At the Austin Grand Prix, Phelps beat Lochte by nearly two seconds, winning in 1 minute 58.52 seconds. Lochte came in well ahead of third in 2:00.30.

Both athletes were unrested for the competition, which may account for the lackluster performances by Lochte, who is known for under performing until he’s on taper.

What is apparent from this weekend is that the title of “World’s Best Swimmer” is far from decided, we’ll have to wait for London 2012 before bestowing that designation on either Phelps or Lochte.

Also in the water on Sunday, Sarah Haase, the reigning All-Met Swimmer of the Year from Rockville-Montgomery Swim Club, placed sixth overall in the women’s 100 breaststroke, finishing in 1:09.78. She was the highest finisher among the group of Potomac Valley swimmers that competed this weekend. Rebecca Soni won the event in 1:06.88.

Former area swimmer, Matt McLean, finished fourth in the men’s 1500 freestyle (15:42.46), just behind Thomas Allen and Peter Vanderkaay. Michael Kleuh won the event by a wide margin, finishing in 15:25.33.

Allison Schmitt got her third win in the freestyle events, winning the women’s 800 freestyle on Sunday. She also won the 400 freestyle in record-breaking time on the opening night.

Matt Grevers touched first in the men’s 100 backstroke in 53.55, against a fast field that included Phelps – finished third – and Lochte – finished sixth, who swam very busy schedules this weekend, including the subsequent event. Jack Conger (RMSC) finished 12th overall in 56.28.

Missy Franklin won the women’s 100 backstroke in 59.92 for her second win this weekend.

Natalie Coughlin won the women’s 200 IM (2:12.44), just beating out Katie Hoff who touched in 2:12.95. This will be one of the most competitive events at Trials this year, with the likes of Caitlin Leverenz, Elizabeth Pelton, and Elizabeth Beisel joining the field in Omaha.

For complete results from the first night of the Austin Grand Prix, click here.

At the first turn, Phelps was over a second ahead of the field, and was on pool record pace until he slowed in freestyle, showing obvious signs of fatigue. Heading into his fourth Olympics, many wonder how many more miraculous performances Phelps has left like what he showed in Beijing in 2008.

Phelps, who could qualify in eight events like he did in the last Olympics, will probably choose a slightly abbreviated schedule in London, especially with a surging Ryan Lochte challenging Phelps in the individual medley events. They’ll meet in Sunday’s 200 IM final.

Phelps wasn’t the only Maryland swimmer to open the night well. RMSC’s Charlotte Meyer (17) dropped five seconds from her prelims time to win the “C” Final in the women’s 400 IM in 4:56.19, a new personal best.

Jack Conger (17) won his heat in the “B” Final of the men’s 200 backstroke in 2:02.77. Matt Grevers was the winner in the “A” Final in a time of 1:57.76. Lochte faded to third in 1:59. 53, despite having the lead after the first lap.

Allison Schmitt won the women’s 200 freestyle in 1:55.83, for her second win. She bested Missy Franklin, who placed second in 1:57.86.

Ricky Berens and Matt McLean (Sterling, Va.) battled in the men’s 200 freestyle. Berens took an early lead, before McLean surged ahead in the third length. But a blistering split in the final 50-meters sealed the win for Berens, who won in 1:47.92. McLean finished second in 1:48.02.

Amanda Weir continued to impress in the freestyle events, winning the women’s 50 freestyle in 25.23. Weird finished third in the 100 freestyle, last night, behind  Franklin and Schmitt.

To conclude the night, the relay team of Sarah Haase (17), Ellen Anderson (17), Anna Kolanowski (16), and Corrigan McIlmail (15) finished fifth in the 4×800 freestyle relay for RMSC.

For complete results from the first night of the Austin Grand Prix, click here.

Swimmers to watch on last day of finals

If you can only catch one race from tonight’s finals, the men’s 200 IM will be worth making time for. Phelps and Lochte are both training through this weekend’s events, but that doesn’t mean these competitors don’t want to win.

