Kayla Han Drops 6th All-Time Fastest 500 Yard Free in 11-12 Age Group: 4:53.61

ST. GEORGE SECTIONALS

• March 11-14, 2021
• St. George, Utah (Dixie State University)
• Short course yards (SCY) with SCY/LCM time trials
• Meet info
• Psych sheets
• Results on Meet Mobile

12-year-old Kayla Han of La Mirada Armada placed 2nd in the 500 free (4:53.61) at the St. George Sectionals on Friday, taking nearly 4 seconds off her lifetime best from December 2020 and ranking herself as the 6th all-time fastest 11-12 year-old in the event.

Her previous best time from December 2020 (4:57.38) had ranked her #20. Tonight, she leaped over the age group times of 14 swimmers including 15-year-old  Katie Grimes, Virginia Tech freshman Chase Travis, and 13-year-old Claire Weinstein, all of who have qualified for the 2021 Olympic Trials. Han’s best 500 free time now sits directly above 5-time Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin.

Han split the race 56.91 / 59.94 / 59.50 / 58.93 / 58.33, building into the finish on that last 200 yards. 

16-year-old Emma Karam of Reno Aquatics Club won the 100 back final by more than 2 seconds with a 52.71. In prelims, she posted a 52.19 which ties her with Tennessee graduate Meghan Small as #23 on the list of all-time fastest 15-16 year-olds in the event. Karam crushed 3-time Olympic gold medalist Natalie Coughlin‘s 15-16 Pacific LSC record of 52.55 which she set in 1998. This, alongside Coughlin’s remaining 15-16 Pacific LSC record in the 200 back, was the longest standing LSC record in the age group.

Texas commit Luke Hobson of Lakeridge Swim Team touched the wall 1st in the 500 free with a time of 4:16.56, crushing his previous lifetime best of 4:21.05 from 2019 Winter Junior Nationals. He kept his mid-distance momentum going from the 400 meter freestyle time trial yesterday where he clocked his first Olympic Trial cut. Hobson is now ranked #30 out of the all-time fastest 17-18 year-olds in the 500 free, right above former American record holder Zane Grothe.

16-year-old Rex Maurer of Rose Bowl Aquatics got 2nd also with a new lifetime best (4:21.23), dropping over 5 seconds from the best time he swam last year in February and He is now #26 on the all-time fastest list of 15-16 year-olds in the event, ironically taking over Hobson’s spot and bumping him to #27.

Swiss national record-holder Manuel Leuthard of Paseo Aquatics Swim Team won the 100 fly with a solid time of 46.90. While he mostly competes in SCM, this was 1.3 seconds faster than the time he posted in 2019 while training under head coach Dave Salo at the Trojan Swim Club.

Bailey Hartman of Crow Canyon Country Club Shark clocked a lifetime best 100 fly during prelims at 53.83, destroying her previous best from 2019 by about .8. 15-year-old Hartmann then won the 200 IM (2:01.26), out touching UCLA alum Kenisha Liu of Brea by just under one second, and remaining within half-a-second of her lifetime best from 2019 Winter Junior Nationals. Liu’s best time, 1:56.66, is from 2019 PAC-12’s where she won the ‘C’ final.

Other Notable Swims

• Brea’s Michael Tenney, an Iowa alumn, came in 2nd in the 100 fly (47.89), adding slightly to the lifetime best he posted during prelims, 47.65. Both swims were well under his previous lifetime best, 48.41 from 2018. 
• 15-year-old Mattea Sokolow of Team Santa Monica won the 500 free (4:52.27), crushing her lifetime best also by nearly 4 seconds. Her best time was from February 2020, just over one year ago.
• Isabelle Shapiro of Team Santa Monica took 2nd place in the 100 back (54.82), dropping .37 off her lifetime best from February 2020.
• UCSB commit Kyle Brill of Canyons Aquatic Club won the 100 back with 47.99, breaking 50.00 for the first time and by a substantial amount. His previous lifetime best was 51.43 which he set in less than a month ago.
• 16yo William Kim from Rose Bowl was 2nd in the 100 back with 48.90, also crushing the 50.00 mark for the first time and demolishing his previous best time of 50.09 from 2019.
• Tenney won the 200 IM with a time of 1:48.82, staying within a second of his lifetime best (1:48.08) from the 2020 Big Ten Championships. He was the only swimmer to break 1:50.00 tonight, although Rose Bowl 16-year-old Christopher O’Grady came close by taking about half-a-second off his lifetime best from 2019 Winter Junior Nationals for a time of 1:50.06.