On the final day at NCSA Junior Nationals, all the usual suspects could be found in the top heats, performing as they had all week, as area swimmers added more Olympic Trial cuts to an already large haul from the week’s meet in Orlando.

Rachel Bootsma (Aquajets) won her fourth gold medal of the meet in the women’s 50-meter backstroke, posting the fastest time in the world  this year. Her time of 27.84 seconds was over a second ahead of second place. Bootsma is a legitimate contender for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team in the 100 backstroke. The 50 backstroke is not swum in the Olympics. Curl-Burke’s Janet Hu finished in seventh (29.99).

Bootsma saw Hu again in the women’s 50 freestyle. In their second duel of the night, Hu got the better of the Minnesota star, finishing in second place earning her sixth OT cut. She finished in 26.09, .06 ahead of Bootma who was third. The event was won by Kristen Vredeveld (Baylor Swim Club) in 25.92. Caroline McTaggart (All Star Aquatics) was fourth in 26.31, earning her second Trials cut. McTaggart’s first OT cut came in the 100 freestyle earlier in the week.

Katie Ledecky Curl-Burke won the women’s 800 freestyle in a time of 8:33.48. It was not a best time for the 15-year-old distance star, and not even close to her converted National Age Group record in the 1,000-yard freestyle — 9:25.07 (SCY) converts to 8:24.53 (LCM) – set on the opening night of Junior Nationals, but is still good enough for the fifth best swim by an American this year. Ledecky’s personal best of 8:30.14, posted at the Missouri Grand Prix in February, is the third best time by an American in 2012.

Expect the rankings to change rapidly now that the NCAA short-course season is over and collegiate swimmers shift focus to long-course competitions and Olympic Trials.

Finishing in the top eight in the event, 13-year-old Megan Byrnes, another promising young distance swimmer, dropped 27 seconds off her personal best to finish in 8:55.68.

Jack Conger (RMSC) completed the sweep of the backstroke events, winning the 50 backstroke convincingly. His time of 26.06 puts him right behind National Teamers Eugene Godsoe, Matt Grevers and Nick Thoman — Conger’s likely competition in the 100 and 200 backstroke at Trials. Conger got his second win of the night — fifth of the meet — in the 50 freestyle with an Olympic Trials cut of 23.23. He tied Andrew Sansoucie (Rec-Plex Sharks) for first. Philip Hu (Curl-Burke) finished sixth in the 50 backstroke with a time of 27.60.

Conger and Ledecky earned Performance of the Meet awards for their inspiring swims in the 200-meter backstroke and 1,650-yard freestyle. Conger buried the competition in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:58.54, winning by over four seconds. Ledecky had an equally dominating performance in the 1,650 freestyle, setting the 15-16 National Age Group record in the event, as well as besting the NAG record in the 1,000 freestyle in her opening 1,000 split.

Sarah Haase (RMSC) finished third in the women’s 200 individual medley with a time of 2:18.74. She came in behind Emily Cameron (Lancaster Aquatic) and Bootsma, who finished in 2:16.13 and 2:17.82, respectively.

Charlotte Meyer (RMSC) was fifth, grabbing her second OT cut, in a time of 2:19.74. Rachel Canty (Curl-Burke) finished eighth in 2:22.69. Haase will swim next year at Stanford University.

Garrett Powell (RMSC) cruised to his second Junior National title and another personal best in the men’s 1,500-meter race, finishing in a time of 15:41.66, shaving another five seconds off his personal best. Powell had already qualified for Olympic Trials in the mile event. He has signed to swim next year at the University of Georgia.

Winnings his third event of the meet, Max Williamson (Northern Kentucky) took first in the men’s 200 individual medley in a winning time of 2:02.96.

Having a monster meet in his own right, Andrew Seliskar (Curl-Burke) placed third in the IM event with an OT qualifying time of 2:05.70. It was Seliskar’s third OT cut of the meet, making him the youngest male swimmer from the Potomac Valley to qualify for the Trials. Seliskar won the men’s 200 butterfly on the second time of competition.

Complete results

Ledecky swimming the 1,000 freestyle at the Tom Dolan Invitational (Bryan Flaherty/The Washington Post)

Her time of 4 minutes 8.87 seconds was over five seconds ahead of the second place finisher. Ledecky lowered her previous personal best by .63 seconds, as she continues to inch towards Janet Evans legendary 15-16 NAG record of 4:05.45, set in 1988. It was the 15-year-old’s third win of the week for Curl-Burke.