The reigning Olympic champion, Phelps, is the top qualifier, but Lochte, the world record holder, will be right beside him, in what will most certainly be a preview of this year’s Olympic final.

Haase is the number two qualifier in women’s 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:09.45, a new personal best for the 17-year-old senior. She’ll face Rebecca Soni in tonight’s final, the 2008 silver medalist in the event.

Franklin was the top qualifier in the women’s 100 backstroke in 1:00.74, but expect a great race from Olympic champion Natalie Coughlin, who will be right beside Franklin in tonight’s final.

The women’s 200 IM will feature Katie Hoff, Coughlin, and Franklin, along with Canadian Olympian Julia Wilkinson, who will be right on the American’s heels.

The men’s 100 backstroke will feature Nick Thoman and Matt Grevers as the top seeds, along with Michael Phelps who qualified fifth. Conger advanced to the “C” Final. Lochte will appear in the “B” Final.

Finals begin at 7 p.m. USA Swimming will have a live webcast of the meet online throughout the weekend. For additional information visit www.usaswimming.org/grandprix.

Evans, who came out of retirement earlier this year, swam in the “B” Final after reaching the Olympic Trials standard in the event during the morning session with a time of 4:17.27.

Michael Phelps won the men’s 100 butterfly, over Tyler McGill, in a time of 52.41. Jack Conger (RMSC) reached the event’s “B” Final, finishing in 14th place in a time of 55.11.

In the men’s 400 freestyle, Matt McLean put together an inspired eight lengths to win the “B” Final. His time of 3:49.88 would have been the top time in the “A” Final.

Missy Franklin got her first win of the competition in the women’s 100 freestyle (54.70), beating a strong field of former Olympians, including Schmitt, who placed second in 55.03, and Amanda Weir, who finished third in 55.21.

In the men’s 100 freestyle, Nathan Adrian (48.97) and Ricky Berens (49.13) were able to hold off South African sprint-star Gideon Louw (49.19) to take first and second. Phelps dominated the “B” Final, improving over a second from his morning swim to finish in 49.14.

For complete results from the first night of the Austin Grand Prix, click here.

Plenty to watch on night two of Austin Grand Prix; Results from Saturday’s prelims

Phelps advanced as the top seed in the men’s 400 IM in a time of 4:23.48. Ryan Lochte decided not to swim the event this weekend, but Lochte’s Florida teammate, Conor Dwyer (4:24.79), will challenge Phelps for first.

RMSC’s Charlotte Meyer (17) will appear in the “C” Final of the women’s 400 IM (5:01.21).

Look for an exciting race between Schmitt and Franklin in the women’s 200 free. Both swimmers’ best times are within half a second of each other. Franklin will also appear in the women’s 200 backstroke as the top seed.

The race of the night will probably come from the “A” Final of the men’s 200 free, where Berens (1:49.21) and McLean (1:50.08) are the top seeds, but will meet Lochte, who is looking to add events to his Olympic schedule.

Lochte was the top qualifier in the men’s 200 backstroke in 2:01.05. He’ll battle Matt Grevers and Nick Thoman, both accomplished backstrokers. Conger was the top qualifier in the “B” Final with a 2:03.10.

Finals begin at 7 p.m. USA Swimming will have a live webcast of the meet online throughout the weekend. For additional information visit www.usaswimming.org/grandprix.

Brendan Hansen competes in the Men's 4x100m Medley Relay during the Duel in the Pool at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center on December 16 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

They’ll be competing at the second of seven Grand Prix Series long-course events, held by USA Swimming this year, giving swimmers additional chances at achieving their Olympic Trials qualifying times.

Local clubs, RMSC and Machine Aquatic, will be in attendance with members from their national teams, who are all looking to add to or make their first Trials cuts.

“We have ten swimmers within three-tenths of a second of a [Trials] cut time,” said Machine Head Coach Daniel Jacobs. “USA Swimming has been pushing the bar to get teams to compete in the Grand Prix Series. It’s great to get out here and see the country’s best competing.”

