Erisman’s 54.3 100 FR, a Handful of New Trials Cuts Mark First 2 Days of 2024 Ocala Sectionals

2024 Speedo Sectionals – Ocala

• May 23-26, 2024
• Ocala, Florida
• LCM (50m)
• Event Page
• Psych Sheet
• Live Stream

Results

• Thursday Prelims | Finals
• Friday Prelims | Finals
• Saturday Prelims | Finals
• Sunday Prelims | Finals

There’s a Speedo Sectionals meet going on in Ocala, Florida this weekend. The meet, one of the last high-profile meets heading into the US Olympic Trials in just a few weeks, has attracted a ton of fast swimmers from around the country. Of course, you may have already seen our reporting on Rylee Erisman becoming the fastest American 15-year-old of all-time in the girls 100 free, swimming a 54.34 at Friday’s prelims session. Erisman would end up scratching the event in finals last night, however, that 54.34 puts the youngster in a great position heading into Trials.

A Laker Swim product, Erisman also swam the 100 back in prelims yesterday, where she posted the top time of the morning with a 1:01.28. She would scratch that event in finals as well. Erisman holds a career best of 1:00.58 in the 100 back.

University of Minnesota’s Megan Van Berkom put up a solid time en route to winning the women’s 400 IM last night, swimming a 4:46.17. That time comes in about 4 seconds off her career best of 4:42.47, which she swam at the World University Games last August. She’s been as fast as 4:45.01 so far in 2024. The 5th-place finisher in the 400 IM (4:02.51 yards) at the Women’s NCAA Championships two months ago, Van Berkom will be a strong contender for a spot in the 400 IM final at Trials next month.

The Golden Gophers made it a sweep of the 400 IMs, as William Christenson took the men’s event in 4:21.63. That was Christenson’s fastest time of the season, coming in just 0.03 seconds off his career best of 4:21.60, which he swam at US Nationals last summer. Commonwealth Swimming 16-year-old Gerhardt Hoover had a huge race in finals of the 400 IM, taking 2nd in 4:24.63. Not only was the swim well under the 4:32.03 he entered the meet with, but Hoover also earned the Olympic Trials cut (4:25.19) with the performance.

On Thursday, Sarasota Sharks 18-year-old Addison Sauickie put up a 1:59.06 to win the women’s 200 free decisively. That’s a strong time for Sauickie, who has been as fast as 1:57.98 in her career. Swim Fort Lauderdale 19-year-old Dylan Felt clocked a 1:49.35 to win the men’s 200 free. That time comes in just off his career best of 1:49.10, which he swam at the Ocala Futures meet last summer.

16-year-old Rachel McAlpin out of Mississippi Makos Swim Team earned an Olympic Trials cut in the women’s 100 breast, winning the event in 1:10.25. That swim took half-a-second off McAlpin’s previous best of 1:10.78, putting her under the Trials cut of 1:10.29.

Minnesota saw a pair of great swims out of Katie McCarthy and Eliot Kennedy in the women’s 800 free on Thursday night. Both McCarthy and Kennedy earned bids to NCAAs in the 1650 free for Minnesota this past college season. McCarthy won the race in 8:41.16, taking nearly 4 seconds off her career best of 8:44.97, which she swam at Summer Junior Nationals last year. Kennedy was right behind, touching 2nd in 8:41.46, which was nearly 6 seconds faster than he previous best of 8:47.19, which she swam just last month. For Kennedy, the swim also marked a new Olympic Trials cut, dipping well under the qualifying mark of 8:45.79.

OTHER EVENT WINNERS

• Men’s 100 breast: Max McHugh (University of Minnesota) – 1:02.48
• Women’s 200 fly: Megan Van Berkom (University of Minnesota) – 2:12.60
• Men’s 200 fly: Kaiser Neverman (University of Minnesota) – 2:00.14
• Men’s 1500 free: Amadeusz Knop (University of Florida) – 15:39.47
• Women’s 100 free: Addison Sauickie (Sarasota Sharks) – 56.38
• Men’s 100 free: Kaiser Neverman (University of Minnesota) – 50.64
• Women’s 100 back: Brynn Lavigueur (Sarasota Sharks) – 1:02.05
• Men’s 100 back: Jonny Marshall (University of Florida) – 54.53
• Women’s 800 free relay: Hurricane Aquatics (Barr, Fitzgerald, Otava, Meggesto) – 8:25.37
• Men’s 800 free relay: SwimRise Aquatics (Evans, Singley, Vanscoy, Kerkezi) – 7:54.09