Jack Conger (RMSC) continued to show why he is one of the most promising young swimmers in the country winning the men’s 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly on Friday night at the YMCA Aquatic Center in Orlando. It was Conger’s third Junior National title of the week, having already won the 200 backstroke on Wednesday night.

In the 100 backstroke, Conger hung with a tight pack for the first leg of the race  before turning it on in the final 25 meters to win in 55.45 seconds. Like in the 200 backstroke, Conger’s stroke was clinic in form, displaying a slightly higher turnover rate in the sprint event, but still maintaining a steady, even body roll, his shoulders meeting his chin on every stroke. He won the event by 1.43 seconds.

Conger then won the 100 butterfly with another well swam race, looking relaxed from start to finish. His time of 53.46 was a personal best by over half a second. Also in the race, 15-year-old Andrew Seliskar (Curl-Burke) finished seventh in 55.56, just .27 away from reaching his third OT cut.

Swimming the same double as Conger, Aquajets’ Rachel Bootsma added two more golds to the one she had already earned this week, winning the 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly. She won the former in a lightning 1:00.02, less than half a second off her own NAG record. She was equally impressive in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:00.63.

Bootsma chose to go unrested for this meet. Instead, she is swimming through this meet to prepare for Olympic Trials, where the 18-year-old senior has a very real chance of earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic team in the 100 backstroke event if she can sneak past the two-time Olympic Gold medalist in the event, Natalie Coughlin, and 200 backstroke world record holder, Missy Franklin.

Curl-Burke’s Janet Hu finished behind Bootsma in both events, touching in fifth in backstroke (1:03.56) and fourth in butterfly (1:01.53). She already had achieved OT cuts in each. Caroline McTaggart (All Star Aquatics) was eighth in the butterfly event with a time of 1:03.26.

It was not all smooth sailing for local swimmers, who entered the night’s finals seeded first in five of the eight events.

After qualifying first out of prelims, Garrett Powell faded to fourth in the men’s 400 freestyle after Reed Malone, winner of the 200 freestyle on Thursday, stunned everyone by taking the race out in a blistering 1:54.25. Malone brought it home under two minutes to win the event in 3:52.3.

Powell could not hang with Malone during the first half of the race and never mounted a charge, finishing in 4:01.15. Powell was hoping to add a second event to his Olympic Trials schedule, having already made the cut in the 1,500 freestyle, but missed the cut in the 400 freestyle by just over one second.

Sarah Haase (RMSC) entered the final of the women’s 200 breaststroke looking like the swimmer to beat. She was the top qualifier out of prelims with a new short-course yards personal best. She had already won the 50 and 100 breaststroke events earlier in the meet as well.

But like Powell, the top-seeded RMSC swimmer slipped to fourth, as Haase finished in 2:35.72, well behind the event’s winner Anne Lazor. Haase was pushed early by Lazor, as the pair took the first 100 out in 2 minutes 12 seconds. Haase faded, while Lazor kept going to finished in 2:31.47.

Carsten Vissering (Curl-Burke), Bo Ilgenfritz(Machine), and Gregory Song (Curl-Burke) represented the PVS in the men’s 200 breaststroke, although none were in the top heat. Vissering moved up two positions from his seed to finish 22nd overall in 2:26.84. Ilgenfritz and Song were in the heat before, finishing 27th and 29th overall in 2:27.61 and 2:28.73, respectively.

Out of the ‘C’ Final of the women’s 100 backstroke, RMSC’s Catherine Mulquin made her first OT cut in a time of 1:03.98, getting under by .01 seconds.

She held a five-meter advantage as she turned for home at 150 meters, and looked far from tired as she finished in 2 minutes 0.46 seconds, 3.27 seconds ahead of second place. Her Curl-Burke teammate Janet Hu was sixth in 2:04.45.

The 15-year-old distance specialist uncharacteristically swam from the front for the entire race, taking it out fast right from the get-go with her long, powerful stroke.

Showing her versatility in the freestyle distances, she used an uptempo kick, more commonly seen in sprinters and mid-distance swimmers, to propel her within a half-second of her personal best, achieved last month at the Missouri Grand Prix. Ledecky’s first win at the Orlando YMCA Aquatic Center came in the 1,650-yard freestyle, in which she set two National Age Group records in the 1,650 and 1,000 freestyle distances.

The rest of the meet lacked much of the excitement from the first two nights, despite several swimmers dropping time in finals to reach their Olympic Trials cuts, with no swims even scaring a national record.

