Sandpipers Girls Back Racing at CA/NV Sectionals With Top 10 All-Time Age Group Swims

2022 California/Nevada Sectionals

• December 16-19, 2022
• La Mirada Splash Center, La Mirada, California
• Short Course Yards (25 yards) pool, prelims/finals
• Results on Meet Mobile: “2022  December  CA NV Speedo Sect @ RMDA  v1”

The Sandpipers of Nevada returned home from a dominant performance at the 2022 Winter Junior Championships – West meet last week in Austin and hopped on a bus for Southern California and the annual short course CA-NV Speedo Sectionals meet.

While the bulk of the team skipped the US Open in long course, this marks a second-straight short course meet, and they continued to dominate on the opening distance night – which is the team’s specialty.

The was no 1000 yard freestyle on the Winter Juniors schedule, but a Sandpipers 1-2-3 finish resulted in best times for the so-called “lethal three.”

17-year old Bella Sims won in 9:22.30, which ranks her 5th all-time in the event in the 17-18 age group. She jumped a lot of really big names to land in the top five, including Janet Evans, Cierra Runge, G Ryan, and Chloe Sutton.

All-Time Top 10, Girls’ 17-18 1000 SCY Freestyle:

1. Katie Ledecky, NCAP, 2015 – 8:59.65
2. Katie Hoff, NBAC, 2007 – 9:10.77
3. Erica Sullivan, Sandpipers, 2018 – 9:17.32
4. Kate Ziegler, FISH, 2006 – 9:21.57
5. Bella Sims, Sandpipers, 2022 – 9:22.30
6. Janet Evans, Trojan Swim Club, 1989 – 9:25.49
7. Cierra Runge, NBAC, 2013 – 9:25.79
8. G Ryan, NBAC, 2012 – 9:26.50
9. Chloe Sutton, Mission Viejo Nadadores, 2009 – 9:26.58
10. Danielle Valley, Sarasota Sharks, 2013 – 9:27.19

That swim knocked almost nine seconds off Sims’ previous personal best from last year’s December Sectionals meet.

Last week, Sims went undefeated in winning six individual events at the Winter Junior – West Championships, swimming best times in all of those races. She was also on two winning Sandpiper relays.

Her 15-year old teammate Claire Weinstein, the latest addition to this trio, was 2nd in 9:25.06. Even at the younger end of that age group, the time leaves her behind only Katie Ledecky all-time among 15-16s. Her teammate Katie Grimes also cracks that top 5 after placing 3rd on Friday in 9:26.10.

All-Time Top 5, Girls’ 15-16 1000 SCY Freestyle:

1. Katie Ledecky, NCAP, 2013 – 9:14.33
2. (Unofficial) Katie Grimes, Sandpipers, 2022 – 9:22.11 (split on a mile)
3. Claire Weinstein, Sandpipers, 2022 – 9:25.06
4. Kate Ziegler, Fish, 2005 – 9:25.51
5. Katie Grimes, Sandpipers, 2022 – 9:26.10
6. Katie Hoff, NBAC, 2006 – 9:27.56

Weinstein’s previous best time was a 9:32.23 done in a season-opening meet in October, which converted to a 9:25.93 with an altitude adjustment. This was Grimes’ best time in a 1000 free, though her unofficial best time remains a 9:22.11 that she swam in the first 1000 yards of her mile split at Winter Juniors last week.

The Sandpipers weren’t the only elite competitors who jumped straight off Winter Juniors into this meet. Kayla Han of the host team was 4th in 9:41.05. That moves the 14-year-old into the top 10 all-time in her age group, one spot behind Grimes.

Macky Hodges, a recent addition to the Sandpipers elite group, rounded out the top 5 in 9:45.45 – a drop of 11.61 seconds. She came to Sandpipers as a sprinter, but is slowly undergoing the adaptation to the distance events that the Las Vegas-based training group is becoming famous for.

Weinstein (1:44.58), Applejean Gwinn (1:50.56), Michelle Grabowski (1:53.44), and Grimes (1:43.07) combined to win the 800 free relay in 7:11.65. Last week, Sandpipers broke the 15-18 National Age Group Record in this event in 7:02, but Friday’s relay came up short of the 15-16 record of 7:08.94 set in 2020 by NCAP.

The Sandpipers “A” relay, which included a 1:45.85 leadoff from Hodges, and a 1:41.51 anchor from Sims, was 2nd in 7:13.58.

The Sandpipers boys dominated their distance race on Friday as well, featuring a 1-2-3 finish in the 1650 free.

Santiago Gutierrez, a 19-year old Mexican international, won in 15:06.53, which knocked more than 14 seconds off his previous best time. Riley Clinton, 17, was 2nd in 15:13.12, which knocked 22.6 seconds off his best time, and 15-year old Gabriel Manteufel was 3rd in 15:42.25, knocking almost 36 seconds off his best time.

Clinton swam last week at Winter Juniors.

The Sandpipers boys won the 800 free relay in 6:40.93 with a combined team of Dillon Wright (1:39.68), Luke Ellis (1:38.32), Clinton (1:42.29), and Gutierrez (1:40.64). The Pleasanton Seahawks were 2nd in 6:43.04.

Top 5 Team Scores – Ater Day 1

Girls

1. Sandpipers – 384
2. Pleasanton Seahawks – 171
3. La Mirada Armada – 146
4. Riverside Aquatics Association – 113
5. Sierra Marlins Swim Team – 94

Boys

1. Sandpipers – 279
2. La Mirada Armada – 155
3. Pleasanton Seahawks – 117
4. Socal Aquatics Association – 108
5. Alpha Aquatics – 106

Combined

1. Sandpipers – 663
2. La Mirada Armada – 301
3. Pleasanton Seahawks – 288
4. Riverside Aquatics Association – 193
5. Sierra Marlins Swim Team – 192