NASA Showcase day 3 prelims: Jiang continues 10 & under domination, Andrew to go after 200 breast NAG

10-year-old Joy Jiang looks to add to her 5 wins already in the 10-year-old class at the NASA Showcase Classic in Clearwater, Florida. She leads three races in her age group coming out of day 3 prelims, while 14-year-old National Age Group record-hunter Michael Andrew will chase the 200 breast record, which is the only 200-or-shorter race he hasn’t stamped his name to in the 13-14 short-course yard record book.

Last night’s recap here.

Live results here.

You can also find results on Meet Mobile under “2014 NASA Showcase Classic.”

10 & Under

Joy Jiang continues to rule this age group for Westchester. A triple-winner last night, she’s in line to repeat the feat in the 10-year-olds heat on night three, taking top seeds in all three 10 & under races. Her 1:03.28 leads the 100 back, her 35.24 the 50 breast and her 58.62 the 100 free. Those last two should be her closest battles, with Payton Baxter (36.07 in the breaststroke) and Reese Thompson (59.85 in the freestyle) on her heels.

For the boys, Johnny Bradshaw and Lance Godard will meet two more times tonight in what’s been an ongoing rivalry this week. Godard leads the 100 back to open things up, going 1:04.20 to Bradshaw’s 1:05.55, and also leads a tight 100 free list 57.83 to 57.97. Bradshaw, who has won four events already this meet, leads the 50 breast at 34.13 in his one race without Godard.

Meanwhile Joshua Zuchowski has stayed hot in the 9-year-old division, leading all three races after winning twice last night. He went 1:06.40 in the 100 back, 36.22 in the 50 breast and 1:00.74 in the 100 free, leading all of those races by pretty solid margins.

11-12

In the 11-12 age group, Christopher Hardt and Vinny Marciano each have a shot at three titles after winning three prelims races apiece.

Hardt, 11 of Aquastar, went 1:02.30 to take the top seed in the 100 IM, though he’ll have to fend off The Fish’s Leo Goldblatt. In the 100 back he leads by two seconds at 1:01.08, and in the 200 breast he went 2:27.60 to lead a just 7-person field by 7 seconds.

Goldblatt has two top seeds in the 11-year-old events in addition to his 2-seed behind Hardt in the IM. Goldblatt leads the 100 fly at 58.43, well ahead of the field, and also holds top billing in the 100 free at 53.64.

Marciano will most notably shoot for the National Age Group record in the 100 back tonight. It stands at 52.32 from his age-group rival Destin Lasco – Marciano was 54.93 this morning but has been as fast as 52.4 in the event.

The Morris County swimmer is also atop the 100 fly (56.34) and 100 free (51.22).

In the other two 12-year-old heats, Nicholas Torres of Westchester leads. He’ll have a tight battle in the 100 IM (he went 58.36 to Carson Foster‘s 58.96) but leads the 200 breast handily at 2:20.71.

On the girls side, last night’s 200 IM winner Giovanna Cappabianca has a shot at three wins. She’s the top seed in the 200 breast at 2:27.58 and sits a close second in her other two swims. The 100 IM should set up a great race between Cappabianca (1:00.96 in prelims) and Westchester’s Katherine Douglass (59.60), while the 100 back has her sitting just about a second back of NCAP’s Katie Mack and her 59.04 prelims swim.

Another name to watch is Gabriela Pierobon Mays in the 11-year-old division. She went 58.89 to lead the 100 fly by a longshot and also leads the 100 IM by a wide margin at 1:02.88.

13-14

Michael Andrew will chase a pair of NAG records tonight, including the 200 breast, the only race 200 yards or less that he doesn’t own at the 13-14 level. He went a modest 2:01.72 in the morning, but is the top seed while aiming for Reece Whitley‘s 1:58.39 mark from earlier this year.

Andrew is also entered in the 100 fly, where he holds the NAG record at 47.23, but those results have not been posted to live results or Meet Mobile as of yet.

For the girls, Kristen Romano leads three events, hoping to build on her 200 IM win last night. She went 56.56 to lead the 100 back, but will have to hold off 50 back champ Paige Assaid from the Virginia Gators. Romano also holds the top 14-year-old seed in the 100 fly at 57.27, just two tenths ahead of Samantha Suer, and has another test in the 100 free, where her 52.14 leads Delaware Swim Team’s Serena Derderian by just .4.

In addition, Olivia Paoletti, who won the 50 breast on day 1, is the top seed in the 200 breast at 2:22.24.

Hometown Clearwater Aquatics swimmer Vance Sanders leads the boys 100 back, going 50.70 to blow away the prelims field. The 13-year-old heat will be led by Desmon Sachtjen, already the champ in the 200 and 50 backstrokes so far this week.