After a blistering 1:58.54 in the 200 back on Wednesday night, there was much speculation over how fast Jack Conger would push the pace in the men’s 200 freestyle.

It was not his night to shine, however, as Reed Malone — who has already finished second in two events this week — stole the show by hanging with Conger through the first 100 before pulling away in the third 50 to win the race in 1:50.97, earning himself an Olympic Trials cut in the event. Conger fell off the pace, finishing in an unexpected third. His time of 1:53.31 was half a second above the OT cut.

Sarah Haase (RMSC) captured her second breaststroke win in the 50 breaststroke event. She finished in 32.00. She will go for a sweep of the breaststroke events on Friday, when she will participate in the women’s 200 breaststroke. She is currently seeded second with a 2:12.08. Austin Dickey (RMSC) and Bo Ilgenfritz (Machine) went 5-6 in the men’s event, finishing in 29.77 and 29.80, respectively.

Andrew Seliskar (Curl-Burke) earned his second Olympic Trials cut in the men’s 400 IM. He finished fifth in 4:29.09. Max Williamson (Northern Kentucky) won the event in 4:22.42. For the women, Charlotte Meyer finished seventh in the 400 IM (4:59.34), followed by Rachel Canty (Curl-Burke) in a time of 5:00.83. Unattached swimmer Megan Rankin won the event in 4:47.34.

Mary Schneider (Academy Bullets) finished first in the women’s 50 butterfly in a time of 26.94, leaving superstar Rachel Bootsma (Aquajets) in a rare second place position in a sprint event. Bootsma’s time was 27.41. She was quickly followed by Janet Hu (Curl-Burke) in 27.59. In the men’s event, Richmond Renny (Lahaina Swim Club) won in 24.07. Graduating senior Stephen Seliskar (Curl-Burke) was eighth in 26.03.

Jack Conger rocked the competition Wednesday night in the men’s 200-meter backstroke, bringing the crowd to their feet in the Orlando YMCA Aquatic Center and sending the announcers scrambling to determine how close the 17-year-old phenom was to the National Age Group record.

(Ricky Carioti/For The Washington Post)

His time of 1 minute 58.54 seconds was well off two-time Olympic gold medalist Aaron Peirsol‘s mark of 1:55.15, but good enough for the seventh fastest time by an American this year, according to USASwimming.org. He won the finals heat at NCSA Junior Nationals by a whopping 4.45 seconds against the nation’s best swimmers under 18 years old.

Conger won the event in the same way he has all year, with powerful underwaters off every wall and near-perfect technique, eliciting cheers from teammates and admirers alike.

With his head locked in place, shoulders and hips guiding his rotation an almost complete 180 degrees from side-to-side, the young star’s lanky arms propelled him through the water with a steady turnover rate from start to finish.

Conger, still a long-shot to make the U.S. Olympic team this summer, will face tough competition at Olympic Trials in his best event, the 200m backstroke, from Olympians Ryan Lochte and Matt Grevers, as well as national team members Nick Thoman and Tyler Clary, and age group rival Ryan Murphy in one of the Americans’ best events.

Conger’s RMSC teammate, Sarah Haase (17), won the women’s 100 breaststroke in impressive fashion, leaving the field in her wake by a full 1.5 seconds. She lowered her long-course best by .03 seconds to maintain her 16th place ranking among U.S. swimmers.

15-year-old Andrew Seliskar (Curl-Burke) swam a gutsy race to win the men’s 200 butterfly in 2:01.80, achieving his first Olympic Trials cut. He was out in a blistering 57.74 for an early lead over the finals heat. He hung on during the final 100 meters to out-touch New Trier’s Reed Malone (16) and Aquazot’s Corey Okubo (16) by .06 and .24, respectively.

Andrew Seliskar swimming butterfly at the Va. AAA Northern Region Championships (Preston Keres/The Washington Post)

It was Seliskar’s second final of the night. After qualifying first in the men’s 100 breaststroke, the rising star finished fourth in 1:05.71. Machine’s Bo Ilgenfritz was seventh in 1:06.18.

Caroline McTaggart (All Star Aquatics) picked up her first Olympic Trials cut in the women’s 100 freestyle. She finished second behind Rachel Bootsma (Aquajets), 56.02 to 56.63. Katie Ledecky (Curl-Burke) was third in 56.71 seconds. Janet Hu (Curl-Burke) was fifth in 57.43. Ledecky broke two NAG records on the opening night of competition in the 1,650 and 1,000-yard freestyle events.