Getting her first taste at this level will be 13-year-old Suzanne Dolan, swimming for Machine. She will join the team’s headliners, Ryan Natal (17) and Ali Haufler (17), who are both gunning for their first Trials cuts.

Already qualified for Trials, RMSC’s Jack Conger (17) will be competing for several finals appearances, including “A” Finals in the 100 and 200 backstroke events. The reigning Boys’ All-Met Swimmer of the Year will be joined by the Girls’ Swimmer of the Year, Sarah Haase (17), who is looking to add to her list of events for Trials in June.

They’ll compete against marquee names who use these series as training meets, as they hone their race skills before the last push to Trials.

Phelps is entered in six events, including the 100 freestyle, where he will meet American sprint-star Nathan Adrian. Phelps is expected to mix up his events going into his fourth Olympics, and may add the 100 free to his repertoire at Trials this year. In 2008, Phelps competed in the event in order to secure a spot on the Men’s 4×100 freestyle relay.

The underlying story of the meet surrounds the “come-back kids” for this year’s Olympics, which include former area standout Ed Moses, alongside sprinter Anthony Ervin, Brendan Hansen, and Olympic legend Janet Evans.

Former Olympic gold medalist JanetEvans trains in Huntington Beach, Calif. (Chris Carlson/AP)

If you’re not familiar with Evans, check out her biography page on her website. The four-time Olympic gold medalist is often considered the greatest American distance freestyler of all time.

Another long-time retiree, Moses is striving to get back to his 2000 form, documented in his Universal Sports series “Against the Tide.”

The furthest along in the group of former Olympians is Hansen, who had a brilliant Duel in the Pool, winning both the 100 and 200 breaststroke events. It won’t be easy for the 30-year-old, despite the overall weakness of American breaststrokers this year.

Eric Shanteau, who missed the finals of the 2008 Olympics in the 200 breaststroke, is still the best in the event, and he won’t give up that spot easily.

Few swimmers will be rested for this meet, with Trials such a long way off, but it should be exciting to see which American swimmers step up when they’re swimming next to the person challenging them for a coveted spot on the US Olympic team.

Full psych sheet is available here.

Watch the 2012 Austin Grand Prix live at USASwimming.org Friday through Sunday. Timeline available here.

Rachael Burnett (West Virginia University/Potomac Marlins) finished sixth in a timed finals of the women’s 800 freestyle in a time of 8 minutes 47.44 seconds.

Moving up one position, Jack Conger (RMSC) finished ninth in the “A” Final of the men’s 200 backstroke (2:02.27).

In the women’s 200 breaststroke, Jennifer Wilson (Northwestern University/Curl-Burke) was able to improve upon her morning swim by over two seconds, finishing in 16th place, with a time of 2:33.25. RMSC’s Sarah Haase dropped several positions from her seed, finishing in 19th position, with a time of 2:35.48. George Mason’s Ashley Danner (Mason Makos) touched fifth in the “C” Final in a time of 2:35.57, 25th overall.

Janet Hu finished 13th in the women’s 200 butterfly (2:12.78).

Michael Flach (University of South Carolina/FISH) finished second in his heat of the men’s 200 butterfly (2:02.01), improving on his morning swim by two seconds, finishing 22nd overall. Mark Sarman (Georgia Tech/Curl-Burke) finished in 30th place with a time of 2:05.94.

Make sure to catch the rebroadcast of the 2011 Winter Nationals finals on NBC, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4.

2011 Winter Nationals: Day Three – Prelims

Swimmers were back in the water Saturday morning for the final day of preliminary qualifying at the 2011 Winter Nationals in Atlanta.

Jack Conger swimming backstroke (Courtesy of Bridget Conger)

Conger (RMSC) reached his second “A” Final of the meet in the men’s 200 backstroke in a time of 2 minutes 1.98 seconds.

