Katie Ledecky wins first Grand Prix gold

After missing Winter Nationals due to illness, Curl-Burke swimmer and Olympic hopeful Katie Ledecky needed race experience in the long course format. She got her chance over the weekend at the 2012 Missouri Grand Prix, in Columbia. The 14-year-old has burst onto the national scene over the last six months as one of America’s premier female distance freestylers.

Ledecky swam three events during the three day meet, and seemed to get stronger and more confident with each race. On Day One, the high school freshman finished fifth in the women’s 200-meter freestyle in 2:00.01, in a personal-best time. The next morning Ledecky qualified first in the 400 freestyle, but would drop one spot during the night final, finishing second in 4:09.30, another personal best.

She saved her best for last. In the women’s 800 freestyle timed final, Ledecky set the pace from the start, going out in 2:04.86, less than five seconds off her personal best in the 200 freestyle event, set two days before. She would continue to pull away from the rest of the field to finish nine seconds ahead of second place in 8:30.14, beating 16-year-old Leah Smith (8:39.52) and Olympic open water swimmer Chloe Sutton (8:41.65), who finished second and third.

The time was good enough for fourth best in the world this year, and it was the second fastest time by a 13-14 year-old in history, just missing the National Age Group record set by Cynthia “Sippy” Woodhead in 1978, with a time of 8:29.35. Ledecky owns the NAG records in the 500 and 1,000-yard freestyle events, set in November.

Great Britain’s Rebecca Adlington (8:22.35), the 2008 Olympic Gold medalist in the 800 and 400m freestyle, Denmark’s Lotte Friis (8:27.93), the event’s bronze medalist, and Great Britain’s Eleanor Faulkner (8:29.70) hold the top three spots in the world, currently.

While the time ranks Ledecky as the fastest American in the event this year, she will have stiff competition next June at Olympic Trials from Olympians Sutton, Kate Ziegler, Katie Hoff, and Allison Schmitt.

Conger, Gonzaga excel at Metros [Updated w/ Video Highlights]

At what was one of the fastest Wash. Metro Interscholastic championship meets in recent memory, 13 meet records were broken, as well as a slew of participating teams’ league and team records.

Gonzaga rolled to a team scoring record in the boys’ meet, while MCPS rivals Churchill and Whitman battled each other till the end in the girls’ meet. Churchill started the swimming portion of the championship meet with a 54 point lead, thanks to a dominant performance by the Bulldog divers.

Whitman tried its best to make up the difference with top finishes in nearly every girls event, but Churchill was able to hold them off. Saving the win for the Bulldogs was senior Natalya Ares, who picked up big points for her team by winning the 100 butterfly and later staving off Sarah Haase in the girls’ 400 freestyle relay, to pick up vital second-place points for Churchill to seal the victory.

While Good Counsel fell behind in the team competition, its leaders, Jack Conger and Haase, provided some of the best highlights of the year with their swims in the boys’ 500 freestyle and girls’ 100 breaststroke, both Independent High School National Records.

Read more from the 2012 Metro Swimming & Diving Championship here [highlight videos within].

Rosenburg, Doyle shine among area teams at Va. AA/A state championship meet [updated to include Tuscarora High School]

Northern Virginia teams traveled to the Virginia AA/A Swimming and Diving championship meet, held at the Christiansburg Aquatic Center in Christiansburg, Va., on Friday to go up against the best AA and A schools from across the state. Brentsville District finished seventh in the boys’ competition, just ahead of ninth place Potomac Falls. On the girls’ side, Potomac Falls was seventh; Dominion ninth; Tuscarora tenth.

Top performers from area teams were Kaleigh Rosenburg (Heritage) and Justin Doyle (Brentsville District), who collected am individual state title each.

Rosenburg won the girls’ 100 breaststroke in 1:03.21. She was also fourth in the 200 individual medley (2:06.55).

Kayleigh Rosenburg swimming to a state title in the 100 breaststroke. (Photo provided by Gemma Rosenburg)

Doyle was the big winner in the boys’ 50 freestyle, finishing in 21.76. He would follow that performance up with a third in the boys’ 100 freestyle (48.19). Brentsville teammate Ben Cumberland was eighth in 50 freestyle in 22.31.

Rosenburg and Doyle were the lone state champions for the teams from Prince William and Loudoun counties, but area swimmers were in abundance in the top heats all night.

William Lin (Potomac Falls) was fourth in the boy’s 200 individual medley (1:58.19).

In the boys’ 100 butterfly, Brennan Maxwell (Briar Woods) was fifth in 53.67. Jake Koenig (Loudoun County High School) was eighth in 54.89.

