Owen Ekk drops 25.83 Seconds in 200 IM, ranks 9th among 13-14 year olds

2022 SE Jimi Flowers Spring Splash

• April 23-24, 2022
• Auburn, AL
• James E. Martin Aquatic Center
• LCM (50m)
• Full Results

As Long Course season officially gets rolling, we are starting to see some impressive time drops- especially among young age-group swimmers who haven’t raced Long course since last year.

On April 23rd, a variety of clubs from the South Eastern, Georgia, and Florida LSC’s gathered  in Auburn, Alabama for the 2022 SE Jimi Flowers Spring Splash. 

Among the field last weekend were two youngsters whose performance stood out: 13 year old Owen Ekk from the Area Tallahassee Aquatic Club in Florida and 9 year old Max Stern of Opelika Swim Team in Alabama.

Owen Ekk had a busy meet, including a huge swim in the 200m IM. He was entered with a 2:43.03 and dropped over 25 seconds, going 2:17.20. This marks the 9th-fastest swim in the 13-14 age group this year, even in the younger-half of the age group. Among just 13 year olds, he owns the 5th fastest time this year. The last time he swam the 200m IM was in 2019. Ekk also swam the 50 breaststroke for the first time since 2019, dropping just over 5 and half seconds to go a 34.92.

If Ekk’s performance at the Jimi Flower’s Invite was any indication for the rest of the Long Course season, he is in great shape. Of his 8-event schedule, Ekk only dropped time in the 200 IM and 50 breaststroke. However, he was consistently very close to his personal bests. In the 200 free, he swam a 2:01.11. This is 1.11 seconds away from his personal best of 2:00.00, set last summer, but still marks the 15th fastest 13-14 time in the nation so far this year.

Max Stern competed in 7 events, achieving personal bests across the board.  In the 50 back, he swam a 36.18, dropping .49 seconds off his previous best time. This is the third fastest swim in the 9-10 category this year. He also achieved the 3rd ranking time in the 50 breaststroke, dropping 1.97 seconds to go 39.12.

Stern swam high-ranking times in the 50 and 100 freestyles as well. He now has the 2nd and 1st fastest times, respectively, in the 9-10 category this year. In the 50, he dropped .53 seconds to g0 30.18. In the 100 he posted a 1:06.83, shaving 1.47 off his previous best. 

Stern rounded out the weekend with the 200 and 400 freestyles. He dropped 11.38 and 15.34 seconds to go 2:32.27 and 5:29.21, respectively.