2023 NCSA Spring Championships: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

2023 NCSA SPRING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• March 14-18, 2023
• Rosen Aquatic and Fitness Center, Orlando, FL
• SCY (25 yards)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Results on Meet Mobile: “2023 NCSA Spring Swimming Championships”
• Live Stream
• Day 3 Prelims Heat Sheet
  • Girls
  • Boys

Spencer Penland contributed to this report.

The third day of the 2023 NCSA Spring Championships is here. This morning, we’ll see prelims heats of the girls 400 IM, 50 breast, 100 back, and 800 free relay. There will also be heats of the boys 200 free, 50 breast, 200 fly, and 200 free relay.

Team Greenville 16-year-old Lilla Bognar comes in as the top seed in the girls 400 IM this morning after setting the meet record last year as a 15-year-old with a 4:05.50. Bognar’s time from last year still stands as her personal best in the event, so we’ll see if she can dip under that mark today. She comes in as the top seed by a wide margin, four seconds ahead of second-seeded Campbell Stoll (4:09.65).

Similarly, Elmbrook Swim Club’s Lucy Thomas is the meet record holder in the girls 50 breast and comes in as the top seed this morning. Thomas set the meet record back in 2021 with a 27.12. Last night, she broke her own meet record in the 100 breast, swimming a 58.65, so she heads into today with a lot of momentum.

Elmbrook teammate Maggie Wanezek enters as the top seed in the girls 100 back with a 51.09. Wanezek is seeded just off the meet record of 50.76, which has stood since 2011 when Rachel Bootsma set the mark.

Inspire Swim Team 18-year-old Nate Germonprez enters this morning as the top seed in the boy’s 200 free by a huge margin. Germonprez is seeded at his personal best of 1:33.96, which is notably under the meet record of 1:34.27, which Jack Conger set back in 2013.

Germonprez is also the top seed in the boys 50 breast, the next event. He won the 100 breast last night in a tight race with Abram Mueller, touching in 52.91 to Mueller’s 52.98. Mueller is seeded second in the 50 breast this morning, so we may get a repeat of last night’s thrilling race tonight in finals.

Rockville Montgomery Swim Club’s Adriano Arioti is the top seed in the boys 200 fly, coming in with a 1:44.72.

GIRLS 400 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 4:05.50, Lilla Bognar (2022)

TOP EIGHT QUALIFIERS:

1. Lilla Bognar (TG), 4:12.73
2. Campbell Stoll (EBSC), 4:14.75
3. Reese Tiltmann (EBSC), 4:15.54
4. Campbell Chase (COR), 4:16.23
5. Elle Scott (NOVA), 4:16.96
6. Sydney Shoeck (RSCA), 4:17.21
7. Katie McCarthy (EDI), 4:17.65
8. Grace Rabb (AQJT), 4:17.81

Lilla Bognar defended her top seed in the prelims of the girls’ 400 IM, cruising to a time of 4:12.73 to pace the field by two seconds.

The 16-year-old owns a best time of 4:05.50, set at this meet last year, and was recently 4:11.71 at the South Carolina LSC State Championships in early February.

Elmbrook Swim Club’s Reese Tiltmann qualified third overall into the final from Bognar’s heat, coming within two seconds of her lifetime best in 4:15.54.

Tiltmann’s teammate Campbell Stoll topped the penultimate heat in 4:14.75, holding Campbell Chase (4:16.23) off down the stretch as they advanced second and fourth overall, respectively.

Fourteen-year-old Sydney Schoeck reset her best time by four-tenths in 4:17.21 to qualify sixth, moving her into 70th all-time in the girls’ 13-14 age group.

BOYS 200 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 1:34.27, Jack Conger (2013)

TOP EIGHT QUALIFIERS:

1. Elliot Weisel (RCKT), 1:37.09
2. Noah Dyer (MACH), 1:37.22
3. Nate Germonprez (ISWM), 1:37.24
4. Nathan Szobota (NOVA), 1:37.38
5. Lucas Lane (HEAT), 1:37.61
6. Jacob Hamlin (HIGH), 1:38.65
7. Ryan Hufford (NOVA), 1:39.09
8. Austin Simpson (UN), 1:39.16

Rocket Swimming’s Elliot Weisel blasted his way to a lifetime best of 1:37.09 in the prelims of the boys’ 200 free, holding off Machine Aquatics’ Noah Dyer (1:37.22) in a 34th heat that ended up having half of the finals qualifiers come out of it.

