Meghan Small Wins 4th-Straight 200 Back Title at YMCA Nationals

2016 YMCA SHORT COURSE NATIONALS

• Greensboro, NC
• Greensboro Aquatic Center
• April 4-8
• USA Swimming Live Stream
• YMCA Swimming Central
• Live Results
• Full day 2 results available here.

Team Scores Through Day 2:

Men’s Top 5:

1. Sarasota YMCA – 166
2. Wilton – 109
3. Red Bank Branch – 100
4. Cheshire – 72
5. Middle Tyger – 70

Women’s Top 5:

1. Middle Tyger – 160
2. York County – 157
3. Phoenixville Branch – 75
4. Schroeder – 67
T-5. Bath Area – 60
T-5. Fanwood Scotch Plains – 60

Austin Katz of the Sarasota Family YMCA and Meghan Small of the York YMCA in Pennsylvania each won their second-straight YMCA National Titles in the 200 yard backstroke on Tuesday, and both did so in record-breaking fashion.

In the night’s first individual event, Small defended her title in the 200 backstroke with a 1:51.56 – putting her a full second ahead of Kaitlin Harty, and roughly two-tenths of a second ahead of the 1:51.74 that she did last year as the fastest time in YMCA history.

This is actually Small’s 4th-straight YMCA Short Course National Title in the event. Her progression:

• 2013 – 1:54.76 (1st place)
• 2014 – 1:54.01 (1st place)
• 2015 – 1:51.74 (1st place, record)
• 2016 – 1:51.56 (1st place, record)

Small is committed to swim at the University of Tennessee next fall.

In the boys’ race, high school junior Katz swam a 1:41.48 in the final, which crushed Steven Zimmerman’s 2011 YMCA National Record of 1:43.07.

That swim also moves Katz up to 9th-place on the all-time 17-18 rankings in the event, despite him being on the younger end of that age group.

He beat-out Daniel Hein (1:43.73) and his teammate Matthew Garcia (1:45.16) for the title.

The record-breaking started early, but didn’t stop after the backstrokes. In the women’s 100 fly, 16-year old Caitlin Tycz swam a 52.43 to break the old YMCA National Record, improving from a third-place finish at last year’s meet.

She beat out York’s Courtney Harnish, roaring-away on the second 50 for the victory. Harnish took 2nd in 52.87, and the pair were well-ahead of the rest of the field.

Tycz, from the Bath Area YMCA in Maine, is part of a growing sprint butterfly group from that program from a state without a great swimming history, but that did produce former 100 fly World Record holder Ian Crocker. Tycz’s teammate Nate Samson finished second in the men’s 100 fly in 48.34.

The session’s individual events ended with a fourth record in the men’s 200 breaststroke. Max McHugh swam a 1:55.46 to win by almost three seconds ahead of the defending champion Paul DeLakis from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. DeLakis swam 1:58.37, better than his time last year, but McHugh dominated this race wire-to-wire, including a sub-55 split on his first 100.

In four relay finals on the day, one relay record went down when the York YMCA girls swam 1:31.90 to win the girls’ 200 free relay. Harnish, Cami Cook, and Emily Ilgenfritz all swam 23-lows, and the 200 back champion Small anchored in a monster 22.16 – the fastest split of the final by eight-tenths – to secure the victory and the win.

Other Event Winners on Day 2:

• The Countryside YMCA team of Jacob Peloquin, Matt Slabe, Jack German, and Grant House combined for a 1:23.33. House’s 20.37 anchor pulled his team past the boys from Somerset Hills, who also had a sub-21 second split from anchor Ryan Carkhuff to place 2nd in 1:23.54.
• The York YMCA girls doubled up on relay victories in the 400 medley to close the day. In that relay, Small actually swam the breaststroke leg and split 1:00.16. She was combined with Kacey Oberlander (54.99 – backstroke), Courtney Harnish (52.86 – fly), and Emily Ilgenfritz (50.68) for a 3:38.69 win.
• The Sarasota YMCA won the men’s 400 medley relay by more than a second in 3:19.73, which put them ahead of Wilton (3:20.92).
• Daniel Hein, who finished 2nd in the 200 back, came out on top of the men’s 100 fly in 47.53.
• Sydney Baker from the Middle Tyger YMCA in South Carolina won the girls’ 200 breaststroke in 2:13.12. Middle Tyger went 1-2-3 in the event, with Jessica Horomanski placing 2nd in 2:13.87 and Savanna Faulconer finishing 3rd in 2:14.07.