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SSDL National Championships – Day 2 Recap – 13-14s

SSDL National Championships – 13-14s – Day 2 Recap

Women’s 13-14

100 Yard Freestyle

Super Final Results

  1. Penelope Lopez-Casula – 50.15 – Eagles Aquatics
  2. Jianna Amores – 51.03 – Warriors Aquatics 
  3. Lola Hallin 51.90 –  Coronado Swim Team Elite 
  4. Sophia Figarola- 53.15 – Sunkist Swim Team

 

Penelope Lopez-Casula from Eagles Aquatics, had already made a name for herself clinching top spots in 200 back and 200 free, but continued to set the pool ablaze on day two of the SSDL Nation Championship. Casula posted a blazing 50.15 in 100 free finals, dropping -0.04 from her prelims swim. Penelope later went on to take third in the 100 back (58.19), and dropping -31.84 in the 1650 for a personal best of 17:22.08, clinching first place her age group.

Warriors Aquatics Center swimmer, Jianna Amores let everyone see a glimpse of her insane yet young talent, putting up a 51.03 in the 100 yard free to earn second, shaving off 1.31. Jianna proved herself as a well rounded swimmer taking home top spots in both 200 and 400 IM, 100 fly (with a PB of 53.47) and 200 fly (another PB of 2:00.30), and one more personal best in 200 back for a 2:01.56. This multitool of a swimmer is going to be a great one to keep an eye on as she continues to develop. 

Tying for third in prelims was Lola Hallin and Sophia Figarola, both of them embodying the meaning behind this meet, amazing races and amazing memories. Hallin from Coronado CA, representing Coronado Swim Team Elite did not find herself below the top three in any of her swims. She ended up taking third in finals with a PB of 51.01 in 100 free with an incredible -1.28 time drop! Hallins other clinched spots include; third in 200 free (PB of 1:52.73), first in 100 back (PB of 57.01), third in 200 back (PB of 2:04.90), third in 100 breast (1:07.83) but PB in preflims with (1:07.45), third in 100 fly prelims (PB of 58.06) and second in 200 IM prelims (2:09.16). Lola proved herself as a force to be reckoned with, so keep your tabs on her as she continues to grow.

Sophia Figarola is the definition of a fighter! The Sunkist Swim Team member, tied for third in prelims with a time of 53.11, then clinched fourth place in finals with 53.15, slightly off her best. Figarola had impressive drops in the 200 back to place her fifth, dropping -4.39 seconds for a PB of 2:09.78. She also dropped -2.42 in her 500 free to set a personal record of 5:13.33, placing her second within the 13-14 girls. Sophia also dropped in her 200 free to post a time of 1:55.04 to take the fourth place spot. The Sunkist swimmer placed fourth in 50 free (24.37), third in the 1650 (18:42.94), and ninth in 100 back (1:01.52). Sophia proved that she can definitely go the distance, keep an eye out for her.

Highlight Swims – These athletes had massive time drops from their previous bests!  This is written as – their new best time (previous best time):

 

  1. Krystyna Yerfremova – 55.78 (56.75) – West Coast Aquatics 
  2. Julia Kim – 56.47 (57.90) – Bellevue Club
  3. Piper Wiegand – 56.63 (58.17) – Wave Aquatics 
  4. Dami Jung – 56.87 (58.83) – Wave Aquatics

 

200 Yard Breaststroke

Super Final Results

  1. Tatum Enge – 2:21.99 – Bellevue Club
  2. Jessica Li – 2:29.16 – Bellevue Club
  3. Krystyna Yefremova – 2:29.40 – West Coast Aquatics (WA)
  4. Mila Zhang – 2:30.07 – Bellevue Club 

 

The Bellevue Club showed their amazing strength in breaststroke in the girls 13-14, 200, putting up three out of four top places. Tatum Enge had an absolutely blazing 200, touching with around an eight-second lead in 2:21.99. Swimming’s in the Enge family’s blood, her sister Piper is dominating breaststroke at Texas. Tatum also clinched medals by placing third in 50 free (23.82), second in 200 free (1:52.60), 100 fly (55.93), 200 fly (2:05.66), and first in 100 breast (1:03.38) and 200 IM (2:05.29). Enge is an absolute engine in the pool, we can’t wait to watch her further develop in the swimming scene. 

Jessica Li, from the same Washington native club (Bellevue), further emphasized the club’s breaststroke power by taking second place in 200 breast and setting a personal record of 2:29.16. Li also placed second in the 100 breast with a PB of 1:07.42.