Hellen Moffitt (Curl-Burke) narrowly missed reaching her second Olympic Trials cut in the women’s 200 backstroke. Her time of 2:18.12 was good enough for eighth overall. Jillian Vitarius of Blue Tide Aquatics won the event in 2:12.69. At the conclusion of the night’s finals, Moffitt was allowed to swim the 200 backstroke again in a time trial against two other swimmers who had missed the OT cut. In her second try, the 16-year-old went a personal best 2:17.32. to achieve her second Trials cut — she had already qualified in the 100 backstroke event.

To conclude the women’s events on Wednesday night, NOVA Aquatics’ Emma Nunn stunned Bootsma to win the women’s 200 butterfly, 2:12.02 to 2:14.67. After a strong first 100 meters, Hu faded to 5th in 2:15.91. Nunn’s unconventional stroke was on display at the Tom Dolan Invitational in December where she was beat out by Hu in the short-course meet. But tonight, Nunn came out on top, splitting 33.96 in her final 50 to pull away from Bootsma.

No Potomac Valley swimmer qualified for the top heat of the men’s 100 freestyle, which was won by New Trier Swim Club (Northfield, Illinois) swimmers Jonathan Grodecki (17) and Malone in times of 50.92 and 51.06. Sean Sullivan (Curl-Burke) was the highest area finisher in a time of 53.07. He finished 21st overall.

Day One recap: “Ledecky breaks two NAG records in first event as a 15-year-old”

Complete live results

Curl-Burke swimmer Ledecky led the way, breaking two 15-16 National Age Group records during the girls’ 1,650-yard freestyle. RMSC’s Powell won the boys’ 1,000 freestyle. To conclude the first night of competition, both local squads placed relay teams in the top three during the girls’ and boys’ 200 medley relays.

Starting today, the tough part of the meet begins for swimmers with morning prelims swam in short-course yards with long-course finals taking place less than six hours after prelims conclude. The added pressure of making finals makes for an even more exciting night environment for swimmers who qualify for a second swim and a chance at dropping time to move up in the rankings.

For live results from preliminaries and finals, click here

Over the next four days of competition, here are RFTW’s four storylines to watch:

1. Last chance to qualify for Olympic Trials

Potomac Valley LSC will already be well represented at this year’s Olympic Trials, but there are still many swimmers on the edge that are eager to make what is arguably the fastest meet in the world, including the Olympic Games.

While some swimmers will travel to one of the remaining three Grand Prix meets scheduled over the next four month, for most, this meet is the last chance to swim against top-notch competition in the long-course format. But swimmers will only get that chance if they are able to qualify for one of the four finals heats, swam in the long-course format.

Olympic Trials time standards
Complete list of PVS Olympic Trials qualifiers (as of Feb. 14)

2. Local teams battling for national title

Although often an afterthought in the highly individualized swimming world, the team competition will be hard-fought between local powerhouses Curl-Burke — last year’s champion — and Rockville-Montgomery Swim Club, as well as 2010 winner NOVA Aquatic (Richmond) and an Aquajets Swim Team (Eden Prairie, Minn.) led by U.S. National Team member Rachel Bootsman.

Curl-Burke and RMSC bring their largest squads ever to this year’s meet, with approximately 90 and 60 swimmers each. Among those swimmers are superstars such as Ledecky and Powell — who have already proved they can win at this meet — as well as Jack Conger and Janet Hu.

Outside of the top stars, and more significant to the team competition, are the number of entries each team boasts in the top 20. Entering the meet, Curl-Burke has 50 individual entries in the top 20, as well as 14 relays in the top five, while RMSC has over 30 individual entries in the top 20, plus 12 relays in the top five.

3. Brutal schedules for the biggest stars of tomorrow

Jack Conger (RMSC) and Janet Hu (Curl-Burke) are two of the best all-around age group swimmers in the country. Each has multiple Olympic Trials cuts and will probably add to their current total this week at Juniors. Conger is currently entered in 11 individual events — including eight as the top seed — and can swim on all five of RMSC’s relay teams. Hu has nine events on her schedule, all seeded in the top five, and will certainly contribute in several of Curl-Burke’s relays.

Do not expect either swimmer to swim every event they are entered in, but the question still remains — can this pair of 17- and 16-year-olds hold up against these Phelpsian schedules that few swimmers undertake? Hu will face competition in nearly every event from Aquajets’ Bootsma, but it is conceivable that Conger could win any of the 11 individual events he swims due to his unique combination of top-end speed, endurance, and untouchable underwaters — not to mention a chance at grabbing a few NAG records on the way.

