Andrew Seliskar set his fifth pool record of the weekend Sunday, tearing down his own mark in the 200 individual medley by more than three seconds. (Bryan Flaherty/For The Washington Post)
In the final heat of the final event of a grueling, snow-delayed three days of racing at the Potomac Valley Senior Championships, Andrew Seliskar still had enough in the tank to do something special. It took a single lap for the announcer to rouse the sleepy crowd with the prospect of witnessing a third national age group record in as many days. The top-ranked recruit in the country was swimming arguably his best event, with history in his sights.
Seliskar attacked the men’s 200-yard individual medley final from the onset, opening a body length lead early that reached a half-pool by the finish. He fell short of the national mark, touching in 1 minute 42.84 seconds. If the crowd was disappointed, they didn’t show it with their enthusiastic applause at Seliskar’s fifth pool and fourth Potomac Valley resident record of the weekend at George Mason’s Patriot Aquatic Center.
Now, it’s “time to get back to work.”
Those parting words from Nation’s Capital Coach John Flanagan to his star swimmer spoke volumes Sunday night. The weekend was successful, but there is still more to prove in Seliskar’s final season before entering the collegiate ranks.
“It wasn’t perfect,” Seliskar said of his individual medley, which lowered his own pool record of 1:46.09 by more than three seconds. “My breaststroke was really slow … and I didn’t bring home my freestyle as fast as I think I can.
[Watch Andrew Seliskar set the national age group record in the 200 breaststroke]
“With meets like this where you’re only half rested, you have to work to find easy speed. It wasn’t really there tonight. Not after swimming the 200 [breaststroke]-500 [freestyle] double last night.”
Seliskar scratched the 200 butterfly ahead of the morning preliminary heats, instead choosing to focus his depleted energy reserves on the 200 individual medley. The time was a lifetime best for the California recruit, bettering his Virginia high school record of 1:43.01 from last month, but it still trails David Nolan’s 17-18 national age group record of 1:41.21, set in 2011. Seliskar already ranked third all-time among 18-and-under swimmers and 16th among U.S. performers.
“All best times, which gets me [excited] for NSCA [junior nationals],” Seliskar said. “I think I’m ready for a big drop in the long-course 200 IM, and I want to drop a big short-course time in the 200 [butterfly].”
Seliskar wasn’t alone in fine-tuning for the March 17-22 championship meet in Orlando.
Machine Aquatics’ James Murphy swam three event finals Sunday night, winning the 200 backstroke in 1:48.10 and finishing third in the 100 freestyle (45.40) and 200 IM (1:51.03). Murphy, a Robinson junior, is the top-ranked recruit in Virginia’s class of 2016 and will likely be considered a top-10 recruit nationally.
“He’s doing all the right things to prepare for NCSAs,” Machine Coach Dan Jacobs said of Murphy. “He’s stronger than he was last year, bigger. … Once he gets some rest, he’s going to have some big swims.”
James Murphy takes a breath during the preliminary heats of the men's 200 individual medley. (Bryan Flaherty/For The Washington Post)
Mason Makos’ post-grads Sean Fletcher and Amanda Kendall completed their welcome-home splash Sunday by sweeping the 100 freestyle finals. Fletcher, 23, set his fourth pool record of the weekend in winning the men’s sprint event in 43.19 seconds. Kendall, 24, cruised in the women’s final with a quick 48.87, a shade behind her pool record-setting time of 48.42 from the morning heats. The pair of former All-Met Swimmers of the Year from 2009 set five pool records in three days, with Kendall falling just shy of two others.
Amanda Kendall takes a breath while chasing down the pool record in a women's 100 freestyle heat Sunday morning. (Bryan Flaherty/For The Washington Post)
“I’m just happy to be back in the water racing again,” said Kendall, who is swimming in her first meet since the 2014 Mesa Grand Prix last May. “I missed the record in the 50, but I’ll have other chances. … Overall, really happy with how the weekend went.”
Starting the night off, Nation’s Capital’s Megan Byrnes claimed the women’s 1,000 freestyle in 9:51.81, holding off FISH’s Madelyn Donohoe, who made a late charge in the final 250 yards but wasn’t ever a real threat. Donohoe placed second in 9:54.84, posting the nation’s fastest time by a 13-year-old this season.
Byrnes also won the women’s 200 backstroke in 1:58.45, edging Machine’s Lea Gwennap (1:58.99). NCAP-Tyson’s teammate Kylie Jordan, 17, placed first in the girls’ 200 butterfly with a 1:59.72, while Sam Pomajevich, 16, won the men’s event in 1:50.22.
Former West Virginia standout Rachel Burnett, now swimming for Machine Aquatics, claimed the women’s 200 IM in 2:01.99; and NCAP’s Lane Stone, 16, won the men’s 1,650 freestyle in 15:39.15.
More PVS senior championships coverage:
• Andrew Seliskar chips away at Michael Phelps’s legacy
• Watch Andrew Seliskar set a national age group record in the 200 breaststroke
• Andrew Seliskar scorches national age group record in 400 IM