Matt Fallon Drops 5 Seconds to Break YMCA National Record on Tuesday

2018 YMCA LONG COURSE NATIONAL SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Monday, July 30th-Friday, August 3rd, 2018
• Eppley Recreatin Center, University of Maryland
• 50m (LCM)
• Psych Sheet
• Meet Site/Results

A new Meet Record from 15-year old Matt Fallon of the Somersest Valley YMCA in New Jersey highlighted the first two days of competition at the 2018 YMCA Long  CourseNational Championships.

Fallon swam a 2:14.55 in the 200 breaststroke to break the old record of 2:15.96 by almost a second-and-a-half. That old mark was set in 2014 by Jonathan Rutter of the Powel Crosley YMCA in Cincinnati.

Fallon’s previous best time was a 2:19.73 from Junior Nationals last year, making this over a 5-second improvement for him. Fallon has always been, and continued to be, a good closer in this race, but the difference in his record-setting swim on Tuesday was the 1:05.79 front-half, which was three seconds better than he was at Juniors.

That was one of two wins on Tuesday for Powel Crosley. The relay of David Johnson, Adam Sherman, Luke Paxton, and Owen Taylor combined for a 3:54.65 to win the 400 medley relay. That group included one 16-year old and three 15-year olds. The strength of the young boys team, along with key contributions from the girls (if less depth), was enough to lift the team into 7th place through 2 days of competition.

Other Days 1 & 2 Winners:

• The Cheshire YMCA have won both women’s relays on offer so far, with the same group of Alexandra Tyler, Mia Leko, Elizabeth Boyer, and Sophie Murphy. First in the 200 free relay on  Monday, they won in 1:47.06, including a 26.31 anchor split from the 15-year old Murphy. Then, on Tuesday, they won the 400 medley relay, with Murphy’s anchor of 57.43 again being a highlight, along with a 1:01.32 fly leg from Leko.
• In the opening distance race, Catherine Buroker from another Connecticut YMCA, the Wilton Y, won the women’s 1500 free in 16:53.39. That put her 13 seconds clear of her next-closest competitor, Lucy Callard from Powel Crosley.
• Ethan Knorr from the Hickory YMCA in North Carolina won the boys’ 1500 free in 15:58.29 – another runaway. He had more than 11 seconds of gap on the field.  That’s Knorr’s best time by 14-and-a-half seconds for the East Carolina commit.
• Somerset Hills won the boys’ 200 free relay in 1:34.29, using a 22.95 second leg from 15-year old Jack Alexy to pull ahead of the field. The Rapid Area YMCA, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, took 2nd, anchored by their star sprinter Henry Schutte in 22.73. Schutte is the top seed in the meet in the 50 and 100 freestyles, but David Curtiss from the Hamilton Area YMCA might now be the favorite after his 22.33 anchor in this same relay.
• Olivia Harper from Bath, Maine won the girls’ 200 backstroke in 2:15.75. That’s her best time by almost 5 seconds, and combined with the Maine Swimming International last weekend makes 7 seconds of improvement over a week’s time.
• Noah Young from the Countryside YMCA won the boys’ 200 backstroke in 2:03.85, leading the race wire-towire. His 3rd 50 split of 30.91 was a second better than the field and the one that broke this race wide open for him.
• Megan Glass from the Blue Ash YMCA in Ohio won the girls’ 100 fly in 1:00.52. Thoroughly dominant in the race, she had the fastest opening and closing 50 of the field. The aforementioned Leko from the Cheshire YMCA took 2nd in 1:01.47.
• Kaise Neverman from Green Bay, Wisconsin won the boys’ 100 fly in 55.07, topping a tie for 2nd between Colton Phelps and Lukas Scheidl (55.72).
• Katie Overbey from the Lyons YMCA in Ohio won the girls’ 200 breaststroke in 2:34.05.

Team Scores After Day 2:

1. Red Bank Branch YMCA – 279
2. Cheshire YMCA – 179
3. Somerset Valley YMCA – 138
4. Ridgewood Branch YMCA – 113.5
5. Countryside Ralph Stolle YMCA  – 112
6. York and York County YMCA – 110
7. Powel Crosley Jr YMCA – 109
8. Lakeland Hills  Family YMCA – 108
9. ME  Lyons Anderson YMCA – 106
10. Wilton Family YMCA – 101