Meets You Might Have Missed During U.S. Nationals

With all eyes on Indianapolis and the U.S. National Championships in late June, smaller meets around the country flew under the radar. In this post, we’ll be highlighting other swimmers and meets that took place in the run-up to Nationals that also produced some fast swimming.

2023 Texas Senior Circuit Long Course Meet #3

• June 22-24, 2023
• Dallas, Texas
• Results on MeetMobile: “2023 Texas Senior Circuit Long Course Meet #3”

The third and final Texas Senior Circuit meet was held at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Among the notable swimmers was Sydney Pickrem, who has already been named to Canada’s World Championship roster. Pickrem only swam the 200 IM, where she clocked a time of 2:14.39.

Santo Condorelli and Baylor Nelson highlighted the men’s side. Condorelli, who is now training with Texas Ford Aquatics, notched season best times in the 50 free (22.34) and 50 fly (24.03). His 50 free time would have earned 12th at Nationals, while his 50 fly would have placed 14th. Nelson hit a best time of 1:49.16 in the 200 free, which he later lowered to 1:46.51 en route to a 5th place finish at Nationals.

2023 15th Stu Hixon Invite

• June 23-25, 2023
• Marietta, Georgia
• Results

Sarah Paisley Owen of Metro Atlanta Aquatic Club had a phenomenal showing at the 15th annual Stu Hixon Invite in Georgia. Owen, 14, hit a best time of 25.93 in the 50 freestyle. Her swim marks a 2023 US Open qualifying time and ranks 11th all-time in the girls 13-14 age group. Owen also hit best times in the 200 free (2:07.51) and 100 fly (1:03.47), and was just off her best in the 100 free (57.89). 

2023 LAKE Western Great Lakes Open 

• June 23-25, 2023
• Brown Deere, Wisconsin
• Results

Schroeder YMCA continued their legacy of strong backstrokers with Maggie Dickinson and Sam Lorenz posting strong performances in the 100 back. Lorenz, a Wisconsin commit, dropped over a second in his 100 backstroke to throw down a 55.55. His swim moves him up to 64th all-time in the boys’ 17-18 category. 

Dickinson, 13, notched a personal best time of 1:05.13 in the 100 back to move to 14th nationally for 13-14 girls. She also won the 200 backstroke in a best time of 2:22.14, as well as the 100 free in 59.99.

Among the other highlights of the LAKE Western Great Lakes Open in Wisconsin was 15-year-old Brody LePine of Schroeder YMCA. LePine dropped nearly a second in the 100 fly to hit a best time of 56.23, moving him to 5th this season among 15-year-old boys. He also dropped over a second in the 200 fly, where he clocked a 2:06.32 to climb to 6th this year for his age.

2023 MN AQJT Summer Spectacular

• June 22-25, 2023
• Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Results on MeetMobile: “2023 MN AQJT Summer Spectacular”

Headlining the Aquajets Summer Spectacular in Minnesota was 16-year-old Grace Rabb, who picked up her first 2024 Olympic Trials cut in the 100 backstroke. Rabb stopped the clock at 1:01.66, marking a personal best by nearly a second. Rabb’s performance also ranks 51st all-time among 15-16 girls, and is 5th in the age group so far this season.

Rabb also dropped almost a full second in the 50 freestyle (26.70) and over a second in the 200 backstroke (2:18.39). 

Another standout performance came from Brock Russell of the Sioux Falls Swim Team. Russell, 16, shaved off a second and a half from his best time in the 200 breast to win in 2:20.62. He now sits at 11th nationally for his age group this season.

2023 George Block Invitational

• June 22-25, 2023
• San Antonio, Texas
• Results

Hosted in San Antonio, Texas, the George Block Invitational featured a variety of high level club teams from Texas and the surrounding area. Among the top performers was 15-year Rowan Cox from Longhorn Aquatics, who threw down a best time of 53.89 in the 100 fly. With his swim, Cox jumps to 24th all-time in the 15-16 age group, and makes him the fastest 15-year-old this year by nearly two seconds.

Cox also dropped over a second in the 100 backstroke to stop the clock at 56.97, which also ranks in the top-10 for the 15-16 age group so far this year.

Andrew Zou, a Princeton commit, punched his ticket to the 2024 Olympic Trials with his performance in the 200 breast. Zou touched first in a best time of 2:15.91, clearing the field by almost three seconds. He also won the 100 breast in a best time of 1:03.33.

12-year-old Avery Daigle climbed the all-time rankings in the 50 freestyle. She won the event with a best time of 27.24, which makes her 46th-fastest in the age group. 

2023 Sarasota Shark Open

• June 22-25, 2023
• Sarasota, Florida
• Results on MeetMobile: “2023 Shark Open”

Highlighting the Sarasota YMCA Shark Open was 13-year-old Brinkleigh Hansen from Saint Petersburg Aquatics, who won five out of her seven events. Hansen narrowly cracked the top-100 of all-time in the 400 freestyle, where she dropped nearly three seconds to hit a 4:19.28.

Hansen also dropped over two seconds en route to winning the 200 free (2:05.23), as well as established new personal bests in the 100 fly (1:04.41) and 200 IM (2:25.37).

A standout swimmer on the boys’ side was  14-year-old Colin Jacobs. Jacobs won six events, including a sweep of the mid-distance to distance freestyle events. He hit a best time of 8:24.93 in the 800 freestyle, which ranks 30th all-time in the 13-14 age group. He also dropped a second in the 1500, moving him up to 74th all-time (16:14.58).