She also earned personal bests in 100 fly (1:04.42) and 200 IM (2:21.29) during the meet. Jessica’s future is going to be bright as she continues to put in the work.

Washington really showed its strengths throughout the meet, clinching the top four spots in 200 breast. Representing West Coast Aquatics was Krystyna Yefremova, putting up a huge drop of -12.12 seconds in 200 breast to go a PB of 2:29.40. SHe also placed fourth in the 100 breast posting another best time of 1:08.27, dropping -3.31. It was a meet of best times for Yefremova, going 24.72 in the 50 free and dropping -0.97 for a 55.78 in 100 free prelims. 

Mila Zhang, also from Bellevue also put up a personal best by -1.08 for fourth place in 200 breast. She also dropped in 200 free prelims to post a time of 2:02.75 (-0.69) and 200 back in 2:10.72 (-1.04 drop). Zhang also dropped -3.16 in 100 fly to go a 1:00.85. Zahng was an asset to the Bellevue Club, playing key roles in the 200 and 400 free relays, along with their 200 medley relay. Mila has so much potential, it will be so exciting to watch her future races.

 

Highlight Swims – These athletes had massive time drops from their previous bests!  This is written as – their new best time (previous best time):

 

  1. Irene Que – 2:34.24 (2:36.96) – Wave Aquatics
  2. Navya Sainani – 2:35.20 (2:37.76) – Bellevue Aquatics 
  3. Julia Kim – 2:36.68 (2:41.08) – Bellevue Aquatics

100 Yard Backstroke

Super Final Results

  1. Lola Hallin – 57.01- Coronado Swim Team Elite
  2. Brooklyn Lang – 58.09 – Bellevue Club
  3. Penelope Lopez-Casula – 58.18 – Eagles Aquatics 
  4. Camille Pruner – 58.28 – Bellevue Club

 

Lola Hallin made a name for herself, touching first by over a second in the 100 back, but she did not stop there earning PBs in almost all of her swims. Hallin finished and PB third in: 100 free (51.90), 200 free (1:52.73), 200 back (2:04.90) and prelims for 100 fly (58.06). She also earned a 100 breast PB in the morning with a 1:07.45 to earn her the second seed for later that night, where she later placed third (1:07.83). Lola’s success did not stop there, she also earned second place in 200 back dropping -3.43 for a personal record of 2:04.90. Hallin used her talents to finish second in prelims in the 200 IM posting a 2:09.16. Lola is such a well rounded swimmer, that any of her races will earn points, making her a valuable team asset. 

Snagging the second place spot is Brooklyn Lang and she also had quite the meet! Lang, who was seeded fourth, was able to drop from her prelims time (59.53) to post a 58.09, just slightly off her best. Brooklyn also earned fifth in: 50 free (24.47), 100 free (52.75),  and 500 free with a PB of 5:14.29). She seemed to shine in her IM event, grabbing third in the 200 and dropping -3.38 to post a time of 2:08.62; so it comes as no surprise that she also PB in the 400 IM to grab second place in 4:37.37. Lang took home fourth in 200 back as well, dropping a 2:06.94, a personal record by 2.10 seconds. Lang’s swims shone just like her, dropping some major time to fully showcase her talent and potential.

Consistency is key, as proven by Penelope Lopez-Casula who stayed steady the entire meet, never dropping below third place in her event. Casula earned first in: 50 free with a futures cut of 22.79, 100 free (50.15), another futures cut in 200 free (1:48.58), 500 free (5:00.25), and 1650 free (17:22.08). Penelope also placed 2nd in 200 back with another futures cut of 2:03.00. Placing third in 100 back in 58.19 (only 0.01 off her best), showed that Casula can go any distance and earn her team major points.

Bellevue Club swimmers know how to get it done, and Camille Pruner is no exception. Pruner had a meet full of PBs earning them in: 200 IM (2:15.15), 200 free (1:59.74), and 100 back where she placed fourth in 58.28. Camille also earned a PB in 100 fly prelims going a 58.30, then came back in finals to place fourth, beating her seed placement of fifth.  She also placed fifth in 200 IM, nineteen in 200 fly, fourth in 100 back, seventh in 200 free and fourteenth in 100 free. Camille also showed her strength in backstroke in the medley relays, helping her team earn the top spot. She is a fierce competitor, who will continue to develop and post some great times in the future.

