2022 Eastern Classic
- January 14-16, 2022
- The Raymond Arthur Bussard Aquatic Center, Chamblee, Georgia
- Short Course Yards (SCY)
- Results on MeetMobile: “2022 Eastern Classic”
The Dynamo Swim Team hosted the 2022 Eastern Classic at their pool, the Raymond Arthur Bussard Aquatic Center in Chamblee, Georgia. The meet featured some of the south’s top swimmers, including Baylor Stanton of Gwinnett Aquatics, who set a new LSC record at the meet.
The 13-14 age group for the boys was highlighted by Stanton, a Georgia state and LSC record holder. Stanton swept his individual events, taking the win in the 200 IM (1:52.55), 100 free (47.55), 100 breast (59.68), 100 fly (51.71), and 1650 free. His best performance came in the 1650, an event that he had no official time in entering the weekend. The only 13-14-year-old boy to contest the event, he cruised to a new Georgia LSC record with a time of 15:43.21. The previous record was held by Matias Koski, who went on to represent Finland on the international level.
Stanton’s time also makes him the third-fastest performer in the 13-14 age group this season and is the 50th fastest time in age group history. Just over a month ago, Stanton broke the Georgia state record in the 400 IM, previously set by Gunnar Bentz back in 2010.
Swimming to a strong showing on the women’s side of the 13-14 age group was Lily Sammons of the Mississippi Makos Swim Team. Sammons dominated the sprint events, finishing first in the 50 free (25.14), 100 free (55.36), and 200 free (2:01.08). She also added top-3 finishes in the 200 IM (2:18.38), 100 fly (1:02.01), and 500 free (5:33.74).
Like Stanton, Owen McDonald dominated his age group, winning five of his events across the meet. While he didn’t hit any of his best times, he posted the top time of the meet in the 200 IM (1:51.39), 100 free (45.65), 1000 free (9:39.08), 400 IM (3:57.14), and 100 fly (49.55). His only loss came in the 100 breast, where Dynamo Swim Club teammate Britton Spann edged him out by just .05 with a time of 57.91. Spann was just off of his lifetime best, a 57.24 from Junior Championship-East meet in December of 2021.
Ainsley Jones, an Olympic Trials qualifier who is committed to swim at Auburn University this fall, grabbed a pair of wins at the meet. Jones claimed first in the 100 breast and 100 fly by wide margins, touching in the breast in 1:04.83 and the fly in 57.89. Her time in the fly wasn’t far off of her lifetime best which stands at 57.09 from the Southern Premier meet in March of 2020.
In the 10 and under age group, Mary Louis Russ swam to eight first-place finishes. Russ finished with the top time of her age group in the 50, 100, and 200 free, 50 and 100 breast, and 100 and 200 IM.
Other Notable Swims
- Anna Sophia Cesario, a 15-year old from Dynamo Swim Team, swam to multiple lifetime bests. Her top finish came in the 200 back, where she took 2nd in a time of 2:06.15.
- In the 13-14 age group, Catherine Xiao swam multiple best times on her way to numerous top-3 finishes. In the 200 IM, she took nearly a full second off her previous best time, touching second in 2:17.83.
- Eric Xu picked swam to best times in nearly every event he swam. He also claimed the top spot in the 11-12 age group in the 100 back, 100 fly, 400 IM, 50 fly, and 1650 free.