Kevin Cordes Wins on Day 1 of 2019 4 Corners Sectionals

2019 4 CORNERS SPEEDO SECTIONALS – PHOENIX

• March 21-24, 2019
• Phoenix Swim Club, Phoenix, Arizona
• SCY (25 yard) pool
• Meet Central
• Live Results
• Psych Sheets

US National Teamer Kevin Cordes has only swum one long course meter meet since Summer Nationals, but this week is swimming his 3rd yards meet in that same time period in Phoenix at the 4 Courners Sectionals.

Cordes opened his meet on Thursday with a 1:54.51 in the 200 breaststroke. Representing the Phoenix Swim Club, he led a PSC 1-2-3 finish, with 15-year old Zachary Tan finishing 2nd in 1:58.87 and 23-year old Youssef Elkamash finishing 3rd in 1:59.71.

That’s faster than he swam at a meet in February in the event (1:56.5) and October (1:59.40).

That finish led PSC to a huge day 1 lead at the meet ahead of Hawaii’s Kamehameha Swim Club in the men’s meet.

Team Standings After Day 1:

Boys Top 5:

1. Phoenix Swim Club – 561
2. Scottsdale Aquatic Club – 337
3. Kamehameha Swim Club – 322
4. Elevation Athletics – 214
5. Mesa Aquatic Club – 161

Girls Top 5:

1. Scottsdale Aquatic Club –  368
2. Phoenix Swim Club – 252
3. Kamehameha Swim Club – 193
4. Colorado Springs Swim Team – 178
5. Mesa Aquatic Club – 177

Phoenix Swim Club also picked up big points from a 1-2-4-6 finish in the boys’ 100 free, all from pro swimmers in their 20s, led by South Africans Brad Tandy (44.22) and Douglas Erasmus (44.35).

Among the top performances from the junior ranks was that of another Phoenix Swim Club athlete: 15-year old Mia Rankin. She swam a 9:53.42 in the 1000 free, which is her best time by 5 seconds.

The Scottsdale Aquatic Club won the girls’ 200 free relay in 1:33.86, and Ashley Strouse anchored in 22.99; they also won the 200 medley relay, which Strouse also anchored, splitting 22.53. Strouse didn’t swim any individual events on the day, but began her follow-up to a 5-win meet at the Rochester, Minnesota Sectionals last weekend. That jumps her to 9th this season nationally in the event among swimmers aged 15 & under. 16-year old Kathryn Shanley was 2nd in 10:05.54.

Those races were part of 3 event wins for Scottsdale in the session, which was wrapped by Jordan Tiffany in the 200 fly. He swam a 1:44.22 in prelims, and added in finals, but still won by almost 3 seconds. His best time coming into the meet was just a 1:48.5 in a race that he only started swimming at the end of 2017.

Other Event Winners:

• The hosts of Phoenix Swim Club went 1-2 in the 200 free relay, with the A swimming in 1:21.65 and B touching 2nd in 1:22.85. That “A” relay included a 19.27 leadoff from Tandy and a 19.72 2nd leg from Erasmus.
• They also went 1-2 in the 200 medley relay, led by a Meet Record from the winning group of Tan (23.79), Cordes (24.10), Giles Smith (20.53), and Tandy (19.39). Their final time was 1:27.81, breaking a record set by King Aquatic Club in 2014 in  1:29.48.
• Meredith Rees of Pikes Peak Athletics in Colorado Springs won the girls’ 100 free in 50.28. She was in a dead-heat with Utah Valley’s Rachel Oyler, who was 2nd in 50.37.
• 16-year old Ellis Bohon swam a best time of 9:16.03 in the boys’ 1000 free.
• 18-year old Pitchfork Aquatics swimmer Katie McBratney won the girls’ 200 breaststroke in 2:12.82. Originally committed to her home-pool Arizona State, McBratney now will head to BYU this fall. Her previous lifetime best was a 2:14.7 done at Winter Juniors West in December. Her time on Thursday is faster than BYU’s school record in the event (which has stood since 1991: one of the oldest records in college swimming).
• Kamehameha got their first win of the meet thanks to a 1:59.44 in the 200 fly done by 15-year old Grace Monahan. That time is just-shy of her lifetime best in the race. Mikayla Seigal was 2nd in  2:00.96.