Sam Hoover Nails First-Ever 50 FR Olympic Trials Cut, Quintin McCarty’s 22.25 FR Remains US #7

2024 NC WAVE Sprint into Long Course

• April 27th-28th, 2024
• Triangle Aquatic Center, Cary, NC
• Hosted by New Wave Swim Team
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Website
• Meet Packet
• PDF Results
• 2024 US Olympic Trials Cuts

Over the past weekend in Cary, NC at the Triangle Aquatic Center, New Wave Swim Team held this year’s WAVE Sprint into Long Course Meet. The two-day meet featured all 50s and 100s of all four strokes for all respective age groups (10&U, 11-12, 13-14, 15&O). This meet featured elite racing reps from NC State and Duke college names among rising swimmers from host team New Wave, Waves of Wilmington (WOW), and Raleigh Swimming Association.

The NC State 15&O men wreaked havoc at the Triangle Aquatic Center, with three Wolfpack swimmers posting multiple top times. The highlight swims of the meet came from NC State teammates Quintin McCarty and Sam Hoover, who both decided to go for the 50 free split during the individual 100 free event. 

McCarty touched the wall first at 22.25, just off his season best of 21.94 from the November 2023 US Open, which ranks 7th in the US this season. Hoover tapped in at a personal best of 22.79, taking down his former 23.12 PB from May 2023. Hoover, in fact, precisely tied the 2024 US Olympic Trials cut of 22.79. Hoover now adds this cut to his 100 free cut (49.44) from June 2023 US Nationals. This feat marks Hoover’s first 50 free Olympic Trials qualification in his career. He now matches teammate McCarty with both 50/100 free Trials cuts. 

More Men’s Highlights

While McCarty and Hoover didn’t contest the individual free events, it was 18-year-old Jerry Fox who swept both sprint free events for NC State. Fox won the 50 free (22.95) and 100 free (50.62), not quite personal bests, but nonetheless Fox is already a 50/100 free Trials qualifier like McCarty and Fox, holding top career times of 22.75 and 49.55. WOW 18-year-old Sean Setzer just missed cracking 23 seconds, finishing at 23.17.

26-year-old Giovanni Izzo, who trains with Wolfpack Elite but represents Italy internationally, was second to Fox in the 100 free, touching in at 51.14. While a bit off his 48.60 PB from August 2023 WUGs, this is a six-tenths improvement from hitting 51.74 roughly two weeks ago at the TAC Titans LC Sprint Meet. WOW’s Setzer also took a strong third-place finish at 52.50.

A third NC State swimmer, 20-year-old Stephen Conrad, first flexed his front sprints with winning the 50 fly in a personal best of 25.13. He then flipped over and swept the 50 back (26.72) and 100 back (56.80). Conrad already owns an Olympic Trials qualifying 100 back best time of 55.67 from 2023 US Nationals. 

A different NCAA team rep, Duke 19-year-old Jack Smith, won the men’s 15&O 100 breast with a season best of 1:05.15. Once again for 18-year-old Setzer, he came in a narrow second place by 0.29s at 1:05.44. Smith’s career best came from the June 2023 Speedo Junior Nationals, where he hit 1:03.52. The Olympic Trials cut is 1:02.19. WOW’s Setzer did finish his weekend out on top in the men’s 50 breast at 29.53, unofficially ranking him 28th among US 17-18 swimmers this season. 

Jumping to the boys 13-14 events, 14-year-old Parker Van Olst of New Wave walked away with six event titles over the weekend. He saw four personal bests in the 50 breast (31.43), 50 free (26.91), a full second drop in the 100 fly (1:02.15), and a massive 3.2s drop in the 100 free (57.56). His other two event wins were in the 100 breast (1:06.40) and 50 fly (28.22), both meager tenths time gains.

14-year-old New Wave’s Cody Watts finished runner-up to teammate Parker Van Olst three times: the 100 free (58.50), 100 fly (1:03.72), and 50 free (27.08). Watts successfully handed teammate Van Olst his lone two event losses: the 50 back (30.15) and 100 back (1:04.09). Watts out-touched Van Olst in the 50 back by 0.08s for the win. Meanwhile in the 100 back, Watts was over 1.5s ahead of 14-year-old Raleigh’s Carter Wooten (1:05.52) and Van Olst (1:07.20). Watts’ and Van Olst’s 50 back battle also boosted them to 18th and 20th respectively this season among US 13-14 boys.

Referencing back to the men’s 15&O breast times, 14-year-old Van Olst would have placed second in the 50 breast (31.43) behind 18-year-old Setzer (29.53) and placed third in the 100 breast (1:06.40) behind Setzer (1:05.44) and 19-year-old Smith (1:05.15). Re-checking the US boys 13-14 season rankings, Van Olst is now No.6 in the 50 breast and still ranks No. 3 with both his 2023 best of 1:06.13 and this past weekend’s 1:06.40. His versatility also extended to ranking No.16 in the 50 fly.

Placing second in the men’s 50 breast was USMS 51-year-old swimmer David Dunson, punching in 32.00, just three-tenths off his personal best of 31.70 from July 2023. Dunson was also 0.46s off his 100 breast career best of 1:12.50 from July 2023, placing sixth in Cary at 1:12.96. According to the 2023 USMS men’s 50-54 age group rankings database, Dunson was nationally ranked second in both the 50 and 100 breast with his career bests.

