Screaming Fast Swims at Senior Sectonals!

Jay Pearson

NW Speedo Senior Sectionals Meet Recap

Wave was represented by 20 athletes at the Northwest Speedo Spring Sectionals at Federal Way last week. We had 16 swimmers participating in individual events and another four swimmers joining the team for relays. This year—due to the Olympic Trials—the meet was held in long course meters, which we hadn’t swum since last summer. Among 43 teams racing, we had a phenomenal meet with amazing swims and many new cuts and best times achieved. It was exciting to watch our team swimming fast and going best times while also feeling the energy on the pool deck where many swimmers got new cuts including some Olympic Trials cuts. The meet was crazy fast and for most events, especially 100s and 200s, swimmers had to go faster than Futures cuts just to qualify for finals (A, B, and C)! Enjoy some highlights from our team:

  • 1 Summer Junior Nationals cut
  • 1 Winter Junior Nationals cut
  • 3 Futures cuts
  • 5 Summer Sectionals cuts
  • 9 Team Records (2 Open & 7 Age Group)
  • 39 best times
  • 223 points scored

A huge shout out to our relay-only swimmers who performed tremendously for Wave: Iris Huang, Anouk Balog, Megan Traina, and Caroline Bryant. Thank you ladies!

Senior 1

The Senior 1 Group had four swimmers compete at Senior Sectionals. This meet is typically the first foray into higher level swimming. All four swimmers attended the meet for the first time with the added challenge this year of the meet being long course format. They all did a wonderful job of not letting the moment be too big for them. They put their game faces on and got to work racing to the best of their abilities all weekend. We had tons of time drops, finals appearances, and some new cuts achieved. It was awesome to watch the swimmers compete so well and really see the hard work they have put in pay off. I am so proud of how all of them swam and am excited to see what the group will do at our next meets.

  • Logan Downing has been on a real hot streak lately and just continued it. He turned in best times in all his races. He has seen great improvement in his breaststroke speed this season and it really showed in his racing. He had a monster drop in the 200 Breast coming very close to the Sectionals cut. In the 100 100 Breast, he put his speed to work and turned in an awesome swim qualifying him for Summer Sectionals in the event.
  • Adrian Juco swam at this meet only partly rested as his big meet will be Age Group Regionals. He stepped up and swam very well in both his events. He had a strong first 150 of his 200 Breast before fading a bit the last 50, going just off his best time. He had great opening speed in his 100 Breast. It was a great experience for him to swim at such a high level. He is excited to finish the taper and crush it at his next meet.
  • Anton Mazepa used this meet as a training opportunity as he will also be swimming at Age Group Regionals. He has been working very hard on his pacing for his freestyle and backstroke events. He had an awesome 100 Back, dropping almost 2 seconds and putting himself very close to the Sectionals cut. After a bit of a rough 200 Back, he rallied big time and crushed his 400 Free, dropping 8 seconds and looking strong throughout the entire race.
  • Daniel Xia stepped up to compete at his biggest meet since turning 15. He rose to the challenge and crushed it in all his swims. He started off hot, dropping 3 seconds in the 200 Breast and qualifying for finals. He turned around and swam an even stronger race in finals, taking it out super fast and holding on well to finish first in his heat and just off the Winter Juniors cut. His 100 Breast was more of the same. He dropped 3 seconds in prelims giving himself a second Futures cut and snuck his way into finals. He had a strong finals swim going just off his time from prelims.

Senior Prep

  • Ethan Lin was the lone qualifier from Senior Prep, a huge accomplishment for the young swimmer. He did an amazing job of rising to the occasion and turning in some monster swims. He was a valuable member of both the 200 Medley and 200 Free Relays. In the Medley Relay, he swam the freestyle leg and had the fastest split in his heat, a blistering 24.79. He turned around and swam even faster in the Free Relay, churning out the fastest time of all the Wave swimmers. In his individual 50 Free, he swam strong all the way to the finish, smashing the Summer Sectionals cut in the process and earning a AAAA time.