4. How low will Katie Ledecky go?

While Conger and Hu’s Olympic Trials goals are geared towards making it to an elusive finals heat, reserved for the top eight swimmers in the country, 15-year-old Katie Ledecky has her sights on an even bigger goal — making the U.S. Olympic Team. 

She has already taken down two NAG records held by former Olympian Kate Ziegler, but can she inch towards taking down Janet Evans‘ untouchable records of 4:05.45 in the 400-meter freestyle and 8:17.12 in the 800-meter freestyle.

Hitting times like those would go a long way towards securing herself a spot on the 2012 London squad. We might not see it this week in Orlando, but after the drops she has been able to make over the last six months, I do not think anyone would rule it out at Trials in June/July.

Ledecky’s current best in the events are 4:09.30 and 8:30.14, respectively, the latter ranking her fourth in the world in 2012. She will also be in the mix for the top spot in the 200 freestyle event where she is currently seeded third.

For live results from preliminaries and finals, click here

Katie Ledecky set two National Age Group records on the opening night of the NCSA Junior National Swimming Championships at the Orlando YMCA Aquatic Center.

In her first race as a 15-year-old, Ledecky eclipsed the 15-16 NAG records in the girls’ 1,000 and 1,650-yard freestyle, held by 2008 Olympian and FISH swimmer Kate Ziegler, during the timed final of the 1,650 freestyle event on Tuesday night.

The Curl-Burke star took her first 1,000 yards of the 1,650 freestyle event out fast, splitting 9:25.07 to break the 1,000 freestyle record, set in 2005, by .44 seconds.

Her pace barely slowed as she pushed through to break her second NAG record in the same race, for a new 1,650 freestyle record of 15:40.38, finishing a full 50 yards ahead of second place.

Ledecky burst onto the national spotlight four months ago when she broke two NAG records in the 13-14 500 and 1,000 freestyle. She later surprised many by winning the women’s 800-meter freestyle at the Missouri Grand Prix in the fourth fastest time swam in 2012 — fastest by an American.

Graduating senior Ellen Anderson (RMSC) finished eighth in 16:37.33. Ledecky’s Curl-Burke teammate Megan Byrnes (13) finished 11th in 16:41.94.

On the other side of the pool deck, RMSC’s Garrett Powell (17) won the boys’ 1,000 freestyle in a time of 8:57.28. Teammate Brady Welch (15) was 17th in 9:18.12.

Tuesday’s events individual events were swam timed finals because neither are Olympic events. Wednesday will be the first day of the short-course preliminaries, followed by long-course finals, where many many young swimmers are still hoping to achieve their Olympic Trials cuts during finals.

Complete results

Complete meet results

Timothy Wu (Curl-Burke) stepped into the spotlight over the weekend, walking away with the boys’ high point award and five records at this year’s PVS 14 & Under Junior Olympics, which took place Mar. 15-17 at Fairland Aquatic Center.

Rockville-Montgomery Swim Club won the team competition with a total of 5469.5 points. Curl-Burke was second with 5098.5, followed by FISH (1862.5) and Machine Aquatics (1412).

Wu set PVS resident records in all three breaststroke distances, including the open record in the 200 breaststroke event, on his way to six individual and four relay wins for Curl-Burke.

During prelims of the boys’ 11-12 50 breaststroke, Wu broke Carsten Vissering’s resident record of 29.436 by over half a second to win in 28.72. Wu then broke Devin Truong’s (RMSC) resident record in the boys’ 11-12 100 breaststroke for a new time of 1:02.43.

Wu also led off Curl-Burke’s record-setting boys’ 11-12 400 freestyle relay, which eclipsed the previous records by over 1.5 seconds to win in 3:34.65. Wu was joined by Will Cumberland, Andrew Rothstein, and Andrew Alarcon. The same foursome would also set a PVS resident record in the boys’ 11-12 200 freestyle relay, finishing in a time of 1:37.64, and won the 200 and 400 medley relays in 1:48.74 and 4:02.18, respectively.

Wu finished his record-setting campaign by setting the boys’ 12 & under 200 breaststroke resident and open records with a time of 2:15.51, over 14 seconds ahead of second place. Wu also won the 50 (24.02), 100 (51.45) and 200 (1:52.19) freestyle events.

Wu was not the only one breaking records, continuing to show just how deep and talented the PVS is right now in the 11 to 14 year-old age groups.