After facing off in Friday night’s 100 breaststroke finals, Haase (RMSC) and Wilson (Northwestern University/Curl-Burke) will meet each other in the “B” Final of the women’s 200 breaststroke. Haase is seeded 16th with a time of 2:35.13. Wilson is right on her heels, seeded 17th, with a time of 2:35.50. Finishing 24th in prelims, Danner (George Mason University/Mason Makos) will appear in the “C” Final, with a time of 2:36.65.

Curl-Burke’s Hu will appear in the “B” Final of the women’s 200 butterfly (2:14.78) as the 13th seed.

Also making it back in the 200 butterfly, Flach (University of South Carolina/FISH) finished in 26th position with a time of a 2:04.38, as well as Sarman (Georgia Tech/Curl-Burke) in a time of 2:04.78, finishing in 30th position. They will swim Saturday night in the “C” Final.

For full results, click here.

In Friday night’s first heat, Rachel Burnett (University of West Virginia/Potomac Marlins) took second in the “C” Final of the women’s 400 individual medley (22nd overall) with a time of 4 minutes 54.07 seconds, improving her time from Friday morning by over five seconds.

Curl-Burke’s Janet Hu posted a time of 1:1.28 in the women’s 100 butterfly, finishing in 26th place.

Matt McLean (FAST/U-Va./SNOW) moved up one position in the 200 freestyle (1:49.66), finishing second in his heat and 12th overall.

In a “B” Final packed with local talent, Jennifer Wilson (Northwestern University/Curl-Burke) out-touched RMSC’s Sarah Haase in the 100 breaststroke in a time of 1:10.49, finishing 13th overall. Haase finished in 14th place, less than one-tenth of a second behind, in a time of 1:10.58. George Mason junior Ashley Danner (Mason Makos) finished ninth in the heat, 19th overall, in a time of 1:11.78.

The night concluded with the men’s 100 backstroke, where Jack Conger (RMSC) finished 56.10 for tenth place in an “A” Final won by the event’s 2008 Olympic silver medalist, Matthew Grevers (53.26).

For full results, click here.

Day Two – Prelims results

Day Two prelims concluded at the 2011 Winter Nationals in Atlanta with several area swimmers earning a lane in Friday’s finals, starting at 6 p.m.

This morning’s big-mover was RMSC’s Conger who jumped up ten spots to claim the fourth seed in the “A” Final of the men’s 100 backstroke in a time of 55.34 seconds.

Jack Conger swimming backstroke (Ricky Carioti/For The Washington Post)

After a strong 400 freestyle last night, McLean (FAST/U-Va./SNOW) reached the “B” Final of tonight’s 200 freestyle (1:50.72).

Curl-Burke’s Hu finished 21st in the women’s 100 butterfly in a time of 1:1.11 seconds. She will be the top seed in tonight’s “C” Final.

The Potomac Valley will be well-represented in tonight’s “B” Final of the women’s 100 breaststroke. Former Curl-Burke swimmer Wilson (Northwestern) earned herself a center lane, finishing 12th overall in a time of 1:10.13. RMSC’s Haase is seeded 14th overall with a time of 1:10.54. Danner (George Mason/MAKO) finished 17th in a time of 1:11.22.

Burnett* (West Virginia/Potomac Marlins) narrowly missed appearing in her second finals of the meet in the 200 freestyle (2:03.97), finishing 31st, just three hundredths of a second behind 30th position. As the first alternate, she will swim if any finalists scratch before tonight’s races.

Michael Flach (University of South Carolina/FISH) did not return to the finals on his second day of competition. In the 100 butterfly (55:54), he fell well short of reaching the finals, finishing 42nd, despite being within half a second off his personal best time in long course. He is currently the first alternate in the 200 freestyle (1:52.63).

*Correction: Burnett earned the final spot in the “C” Final of the women’s 400 individual medley with a time of 4:59.58.

For full results, click here.

Rachel Burnett (West Virginia/Potomac Marlins)  finished ninth in the “A” Final of the 400 freestyle in 4 minutes 14.96 seconds, moving up one position from her prelims seed.