Senior Epic

  • Jaiden Sreenivasan had a phenomenal meet and got his first-ever Summer Junior Nationals cut in the 400 IM! At finals, he dropped 3.25 seconds, closing the last 100 of his race with fantastic speed. He finished the race in 3rd place, broke the Team Open Record and the 17-18 Record in the process. He also got a lifetime best in the 800 Free getting a Winter Junior Nationals cut, finishing in 4th place and breaking the 17-18 Record. Besides these achievements, he got a Futures cut in the 100 Back breaking the 1:00 barrier for the first time in meters and broke another four Team Records: 200 Free (Open & 17-18), 100 Back, and 400 Free (17-18).
  • Nik Brusilovski had an awesome meet and went personal best times in all six events! He got four Summer Sectionals cuts (400, 800 & 1500 Free + 100 Back). His outstanding swim was the 800 Free where he dropped 31 seconds, swam only 4 seconds off the Futures cut, and got his first AAAA with 8:44.67 (14th place)! He also swam a AAA Time in the 400 & 1500 Free.
  • Jenna Kimborowicz was very happy to see a best time on the board after her 800 Free. She executed her strategy as planned, felt strong and dropped almost 5 seconds! She also had a strong 1500 Free and swam right at her time in 200 Free leading off the 800 Free Relay. In her backstroke events, she went right at her times in both 50 and the 100 Back.
  • Henry Geitz had a great meet, went best times in all five of his individual races and another three best times leading off relays for a total of eight lifetime bests at Sectionals! He swam 5 AA times at the meet and his outstanding swim was the 800 Free where he dropped 16.50 seconds holding a consistent and strong pace from beginning to end.
  • Daniel Cho went a best time in two events, including the 100 Breaststroke which is his strongest event. He dropped 2.17 seconds in the 100 Breast and broke the 1:10 barrier for the first time. He also swam a best time in the 50 Free where he dropped half a second and went right at his times in both 200 Breast and 200 IM.
  • Hailey Crawford started off the meet with an excellent 200 Breast, earning a AA time and breaking the 3:00 barrier for the first time (2:56.65). She was feeling a bit sick on the first day and after that first swim it got harder to swim her other events. Still, she showed up ready to race and swam hard in all her events including all five relays!
  • Ethan Na came to Sectionals to swim three events and did an excellent job, going personal best times in all of them. He got his first-ever AAA Time dropping almost half a second in the 50 Free and missing the Sectionals cut by just 0.01! Another great swim was his 100 Fly where he dropped 3.69 seconds going out super fast and finishing strong.
  • Noah Sattari swam his best meet for the entire season. In his butterfly events, he demonstrated strong, powerful, and consistent underwater dolphin kicks and a smooth stroke. He swam right at his time in the 100 Fly going only 0.38 off his best time.
  • Rina Yuan swam three freestyle events and demonstrated great consistency with all her races at Sectionals. She went a personal best in the 100 Free, dropping 0.35 leading off the 400 Free relay. She also tied her best time in the 50 Free and swam right at her time in the 200 Free feeling good and swimming strong until the end of her race.
  • Roman Rybin represented our team again and inspired our swimmers one more time with his phenomenal underwater dolphin kicks and speed. He had an excellent 100 Fly finishing 3rd and going his fastest 100 of the past few years. He also swam 100 Free and 50 Free where he swam 50 Fly instead of Free and still qualified to swim the B final, placing 10th in the prelims.

A special shout-out to all swimmers who swam their first Spring Sectionals this year: Jenna, Rina, Hailey, Noah, Henry, Nik, Daniel, and Ethan. Congrats!!

Top 24 Finishes

  • Nik Brusilovski – 14th (800 Free)
  • Roman Rybin – 1st (50 & 100 Fly), 2nd (50 Free), 7th (50 Free), 17th (100 Free)
  • Jaiden Sreenivasan – 3rd (400 IM), 4th (800 Free), 7th (1500 Free), 21st (400 Free)
  • Men 200 Medley Relay – 21st (Nik Brusilovski, Daniel Cho, Roman Rybin, Ethan Na)
  • Men 800 Free Relay – 14th (Jaiden Sreenivasan, Henry Geitz, Boston Borg, Nik Brusilovski)

New US Motivational Times

AAAA

  • Nik Brusilovski – 800 Free
  • Ethan Lin – 50 Free
  • Daniel Xia – 200 Breast

AAA

  • Nik Brusilovski – 400 & 1500 Free
  • Anton Mazepa – 100 Back
  • Ethan Na – 50 Free
  • Jaiden Sreenivasan – 100 Back, 200 Free
  • Daniel Xia – 100 Breast, 200 IM

AA

  • Boston Borg – 100 Free
  • Nik Brusilovski – 50 Free
  • Hailey Crawford – 200 Breast
  • Logan Downing – 100 Breast
  • Henry Geitz – 200 & 400 IM, 400 & 800 Free
  • Ethan Na – 100 Fly

A

  • Logan Downing – 200 Breast, 50 Free

WAVE ON 3!!