Aidan O’Hara (Dominion) placed sixth in the boys’ 500 freestyle with a time of 4:52.90. O’Hara was sixth (55.41)  in the 100 backstroke as well, ahead of Lucas Cherry (George Mason) who finished eighth (55.76).

On the girls’ side, Sophie Newton (Loudoun County) was third in the 50 freestyle in 24.63. Newton was also fifth in the girls’ 100 butterfly (58.54), ahead of Rachel Williams (Dominion), who was seventh in 1:00.15.

Another fifth-seventh finish came in the girls’ 500 freestyle, where Lizzie Mittan (Briar Woods) in 5:16.89, two spots ahead of Jalyn Marks (Dominion) in 5:21.50.

Amanda Presgraves was fifth behind Rosenburg in the girls’ 100 breaststroke, finishing in a time of 1:06.82.

Osbourn Park repeats as Northwest Region champs

Osbourn Park boys’ and girls’ swim teams successfully defended their AAA Northwestern Region Championship titles on Friday at the Freedom Aquatics Center in Manassas. The Yellow Jacket girls scored 319 points, finishing ahead of runner-up Albermarle (256) and third-place Stafford (230.50). Osbourn Park’s boys compiled 334 points to finish more than 100 points ahead of runner-up Albemarle (238.50) and third-place Mountain View (202).

Read more from the 2012 AAA Northwest Region Swimming Championship here.

Broad Run's Mark Sarman won two individual titles and a relay crown for the Spartans at the Virginia A-AA chapmpionships. (Photo by Tracy A. Woodward/The Washington Post)

Several championship meets took place this weekend. Here is a round-up of the meets we were not able to cover in-person.

Also, with Metros this weekend, check out the psych sheet here: METROS PSYCH SHEET

VIRGINIA A-AA CHAMPIONSHIPS

FULL Va. A-AA RESULTS HERE

Several local schools turned in top performances in the Virginia A-AA championships this weekend at Old Dominion University, but it was the Brentsville boys’ who had the best – winning the team title with 206 points.

Briar Woods‘ girls took fourth (163.5), and the Broad Run boys finished fifth (149).

Handley’s Ben Grove won a second consecutive state title, taking the 100 breaststroke crown in an automatic All-American time of 57.43 – setting a new Virginia AA state record in the process.

The Briar Woods girls’ also won the school’s first state titles, opening the meet with the 200-yard medley relay of Caleigh Hensley, Kristin Haufler, Alli Haufler and Elise Guessford winning a title with an All-American consideration time of 1:50.60, and then capturing the 400 freestyle relay with an All-American consideration time of 3:36.14.

Broad Run’s Mark Sarman won two individual titles, first taking the 200 IM with an All-American consideration time of 1:54.30 and then winning the 100 butterfly with an All-American consideration time of 51.23.

The Spartans’ boys’ 200 freestyle relay of Mike Poltash, Alan Horback, Jacob Leidy and Sarman also brought home a title, finishing ahead of third-place Brentsville (1:30.37) with a time of 1:29.09. Freedom-South Riding took fifth in 1:33.07.

Broad Run’s boys also took fourth in the 400 freestyle relay (3:22.30).

Brentsville’s Ryan Dunne took third in the 200 free (1:44.33) and was second in the 50 free with a time of 21.81. Teammate Michael Hughes took third in the 500 free in 4:44.92. Brentsville’s boys 400 free relay of Nathan Brown, Hughes, Jacon Katuin and Dunne finished second in 3:16.85.

Alli Haufler finished second in the 100 butterfly with a time of 56.61, while teammate Elise Guessford finished fifth in the 500 free in 5:15.63.

FULL Va. A-AA RESULTS HERE

VSIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

FULL VSIS RESULTS HERE

It was Seton that walked away with the VSIS Div. II state championship on Saturday at the Freedom Aquatic Center in Manassas, led by All-Met senior Jameson Hill – who was named the swimmer of the meet.

Bishop Ireton‘s girls took fourth overall in the competition, just behind Seton, while Madeira finished sixth. Other girls teams were Flint Hill (12th), St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes (18th), Potomac School (18th) and Paul VI (22nd).

Seton’s boys had the highest overall finish for a local school, coming in sixth. Bishop Ireton (9th), Paul VI (10th), St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes (12th) and Flint Hill (21st) were other local teams competing.

Ireton’s girls 200 medley relay of Maddie Zeigler, Liz Collins, Alina Hall and Saskia Kroesen opened the meet by taking the title in a time of 1:51.43. Madeira finished third in 1:53.36.

