2023 Southern Zone Sectional Championships (Orlando)
- February 9-12, 2023
- Rosen Aquatic Center, Orlando, Florida
- Long Course Meters (50 meters), Prelims/Finals
- Psych Sheets
- Meet site
- originally published Feb 7th
The psych sheets have been released for the 2023 Southern Zone Sectional Championships in Orlando, Florida. No, the name you were all hoping to see isn’t on the entries, but another superstar will make her 2023 debut at the Rosen Aquatic Center: Canadian 16-year-old Summer McIntosh.
McIntosh, who was the #1-ranked female swimmer in SwimSwam’s top 100 for 2023, is entered to compete alongside her Sarasota Sharks teammates at the met.
After going ham in her second-ever short course yards meet (and first full-schedule short course yards meet) in December at the Speedo Winter Junior Championships – East meet, where she won four of the five events that she raced, McIntosh is entered to swim 6 races in long course this weekend.
- 800 free, #1 seed – 8:25.04
- 100 breast, #64 seed – 1:04.11 (yards seed time)
- 100 fly, #1 seed – 59.28
- 100 back, #1 seed – 1:02.15
- 200 breast, #2 seed – 2:30.85
- 200 back, #1 seed – 2:07.15
McIntosh won’t swim the 200 fly or 400 IM, two events in which she is the defending World Champion. She won’t swim the 400 free, where she won a Worlds silver, either.
She will, however, swim more 100-meter races than we’re used to from her, amid a schedule that flexes her versatility with at least one race in each stroke.
That is balanced by a swim in the 800 free, where she’s the top seed among a mountain of Sarasota Sharks. Her teammates and training partners Michaela Mattes (8:35.58), Addison Sauickie (9:00.96), and Lolly Milbaum (9:02.94) are the #2, #3, and #4 seeds. They all come from a program that has traditionally been the state’s strongest distance group for juniors. That includes alumni like Emma Weyant, Danielle Valley, and Nicholas Caldwell (all Florida Gators at one time or another).
Speaking of the Weyants, among the other entrants is National Junior Team member Gracie Weyant, who is scheduled to swim all three breaststroke races, the 200 IM, the 100 free, and a less-traditional event for her, the 100 free. A big head-to-head showdown with her teammate McIntosh in the 200 breast (Weyant is the top seed) will be one of the highlights of the meet.
The meet is noticeably devoid of pros who have made appearances in past years, with the psych sheets dominated by 18 & unders (though there are a few older pro-type swimmers from the World Aquatics training center at Azura Florida Aquatics).
Florida’s high school state championship is much earlier in the season than most, which affords the ability to shift to long course earlier in the year; hence the long course Sectionals meet in February, where most of the country is still racing yards.
Of the 6 US Junior National Team members from Florida, Weyant and Mattes are the only two who will swim in this meet.
Summer just went 8:20.19, breaking KL’s meet record. Personal best by 5 seconds from the time she went in Tokyo.
I was wondering whether there would be an article for this meet. I guess not? Maybe just a summary after it’s finished?
Great time from her but I’m not sure if we’ll see her swim this event again any time soon.
Just had a look on Meet Mobile. She was faster than the 200 free relay
Just 0.17 off the Canadian record, but she got the NAG
The record they have listed for Katie is wrong. That was her 800 split in the 1500. Her 800 time at the meet was much faster.
That makes sense. Nevertheless a very good time for her in lowering her PB in LCM by almost 5 seconds.
poor emma weyant.
When is she going to commit to University of Florida? Hopefully sooner than she switches her citizenship and swims for the US.
Dumb and Dumber
she recently made it clear that she isn’t entering the NCAA program.
When did Summer race scy before winter juniors?
There was a small little local meet where she swam the 1:04 that is her 100 breast entry time.
lol, article mentions (alludes to one) the only two swimmers capable of derailing the conference season.
i am #1 summer mcintosh fan
Why do you think that is the complement to Summer McIntosh? 😀
No I am. Actually I am more a fan of Grimes, Douglass, and Walsh sissies. I have to support USA first.
But this girl is going to dominate.
Actually I am Summer Mackintosh #1 fan
Summer Mackintosh in Fukuoka prediction:
200 IM gold
400 IM gold
200 fly gold
400 free silver
And 3 relay medals
The schedule at WCs is pretty unfavourable for her to do the 200 IM.
She’ll need to do the 400 FR final, 200 IM semi, 400 FR medal ceremony, 4×100 FR final in just over an hour going by the schedule from last year:
https://www.omegatiming.com/File/0001170000FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF1E.pdf
She can drop the medal ceremony and then it’s more bearable 🤪
What do you think she’d prefer to do immediately after the 200 IM when she’s still got another race? A medal ceremony or warm down?
she could pull it off. I don’t think she’s a gimme in the 200 IM, especially at the end of a long program. But IMO she will win the 400 Free.
