Day 2 at the Tom Dolan Invitational was an off day for the big draw, 14-year old Katie Ledecky, as she scratched her only event: the 200 free. She did mark a 1:48.65 to lead off her team’s 800 free relay though, which would have put her right in contention for the individual victory.
But there were plenty of other teenagers who had great performances in the yards meet, and a couple who likely bumped their recruiting stock way up.
In the women’s 400 IM, the Delaware Swim Team’s Kaitlyn Jones (not to be confused with Kaitlin Jones, who also swam well in this meet) broke a pool record at the University of Maryland natatorium with a 4:11.67. She took the race out very steady in the 100 fly, but her other three legs were very strong en route to a two-second career-best.
She also took a win in the 200 free in 1:48.97, another lifetime best, followed by Kaitlin Jones in 1:49.02 out of Quest Swimming in Virginia. Kaitlyn is already a top 10 recruit in next year’s class, and these improvements (especially the huge drop in the 400 IM) can only serve to help her ranking.
In the men’s 200 free, Garrett Powell took a win in a huge 1:39.57. That knocks two seconds off of his lifetime best, and adds some greatly increased value to the top-ranked incoming Georgia recruiting class.
In the boys’ 13-14 100 breaststroke, Curl Burke’s Carson Vissering broke a Potomac Valley Swimming 13-14 record with a 57.95. The old mark was set by Scott Werner all the way back in 1993, and he would go on to a 1997 World University Games silver medal in the 200 breast.
Michael Andrew out of Kansas, who we last saw break 3 11-12 National Age Group records in Indiana, is back in action in Virginia now (this kid will go anywhere to find a top meet). On this day, he swam the 100 free to a 49.68, which just misses his best time by a tenth, and he’s still about 4-tenths from the National mark.
And capping off the day’s best swims was a 7:06.04 from the Curl Burke 13-14 boys’ free relay. That left them within 4-tenths of the National Age Group Record with a quartet of Brandon Goldstein, Gregory Song, Owen van Krimpen, and Brian Tsau.
Rockville Montgomery’s Sarah Haase, who is a Junior National Team breaststroke and a Stanford commit, is at this meet but chose not to race Friday’s 100 breast. She did, however, flat-start a 1:48.76 to lead off the winning 800 free relay, which should be very exciting versatility for Stanford coach Lea Maurer.
conger’s butterfly was pretty impressive, i must say.
Katie Kedecky was there just for the 4X200 free relay. She posted a good 1.48.65 at the start. Janet Hu posted a fast 53.59 in the 100 fly. And look at Jack Conger. He’s more known for a great backstroker and he posted a 47.46 in the 100 fly and a 1.35.25 at the start of the 4X200 free relay. For me this guy is a future star. I’m french so I can make the comparison. He looks like Yannick Agnel 2 years ago. He’s a big guy, with long arms and no muscles. It’s the same thing with Gunnar Bentz. These two american swimmers have a natural talent.