Dyer, who was only 1:38.89 on the 800 free relay earlier in the meet, had a bit of a bounce-back swim with his performance here, and we’ll see if he has more in the tank tonight as his lifetime best sits at 1:36.30 from last month.

Nova of Virginia’s Nathan Szobota‘s standout meet continued as he took third in Heat 34 to qualify fourth into the final, clocking 1:37.38 to improve on the 1:37.57 mark he established on Wednesday leading off the 800 free relay. The 15-year-old nearly ran down Weisel and Dyer with a blistering closing 50 of 24.73.

Coming into the meet, Szobota’s best time stood at 1:38.86, set in early March.

Inspire Swim Team’s Nate Germonprez, who owns a scintillating lifetime best of 1:33.96, cruised to victory in the 36th and final heat in 1:37.24, advancing third overall into the final.

Second seed Jacob Hamlin added two seconds to his PB but still made the final in sixth (1:38.65).

GIRLS 50 BREASTSTROKE – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 27.12, Lucy Thomas (2021)

TOP EIGHT QUALIFIERS:

1. Lucy Thomas (EBSC), 27.44
2. Caroline Larsen (FOXJ), 28.06
3. Elle Scott (NOVA), 28.30
4. Charlize Escasa (SWAQ), 28.52
5. Bridget McGann (ACAD), 28.65
6. Maggie Papanicholas (WILD), 28.75
7. Viola Teglassy (CAT), 28.84
8. Caroline Kramer (HSC), 28.92

Stanford commit Lucy Thomas handily claimed the top seed in the girls’ 50 breast by more than six-tenths in 27.44, within striking distance of her lifetime best of 27.12, which also stands as the meet record.

Thomas, 17, has won this event two straight times at the NCSA Championships and is coming off a victory and lifetime best of 58.65 in the 100 breast last night (opening in 27.22). She also split 26.66 swimming on Elmbrook’s 200 medley relay, so a sub-27 swim is within reach.

Team Foxjet’s Caroline Larsen qualified second overall in 28.06, just shy of the 27.89 personal best she set at this meet last year, while Nova of Virginia’s Elle Scott advanced third in a new PB of 28.30 just minutes after making the 400 IM final in fifth.

BOYS 50 BREASTSTROKE – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 24.14, Anthony Grimm (2019)

TOP EIGHT QUALIFIERS:

1. Nate Germonprez (ISWM), 24.74
2. Charlie Egeland (AQJT), 24.94
3. Abram Mueller (BAC), 25.04
4. Chase Swearingen (NAAC), 25.16
5. Brady Johnson (FMC), 25.21
6. Caiden Bowers (EST), 25.41
7. Lance Johnson (EBSC), 25.50
8. Alex Lakin (FMC), 25.55

Shortly after qualifying for the 200 free final in third, Nate Germonprez unloaded a 24.74 50 breast showing to claim the top seed for tonight’s championship heat in the 50 breast, just shy of his opening split from his 100 breast victory on Wednesday (24.72).

Charlie Egeland was the only other swimmer to dip under the 25-second barrier, clocking 24.94 adfter he split 24.41 on the Aquajets’ 200 medley relay on Tuesday.

Abram Mueller, who placed second to Germonprez in the 100 breast and opened that race up in 24.84, advanced third overall in 25.04.

GIRLS 100 BACKSTROKE – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 50.76, Rachel Bootsma (2011)

TOP EIGHT QUALIFIERS:

1. Maggie Wanezek (EBSC), 52.03
2. Emma Kern (AQJT), 52.46
3. Levenia Sim (TNT), 52.75
4. Lexi Stephens (PSDN), 53.05
5. Grace Rabb (AQJT), 53.26
6. Camille Spink (NCAP), 53.41
7. Carly Meeting (NAAC), 53.87
8. Aspen Gersper (SAS), 53.98

The standout session for the Elmbrook girls continued in the 100 back as Maggie Wanezek qualified first into the final in a time of 52.03, as she’ll aim to complete the 100/200 double after winning the 200 back earlier in the meet.

