The Central Zone Speedo Champions Series meet happening in Jenks, Oklahoma this weekend has been rife with fast age-group swimming. The main headlines have involved Michael Andrew and his continued 13-14 NAG record conquests including the 19-second 50 freestyle he’s been after for awhile, but his swimming has hardly been the only noteworthy part of the action.
The other male swimmer really making waves is Greater Omaha Aquatics’ Jacob Molacek, fresh off his national high school record in the 100 breast. Saturday night, the high school senior picked up his second individual win of the weekend by taking the 200 breast. Molacek went 1:59.44, his first time under 2:00 minutes. The Auburn commit was also close behind Andrew in that great 50 free showdown, going 20.03 for second place, and at the end of Saturday night, he went a career-best 48.84 in the 100 back, good for third.
Columbia Swim Club’s Chelsea Tatlow continued her great weekend on the girls side. Saturday night she won the 200 IM in 2:01.89 and returned later in the night to take second place in the 100 back with a 55.34, just a few hundredths off her lifetime best. Add to that Tatlow’s wins in the 100 fly and 400 IM earlier in the weekend, and you’ve got a solid meet for the Arkansas commit.
Beating Tatlow in that 100 back was 15-year-old Haley Hynes of the Kansas City Blazers. Hynes cut a tenth off her lifetime best to take the event in 54.25.
17-year-old Justin Wu of Sooner Swim Club put up a lifetime-best of 1:48.96 in winning the 200 IM. He was also second behind Molacek in the 200 free earlier in the meet. The other boys event winner Saturday night was Minki Kang of the Arkansas Dolphins – Lasers Swim Team. He went 4:30.21 to win the 500 free.
The girls version of that event went to a 14-year-old out of the Flyers Aquatic Swim Team, Genevieve Pfeifer. She’s been near the front of the pack in every distance to mid-distance freestyle race this weekend, winning the 1000 free and taking second in the 200 free on prior nights. She took fourth in both IMs before getting back on top in the 500 free with a 4:50.94. That was enough to edge out another 14-year-old, Taylor Pike, who went 4:51.15 for Razorback Aquatic Club Aquahawgs.
The girls 50 was the tightest race of Saturday night. Breonna Barker topped Courtney Caldwell by just .01 for the win. Barker, a 16-year-old from SwimTulsa went 23.39, while Caldwell, also 16 and competing for Lawrence Aquatics, went 23.40.
The final girls winner of Saturday night was Ashley Pales of Lincoln Select. The 15-year-old went 2:16.59 to win the 200 breast in a big way while putting up a lifetime-best.
The Sectional meet wraps up tonight in Jenks. Results are on Meet Mobile; you can find them by searching for “SCS Central Section Region VIII Spring 2014.”
i hope you print a sequel to the pfeifer/pike 500 free battle from section 8 sectionals. on sunday the same two, in adjacent lanes, battled the entire 1650 with pike getting the nod this time with a second place finish and a 40 second time drop to post a 16:41.77 to touch out pfiefer who finished third with a 16:41.99.
I want to see him get the 200 of every stroke as well and do get all of the same records in LCM. I would also really love to see him break a 15-16 age group record while 14. Looks like 100 fly would be his best shot. 46.99 is only .48 faster than his 47.47
200 back goes down … 9 of 14
A lot of Region 8 records going down at this meet (200 IM was one too). Most notably and oldest was Steve Crocker’s 19.86 50 free set in 1990 as an age grouper!