Madi Mintenko Becomes 4th-Fastest 15-Yr-Old In 200 FR With 1:43.92 At Austin Sectionals

2023 FOUR CORNERS SPEEDO SECTIONALS – AUSTIN

• March 23-27, 2023
• Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swim Center, University of Texas
• Short Course Yards (25 Yards)
• Results on MeetMobile: “2023 Four Corners Speedo Sectionals – Austin”

Yesterday was the second day of racing at the Sectionals Championship in Austin, Texas. Day two’s lineup featured the 100 back, 200 free, 400 IM, and 400 freestyle relay.

15-year-old Madi Mintenko from Pikes Peak Athletics put on a dominating performance in the women’s 200 freestyle. Mintenko touched at 1:43.92, clearing the field by nearly four seconds. Ella Cosgrove and Savannah Skow, who are also both 15-years-old, finished 2nd and 3rd. Cosgrove dropped just under a second for a 1:47.34, while Skow improved by nearly three seconds to post a 1:47.65.

Mintenko’s swim moves her to 11th all-time in the 15-16 age group and 4th all-time among 15-year-olds. She currently sits behind Katie Ledecky (1:42.96), Annika Murray (1:43.68), and Missy Franklin (1:43.70).

Tennessee transfer Jordan Tiffany, who will officially join BYU next season, highlighted the men’s side of them meet  with his victory in the 100 backstroke. Tiffany stopped the clock at 45.22 in finals, marking a personal best time by over a second. Notably, his time would have qualified him for the B-final at the NCAA Championships yesterday in Minneapolis.

Cal commit Keaton Jones and USC commit Ian Pickles went head to head in the men’s 200 freestyle. They flipped just 0.03 apart at the halfway point, but Jones put together a strong back half to win in 1:34.66. Pickles touched at 1:34.89, marking a personal best by nearly a second and a half.

Hannah Bellard from Club Wolverine captured 1st in the women’s 400 IM by just under a second. Bellard clocked a 4:08.62, which takes over two seconds off her previous best time from last month. Prior to February, her personal best stood at 4:14.21 from 2022, meaning she’s improved by nearly six seconds over the course of this season.

Behind Bellard was Pikes Peak Athletics’ Caroline Bricker, who touched in a big best time of 4:09.57. Bricker had not dropped in the event since 2021, with her previous best time standing at 4:13.02. The closest she had been to hitting that time was at Winter Juniors, where she swam a 4:15.42.

Other Event Winners:

• 16-year-old Charlotte Wilson from the Denver Hilltoppers and her teammate Lexi Greenhawt opened the evening with a 1-2 finish in the women’s 100 backstroke. Wilson logged a personal best time of 52.46 to win, while Greenhawt stopped the clock in a best time of 52.52.
• Sean Honey, a Penn State commit, dropped over 5 seconds over the course of the day to win the 400 IM in 3:52.80. Hudson Schuricht also had a big best time to finish 2nd at 3:53.48, while Colin Campbell rounded out the podium with a 3:54.18.
• Club Wolverine secured 1st in the women’s 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:20.02. The Denver Hilltoppers finished 2nd at 3:20.57, with Lawson Ficken splitting a 49.30 on the anchor leg.
• Swim Neptune won the men’s 400 freestyle relay with a final time of 2:55.55. Keaton Jones swam the fastest split of the event at 42.58 on the second leg.