2024 Region VIII Speedo Summer Sectionals (Columbia)
- Wednesday-Saturday, July 10-13, 2024
- Mizzou Aquatics Center, Columbia, MO
- LCM (50m)
- Results on MeetMobile (“Region VIII Speedo Summer Sectionals”)
- Day 1 Recap
Day 2 of the 2024 Summer Sectionals in Columbia took place on Thursday, featuring the 200 free, 100 fly, and 400 IM.
The highlight of the night came in the men’s 200 free, where Jack Dahlgren won decisively in 1:48.05. It was a strong swim out of Dahlgren, who holds a career best of 1:46.92 from the 2022 US Summer Nationals. Dahlgren is coming off a 6th-place finish in the 200 fly at the US Olympic Trials last month. He swam a well-paced race in the 200 free on Thursday evening, splitting 25.03 on the first 50, then splitting 27.13, 27.96, and 27.93 respectively the rest of the way.
Southern Illinois University’s Celia Pulido won the women’s 100 fly in 1:01.75. Pulido, who represents Mexico internationally, took nearly a second off her career best of 1:02.45, which had stood since 2018. Following an excellent performance in the 50 fly on Wednesday evening, Empire KC Swim Club’s Lucy Velte, 15, came in 2nd in the 100 fly with a new career best of 1:02.31. She picked up a Summer Junior Nationals cut with the performance.
Mizzou’s Darden Tate won the men’s 100 fly in 54.55, swimming a new career best by over a second. Tate’s previous best of 55.68 was set at this Columbia Summer Sectionals meet last year. He was out fast last night, splitting 25.26, then came home in 29.29. JD Thumann, a 16-year-old out of Sooner Swim Club in Oklahoma, came in 2nd with a 54.89. Thumann holds a career best of 53.80, which he swam at the Winter Juniors West time trials in December of last year.
Nebraska’s Gena Jorgenson was the lone double event winner on the night, claiming victory in both the women’s 200 free and 400 IM. Jorgenson clocked a 2:03.66 in the 200 free, which comes in just off her personal best of 2:03.26, which was set at this Sectional meet last Summer. Similarly, she went 4:54.38 to win the 400 IM, which is a little less than a second off her career best of 4:53.40, which was also set at this Sectional meet last summer. Jorgenson is coming off an 11th place finish in the 800 free and 12th place in the 1500 free at the Olympic Trials last month.
Tsunami Swim Team of KC’s Whitaker Steward, 16, won the men’s 400 IM in 4:33.45 after clocking a 4:33.33 in prelims. Steward holds a personal best of 4:31.62, which he swam at the Columbia Sectionals meet back in March of this year. Steward’s TST teammate, Sam Hennenfent, also 16, clocked a new personal best of 4:34.02 to take 2nd.