2024 Speedo Southern Premier Meet
- March 1-3, 2024
- McAuley Aquatic Center, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Georgia
- Short Course Yards (25 yards), Prelims/Finals
- Results on Meet Mobile: “2024 Speedo Southern Premier”
The 2024 edition of the Speedo Southern Premier once again brought together some of the biggest and baddest clubs across the southern United States, with a midwestern powerhouse joining the fun this year as well.
Among the 21 clubs competing at this year’s meet were Dynamo Swim Club in Atlanta, Lakeside in Kentucky, The Woodlands Swim Team in Texas, the Nashville Aquatic Club, Baylor Swim Club, and Tennessee Aquatics from Tennessee, ATOM from North Carolina, and the Mason Manta Rays from Ohio.
Team Standings
Boys Top 5:
- Dynamo Swim Club – 3677.5
- Lakeside (Kentucky) – 2241.5
- The Woodlands Swim Team – 1536
- Nashville Aquatic Club – 1323.5
- Tennessee Aquatics – 1026
Girls Top 5:
- Dynamo Swim Club – 3054
- Lakeside (Kentucky) – 2470
- The Woodlands Swim Team – 1963.5
- Tennessee Aquatics – 1617.5
- Nashville Aquatic Club – 898
The meet, which has become one of the best club events of the year nationally, featured among other 14-year-old Wilson York from the Lakeside Swim Team in Kentucky.
Already an age group phenom, he crushed his best times in four races and won five events on the weekend.
That included a victory in his specialty the 100 breaststroke in 54.94, which improved on his previous best of 56.20 from Winter Juniors East. He now ranks as the 3rd-best 13-14 in the history of the event, though he has a pretty big gap to cross in order to catch the top two.
Top 5 Boys All-Time, 13-14 100 Yard Breaststroke
- Reece Whitley – 53.06 (2014)
- Michael Andrew – 53.88 (2014)
- Wilson York – 54.94 (2024)
- Ethan Dang – 55.06 (2016)
- Luke Zardavets – 55.45 (2023)
York, who is still only in 8th-grade, flexed his versatility by winning the 100 back (50.84 – PB), 200 breast (1:59.58), 200 IM (1:52.52), and 400 IM (3:57.48). He also swam best times of 51.20 in the 100 fly for 3rd place and 1:52.76 in the 200 fly for 3rd place (he was 1:52.69 in prelims).
The meet is open to swimmers of all ages, with separate age groups for 10 & unders, 11-12s, 13-14s, and an open category.
Among other things, it provided a club taper meet for swimmers from Lakeside to swim non-high school events shortly after their high school championship.
Johnny Crush, for example, skipped the 100 back individually that he won at the state meet, and instead swam the 200 free (1:34.99) and 200 back (1:42.94), both new best times. He is committed to swim at Army next season.
In that 200 free, he placed 2nd behind Dynamo’s Cooper McDonald, who touched in 1:34.82. McDonald, an Indiana commit, has dropped about 1.6 seconds since this meet last year.
The top four swimmers in that 200 free all swam best times. That includes a new 17-18 Mississippi Swimming LSC Record from Warner Russ of the Mississippi Makos in 1:37.03.
In Crush’s absence, the boys’ open 100 back final was still a loaded affair, with Spencer Nicholas from Nashville Aquatic Club winning in 46.71 over his teammate Blake Amlicke (47.03). Jarrett Payne from the Mason Manta Rays was 3rd in a best time of 47.62.
Nicholas also won the 50 free in 19.66. Along with a 19.85 in prelims, that was his third time under 20 seconds in the event, including a 19.90 at a high school regional championship in late January.
Nicholas also finished 2nd in the 100 breast in 54.29 behind Keian Lam of the Fox Valley Swim Team, who won in 54.17. Lam swam a best time of 53.70 in prelims.
Thomas Mercer, who was also on that St. Xavier State Championship team with Crush, won the 200 IM in 1:45.87, which was slower than he was at the state meet. He also won the 200 fly, though, in a best time of 1:44.62, and the 400 IM in 3:47.14.
On the girls’ side, Charlotte Crush, younger sister of Johnny and a member of the US Junior National Team, dominated the meet with 9 total wins, including five individual victories in the open age group.
She won the 50 free (22.12) individually but split a best time of 21.88 on a relay leadoff that moves her up to 6th place all-time in the age group in spite of being on the younger half of it (she was still only 15 at the meet).
She also swam a best time and won the 200 free in 1:45.33, the 200 back in 1:50.55, the 100 fly in 50.19, and was 2nd in the 200 IM in a best time of 1:56.44. That time in the 200 back makes her 5th-best all-time in the age group behind Regan Smith, Claire Curzan, Summer McIntosh, and Isabelle Stadden; the 100 fly ranks her 2nd behind only Curzan’s record of 49.51.
Crush also won the 100 back in 50.28 and split 49.89 on a medley relay leadoff. That’s not a best time (she holds the NAG Record in that event in 49.53), but she’s still the only 14-16 girl to go sub-50 in the 100 back – and she’s done it twice now.
The only swimmer to beat her in the meet was her teammate Haley McDonald. McDonald, a high school junior committed to Texas, won the 200 IM in a new personal best of 1:55.90. She also won the 400 IM in 4:12.65, the 500 free in 4:50.24, and was 2nd to Crush in the 100 back (43.17) and 200 back (1:52.74). Both backstroke times were new personal bests, as was her 2:11.86 in the 200 breast.
Other Highlights:
- 14-year-old Hutch Paxton from the Nashville Aquatic Club swam 49.29 in the 100 fly, 1:43.33 in the 200 free, and 1:50.16 in the 200 fly, all wins. In the 100 fly, his best event, he was only 53.51 at this meet last year – which was his best swim at the time.
- Dynamo 9-year-old Alicia Zhang won the 100 back (1:08.98) in the 10 & under age group and swam five new personal bests.
- 13-year-old Emmy Zimmer from the Atomic City Aquatic Club was 2nd in the 13-14 100 back in 57.65 – her first time breaking a minute. AB Curtis from Tennessee Aquatics won that race in 57.47.
- 11-year-old Madison Deeb from the Dynamo Swim Club won the 100 free (54.91), 100 IM (1:00.97), and 200 IM (2:14.16) in the 11-12 age group in spite of being on the younger end of the age group. She also swam a best time in the 100 fly (59.54 – 2nd), 100 breast (1:11.99 – 4th), and 50 breast (33.21 – 5th).
- Charlie Lange from Racer X Aquatics swam best times in six events, including winning the 11-12 age group in the 500 free in 5:23.63. Showing off his range, he was also 2nd in the 50 free (25.45) and 100 free (55.59).