Dang Earns 1st OT Cut, Giles Smith Shows Up Big at PNW Sectionals

Full results

King Aquatic Club’s Ethan Dang was on a tear this weekend, climbing up the 13-14 rankings in the 100 and 200 meter breaststrokes.

He blasted a 1:03.78 in prelims, and followed that up with a 1:04.08 in finals to finish 2nd to his 16-year-old King teammate Mitchell Hovis (1:04.04) by just four hundredths. Despite not being able to repeat his new best time in finals, his 1:03.78 puts him at #3 all-time in the 13-14 age group. His old time of 1:04.70 had him at 4th all-time.

100 Breast 13-14 All-Time Rankings (updated)

1. 1:03.23 Reece Whitley (2014)
2. 1:03.57 Liam Bell (2015)
3. 1:03.78 Ethan Dang (2016)
4. 1:03.83 Michael Andrew (2014)
5. 1:04.74 Anthony Robinson (1994)

In the 200 breast, Dang posted a 2:17.18 to crush his previous best time of 2:18.95 and get well under the Olympic Trials cut of 2:18.39. He finished 2nd in that event to 16-year-old Daniel Roy (2:17.08). According to the most recent USA Swimming data, that makes him the youngest Trials qualifier in the 200 breast. Liam Bell, who sits just ahead of him in the 13-14 rankings of the 100 breast, made Trials with his 1:03.57 when he was 14, but he has already turned 15. As of right now, it seems that Dang will be the youngest male swimmer at the upcoming Trials.

Phoenix Swim Club’s Giles Smith had big butterfly swims this weekend. He swam a 52.10 individually, which places him 9th in the world for the 2015-16 season, which includes fall of 2015.

In terms of swims done this year, he ranks 3rd behind Laszlo Cseh and Konrad Czerniak. Smith also ripped a 22.90 butterfly split in the 200 medley relay, where Phoenix finished first at 1:43.86.

On Sunday, Smith won the 50 free in 23.49– only he swam it fly.

Rhyan White, a swimmer for Wasatch Front Fish Market in Utah, swept the backstroke events in Olympic Trial-qualifying manner. She topped the 200 back field in 2:12.95, just off of her best, and scored a new personal record in the 100 back with a 1:02.10 for the win. White is coming off of a sophomore season at Cottonwood High School where she led off the winning 200 medley relay (25.59) and took home individual titles in the 100 fly (55.27) and 100 back (53.45), notching an overall Utah HS mark in the back.

Sara Metzsch and Jamie Stone traded blows in the 100 and 200 free. Stone, a 17-year-old from Mount Hood Aquatics, got the upper hand in the 100. She swam a best time of 55.97 ahead of Metzsch’s 56.73. In the 200, it was Metzsch who broke through with a 2:02.56. The 15-year-old from Tualatin Hills Swim Club had best times in both races, just missing Trials cuts in both swims, though she already has qualified in the 100 and 200 backstrokes.

‘aukai Lileikis, a Cal commit out of the Aulea Swim Club in Hawai’i, swept the 100 and 200 free. He touched at 51.11 in the 100 and 1:53.42 in the 200. In the 100 back, Arizona commit Thomas Anderson took the victory at 56.58, just behind his personal best.