Also swimming in an “A” Final, Matt McLean (FAST/U-Va./SNOW) finished seventh in the men’s 400 free with a time of 3:52.73, improving upon his morning swim by nearly two and a half seconds.

In the previous heat, Michael Flach (South Carolina/FISH) finished third in the “B” Final, 13th overall, of the men’s 400 free (3:55.80).

Sarah Haase (Good Counsel/RMSC) finished fifth in the “C” Final, 25th overall, of the 200 individual medley in a time of 2:18.65.

All four Day One finalists will be back in the water Friday for another morning session, as well as many other Potomac Valley swimmers,  including All-Met Men’s Swimmer of the Year, Jack Conger, hoping to make his first finals of the weekend in the 100 back.

Results from prelims and finals are posted here each day.

2011 Winter Nationals: Area swimmers reach Day One finals

Four local swimmers advanced to tonight’s finals at the 2011 Winter Nationals in Atlanta. Finals begin at 6 p.m.

Former SNOW swimmer McLean advanced to the “A” Final in the 400 freestyle in a time of 3 minutes 55.10 seconds, earning himself an outside lane as the tenth seed. Also seeded tenth, University of West Virginia’s Burnett advanced in the women’s 400 freestyle (4:15.13). The former Potomac Marlin set the AAA Virginia State record holder in the 500 freestyle (4:50.14) in 2009 while at Annandale High School.

Also making it back for tonight’s 400 free finals are University of South Carolina’s Flach. Flach finished 16th in this morning’s prelims (3:56.03) and will swim in the “B” Final tonight. Earlier this year, Flach decided to step away from NCAA competition and take an Olympic redshirt, providing him more time to focus on his long course race technique without worrying about the grind of a SEC swimming schedule.

Good Counsel senior Sarah Haase (Photo by Joe Cabigas).

Only one area high school swimmer advanced on day one. RMSC’s Haase earned a spot in the 200 individual medley finals (2:18.55). Seeded 49th in prelims, Haase moved up 26 spots to advance to tonight’s “C” Final in the 200 individual medley. Haase will also be a threat to advance in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events on Friday and Saturday.

McLean is a graduate of the University of Virginia and currently trains with FAST swim team in Fullerton, California. He swam for Potomac Falls High School. Flach was a member of FISH swim club and O’Connell High School swim team. Haase was last year’s All-Met Swimmer of the Year. She is a senior at Good Counsel High School.

To view the complete results from this morning’s prelims, click here.

With 2012 Olympic trials just seven months away, swimmers are taking advantage of every opportunity to compete in long course meters as they hone their race skills and try to make Olympic trials cuts making Winter Nationals  one of the fastest meets between now and June 25, the first day of trials.

Winter Nationals will be broadcast, Sunday, 12/4, on NBC, 2:00 – 3:00 pm, and will be broadcast live on the USA Swimming website here, Friday through Saturday.

Former SNOW swimmer and University of Virginia graduate, Matt McLean is looking to defend his first place finish in the 400 free and improve upon his second place finish in the 200 free at the 2011 National Championships last August. He is seeded fifth in both the 400 free and 200 free. McLean swam for Potomac Falls High School in Sterling.

Final of the men's 200 freestyle in the FINA World Championships in Shanghai last July (Philippe Lopez/AFP/Getty Images)

McLean will likely see competition in the Friday’s 400 free from South Carolina swimmer, Michael Flach, formerly of FISH and Bishop O’Connell High School. Flach is seeded ninth. He is also scheduled to compete in the 200 butterfly and is hoping to make another “A” Final in the event after placing ninth at nationals in August.

Kate Ziegler, shown here after winning the women's 400-meter freestyle U.S. Nationals in 2007. (Darron Cummings, Associated Press)

On the women’s side, former FISH and O’Connell standout Kate Ziegler is seeded first in the 800 freestyle and second in the 400 freestyle. She is hoping to keep building momentum towards a second Olympic berth.

Ziegler holds the world record in the 1500 freestyle.

