There’s only one scratch out of the A and B finals at the Speedo East Winter Junior Championships in Atlanta on day 2, the final qualifier in the 500 free.
Lakeside’s Clayton Forde won’t contest the final after taking 16th out of prelims. That bumps Badger Swim Club’s Spencer Lafata into the B heat and Nicholas Palmer into the bonus final.
Marlins of Raleigh 15-year-old Madison Homovich swam the 500 free and 200 IM back-to-back this morning in a tough double. She’s the third qualifier in the 500, but will step out of the 200 IM after qualifying 17th. Homovich’s absence allows Sydney Baker of Y-Spartaquatics into the bonus heat for tonight.
The only other scratch is Tennessee Aquatics 18-year-old Walker Higgins in the 50 free. Higgins had qualified in a tie for 23rd, but scratches out, letting Madison Swimming’s Derek Sander into the C final’s outside lane.
The girls 50 free was highlighted by a swim-off for that final slot in the bonus final. Quest Swimming 17-year-old Kelsey Dambacher and Cardinal Aquatic 13-year-old Gabi Albiero tied at 23.40. The veteran Dambacher beat out Albiero (one of the youngest swimmers in the meet) 23.06 to 23.21 for the right to swim in lane 8 of the bonus final tonight.
Stay tuned to SwimSwam.com as well as @SwimSwamLive on Twitter for coverage of tonight’s finals.