Women’s Highlights

32-year-old Kimberly Ruiz of New Wave swept the women’s breast events, getting a 0.27s drop in the 50 breast (31.81) and winning the 100 breast at 1:12.35. Her career best of 1:10.63 came from March’s ESSZ Sectionals Series. The women’s US Olympic Trials cut is 1:10.29.

Northside Elite 18-year-old Madi Joy took double 50-meter sprint victories in the 50 fly (30.30) and 50 back (31.11). In those same races, WOW 15-year-old Kate Serens was double runner-up to Joy in the 50 fly (30.97) and 50 back (32.31). 

Joy was also present in the women’s 15&O 100 fly, where she took third (1:07.79) behind Duke teammates 18-year-old Molly Donlan (1:01.93) and 20-year-old Martina Peroni (1:01.31). Peroni’s personal best of 1:00.79 is all the way from the December 2022 US Open while Donlan’s slightly quicker 1:00.59 PB was clocked at March 2023 Speedo Sectionals Series. The women’s 100 fly Olympic Trials cut is a 1:00.19.

Another Duke swimmer, 18-year-old Ali Pfaff, took two wins in the 100 free (57.01) and 100 back (1:01.55), both light time gains. In the 100 back, it was NC State 20-year-old Casaundra Moses (1:07.19) and Northside Elite’s Joy (1:09.57) rounding out the top three. 

Yet in the 100 free, both Moses and Donlan tied for second place with an identical time of 57.79. Donlan gained 0.18s off her entry while Moses shaved 0.14s off hers. Moses later won the women’s 15&O 50 free at 26.34, just 0.12s off her 26.22 entry.

More 14&U Multi-Event Winners

12-year-old Slater Spencer of WOW won all eight of his individual events, in both 50s and 100s of all four strokes, all in lifetime best fashion. Six of his event wins now rank him in the top-30 US 11-12 boys times this season, including No. 7 in the 50 back. That 32.31 PB had just cracked the all-time top 100 US boys 11-12 performers list.

Slater Spencer’s US 11-12 Boys LCM Season Rankings (Since 5/2/24)

• 50 back (32.31), 7th
• 100 back (1:09.33), 13th
• 100 fly (1:09.07), 19th
• 50 fly (30.96), 21st
• 100 free (1:01.58), 23rd
• 100 breast (1:21.72), 26th
• 50 breast (37.96), 44th
• 50 free (28.84), 48th

Hudson Chappell of New Wave dominated the boys 10&U events, sweeping five wins in the 100 breast (1:38.59), 50 fly (38.68), 100 free (1:19.44), 50 breast (46.27), and 50 free (34.35). All of his winning events, and remaining three entries, were all personal bests. His highest US boys 10&U season rank is in the 100 breast, where he sits at 54th.

For the 11-12 girls, Raleigh’s Avery White took on five event wins, also all personal bests. Her five wins included the 50 free (30.25), 100 free (1:05.91), 50 breast (38.32), 50 back (35.72), and 100 back (1:16.48). In the 50 breast, White currently ranks 26th in her US age group this season.

13-year-old Chandler Daigle of New Wave was on a triple-gold medal conquest in the girls 13-14 events. Daigle first won the 50 fly (30.83) and 50 back (33.40), then followed up with the 100 free (1:01.18). In the 50 fly, Daigle unofficially ranks 34th nationally this season for her age group.

Even More Meet Highlights

• New Wave 16-year-old Sam Marsteiner won the 100 fly in a season best of 56.50, putting him at 33rd among US 15-16 boys this season. Marsteiner’s personal best of 55.84, from June 2023 TAC Titans Triangle Classic, is still more than two seconds off the Trials cut of 53.59.
• 14-year-old Madeleine Hemmer of Raleigh stopped the clock with top times in both the girls 13-14 100 breast (1:25.60) and 50 breast (38.71). 
• Into the girls 13-14 50 free, following four second or third place finishes, 13-year-old Lucy Hastings of WOW upset breaststroker Hemmer for her first event win, 29.80 to 29.97. 
• Just as Hastings, 13-year-old Brynn Holloway of Raleigh already collected two runner-up and two more fourth-place finishes. In the last event, the 100 back, Holloway held off Hastings by a dominant 4.29s for her own taste of first place at 1:09.90 to defeat Hastings (1:14.19).
• Raleigh’s Campbell Hughston took both the 11-12 girls butterfly titles, winning both the 50 fly (33.06) and 100 fly (1:15.43).
• WOW’s Ethan Ferree took away five boys 11-12 runner-up finishes. Ferree put up times in the 50 fly (31.78), 100 free (1:03.69), 100 back (1:11.24), 50 back (34.00), and 100 fly (1:12.71), all ironically behind multi-event winning WOW teammate Slater Spencer.
• New Wave’s Molly Kate Slawinski took three girls 10&U event wins: the 100 free (1:15.14), 100 back (1:25.06), and 100 fly (1:26.02). For this season’s US age group rankings, Slawinski has positioned herself 47th in the 100 back and 49th in the 100 fly.
• WOW’s Addy Meisel picked up two girls 10&U event wins in the 50 back (38.77) and 50 free (33.34). Meisel now ranks 34th and 55th respectively in the US this season.
• New Wave’s Lilly Van Order swept both the girls 10&U 50 breast (44.91) and the 100 breast (1:37.14). Her 100 breast moves her to 55th nationally this season.