Also competing this weekend will be two-time Olympian, Ryan Lochte, who is is scheduled for six individual events. Lochte is the top seed in the 200 freestyle, 400 individual medley, and 200 individual medley, in which he holds the world record, set last July in Shanghai at the 2011 World Championships. It was the first world record broken since the ban on technical suits.

Other Potomac Valley swimmers hoping to make it back for a night session are Jack Conger, seeded 10th in the 200 backstroke, and 14th in the 100 back; Sarah Haase, seeded 19th in the 100 breaststroke; and Janet Hu, seeded 19th in the 200 butterfly.

One of the youngest swimmers in the meet, SNOW’s Carrie Lee, 14, is seeded 117th in the 100 backstroke. She is the only Potomac Valley participant who is still in middle school.

UPDATE: Curl-Burke’s Katie Ledecky is scratching from the meet due to illness. Ledecky was seeded fifth in the 800 freestyle and tenth in 400 freestyle. Ledecky recently broke the National Age Group record in the 500 free (4 minutes 35.14 seconds) and 1,000 free (9:29.81). In her first high school meet last month, she achieved an Automatic All-American time standard in the 200 freestyle (1:49.67).

Complete list of Potomac Valley swimmers competing:

Ellen Anderson, RMSC (Gaithersburg)

Jack Conger, RMSC (Good Counsel)

Ian Decker, Curl-Burke (Bishop O’Connell)

Ashleigh Ferguson, RMSC (Holy Cross)

Sarah Haase, RMSC (Good Counsel)

Cyrus Hashemi, Curl-Burke (Marshall)

Alli Haufler, Machine Aquatic (Briar Woods)

Janet Hu, Curl-Burke (Oakton)

Carrie Lee, SNOW (14)

Claire McIlmail, RMSC (Urbana)

Abi Speers, Machine Aquatic (Langley)

Curl-Burke will also be represented by non-high school swimmers Hilary Fritz (21) from UNC-Wilmington, Zach Hayden (23), Chuck Katis (18) from Harvard, David Kiss (21) from George Mason, Anna Macedonia (22) from Marymount University, Joe Pascale (28), Mark Sarman (18) from Georgia Tech, Suzanne Schwee (22) from University of Alabama, and Kyle Tyrrell (18). Matt Haupt (31) and Matt Fedderly (25), will also be competing for SNOW. Former SDS swimmer Ashely Danner (21) will be competing for George Mason University.

For the 2011 Winter National Championship psych sheet , click here.

Jan. 28, 1974 - Muhammad Ali, left, and Joe Frazier fight in a 12-round non-title fight at Madison Square Garden in New York. (AP Photo)

In the age of the 24/7 news cycle, it’s rare that a match-up lives up the hype generated beforehand.  Yet those two fighters delivered three times in a row. So memorable were the clashes in the 70s, Ali vs. Frazier has become the pervasive metaphor to describe important match-ups in college and professional sports.

This weekend, November 11-13, swim fans will see two such heavyweights going at it in the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center pool at the 2011 Minneapolis Grand Prix, hosted by USA Swimming, as Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps face off in four events, including the 200 freestyle and 200 individual medley.

June 29, 2008 - Michael Phelps competes against Ryan Lochte in the final of the 400m individual medley during the U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

Their resumes read almost identical. World Champion. Olympian. World record-holder. Gold medalist.

However, as is the case in a sport measured in milliseconds, distinction is found in the details. And here, Phelps reigns supreme.

14 Olympic gold medals to Lochte’s three. 25 World Championships titles to only 11.

But since a 2008 Olympics asterisked by super suits, Lochte has shown the swimming world that hard work and dedication still trumps technology.

At the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, Lochte broke his own world record by one-tenth of a second, set the previous year while wearing a polyurethane suit, becoming the first person to break a world record since the suit ban took effect January 1, 2010.

The rest of the world has been racing to catch him ever since.

