Phoebe Bacon Qualifies 1st in 50 Back Prelims on NCSA Final Day

2019 NCSA SPRING JUNIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

• March 19th-23rd, 2019
• YMCA of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
• 25y (SCY) in prelims & finals
• Timeline
• Psych Sheets
• Meet Central & results
• Live stream
• Day 4 Prelims Results

Anthony Grimm declared false starts in both of his individual events, and Tess Howley missed the finals in both of her events on Saturday (50 back, 50 free), which means that Saturday evening’s session at the NCSA Junior National Championships will be without the meet’s two National Age Group Record Breakers so far at this meet.

In Grimm’s absence, the favorite in the 50 back becomes Jack Dolan after he swam a 22.31 to qualify 1st from prelims. His primary competitors will be Aidan Stoffle of Summit Swimming (22.45) and Wesley Jekel of Badger Aquatics Club (22.54), with all 3 being 18-year olds swimming in their last NCSA Spring Championship.

The girls’ 50 back will also be a highlight of finals. While Ellie Waldrep and Kaylyn Schoof both slipped to the B-Final (in a tight prelims session – Waldrep was .01 seconds from the A-final, while Schoof was .03 seconds from the A final), Phoebe Bacon and Isabelle Stadden both qualified as the top 2 seeds in 24.69 and 24.90, respectively. Stadden has beaten Bacon in each of the two backstroke events so far, but both races were close (.35 in the 100 and .25 in the 200). Bacon has more pure speed than Stadden, but Stadden’s speed has been ‘on’ at this meet so far.

Both swimmers had back-to-back swims to start the prelims session, and both added about 2 seconds from their bests in the 200 IM prelims. For Bacon, though, that was still enough to make the A-final, qualifying 2nd in 1:59.33 behind Grace Sheble (1:58.73). Katelyn Mack is the only swimmer in the A final to beat her seed time, swimming a 1:59.37 to qualify 3rd.

Stadden, meanwhile, went 2:01.95, which was 12th in the prelims session and puts her in the B final.

Stadden scratched her 3rd event of the day, the 50 free, where she swam a 23.37 in prelims for 19th place (which would have been in the C final). She’s been as fast as 22.7 at this meet on a relay leadoff.

Grace Cooper of Delta Aquatics was the top qualifier in that 50 free in 22.51, but not by much. Talia Bates qualified 2nd in 22.52, just .01 seconds behind. Last year, Bates finished 2nd and Cooper finished 4th at this meet. Both swimmers were just shy of their lifetime bests in prelims, which for both swimmers were done in last year’s NCSA final (where both dropped big time from prelims).

Other Top Qualifiers on Saturday:

• Topher Stensby of the Patriot Aquatic Club in Illinois was the top qualifier in the boys’ 50 free in 20.11, followed by a three-way tie between Dolan, Stoffle, and Timothy Marski at 20.33. Of that group, Stensby and Marski will be swimming their first event in the 50 free final. Stensby and Dolan have been sub-20, but there are plenty of swimmers in this final who have been very close and could claw their way into that battle.
• Shane Blinkman of the St. Croix Swim Club qualified 1st in the boys’ 200 IM in 1:47.44, ahead of NCAP’s Sean Conway in 1:47.73. In prelims, Conway opened faster on the backstroke, but Blinkman was faster everywhere else. Backstroke is Conway’s best stroke – he was 3rd in the 200 back, and split 52.59 to open his runner-up finish in the 400 IM.
• Nova of Virginia had the fastest morning swim in the girls’ 400 medley relay in 3:44.04. Badger Aquatics led the way in the boys’ 400 medley in 3:22.55, including a 44.68 anchor from Wes Jekel.

Team Standings After Friday:

Combined Top 5:

1. NCAP – 2010.5
2. Nova of Virginia – 976
3. Aquajets – 916
4. Long Island Aquatic Club – 847.5
5. Rockville Montgomery Swim Club – 641

Girls Top 5:

1. NCAP – 1358
2. Aquajets – 605
3. Nova of Virginia – 549.5
4. Elmbrook Swim Club – 416
5. Long Island Aquatic Club – 383

Boys Top 5:

1. NCAP – 652.5
2. Rockville Montgomery Swim Club – 521
3. Long Island Aquatic Club – 464.5
4. Nova of Virginia Aquatics – 426.5
5. St. Charles Swim Team – 357