2022 ISCA International Senior Cup
- March 29-April 1, 2022
- North Shore Aquatic Complex
- St. Petersburg, Florida
- Short Course Yards (25 Yards)
- Results Available on Meet Mobile
- Full Results (PDF)
- Meet Home Page
Last weekend, the North Shore Aquatic Complex in St. Petersburg, FL, hosted the annual ISCA Senior Cup, a short course yards competition featuring club swim teams from across the United States. The meet, which took place Tuesday through Saturday, showcased 17 & Over finals as well as 16 & Under finals.
The North Baltimore Aquatic Club came away from the meet with a massive victory of more than 300 points, boasting multiple individual victories in every finals session.
One of North Baltimore’s multi-event winners included University of Texas commit Ryan Branon, who won both the men’s 200 freestyle in 1:38.87 on Wednesday and the 100 butterfly in 48.57 on Friday, though his 200 free was about 2 seconds off his lifetime best and his 100 fly about 1 second off his lifetime best. Branon’s winning time in the 17 & Over 100 butterfly was bested by 16-year-old Cincinnati Marlin Thackston McMullan, who won the 16 & Under title in 48.30, a new lifetime best. McMullan would also win the 16 & Under 200 fly title in 1:49.83, which would have placed 4th in the 18 & Over division. McMullan capped off the meet by putting up the fastest 100 freestyle of the meet with a 45.13, once again winning in the 16 & Under division and coming in 0.05 faster than the 18 & Over winner, Aaron Seymour of Georgia Coastal Aquatic Team, who touched 1st in 45.18, just a fingernail ahead of Jack Madoch who finished 2nd in 45.19, representing Verona Area Swim Team. For Seymour, this victory came as a lifetime best and his 2nd win of the night and 4th overall of the meet. Seymour also won the men’s 50 backstroke in 22.47, the 100 backstroke in 49.33, and the 100 IM in 51.66. The men’s 100 IM, however, also featured a 16-year-old who posted the fastest time of the day with a 51.46, coming from Jay Gerloff of Old Dominion Aquatic Club.
One of the most exciting swimmers of the meet was 16-year-old Gaby Van Brunt of the Georgia Coastal Aquatic Team, an Olympic Trials qualifier who has committed to Alabama’s class of 2027, who despite competing in the 16 & Under division, frequently posted times faster than the winners of the 17 & Over events. Van Brunt began her campaign with a 53.65 in the 100 backstroke, two seconds faster than both the winner of the 17 & Over race, Ava Yablonski, 55:69, as well as the 16 & Under runner-up, North Baltimore’s Grace Black, who touched in 55.62. Van Brunt’s other results include a win in the 50 butterfly in 24.68, the 50 freestyle in 22.89, the 100 butterfly in 52.96, the 50 backstroke in 25.27, the 100 freestyle in 51.44, and the 100 IM in 57.76. Of all of Van Brunt’s races, the only ones that were not faster than the winner of the 17 & Over division were the 100 IM, which was won by North Baltimore’s Fiona Shere in 57.97, and the 100 freestyle, in which Van Brunt’s time would have ranked 7th in the 17 & Over race. In total, Van Brunt scored 77 points in the meet, 55 of which were won individually with the final 22 coming from relays (individual event victories are awarded 11 points).
North Baltimore’s Grace Black won the 16 & Under 200 backstroke in 1:58.12, a little over half a second ahead of teammate Mabel Koff, who won the 17 & Over race in 1:58.77.
The Badger Swim Club was well represented by multi-event winners Max Hardart and Hana Shimizu-Bowers, each of whom won both the 500 freestyle (4:26.91 and 4:47.66, respectively) and the 400 IM (3:53.91 and 4:12.95, respectively). Hardart also placed 1st in the 200 IM in 1:50.49 while Shimizu-Bowers placed 2nd in the 200 freestyle in 1:48.39. Shimizu-Bowers, however, also won the women’s 200 butterfly in 1:58.01, achieving a new lifetime best and U.S. Open cut. Hardart has verbally committed to swimming at Brown University beginning in the fall of 2022, while Shimizu-Bowers will join the team at Northwestern beginning fall of 2022.
The men’s breaststroke races were dominated by Virginia Tech commit Aiken Do of The Fish. Do’s winning times included a 25.32 in the 50 breast, a 54.57 in the 100 breast, and a 2:03.80 in the 200 breast, with the 50 and 100 clocking in as new lifetime bests, while his 200 hovered about 2 seconds over his lifetime best set in March. The women’s breaststroke was also nearly swept by a single swimmer as Denise Phelan of Team Suffolk took the 100 in 1:01.68, the 200 in 2:13.67, as well as the 200 IM in 2:00.02. Phelan, who will join the University of Kentucky swim team this fall, did not race the 50 breast, and instead focused her energies on the 100 back (11th, 57.46), the 200 back (4th, 2:01.80, new PB), the 50 free (23.97), and the 400 IM (2nd, 4:15.36, new PB).
Katherine Helms from the Mason Makos captured the 17 & Over titles in the 50, 100, and 200 freestyles. Of the three titles, Helms’ largest margin of victory came in the 200, where she notched a time of 1:46.84, about a half-second off her 2021 lifetime best though a full 1.55 seconds ahead of runner-up Shimizu-Bowers. Helms showed impressive versatility in the 100s of stroke by placing 3rd in the 100 breast in 1:03.24, as well as 6th in the 100 fly in 55.44, though neither was a new personal best. Helms will begin her NCAA swimming career at NC State in the fall of 2022.
Team Scores – Top 10
- North Baltimore Aquatic Club, 796.5 points
- Coast Guard Blue Dolphins, 489 points
- Team Suffolk, 328.5 points
- Bulldog Swimming, 268 points
- Old Dominion Aquatic Club, 241 points
- Badger Swim Club, 222.5 points
- Georgia Coastal Aquatic Team, 214 points
- Cincinnati Marlins, 196.5 points
- Mason Makos Swim Team, 181.5 points
- Crimson Aquatics, 175 points