Highlight Swims – These athletes had massive time drops from their previous bests!  This is written as – their new best time (previous best time):

 

  1. Bogdana Kuptcova – 1:00.16 (1:01.43) – Eagles Aquatics
  2. Cadhla Weil – 1:01.12 (1:02.08) – Schenectady Sharks
  3. Lulu White – 1:02.00 (1:04.82) – Bellevue Club
  4. Alicia Mellin -1:02.62 (1:03.86) – Aquastar
  5. Teneya Villanueva – 1:03.83 (1:04.87) – Bellevue Club
  6. Grace Ladoucuer – 1:03.96 (1:05.45) – JCC Sea Serpents 
  7. Piper Stephens – 1:03.97 (1:04.92) – Lincoln Way Swim Association 
  8. Bree Carrol – 1:08.57 (1:13.85) – Coronado Swim Team Elite
  9. Navya Sainani – 1:09.01 (1:10.77) – Bellevue Club

 

200 Yard Butterfly

Super Final Results

  1. Jinna Amores – 2:00.30 – Warriors Aquatics 
  2. Tatum Enge – 2:05.66 – Bellevue Club
  3. Sarah Dixon – 2:08.21 – Seahawks Swim Club (IL)
  4. Claire Gao – 2:15.38 – Bellevue Club 

 

No, this isn’t a glitch, these girls are just that fast. Jinna Amores not only clinched first place, she also earned the Swim Strong 200 fly record, dropping -1.63 to touch at the 2:00.30 mark. Amores also earned first in: 400 IM (4:33.52), 100 fly (PB of 53.47), and 200 back (PB of 2:01.56). Jianna also placed second in 50 free, setting a personal record of 23.69, 100 free (51.03 for a PB), and 200 IM (2:05.79). Amores is giving us a glimpse into the future of this sport, putting up insanely fast times regardless of events, showing us all, you can do it all with the right mindset. 

Tatum Enge was on fire this meet as well, only earning top three spots in her events. She earned a futures cut in 50 free, posting PB of 23.82 to grab third place. Enge touched second in the 200 free (1:52.60), 100 fly (55.93), and 200 fly (2:05.66). Tatum then grabbed the top spot in 100 and 200 breast (1:03.38 and 2:21.99, respectively), and 200 IM (2:05.29). This short-axis stroke swimmer truly does it all, and is a force to be reckoned with as she ages. 

The Illinois club, Seahawks Swim Club showed their strength through Sarah Dixion. This girl can do the distance when it comes to stroke swimming earning third in 200 fly (2:08.21) and 400 IM with a PB of 4:45.62. Dixon grabbed fourth in 200 IM finals with a time of 2:13.50 dropping a little over two seconds from her prelims time.  She also placed fifth in 100 fly (57.70), tenth in 200 back going 2:13.45 and 100 free with a 55.74, and fifteenth in 50 free with a 25.80. Dixon has stamina and it shines through in her 400 and 200 fly, she is definitely one to look out for. 

Rounding out the 200 fly A final is Claire Gao posting a personal best of 2:15.38. Gao also had PBs in 100 free (53.83) and 200 free (1:58.82) to place sixth, 100 fly (1:00.2) to earn seventh and earned a PR in 50 free prelims with a 24.51, where she was seeded sixth for finals and earned it with a 24.67. Claire also posted a 2:`5.71 200 IM to touch seventh in finals. Gao shows her strengths in all the strokes in her IM, but her power in free and fly definitely came out during this meet, showing her hard work and potential for a bright future.

Highlight Swims – These athletes had massive time drops from their previous bests!  This is written as – their new best time (previous best time):

 

  1. Laysa Viswanadham – 2:25.49 (2:30.20) – Wave Aquatics 
  2. Nora Herman – 2:26.82 (2:29.49) – Wave Aquatics

 

Men’s 13-14

100 Yard Freestyle

Super Final Results

  1. Wes Jasper – 49.40 – West Coast Aquatics
  2. Isaac Stewart – 49.52 – Club North Swimming
  3. Brody Porter – 50.92 – The Claremont Club
  4. Wiktor Schabowski – 51.76 – Bellevue Club Swim Team

 

The first event of the night was the 100 yard freestyle, and it was one of five events where Wes Jasper from West Coast Aquatics would touch the wall first.  In his first of three super finals (100 back, 200 fly) of the night, Wes would drop nearly half a second from his previous best time.  Splitting a 24.09/25.31, the race would be decided by .12 tenths of a second between Wes and the second place swimmer.  