July 28, 2011 - Michael Phelps, and teammate, gold medalist Ryan Lochte, hold their medals on the podium during the award ceremony for men's 200m IM at the FINA World Championships (David Gray/Reuters)

This is a new position for Phelps, who has dominated the swimming world for nearly a decade. Lochte might not be the household name that Phelps, but Lochte is a fan favorite amongst many younger swimmers as the reigning “King of Swimming,” a title Phelps is not apt to relinquish so easily.

With the 2012 Olympics less than a year away, each meeting between these two competitors builds towards a showdown in London next July and August. Minneapolis is just one stop on the way.

I, for one, cannot wait.

The 2011 Minneapolis Grand Prix will be webcast on USAswimming.com, on Nov. 11-13. Local favorites Kate Ziegler, Matt McLean, and Ed Moses will also be competing.

Katie Ledecky, 14, poses with her award for being the highest girls' point-scorer at this week's USA Swimming Junior National Championships.

By the time Ledecky accepted the silver plate as the meet’s highest girls’ point-getter on Saturday night, she had surpassed even her own lofty expectations. The Curl-Burke swimmer emerged as the star of the five-day meet in Palo Alto, Calif., winning three events — including the girls’ 1500 free in record time — to help her team to a second-place finish on the girls’ side.

“I guess I may have surprised a few people,” Ledecky said. “I surprised myself a little bit with my times. I was expecting to come here and go fast, but maybe not quite like that.”

Ledecky, a 14-year-old who will be a freshman at Stone Ridge in the fall, started the week strong and kept up a torrid pace. She won the 800 free (8:36.05) on Monday, dropping her seed time by more than seven seconds to take the event by more than three seconds. If she swam that time in the same pool at Nationals earlier in the month she would’ve finished fourth.

Two days later, Ledecky captured the 400 free in 4:10.39, winning by more than three seconds again, and added a fourth place finish in the 200 free on Thursday. She saved her best for last Friday night, establishing a new meet record in the 1500 free (16:24.46) to beat her closest competition by 14 seconds.

She bettered her seed time by 18 seconds in the race, capping a meet in which she finished with 91 individual points — 14 more than any other girl in the field.

“I wasn’t sure how I was doing, but I felt really good,” said Ledecky, who had just hoped to break the 16:40 mark. “I felt like I swam a very controlled race. I was pretty sure I had a best time, and I was just in shock when I saw I had a 16:24.”

With the summer winding down, Ledecky, who battled swimmers several years older than her in each event, said the breakout performance offers motivation to drop even more time.

“I’m just going to keep working harder, building off this excitement,” Ledecky said. “I’m going to keep training harder and find little ways to get better.”

Ledecky’s performance paced a strong showing by Curl-Burke at the meet. The team’s girls finished behind only home-standing Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics in the meet — helped by three top 13 event finishes from 15-year-old Janet Hu. Meanwhile, the boys placed 10th to ensure the team ended up fifth in the final combined standings.

Chuck Katis, 18, finished in the top five of three different events at the USA Swimming Junior National Championships.

Chuck Katis, a recent Langley grad who will swim at Harvard, led the boys’ charge, placing sixth individually with 62 points. He won the 100 breast (1:03.31), while finishing third in the 200 breast (2:17.33) and fifth in the 200 IM (2:05.00).

In his first appearance at the meet, Katis met the Olympic Trials cut time standard in each of those events. The 18-year-old declared his performance a success as he readies to head off to college and his next challenge in the pool.

“I think the energy here is really incredible,” Katis said. “I flew in to see the last night of Nationals, and the energy at that meet was inspiring. You walk around and see all these Olympians, and it makes you realize that they’re one step further than you. It kind of makes everything seem like it is within your reach.”

OTHER AREA TOP FINISHERS: Abigail Speers, a 16-year-old swimmer from Machine Aquatics, placed 8th in the 50 free… On Friday, Curl-Burke’s girls’ 400 medley relay (Ledecky, Hu, Hellen Moffitt, Rachel Canty) finished third in 4:16.96. The team’s boys’ 400 medley relay (Katis, Kyle Tyrrell, Mark Sarman and Cyrus Hashemi) placed third with a time of 3:50.78.