Charlotte Hook Improves Standing as #3 200 Butterflier in 15-16 History

TAC TITANS INVITATIONAL MEET

• August 7-9, 2020
• Triangle Aquatic Center, Cary, North Carolina
• 25 yard (SCY) course
• Psych Sheets
• Results on Meet Mobile: “2020 TAC Titans Invitational Meet”

After the sprint efforts of 16-year old Claire Curzan, who set a new National Age Group Record in the 100 yard fly on Saturday, highlighted the first two days of competition at the TAC Titans Invitational Meet this weekend, it was the mile results that garnered most of the buzz after Sunday’s racing.

• Day 1 recap
• Day 2 recap

Several TAC Titans swimmers posted best times to conclude the meet in the mile, led by more best times from Lance Norris on the boys’ side.

Norris swam a 15:05.89 to top the field, which cut almost 16 seconds from his previous lifetime best of 15:21. The 17-year old Norris is a rising high school junior and that swim puts him within 2 seconds of Henry Morrissey’s #1-ranked mile swim in the class.

For Norris, that’s his 3rd best time in 3 swims this weekend: he dropped a few tenths in the 500 free (4:23.80) and just over a second in the 400 IM (3:51.57). This is the 2nd consecutive meet in which he’s dropped time in every race he swam: at the team’s July intrasquad, he dropped time in all 6 races, including the 500 free where he dropped again this weekend.

Braeden Haughey, who leads the class of 2022 in the 1000 free, finished 2nd in 15:18.49. That’s a more modest best time for him of about two-and-a-half seconds. Michael Cotter, who leads the class of 2022 in the 200 free, dropped the biggest of the entire field, knocking 22 seconds off his time to finish in 15:28.50.

The women’s race was led by US National Teamer Ashley Twichell, who is already qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in open water. Twichell, who is the 8th-best performer in history in the mile, swam 15:47.96 on Sunday evening to lead the ladies. She now has the 4th-ranked time in the country this season, and the best since the return to racing post-quarantine

The top junior-aged finisher was rising senior Caroline Pennington, who improved by almost 12 seconds to post a 16:17.75. For the Virginia commit, that time now moves her into ACC Championship A-final scoring territory in the event, even with a year left before her college career begins. Last year, it took a 16:23 to rank in the top 8 in the conference, and a 16:17.45 to earn an NCAA Championship invite.

On Saturday, Pennington also dropped almost 10 seconds off her 400 IM best time to go 4:27.17. She also swam best times in the 200 free (1:50.19) and 500 free (4:46.76) this weekend.

The 3rd-fastest female finisher was 16-year old US National Team member Charlotte Hook, who continues to build her best-in-class versatility. She dropped over a second from her best time in the mile to touch in 16:27.38, which now gives her the best time in the high school class of 2022. She now has the class’ best time in the 200 fly, 200 IM, and 1650 free.

Earlier in the session, Hook also dropped two-tenths in the 200 fly to go 1:53.49. Besides improving her status as the best in the class, that swim ranks her 8th nationally among all ages in the event and improves her standing as the 3rd-fastest ever in the 15-16 age group behind only Regan Smith and Mary T. Meagher.

Curzan Concludes Her Meet

While Curzan wasn’t a part of that group that swim the mile, she did race on Sunday evening. Her lone event was the 100 free, which she won in 47.76. That was about half-a-second short of her best time.

The two swimmers behind her, West Virginia commit Brooke Morgan (50.52) and Anya Mostek (51.42), both dropped a few tenths off their previous lifetime bests.

Curzan won all 4 races that she swam over the weekend, though only the 100 fly saw a best time for her. At the team’s July intrasquad, she swam 5 lifetime bests in 5 events (including the 200 fly, which she didn’t swim this weekend)

Curzan’s swims this weekend:

• 50 free – 21.61 (best time: 21.51)
• 100 fly – 49.73 (previous best time: 50.03, new NAG Record)
• 100 back – 51.41 (previous best time: 51.42)
• 100 free – 47.76 (previous best time: 47.23)

Other Winners and Noteworthy Results:

• University of Florida commit Brooke Zettel led the girls’ 200 yard back in 1:59.09. Emily Carpenter finished 2nd in a new best time of 2:01.23.
• Before swimming his best time in the mile, 16-year old TAC Titans swimmer Braeden Haughey swam a best time in the 200 yard back of 1:45.78. The uncommitted high school junior led a field that saw the top 7 swimmers go lifetime bests, along with 11 out of the top 12. His previous best was 1:47.19. He’s currently the 18th-ranked recruit in the class of 2022.
• 17-year old TAC swimmer Mitchell Stroud completed his weekend with two more best times. That includes top honors in the 100 free (45.33) and a 2nd-place finish in the 200 fly (1:51.89). His 100 free was an improvement by about 8-tenths of a second, while his 200 fly swim was almost a 5-second drop.
• The lone winner on the day for the Marlins of Raleigh, who also participated in what was essentially a dual meet, was Ryan Silver in the boys’ 200 fly. He dropped over 2 seconds off his best time to swim 1:49.32. Silver is a rising high school senior who is verbally committed to North Carolina, where he’ll join a program with a strong 200 butterfly tradition.
• 15-year old Samantha Armand won the girls’ 200 breast in 2:16.81.
• Colombia Olympian Jorge Murillo swam a 1:57.80 in his best event, the 200 breaststroke, on Sunday.