2024 Azura Spring Open
- April 19-21, 2024
- Davie, Florida
- LCM (50 meters)
- Results on MeetMobile: “2024 Azura Spring Open LCM Invite”
Aspen Gersper picked up two U.S. Olympic Trials cuts in the 100-meter backstroke and 50 freestyle during last weekend’s Azura Spring Open in Davie, Florida.
The 18-year-old Saint Andrews Aquatics standout posted a personal-best 100 back time of 1:01.86 in prelims, dropping just over a tenth of a second off her previous-best 1:01.98 from February. In the process, Gersper snuck under the Trials cut of 1:01.89.
Gersper added another Trials cut in the 50 free with a personal-best 25.53, taking a few tenths off her previous best (25.84 from February) to get under the standard of 25.69. She also clocked a 56.32 100 free and 1:01.24 100 fly, not far off her lifetime bests of 56.14 and 1:00.68 from February. During the previous Olympic cycle, she earned Trials cuts in the 100 back and 100 free. Gersper is headed to the four-time defending national champion University of Virginia this fall.
Erika Pelaez hit the best 200 free time of her career at 2:01.05, within a couple tenths of the Trials cut (2:00.89). The Eagle Aquatics 17-year-old shaved a couple tenths off her previous-best 2:01.28 from last July. Pelaez also ripped a 54.97 in the 100 free, within half a second of her personal-best 54.65 from 2022. She was right around her 54.94 from the World Junior Championships last September, which placed her 4th and put her well under the Trials cut (55.79).
Pelaez was exactly half a second shy of her best 50 free with a time of 25.79. The NC State commit (’24) has been as fast as 25.29 back in 2022 and picked up her Trials cut in the 50 free last summer. She also logged a 100 back time of 1:02.11, a couple seconds slower than her personal-best 59.94 that won her a bronze medal at World Juniors. Pelaez collected her first Trials cut when she was just 13 years old.
Flood Aquatics Swim Team (FAST) 17-year-old Aly Bozzuto dipped under 26 seconds in the 50 free for the first time with a personal-best 25.90. The Liberty commit (’24) shed a few tenths off her previous-best 26.20, coming just a couple tenths shy of the Trials cut (25.69). Bozzuto fired off two more lifetime bests in the 100 breast (1:11.31) and 200 breast (2:42.29), with the former just about a second away from the Trials cut of 1:10.29.
Bozzuto’s FAST teammate, 17-year-old Emma Herrera, notched a new lifetime best in the 200 free at 2:03.47. She dropped almost a full second off her previous-best 2:04.24 from last July. Herrera was within a second of her best 400 free time with a 4:24.71 and within four seconds of her best 400 IM time at 5:04.71.
On the boys side, Eagle Aquatics 18-year-old Kaii Winkler impressed with victories in the 100 free (49.83) and 200 free (1:51.69). The NC State commit (’24) has been as fast as 48.81 in the 100 free and 1:49.02 in the 200 free, both from last March.
Shelton Doral Swim Team 16-year-old George Gonzalez had a huge weekend with lifetime bests in the 50 free (23.52), 100 free (50.85), and 200 free (1:52.44). His biggest improvement came in the 100 free as he dropped .12 seconds in the 50, .66 seconds in the 100, and .05 seconds in the 200. Gonzalez is now within a second of the Trials cut in the 100 free (49.99).
Eagle Aquatics 16-year-old Anthony Pineiro tallied three lifetime bests in the 50 back (27.30), 200 back (2:04.94), and 50 fly (26.51). He dropped a few tenths in the 200 back off his previous-best 2:05.30 from last July, still more than four seconds away from the Trials cut of 2:01.69. Pineiro also posted a 56.34 100 fly, just about a tenth off his personal-best 56.22 from earlier this month.
Jamarr Bruno, an Azura Florida Aquatics 19-year-old from Puerto Rico, put up some solid distance freestyle performances. He got under 16 minutes in the 1500 free for the first time with a 15:58.86, dropping almost three seconds off his best mark from earlier this month (16:01.83). Bruno also went 4:06.37 in the 400 free and 8:22.68 in the 800 free, not far off his personal bests from earlier this month (4:03.80/8:21.05).
Congratulations Aspen!