Cassidy Bayer (12) went under Curl-Burke teammate Janet Hu’s — who will compete this week at Junior Nationals — resident and open records in the girls’ 200 butterfly during prelims. She would later blow away the competition in finals to set a final record of 2:03.82, shattering Hu’s old mark by 1.5 seconds.

Bayer also took first place in the 50 freestyle (24.52), 50 backstroke (28.13), 50 butterfly (25.72), 100 freestyle, (52.77), and 100 butterfly (57.07). Bayer earned the meet’s girls’ high point honors.

Bayer also teamed up with Emily Meilus, Sydney Mathis, and Mimi Baker to break the girls’ 11-12 200 freestyle relay, for a new mark of 1:41.57. Bayer was also a member of the winning 200 medley, 400 medley and 400 freestyle relays.

Isabella Rongione (12) won the girls’ 11-12 500 freestyle in record-breaking time. The FISH swimmer lowered Katie Ledecky’s (Curl-Burke) previous PVS records — both the resident and open record — by over a second to finish in 4:56.58. She was also a winner in the 200 and 1,000 freestyle events in 1:54.36 and 10:06.76, respectively, as well as the 200 IM in 2:08.71.

Thomas Brown de Colstoun (RMSC) stole Kurtis Ratcliff’s six-year resident record in the boys’ 12 & under 200 butterfly, setting a new mark of 2:06.29. He was also a winner in the 100 butterfly (58.45), 200 individual medley (2:09.10) and 500 freestyle (5:04.23).

Owen van Krimpen (Curl-Burke) set a new record in the boys’ 13-14 100 freestyle, with a blazing fast 46.87. He broke Craig Ammon’s 1983 resident record of 47.02, one of the oldest 14 & under records in the books. Van Krimpen also won the 400 IM in 4:11.99.

James Murphy (Machine Aquatic) set the PVS open record in the boys’ 13-14 200 freestyle with a time of 1:42.64, missing Ammon’s resident record of 1:42.01. Murphy also won the 200 butterfly (1:54.60) and 500 freestyle (4:37.87).

Complete meet results

Faerber wins 1 & 3-meter events at USA Diving Spring Region 2 Championships

Complete meet results

Weeks after winning his first Maryland state title, graduating senior Timothy Faerber (Dominion Dive Club) swept the 1-meter and 3-meter boards in the boys’ 16-18 division, winning by a wide margin in each. His final scores were 539.25 and 535.45. Faerber will dive for Michigan next year.

12-year-old Hailey Fisher (Alexandria Dive Club) won the girls’ 12-13 1-meter competition with a score of 265.80. She was second on the 3-meter board with a score of 278.15.

Faerber and Fisher advanced to East Nationals, hosted by Montgomery Dive Club at the Montgomery Aquatic Center, April 12-15.

DDC and ADC each qualified five divers for East Nationals, who will be joined by any pre-qualifiers based on scores. Montgomery Dive Club had only one diver, Kali Becker, compete, and she advanced as well.

Complete meet results

This is a great way to see fast NCAA Division I and III swimming in your own backyard, and a great opportunity for anyone considering swimming in college.

In a Big East-ACC matchup, Maryland will meet West Virginia at 1 p.m., at Maryland’s Eppley Center in College Park.

(Bryan Flaherty/The Washington Post)

Check out former RMSC swimmers Andrew Relihan (Georgetown Prep), Sean Stewart (Wootton), and Erin Stout (Sherwood), along with Alex Spina (Paul VI Catholic) from Curl-Burke, competing for U-Md. They’ll take on former Annandale and Potomac Marlins standout Rachael Burnett, starring for WVU.

Also, Georgetown will travel across town to face George Washington at the Smith Center, at 11 a.m., and Washington & Lee (Lexington Va.) and Catholic will face Marymount at home for a tri-meet on Saturday, at 2 p.m., at the Lee Center.

Although a bit far for an afternoon trip, if you’re looking for fast swimming, rivals North Carolina and U-Va. face off in what promises to be one of the fastest ACC match-ups of the year, held at the Koury Natatorium – men will begin at noon; women at 3 p.m.

The meet boasts some of the ACC’s top talent, not to mention a slue of former Potomac Valley’s elite swimmers and divers, including our athlete blogger Bradley Phillips (Oakton/Curl-Burke), who will likely swim a tough schedule against UNC’s fast group of distance swimmers.

(photo provided by Virginia Athletes Media Relations)

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.