The 200IM final is on the second day and it’s her only swim that day. Not sure what you mean by “end of a long program”?
They’re probably thinking of the Olympic program where it’d be her last event.
I’m not sure about 400 free cause it will be close between three of them and it seems like you’re underestimating Ledecky.
I’m not underestimating Ledecky.
Seems like you’re the one who’s underestimating Mackintosh.
I’m not underestimate anybody and that’s why I said it’s gonna be close between three of them and right now I would predict even if Ledecky didnt win , she still gonna finished on second place and that would be her worst result and she rarely gets a third place even on relay event and clearly right now everyone has their own favorites and yours would be McIntosh.
Every year SS commenters underestimate Ledecky and every year they forget they did. Safer to say we will all see and get to enjoy it. Racing happens in the pool by swimmers who often bring their best when in a competitive race.
Then why did you say I underestimated Ledecky?
I don’t care if you think Ledecky will win all golds.
You have your own prediction, I have mine.
Well I’m not predicting her to win all the gold and it seems like you overestimate Mcintosh to performed and win even in 200 IM when there’s an American swimmers out there who become world champions last year and a second away from world record and you expect McIntosh to beat her in an event she doesn’t swims frequently like 400 IM.
It’s just a prediction.
From your comment history, you have been very hostile to readers who mentioned good things about non-American swimmers.
Mackintosh has actually been faster than Ledecky was at the same age (14,15, 16).
I still don’t understand why you get outraged that someone predicted Mackintosh to win silver in 400 free.
I don’t give a rats ass if you predict American swimmers to clean up the medals.
Make your own prediction.
Chill
Lol I’m being realistic and chill unlike you and I’m not being outraged because I am predicting Ledecky to get a second place even if she didn’t win the event cause it’s unlikely if she is on form she’s gonna finished third.
And FYI , you’re completely delusional if you think I’m predicting American to sweep the medals after what happened in the last few years.
And if being realistic means being hostile then you are not thinking it right.
Predicting Mackintosh to win silver in 400 free is not realistic?
Look who’s living in la la land
I’m sure you called anyone who dared to predict Titmus to beat Ledecky in 2019 World Championships and 2020 Tokyo Olympics as “not being realistic”
That’s what I mean when I said you’re underestimating Ledecky cause if McIntosh is Silver then Titmus is winning and Ledecky is third which I not predicting that’s where’s she’s gonna finished and the likelihood if Ledecky not winning she gonna end up in second place .
I’m not sure what you’re rambling about with Ledecky and Titmus cause I’m not calling out people as not being be realistic when predicting the winners a few years ago.
Watching you keep getting mad that I predict Mackintosh to win silver in 400 free is so entertaining
I will continue doing it.
You must also be one who called anyone predicting Emma Mckeon to win 4 golds and 7 medals in Tokyo as NOT REALISTIC.
I predict Titmus to win 400 free, mackintosh to win silver, and Ledecky to win bronze.
Stay mad 😁
I think she can beat titmus and ledecky as early as this summer in the 400 free, the question is can titmus and ledecky get down to 3.56 again summer is on upward progression.
Everyone is forgetting that Titmus is literally 21.
This isn’t rhythmic gymnastics, people still cut loads of time at that age
Titmus will turn 23 in September, so no one is “forgetting that Titmus is literally 21.”
Ok so literally 22, big difference
22.5*, not 21. The odds are probably against her improving at this point but it’s certainly not impossible- out of the top 12 performers in the 400 free not counting Titmus and McIntosh so 10/12 of them, 3 of them set their personal bests at an older age than Titmus is now.
Titmus will be basically the same age in Fukuoka that Muffat was when she set her PB as well as with Joanne Jackson, while Carlin was nearly 26 when she PBed in Rio
Was it with the help of “rubber suits”?
Jackson yes, Muffat and Carlin no
Titmus is literally 22.5. That’s not old. But it’s also not young for a female distance swimmer. Ledecky went her career bests at 19 (though she’s still amazing). Janet Evans did all of her career bests at age 17-18. Not a lot of WR female distance swimmers are “cutting loads of time” at almost 23 (Titmus’s age this summer).
They could and at the end of the day it all comes down to experience and for sure Mcintosh is fast and can develop cause she still young but right now its between Ledecky and Titmus cause they have something more and have been down to 3:56 before .
