The Info You Need to follow Day 4 of the 2014 U.S. Junior National Championships Live.
- Saturday morning timeline.
- Saturday morning heat sheet.
- All the links you need to follow Day 4 available here.
- Note that the 100 backstroke will be the first event swum in preliminaries, but will be the final individual event in finals. Note that the event numbers on the timeline are incorrect because of that tweak.
Scratches
There were scratches from quite a few high seeds, and some very high seeds, before the day 4 prelims heat sheets came out at the 2014 Junior National Championships.
In the women’s 200 breaststroke, the #3 seed, and a USC commit, Riley Scott from the Marin Pirates scratched, meaning that Allie Szekely bumps up into a middle-lane in the circle seeded prelims heats.
In the boys’ 200 freestyle, Aidan Burns and Nick Silverthorn, both seeded in 1:52’s, scratched out of the boy’s 200 free prelims. They were the 10th and the 11th seeds. That was Burns’ only scheduled individual swim on the day, though Silverthorn is still swimming the 200 breaststroke.
In the girls’ 200 free, Daniela Georges, the 6th seed, scratched.
The 11th seed in the women’s 100 back, Erin Early, is also a scratch.
Swims of the Day
The two swims we’re watching very closely on Saturday are:
1) 14-year old Reece Whitley in the boys’ 200 breaststroke. He’s the top seed, and after breaking the National Age Group Record in the 100 meter race with a great back-half earlier, he’s almost certainly going to break his own National Age Group Record in the 200, which is a 2:16.48 (though yet unrecognized officially by USA Swimming).
That will impress American fans, but to get the world in his court, it will take something close to the 2:13.6 that Hungarian Daniel Gyurta did at 14.
2) Amy Bilquist will swim as the top seed in the women’s 100 back. She’s performed so well in the sprint freestyles that this is where we’ve all been focused. But she enters with a 1:01.44 in the 100 backstroke, and if she comes anywhere near the drop she got in the 100 free, then she’ll be flirting with the minute barrier.
Todd McCarthy also swam the 100 back – not scratched
Very interesting day 4.
Girls’ 100 back
Amy Bilquist vs Claire Adams on paper
Bilquist swam her PB of 1.01.44 in Santa Clara. At that meet she swam 55.66 in the 100 free. This week she won the 100 free in 54.85. So something around 1.00.50 isn’t out of reach.
Boys’ 100 back
Can Michael Andrew win his first US title? Possible but not easy if Connor Green swims at his best.
Girls’ 200 free
14-year-old girls battle between Taylor Ruck and Easop Lee. A sub 2 minutes isn’t impossible.
Boys’ 200 free
Townley Haas against the clock. A sub 1.50 is likely.
Surprised to see Maxime Rooney swim the 100 back instead of… Read more »
But Rooney did swim the 200 free, Bobo, didn’t he?
The top swimmer in each event who obtained their best times at junior nationals are listed below. Their national age group rank with updated time is in parenthesis.
GIRLS 400 METER FREESTYLE
Age – Name – Team – Time – (Rank 2014)
14 – Homovich, Madison – North Carolina Aquatic Club– 4:12.30 (1)
15 – Ault, Taylor – La Mirada Armada – 4:12.84 (1)
16 – Schmidt, Sierra – Unattached – MD – 4:10.92 (3)
17 – Stevens, Leah – Lakeside Swim Team – 4:12.96 (3)
18 – Marchuk, Stephanie – Indiana University – 4:12.77 (3)
BOYS 400 METER FREESTYLE
Age – Name – Team – Time – (Rank 2014)
14 – Abruzzo, Andrew… Read more »
Where do you find these age group rankings?
On the USA swimming website you have all the rankings per age you want.
Here the rankings per event
http://www.usaswimming.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabId=1482&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en-US
Or here the top 10 list updated each week
http://www.usaswimming.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabId=1737&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en
What about young phenom Easop Lee at 4:12.65 last night?
Homovich had faster time… only listed the top swimmer in in age.