2024 18 & UNDER SPRING CUP – MESA
- May 2-5, 2024
- Mesa, Arizona
- LCM (50 meters)
- Psych Sheets
- Results on Meet Mobile: “2024 USA Swimming 18&U Spring Cup – Mesa”
The 2024 18 & Under Spring Cup meets kicked off tonight in Mesa (Arizona), Fort Lauderdale (Florida), and Elkhart (Indiana). The first night in Mesa featured a quick distance session with just two events on the schedule: the women’s 800 freestyle and men’s 800 freestyle.
In the women’s 800 free, 16-year-old Ellie Kayser touched the wall 1st in a winning time of 9:02.54. The Gold Medal Swim Club swimmer was about 4.5 seconds off her best time of 8:58.06, but she averaged 34-low splits to grab the win by 2.95 seconds. She set her current personal best at the Iowa City Speedo Sectionals on March 7th.
Elayne Chen, also 16, secured runner-up status with her time of 9:05.49. It was a big drop for Chen, who entered the competition with a lifetime best of 9:12.61.
The only other athlete to swim under 9:10 was 17-year-old Danielle Gleason, who put her hand on the wall in 9:08.95. The Missouri commit entered the competition with the fastest entry time (8:51.45), a performance that she threw down to place 18th at last July’s Junior National Championships.
The Tsunami Swim Team, which is located in Kansas City, made their presence known in the men’s 1500 free. The club swept the top three spots, with 15-year-old Ellis Crisci (15:59.65) snagging victory over teammates Samuel Hennenfent (16:04.81) and Deacon Gutshall (16:18.97).
See the full results from tonight’s distance session below:
Women’s 800 Free — Top 8 Results:
- Ellie Kayser (GM-AZ) – 9:02.54
- Elayne Chen (KING-PN) – 9:05.49
- Danielle Gleason (PSC-AZ) – 9:08.95
- Camden Doane (KING-PN) – 9:14.95
- Sofia Wyzga (BC-PN) – 9:21.83
- Rebecca Pickert (AAAA-MV) – 9:22.11
- Matilyn Wilhelmsen (MAC-AZ) – 9:22.15
- Juliette Daigneault (SAC-AZ) – 9:24.73
Men’s 1500 Free — Top 8 Results:
- Ellis Crisci (TST-MV) – 15:59.65
- Samuel Hennenfent (TST-MV) – 16:04.81
- Deacon Gutshall (TST-MV) – 16:18.97
- Gavin Willyerd (MAC-AZ) – 16:51.49
- Stephen Argabright (MAC-AZ) – 16:57.57
- Jaiden Sreenivasan (WAVE-PN) – 17:05.10
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Action will continue tomorrow with the 200 free, 100 breast, 100 fly, and 400 IM for both the men and women. Among the competitors will be Texas commit Piper Enge, one of the fastest junior breaststroker swimmers in the world. The Bellevue-trained athlete is seeded 1st in the 100 breast with her best time of 1:07.27, which she recorded at the Federal Way Speedo Sectionals in mid-March.
18-year-old Bailey Hartman, a UVA commit, will also be racing in Mesa this week. She’s slated to swim in the 200 free and 100 fly tomorrow, where she’s seed 1st in both events. Her best time in the 200 free is 1:59.23 while her 100 fly career record is 58.44.