Wanezek, a 17-year-old Wisconsin commit, set a lifetime best of 51.09 in November at the WIAA Division I State Chamionships.

Wanezek topped the 32nd and final heat over Poseidon Swimming’s Lexi Stephens, who touched second in 53.05 to make the final in fourth. Committed to Alabama, Stephens owns a PB of 52.48 set earlier this month.

Aquajets’ Emma Kern (52.46) and TNT Swimming’s Levenia Sim (52.75) won the other two circle-seeded heats to qualify second and third overall, respectively. Kern, an 18-year-old Texas commit, owns a best time of 1.99, while 16-year-old Sim has been as fast as 51.03.

BOYS 200 BUTTERFLY – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 1:41.88, Samuel Pomajevich (2017)

TOP EIGHT QUALIFIERS:

1. Matthew Marsteiner (WAVE), 1:45.81
2. Joshua Fisher (PSDN), 1:46.21
3. Diego Balbi (SAS), 1:46.24
4. Adriano Arioti (RMSC), 1:46.31
5. Logan Robinson (GPAC), 1:46.47
6. Kyle Peck (RAYS), 1:46.57
7. Rian Graham (MACH), 1:46.82
8. Toby Barnett (RMSC), 1:47.17

New Wave Swim Team’s Matthew Marsteiner showed off some impressive closing speed to snag the top seed and reset his personal best time in the boys’ 200 fly, closing in 26.89 over the final 50 to clock 1:45.81.

An NC State commit, Marsteiner’s previous best time stood at 1:46.35, set at Winter Juniors – East in December.

Kentucky commit and Poseidon Swimming member Joshua Fisher also established a lifetime best of 1:46.21 to touch first in the first circle-seeded heat, followed by Saint Andrews Aquatics’ Diego Balbi, who dropped more than two seconds in 1:46.24 to qualify third. Balbi’s previous best time stood at 1:48.52, set at this meet last year.

Scotty Buff, who was slated to be in Lane 4 of that heat as the third seed coming in, was a no-show.

Top seed Adriano Arioti topped the final heat in 1:46.31 to qualify fourth, notably blasting a 26.88 split on the third 50.

Machine Aquatics’ Rian Graham, who had an impressive 1:38.1 split on the 800 free relay Wednesday, knocked over two seconds off his PB of 1:49.07 to make the final in seventh at 1:46.82.

GIRLS 800 FREESTYLE RELAY – TIMED FINALS

• Meet Record: 7:13.01, Nation’s Capital (2019)

Top Three Seeded Heats Swimming With Finals

1. Academy Bullets Swim Club ‘B’, 7:31.63
2. Saint Andrew’s Aquatics, 7:34.59
3. FMC Aquatics, 7:36.06

The Academy Bullets ‘B’ squad posted the top time in the early heats of the girls’ 800 free relay, registering a 7:31.63 to lead Saint Andrew’s Aquatics (7:34.59) by nearly three seconds.

The top split for the Bullets was Chloe Diner, who was 1:51.58 on the third leg, while Katie Gresik led off in 1:53.04.

BOYS 200 FREESTYLE RELAY – TIMED FINALS

• Meet Record: 1:19.55, Nation’s Capital (2015)

Top Three Seeded Heats Swimming With Finals

1. Fmc Aquatic, 1:24.57
2. New Albany Aquatics Club, 1:24.64
3. Reach Aquatics, 1:24.72

Fmc Aquatic led the way in the early heats of the boys’ 200 free relay, clocking 1:24.57 with a sub-21 split coming from 17-year-old Nojus Bertulis (20.77) swimming third.

The sixth-place team, Rocket Swimming, had two notable splits come from Elliot Weisel (20.36) and Eli Rollen (20.02) swimming second and third.

Scotty Buff came within .02 of his lifetime best on the lead-off for Greater Toledo Aquatics, clocking 19.48.