She’s 22 years old and she did it 8 months ago… so… doesn’t seem like this question makes sense.
she gonna break the world record in the 200 IM? That’s what it’s gonna take to beat Walsh and Douglass
She could but we don’t see McIntosh swimming 200 IM frequently like she did in 400 and right now If Walsh is on form like she did last year I would predict her to break the WR .
She will beat Walsh and Douglas 100%
She could but I’m not seeing that if Walsh is on form like she did last year and she’s like a second away from the world record and meanwhile we didn’t see McIntosh swims 200 IM that much and I wouldn’t count out Douglass cause she could surprise in this events too.
that would be absolutely nuts
There’s a chance but Walsh and Douglass is the reigning world champions in LC and SC and if they are on form like they did in world championship last year then it would be really hard to beat them.
Mackintosh will win 200 IM. 😁
Interesting choices! She has already declared she doesn’t like distance events so I assumed the 800 was basically done for her. Although since she is racing a bunch of off events its inclusion here probably doesn’t mean anything.
I wonder if Summer is working on her 100 speed with a view to making a relay? Obviously she is key to the Canadian 200 free relay, and will likely be top 4 in the 100 free relay as well. However, it seems very unlikely she would warrant a finals spot in the medley relay in back, free or fly. Given Canada’s weakness in the 100 breast, a solid 100 breast time from her could land her in that spot for the… Read more »
“a solid 100 breast time from her could land her in that spot for the medley?”
Taking ‘is there anything she can’t do?’ to new levels, lol. She brings a lot of freshness and interest to the sport in new and exciting ways.
Canada split a 1:07.17 in Budapest and Tokyo on the breast leg of the medley relay. Yes, the exact same time, but strangely enough, by two different swimmers: Sydney Pickrem and Rachel Nicol.
In Tokyo they were exactly 1 second off gold. If they had a breaststroker who could go 1:06.17 they would have won.
At the time of writing the above comment I didn’t realise her PB in the 100 breast was a 1:14 which makes it seem pretty unlikely. But hey, if the best they can do is a 1:07 low flying start, maybe Summer could work her way into a viable leg?
It’s the thoughts like this she creates that brings a welcome fresh interest to the sport. I’m tired of all the time or place outcome expectation comments. They’ve become their age group parent, lol.
Philisophically/culturally, it seems like something Swimming Canada might do. Pushing their best talent (ever?) to train her worst event in an effort to move up a rank or two in a relay.
Pragmatically, now that she’s in Florida, that will shield her a bit from that sort of thing.
The flaw with swimming, where the same people administer age group and professional athletes, is that they can’t do things like have a targeted “find a female breaststroker” program where they dump lots of resources into young breaststroke talents. Because the response from young backstroke and butterfly talents would be so much overwhelming anger that it would end poorly for the SC administration. I think their best bet would be to… Read more »
This is not a dig at Margo, but…would Swimming Canada ever encourage her to switch college programs to somewhere like Indiana or Texas that is having more success with breaststrokers? Especially in long course?
I’m glad people are having fun coming up with these scenarios but this is just weird and unrealistic conjecture! She’s just swimming it to improve her IM. There is no way she is going to try to do 100 BR on the medley relay.
Agree with Braden that the best solution would be to do focused recruitment and development of emerging breaststroke talents and maybe that is happening to some degree (Notice that Sophie Angus is training at HPC-Ontario now and Eloise Allen has been brought into HPC-Vancouver) but it may not be enough.
A dogfight between a few of these swimmers (Wog, Wiseman, Angus, Nichols, Allen, etc) May push one to get to 1:06 at Trials 🤷♀️… Read more »
I think West is the most exciting prospect with the biggest upside. The question in my mind is can she get fast enough soon enough to swim with Masse, MacNeil, and Oleksiak. I hope so!
I think even if she is on medley relay she’s not gonna go for breaststroke and actually go for freestyle just like she did at commonwealth games last year.
At this point, the only way SM is on CAN’s finals 4XMED is if Oleksiak is not there. I can see her developing into a sub53 split but, given everyone being available, Penny has her covered. Heats swim …. possible, depending on whether we are talking Fukuoka or Paris schedule.
I wholeheartedly agree with your take on this SNS. When Summer has been asked which is her favourite event she has repeatedly said that she doesn’t really have one, but that she needs to improve her breaststroke.
To her credit she has shown improvement in breaststroke over the last year and I am anxious to see what her times are this week for both the 100 and 200 …maybe drop from 2.30 to 2.28 in the 200 and get down to 1.12 for the 100.
Ultimately her main focus is to improve this stroke for her IM’s and nothing else. Braden and SNS are correct in that Swim Canada should leave her out of the medley relay and… Read more »
She’s going way faster than 1.12, rest assured
I hope you’re right.