Hill won the first of two titles in the 200-freestyle with an automatic All-American time of 1:38.81. He later also took the 500-yard freestyle title in a VSIS record and automatic All-American time of 4:28.82.

Ireton’s Hall took fourth in the girls’ 200 IM in 2:13.50, while St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes junior Conor MacNair took fifth in the boys’ 200 IM with a time of 1:58.89. MacNair also took fifth in the 100 breaststroke in a time of 1:00.06.

Seton junior Lauren Donohoe won the 50 freestyle in 24.84 seconds, while sophomore teammate Alex Doonis took third with a time of 25.17. Donohoe also took second in the 100 freestyle (54.08), ahead of Ireton’s Hall (3rd – 54.22) and Madeira’s Brittney Jansen (5th – 55.30).

Ireton’s Samuel Ellis finished fifth in the 50 free with a time of 22.02.

Potomac School’s Chloe Grinshaw won the diving title with a score of 341.35, while Ireton senior Mandy Imbriglia finished fifth (226.25).

Flint Hill freshman Rachel Swarts took second in the 100 butterfly with an All-American consideration time of 57.42, ahead of Ireton junior Kroesen, who finished in fourth at 59.71, and Madeira’s Christa Ann Saunders who took fifth (1:00.06).

Swarts later took second in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:00.36, ahead of Saunders (3rd – 1:00.65) and Seton sophomore Doonis (4th- 1:00.78)

Ireton senior Angus MacDonald took fourth in the 100 butterfly in 51.80, ahead of fifth-place Paul VI junior Eric Nasakaitis (53.04). MacDonald later won the 100 backstroke title with an automatic All-American time of 51.22.

Madeira’s Maddie Alagia took third in the 500 freestyle in 5:21.08.

Seton’s girls’ 200 freestyle relay of Doonis, Cat Rogers, Laura Talbott and Donohoe won the title in 1:40.05.

Ireton junior Collins won the title in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:06.99, while Seton’s Rogers finished fifth in 1:10.23.

Seton’s girls 400 free relay (Doonis, Rogers, Carolyn Claybrooks and Donohoe) took third in 3:40.51 and Ireton (Kroesen, Hall, Ziegler, Allison Wulff) finished fifth in 3:44.90.

Seton’s boys’ 400 free relay of Hill, Connor Cook, Vincent “Catfish” Dunn and David Basinger closed out the meet with a fourth place finish in 3:17.05.

FULL VSIS RESULTS HERE

WMPSSDL GIRLS

FULL WMPSSDL GIRLS RESULTS HERE

Good Counsel‘s girls’ ran away with the WMPSSDL title on Friday with 460 points, 117 points ahead of second-place Holy Cross. St. John’s took third with 303 points.

The Falcons opened the meet by winning the 200 medley relay in an automatic All-American time of 1:50.66 and closed the meet by winning the 400 freestyle relay in 3:44.89.

In between they were just as dominant, getting a title from All-Met sophomore Sarah Haase but otherwise relaying on at least two top six finishers in all but two events through the meet.

Haase won the 100 breaststroke title in an All-American consideration time of 1:05.08 and finished fifth in the 50 free in 25.39.

Good Counsel freshman Catherine Mulquin had a third-place finish in the 50 free (25.24) and took second in the 100 in 55.10.

Holy Cross junior Katie Rogers won titles in the 200-yard freestyle (1:54.24) and 500 freestyle (AAC – 4:57.78), while Maret School freshman Sofie Pietrantonio took titles in the 200 IM (2:10.32) and 100 butterfly (58.54).

Maret School senior Anna Pietrantonio took second in the 200 free (1:57.86) and 500 free (5:11.35).

Holy Cross sophomore Ashleigh Ferguson won the 50 freestyle title in 24.88, then doubled up her night with a win in the 100 backstroke in a WMPSSDL-record and All-American consideration time of 58.40, out-touching Good Counsel’s Kaitlin Mills (58.52).

Mills also took third in the 200 IM in 2:12.36.

National Cathedral sophomore Christine Rholl won the 100 free with a time of 54.73.

St. John’s 200 freestyle relay of Amina Wilson, Morgan Whyte, Joanna Ladas and Marissa Gentry won the title in 1:41.13, ahead of Holy Cross and Good Counsel.

Wilson finished third in the 100 backstroke in 1:00.49 and second in the 200 IM in 2:12.36.

FULL WMPSSDL GIRLS RESULTS HERE

With Metros this weekend, check out the psych sheet here: METROS PSYCH SHEET