Justina Kozan Erases Sippy Woodhead LSC Record Which Had Stood 40 Yrs

2018 KEVIN B. PERRY INVITE

• La Mirada, CA
• November 1-4, 2018
• Results

We’ve already talked a lot about Brea Aquatics swimmer Justina Kozan, who won several events this past weekend in La Mirada, California, and moved up the age group rankings with all of her swims. Kozan, however, happened to take down a few very notable records with her performances at the Kevin B. Perry Invite.

Kozan, 14 years old, broke four Southern California Swimming LSC records for the 13-14 age group. She had already proved the worth of her swims this past weekend, as she moved into the upper echelon of the 13-14 all-time U.S. rankings in several races, but Kozan was able to improve upon records held by names you’ll definitely recognize.

In the 200 free, Kozan’s 1:45.77 cleared the SCS 13-14 record held by the legendary Sippy Woodhead, which was a 1:46.40 done forty years ago. Woodhead went that time in 1978, the same year she set 13-14 NAG records in the 200m and 400m free events in long course, which stand as the oldest girls’ NAG records for any age group. Kozan didn’t just slide past it, she took over six tenths off of it.

Kozan went on to break Ella Eastin‘s 13-14 SCS record in the 200 IM with a 1:58.57, edging past Eastin’s 1:59.27 mark from 2011. Eastin has since become a seven-time NCAA individual champion, and is the fastest American in yards in both IM’s and the 200 fly.

Adding two more SCS 13-14 records, Kozan was 49.05 in the 100 free to break ex-Stanford swimmer Lindsey Engel‘s 49.37 mark from 2011 and 52.83 in the 100 fly to torch Eva Merrell‘s 53.19 record from 2014.

Kozan broke her own 200 fly record, but Mission Viejo’s Katie Crom beat her to it with a 1:56.00 to set a new LSC and NAG record. The only SCS 13-14 record that was safe last weekend, out of Kozan’s event schedule, was the 50 free, which stands as Dara Torres‘ 22.44 from 1982. Kozan went a PR 23.28 in that event.

RACE VIDEOS

Race videos courtesy of Dorota Kozan on YouTube

200 FREE

100 FLY

200 IM