It was Isaac Stewart from Club North Swimming, splitting a 23.86/25.66, coming in second in the 100 freestyle.  Dropping .3 tenths for a new best time in the 100 free, he also swam best times in the 100 breast (1:06.18) and the 200 free (1:51.09).  Isaac dropped over 2 seconds from his best time at the end of the ‘24 short course season (51.71 to 49.52).

Coming in 3rd place in the 100 freestyle was the second place finisher in the Men’s 13-14 high point race, Brody Porter from The Claremont Club.  Continuing his incredible Day 1 performance, Brody would win the 200 breast by 5 seconds in the very next event.  Splitting a 24.55/26.37 to go his new best time of 50.92, Brody would drop 4 seconds from his best time from last season (55.01). 

Rounding out the Men’s 13-14 100 free was Wiktor Schabowski from Bellevue Club Swim Team.  Wiktor put together a complete meet, going best times in every event he swam at the SSDL National Championships.  In addition to the 100 free, Wiktor earned super final swims in the 200 breast, and the 200 & 400 IMs, placing 3rd in each event.  Out of the 4 super finalists, Wiktor dropped the most time from the end of last SCY season.  After finishing the ‘24 SCY season with a 57.74, he split a 24.73/27.03 to drop 6 seconds on the season with his 51.76.  

 

Highlight Swims – These athletes had massive time drops from their previous bests!  This is written as – their new best time (previous best time):

 

  1. Brody Porter – 50.92 (52.53) – The Claremont Club
  2. Wiktor Schabowski – 51.76 (52.99) – Bellevue Club Swim Team
  3. Alex Belkin – 53.10 (56.00) – Wave Aquatics
  4. Edi Vasilescu – 55.10 (56.89) – Wave Aquatics
  5. Caden Gray – 55.36 (58.28) – Wave Aquatics
  6. Roman Byelykh – 56.77 (59.39) – Wave Aquatics
  7. Dylan Dubois – 57.33 (58.65) – Club North Swimming

 

200 Yard Breaststroke

Super Final Results

  1. Brody Porter – 2:13.42 – The Claremont Club
  2. Matthew Song – 2:18.41 – West Coast Aquatics
  3. Wiktor Schabowski – 2:21.59 – Bellevue Club Swim Team
  4. Payton Kim – 2:28.40 – West Coast Aquatics

 

After racing in the 100 free super final, Brody Porter would come right back to win the 200 breaststroke super final.  Coached by Christian Watts and with his teammates from The Claremont Club cheering him on, Brody dropped nearly 3.5 seconds from his mid-season meet time.  But he would drop even more from his best time from the ‘24 SCY season.  After swimming a 2:32.25 in February last year, he would go back to work which resulted in a remarkable 18.8 second drop in just 13 months’ time. 

From West Coast Aquatics, Matthew Song would drop nearly 1.5 seconds from his previous best time en route to taking 2nd in the 200 breaststroke.  Matthew also earned a super final swim in the 100 breaststroke, dropping 3.5 seconds from his previous best (1:04.04 from a 1:07.50).  This season, Matthew would shave 4.5 seconds off his 200 breast from his ‘23-24 SCY season time (2:23.00 to a 2:18.41).

Aside from Brody, there was another athlete who earned a super final swim in the 100 free and the 200 breaststroke.  And that would be Wiktor Schabowski of Bellevue Club Swim Team, who took 3rd and dropped nearly 2 seconds from his previous best.  Wiktor would end up taking 6th place in the Men’s 13-14 high point race, scoring 115 points at the SSDL National Championships.    

Payton Kim from West Coast Aquatics would place 4th in the 200 breast super final, with a time of 2:28.40.  He earned his spot at prelims by swimming a 2:23.90.  Payton would earn another super final swim in the 100 breaststroke, where he would take 3rd with a time of 1:04.41.  In the Men’s 13-14 high point race, Payton would finish 10th with 101 points.   

Highlight Swims – These athletes had massive time drops from their previous bests!  This is written as – their new best time (previous best time):

 

  1. Wiktor Schabowski – 2:21.59 (2:23.32) – Bellevue Club Swim Team
  2. Jake O’Banion – 2:25.76 (2:29.46) – Nitro Swimming

 

100 Yard Backstroke

Super Final Results

  1. Wes Jasper – 55.67 – West Coast Aquatics
  2. Nakul Choudhary – 58.38 – West Coast Aquatics
  3. Caden Gray – 1:01.31 – Wave Aquatics
  4. Edi Vasilescu – 1:01.48 – Wave Aquatics

 

After taking first place in the 100 free, Wes would also take the top spot on the podium in the 100 backstroke.  Spectators were used to seeing the name Wes Jasper at finals, because he was a super finalist in every event he swam.  Wes would earn the top seed, which he held onto, with a 55.24 at prelims.  Taking the event by nearly 3 seconds, Wes would ride that momentum to a strong Day 3.  And once the points were scored, Wes would walk away as the Men’s 13-14 high point champion representing West Coast Aquatics. 