2023 Swim Fort Lauderdale Speedo Summer Classic

• June 23-25, 2023
• Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• Results

Lincoln Hoffmann of the Fort Collins Area Swim Team popped off a huge swim in the 100 fly at the 2023 Fort Lauderdale Speedo Summer Classic. Hoffmann, age 14, knocked over two seconds off his personal best to touch first at 56.34. His time bumps him up to 18th on the all-time list, and ranks 3rd in the country in his age group this year. 

Hoffmann also saw a huge improvement in the 200 fly, where he dropped over eight seconds from May to hit a 2:16.29. Rounding out his victories was the 200 IM (2:17.23), 200 back (2:18.59), and 400 IM (5:02.39). 

The meet also featured a handful of collegiate swimmers, including David Felt from Davidson and Savannah Barr from the University of Miami. Felt hit a best time of 1:50.54 in the 200 freestyle, while Barr swept the sprint freestyle races in times of 26.96, 57.81, and 2:03.21, respectively. 

2023 Jeffrey S. Mace Memorial Summer Sizzler 

• June 23-25, 2023
• Piscataway, New Jersey
• Results

Among the top performers at the annual Jeffrey S. Mace Memorial meet in New Jersey was 16-year-old Kennedi Dobson from the host team Eastern Express. Dobson earned her second 2024 Olympic Trials cut in the 400 freestyle, where she dropped just over a second to hit a 4:15.29. She also won the 200 free in 2:01.91, putting her about a second off her personal best in the event. Rounding out her victories was the 200 back, where she was also just shy of a personal best with a 2:18.29 in finals.

Another top performer was 16-year-old Noah Cakir from Team Suffolk. Cakir won the 100 breaststroke in 1:03.26, putting him just half a second shy of his personal best time from the Pro Swim Series stop in Mission Viejo. In addition to winning the 100 breast, Cakir collected victories in the 200 fly (2:03.22) and 400 IM (4:31.11), with his 200 fly marking a personal best. 

2023 Howard Jones Open

• June 23-25, 2023
• Gresham, Oregon
• Results on MeetMobile: “2023 Howard Jones Open”

14-year-old Jack Wroblewski continued his breakthrough year with a fantastic performance in the 200 breaststroke at the Howard Jones Open. He threw down a big best time of 2:20.75 to secure a 2023 Summer Juniors cut and move himself to 11th all-time in the age group. Wroblewski just missed his personal best in the 100 by 0.03, as he hit a 1:06.53 to win the event.

Drew Eubanks, 15, also posted a quick time in the 100 breast. Eubanks dropped over a second from his entry time to stop the clock at 1:05.56, ranking him 7th among 15-year-olds nationally. 

2023 Orinda Aquatics Senior Open

• June 24-25, 2023
• Moraga, California
• Results

The 2023 Orinda Aquatics Senior Open was run in a two-day, timed finals format. The meet hosted over 1000 athletes, including a handful of Cal swimmers. Cal’s Lizzy Cook neared her personal best in the 100 fly with a time of 1:00.16, while on the men’s side Ziyad Saleem came close to his own best time in the 100 backstroke with a 56.35.

14-year-old Tim Wu climbed the national rankings in the 200 freestyle, where won the event in 1:55.22. His time marks a personal best by about seven tenths of a second, and ranks him 38th overall in the boys’ 13-14 age group. Wu also notched a personal best in the 400 free (4:07.71), 200 back (2:16.67), and 400 IM (4:45.34). 

Crow Canyon’s Daniela Linares Danzos established a new best time in the 200 backstroke, an event she won in 2:19.96. Her swim ranks 5th for 13-year-old girls and 10th in the age group so far this season.

2023 South Carolina Swim Club June Invitational

• June 23-25, 2023
• North Charleston, South Carolina
• Results

Headlining the 2023 South Carolina Swim Club June Invite was 17-year-old Sean Setzer from the Waves of Wilmington. Setzer hit best times in all six of his races, highlighted by his 50 free time of 22.95 to secure a 2023 U.S. Open cut. Setzer also had strong swims in the 100 free (51.60) and 200 free (1:55.33), as well as in the 100 breast (1:05.91). 

Other notable swimmers included 13-year-old Jacob Clark, who hit a best time of 4:52.09 in the 400 IM to move to 11th among 13-year-olds this year, and Madison Kennedy, who won the women’s 50 freestyle in a time of 26.14. 

2023 Center Grove Aquatic Club Mid Summer Spectacular

• June 22-25, 2023
• Greenwood, Indiana
• Results

The 2023 Center Grove Aquatic Club Mid Summer Spectacular featured a mix of club teams from Indiana and Illinois, as well as a few college athletes. Among the college swimmers in attendance was Notre Dame’s Sean Faikish, who set personal best times in the 200 breast (2:15.95) and 200 IM (2:01.95). Faikish went on to lower his 200 breast to 2:15.93 at Nationals less than a week later.

Another notable athlete competing was Blake Pieroni, who recently has made his way back to the pool after announcing his retirement last August. Pieroni only raced in prelims of the 200 freestyle at this meet, but he topped the field with a time of 1:51.51. 

2023 Bolles School Sharks June Classic

• June 22-25, 2023
• Jacksonville, Florida
• Results on MeetMobile: “2023 BSS TYR June Classic”

Rounding out our late June meets is the Bolles School Sharks June Classic, held in Jacksonville Florida. Bolles’ own Carter Lancaster highlighted the competition, as he punched his ticket to the 2024 Olympic Trials in the 200 IM. Lancaster, a Cal commit, hit a best time of 2:03.46 to move to 18th all-time in the boys’ 15-16 age group.

14-year-old Blakely Hammel had an impressive performance in the 100 freestyle, where she cracked 58-seconds for the first time for a 57.81. She’s now 3rd this season in her age group, and sits just outside what it takes to break into the all-time top-100.