New OT Qualifiers, 53.99 Weitzeil Anchor Mark Day 2 of Santa Clarita

CA-NV Summer Sectional Championships hosted by Canyons Aquatic Club

• Thursday, July 16, 2015-Sunday, July 19, 2015 (swimming); Monday, July 20, 2015 (open water)
• Santa Clarita Aquatics Center (swimming); Lake Castaic Recreation Area (open water)
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results

Day Two – Finals

Among the many lifetime-bests posted on Friday at CA-NV Summer Sectionals in Santa Clarita, a few of them landed their swimmers first-time tickets to 2016 Olympic Trials. Garrett Chin of Swim Pasadena posted the morning’s top 400 IM time, dropping 1 second in prelims to secure a 4:26.64 and beat the Trials standard by 8/10. In the evening session, Chin led from start to finish. He was first to the wall after the fly leg, broke clear of the field in backstroke, and built his lead to about 5 body lengths with breaststroke. Ahead of his morning pace through the first 200, Chin had a slower second half but still won the event by over 6 seconds. With the pressure of making the cut off his shoulders and no one to push him in finals, Chin finished with 4:30.38. Mario Vasquez of Roadrunner Aquatics was runner-up in 4:36.68.

Brock Bonetti of Roadrunner Aquatics put up a monster 100 back in prelims. Although he had achieved his Trials cut at 2014 Juniors with 56.74, he hadn’t broken 57 seconds since. In the middle lane of the first morning heat of the men’s 100 back, Bonetti unleashed a 54.68, propelling him to the 9th spot overall in the US so far this season. Like Chin, he was unable to improve upon his morning swim in finals, but he still won with an impressive 55.59, more than a second faster than his seed time. CLASS Aquatics’ David Puczkowski edged De Anza Cupertino’s Casey Fleming for second, 57.24 to 57.64.

14-year-old South Korean rising star Lee Ho-Joon pulled off a stunning come-from-behind victory in the men’s 200 free. Trailing leaders Michal Zyla of Terrapins Swim Team and Bobby Guerra of Fallbrook Associated Swim Team at the 100, Lee moved into second at the 150, then turned on the jets to finish with 27.5 for an overall 1:51.90. If he were US-based, that would be the top time for 14-year-olds this season by 1.4 seconds. Lee’s splits read 26.71-28.68-29.03-27.48. Zyla wound up second in 1:52.74; Guerra touched third in 1:52.95 for a nearly two-second drop from his seed time.

Although Abbey Weitzeil scratched her individual 200 free, she nonetheless suited up in finals to anchor Canyons’ 400 free relay. When Weitzeil stepped onto the block, her relay was one of four teams bunched together, all trailing San Diego State by about 3.5 seconds. Weitzeil took to the water and immediately did away with the other three teams with a first 50 of 25.41. Although she came back in 28.58 for a stunning 53.99 anchor, Weitzeil wasn’t quite able to catch SDSU’s Savannah Miller, who split 56.79 on the end to ensure the Aztecs’ win with 3:50.33. Canyons wound up with 3:51.02, beating their seed time by 1.3 seconds. SDSU improved their entry time by 1.5.

Other notable swims:

• Kenisha Liu of Brea Aquatics won the women’s 200 free in a personal-best 2:02.67, then came back a half-hour later to go within a second of her best time in the 400 IM. She placed second in 4:57.25.
• Emily House of Terrapins was runner-up in the 200 free; she dropped a total of 5.8 seconds between prelims and finals and finished with 2:04.22.
• Karli Thuen of San Clemente Aquatics earned the gold in the women’s 400 IM with 4:56.68, just off her personal-best of 4:54.83, an Olympic Trials qualifying time.
• Stanzi Moseley of Roadrunner Aquatics put up her second-best-ever time in winning the women’s 100 back. She went 1:04.04 in finals, about 4/10 off her PB, and 6/10 off the 2016 Olympic Trials cut.