For comprehensive coverage provided by Swimming World, check out the Event Landing Page for recaps, results, and videos from Irvine!
IRVINE, California, August 10. VLADIMIR Morozov, Swimming World Magazine's male high school swimmer of 2010, provided the big fireworks in the second day of long course swimming at the USA Swimming junior nationals with two extremely fast 100 freestyles.
Morozov, the 18-year-old representing Swim Torrance, set the meet record in prelims with a 49.06, well under Aaron Wayne's 2009 record of 49.99. Morozov was two-hundredths faster at the 50 split in the finals, but couldn't get under the 49-second mark, winning with a 49.16. Morozov's prelim time would have placed fifth at the senior nationals last week, but Morozov is not yet an American citizen, and nationals were restricted to U.S. athletes only. As he mentioned in an episode of The Morning Swim Show recently, Morozov hopes to be naturalized as an American citizen in time to compete at the US Olympic Trials in 2012.
Tyler Messerschmidt of Westside YMCA hung with Morozov for 60 meters, but settled for second with a 50.65. Third went to Matthew Ellis, swimming unattached, with a 50.67.
Jasmine Tosky of Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics, the winner of the B final in the 400 IM at last week's USA Swimming nationals, took the championship final at junior nationals with her second meet record of the meet. Her time of 4:44.85 erased Sara Giberson's mark of 4:45.18 set last year. The time is slower than the 4:43.90 Tosky swam last week in the same pool. Noelle Tarazona of The Claremont Club held off a fast-charging Haley Flickinger to finish second in 4:47.02, a major time drop from the 4:50.81 she swam last week to place 22nd at nationals. Flickinger, representing York YMCA, was third in 4:47.09.
Lia Neal, representing Asphalt Green, used a powerful final 25 meters to overtake Madeline Schaefer of Palo Alto to win the junior national title in 55.17. Schaefer was second in 55.48. Tosky placed third with a 55.95 about 40 minutes after winning the 400 IM. The top three finishers all swam the event at nationals last week, with Lia Neal the only swimmer in the top three to improve on her time from last week.
In the men's 400 IM, Carlos Omana of Metro Aquatic Club and Nicholas Caldwell of Sarasota YMCA resumed their battle from last night's 1500 freestyle, where Omana finished second and Caldwell was third. Caldwell was the faster swimmer in the 400 IM tonight, winning in 4:20.55. Omana led through the middle 200 meters but was nipped at the end with a 4:20.68. Third place went to Boulder City's Robert Hommel with a 4:23.69.
Bonnie Brandon of Mission Aurora held off a final burst by Madison White of Crow Canyon to win the junior national title in 2:12.30. White, a championship finalist at nationals last week in this event, won silver here with a 2:12.34, half a second faster than she swam last week. Brandon placed 12th at nationals last week with a 2:13.61. Placing third at juniors was Kylie Stewart of Dynamo Swim Club with a 2:13.14.
The winner of the men's 200 back was The Bolles School's Ryan Murphy, the 15-year-old who had just broken Aaron Peirsol's 13-14 national age group record in the 100 backstroke, hid in the shadows for 150 meters, allowing Jacob Pebly of Corvallis Aquatics to lead for three-quarters of the race. Murphy's patience was rewarded with a win in 2:0081, just off the meet record of 2:00.50, set in 2007 by Matt Thompson. Pebly finished second with a 2:01.38 and in third was Jared Markham of Greenwood Tiger Sharks with a 2:01.84.
Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics chased two records in the women's 400 freestyle relay, and succeeded in eclipsing one of them. Their time of 3:48.24 beat the meet record time of 3:48.52 set in 2009 by the Colorado Stars. The team of Madeline Schaefer, Camille Cheng, Rachel Acker and Jasmine Tosky just missed the 15-18 national age group record of 3:47.97 set by the Palo Alto foursome of Schaefer, Howard, Fischer-Colbrie and Tosky last year.
Placing second in the relay was Irvine Novaquatics with a 3:52.93. Terrapins Swim Team was third with a 3:53.63.
The men's 400 free relay was won by SwimMAC-Carolina, who beat out Dynamo Swim Club for the win by a body length with a 3:27.89. Dynamo was second in 3:28.89 and third place went to Santa Clara Swim Club with a 3:29.86.
