Pikes Peak Athletics with a phenomenal performance. Mintenko roared to a new personal best of 2:00.64, tearing down her previous personal best of 2:02.27, which she set at the International Team Trials in April. With the performance, Mintenko rises to #14 all-time in the girls 13-14 age group.
In the women’s 200 fly, Mansfield Aquatic Club 17-year-old Sarah Walker clocked a new personal best of 2:14.19, dipping under 2:15 for the first time in her career. Walker pushed the pace early, splitting 1:03.79 on the first 100. She maintained her pace through the 3rd 50, clocking a 34.26 on the 3rd 50, however, she faded on the final lap, coming home in 36.14.
Texas A&M’s Abigail Grottle took the women’s 800 free in 8:52.55, touching first by 5 seconds.
Former Texas Longhorn Sam Stewart won the men’s 200 free in 1:48.15, establishing a new lifetime best. Stewart’s previous best stood at 1:49.15, a time which he swam at a Sectionals meet in February of 2020. He swam a well-paced race tonight, splitting 52.07 on the first 100, then coming home in 56.08.
The men’s 100 breast saw Texas A&M’s Alex Sanchez emerge victorious with a 1:02.63. That swim marks a personal best for Sanchez. TAMU’s Trey Dickey took the men’s 200 fly in 2:01.85 after clocking a 2:01.08 in prelims.
Dickey also won the men’s 1500 free tonight, swimming a 15:46.80. South Texas Aquatics 17-year-old Connor Fry had a great swim for 2nd in the men’s 1500, clocking a 15:54.72. Not only did that swim take him well under the Summer Junior Nationals cut, it brings him within 10 seconds from the U.S. Nationals cut of 15:44.89.
Way to go Minty!!