The second place finisher, also from West Coast Aquatics, was Nakul Choudhary.  Breaking a minute for the first time, Nakul dropped nearly 2.5 seconds from his previous best time (1:00.66).  Like his teammate Wes Jasper, Nakul earned a swim in the 200 backstroke super final, in which he got 2nd with a 5.3 second drop and a new best time (2:08.31).  From the end of last season when he went a 1:04.93, Nakul dropped 6.5 seconds in the 100 backstroke training with West Coast Aquatics.  

From Wave Aquatics, Caden Gray would finish 3rd in the 100 back super final.  Caden had an incredible performance at the SSDL National Championships, swimming a best time in every event he swam.  In the 100 back, he dropped nearly 2 seconds from his previous best time, splitting a 29.53/31.78 to go his 1:01.31.  Caden would swim best times in the 50 free (24.92), 100 free (55.36), 200 free (2:00.27), 200 back (2:13.44), 100 fly (1:01.06), and 200 IM (2:11.54) on his way to finishing 9th in the Men’s 13-14 high point race.  

Also from Wave Aquatics, the 4th swimmer in the super final was Edi Vasilescu.  Edi would also make the super final in the 200 back, where he dropped nearly 4 seconds for a new best time of 2:09.05.  He also swam best times in the 50 free (26.31), 100 free (55.10), 200 free (1:59.77), and 100 fly (1:02.04).  Edi secured a top 12 finish in the Men’s 13-14 high point, scoring 78 points.  

Highlight Swims – These athletes had massive time drops from their previous bests!  This is written as – their new best time (previous best time):

 

  1. Nakul Choudhary – 58.38 (1:00.66) – West Coast Aquatics
  2. Caden Gray – 1:01.31 (1:03.25) – Wave Aquatics

 

200 Yard Butterfly

Super Final Results

  1. Lucas Watkins – 1:59.92 – Bobcat Swim Club
  2. Wes Jasper – 2:04.27 – West Coast Aquatics
  3. Weiran Chen – 2:05.08 – Bellevue Club Swim Team
  4. Kellen Condron – 2:05.90 – Nitro Swimming

 

In the final event of the night, Lucas Watkins from Bobcat Swim Club secured 1 of his 3 event wins in the 200 butterfly.  Lucas dropped a second from his previous best, and broke 2 minutes for the first time in his career.  At the SSDL National Championships, Lucas also went best times in the 200 free (1:50.11), 100 fly (54.72), 200 IM (2:03.43), and the 400 IM (4:21.34).  He would also finish 3rd in the Men’s 13-14 high point race, with 138 points. 

In his 3rd super final of the night, Wes Jasper from West Coast Aquatics would drop 3 seconds on his way to taking 2nd in the 200 butterfly.  On the year, Wes dropped 6.5 seconds from his best time at the end of the ‘23-’24 SCY season.  Wes would come back to win the 500 free and place 2nd in the 50 free on Day 3 of the meet.

From Bellevue Club Swim Team, Weiran Chen dropped 2.5 seconds to earn a new best time on his way to a podium finish.  The 200 fly would be 1 of 3 super final swims (100 fly & 50 free) for Weiran at the SSDL National Championships.  He would also swim best times in the 50 free (23.69), 100 free (51.73), 200 free (1:51.99), 500 free (5:11.74), and 100 fly (54.88). 

From Nitro Swimming in Texas, Kellen Condron closed out the super final with a new best time of 2:05.90.  In addition to dropping nearly a second in this event, Kellen swam best times in the 50 free (24.67), 100 free (53.19), 200 free (1:54.11), 100 fly (57.92), and 400 IM (4:32.09).  Kellen would finish 5th in the Men’s 13-14 high point race with 123 points.  

 

Highlight Swims – These athletes had massive time drops from their previous bests!  This is written as – their new best time (previous best time):

 

  1. Wes Jasper – 2:04.27 (2:07.29) – West Coast Aquatics
  2. Weiran Chen – 2:05.08 (2:07.51) – Bellevue Club Swim Team
  3. Roman Byelykh – 2:17.47 (2:25.09) – Wave Aquatics