Matthew Hirschberger swept the mid-distance and distance freestyle events in Orlando this week with big time drops across the board. But the 16-year-old has even bigger goals in his sights. (Bryan Flaherty/For The Washington Post)
ORLANDO — For most of the week at the YMCA Aquatic and Family Center, a tall yet unassuming swimmer sat toward the top of the bleachers in the Nation’s Capital Swim Club team area. Most of the time he sat quiet amid his friends, whom he has met over the last 15 months since moving from Clearwater, Florida, to Bethesda.
In the pool, his actions spoke louder than he’d ever care to out of it, with record-breaking swims and clockwork-like splitting in lap after lap, event after event. And entering the most important 15 months ahead of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, he’s beginning to look like a yet another contender for a plane ticket to Rio.
Matthew Hirschberger won his third individual event Saturday night at the NCSA Junior National Championships, touching first in the boys’ 1,500-meter final in 15 minutes 19.23 seconds. It was a nearly 19-second improvement over his previous best from last summer and ranks him ninth all-time among 15-16-year-old swimmers in the event.
And he thinks he can go faster. A lot faster.
“I think I can get down to 15:00,” Hirschberger said, speaking of this summer’s goal time in the mile event. “Maybe under.”
Under would mean shattering the current 15-16 national age group record — set in 1976 by Bobby Hackett – by at least four seconds.
A week ago, that might have seemed absurd, but after three stunning performances that began with a national age group record in the 1,000-yard freestyle, it doesn’t seem too unreasonable. That, and remember who this teenage distance phenom trains with day in, day out. Katie Ledecky and Andrew Gemmell. The best female distance freestyler in the world and an open water Olympian.
“With Katie and Andrew, they create such an incredible training environment … it’s hard to explain. I’ve learned so much from them, talking with them, watching them, training with them,” Hirschberger said.
“Coach Bruce [Gemmell] has really worked with me a lot more on the strategy of my races, breaking own the 1,500 into 500s and the 500 into 125s.”
That strategy translated into a negative-split 1,500 Saturday, with an opening time of 7:40.57 and a return split of 7:38.66. The swim earned the 16-year-old a trip to Dublin, Ireland, where an all-star team comprised of the top swimmers from NCSAs will compete at the Irish Nationals, April 26 to May 5.
Hirschberger was one of five individual champions on the final day of competition in Orlando for Nation’s Capital, which swept the girls’, boys’ and team competition titles. The boys finished with 1,374 points, beating NOVA of Virginia Aquatics (875.5) and Dynamo Swim Club (638). The girls edged Aquajets, 1,002 to 913 points.
NCAP’s James Jones won the 50 freestyle in a lightning 22.85, dipping under the 23-second barrier for the fifth time in his career, and for the first time in a non-national or international meet.
“I know we have things to work on. We’ll be fine-tuning for the summer in the coming months,” said Jones, who will also be heading to Ireland with the NCSA all-star team next month. “[Coach] Pete said we’ve got to keep working on either breathing faster or not breathing at all and arm speed.”
Jones swam six individual events and reached five finals, medaling in four with big improvements in the butterfly events.
“It’s nice to see some drops,” Jones said. “Something to smile about.”
Jones has had a lot to smile about in Florida this week, despite not posting a personal best in either of his two marquee events, yards or meters. Along with his gold in the 50 freestyle, he won a silver in the 50 butterfly and a bronze in the 100 freestyle, plus four relay golds in national age group record time. He said he added the extra events to his schedule on advice from legendary Bolles coach, Sergio Lopez, who said he should extend his range and “have fun with other races.”
Andrew Seliskar finished third in the 50 freestyle final in a lifetime best 23.15. It was the California recruit’s ninth individual final of the week and 12th medal overall. Seliskar also won the 200 individual medley in 2:00.31 earlier in the night, a half-second off his lifetime best. Seliskar said Friday night that the medley event would be a focus event for him this summer.
Megan Byrnes won the girls’ 800 freestyle in a personal best 8:41.85, with teammate Isabella Rongione finishing third in 8:46.40. And finally, John Shebat completed a sweep of the backstroke events by winning the 50 backstroke in 26.07. Arlington Aquatics’ Ryan Baker was seventh in 27.54.
In other results, Hanna Whiteley of Mason Manta Rays won the girls’ 50 backstroke final in 29.26. NCAP’s Carrie Boone was sixth in 29.86.
Katherine Drabot of Ozaukee Aquatics won the girls’ 200 IM in 2:15.59, followed by Condors Swim Club’s Carly Cummings (2:16.61) and NCAP’s Cassidy Bayer (2:16.80). All three easily cleared the Olympic Trials cuts. Reni Moshos of NCAP was eighth in 2:20.94.
Stanzi Moseley of Roadrunner Aquatics won the girls’ 50 freestyle in 25.39, followed by Mason Manta Rays’ Ashley Volpenhein (25.65) and Machine Aquatics’ Morgan Hill (25.75), also under the Trials cut.
Related links:
• NCAP’s boys break another set of national age group relay records in prelims
• Andrew Seliskar makes it nine golds entering final day of NCSAs
• 18 photos from NCSA Junior Nationals Day 4 prelims
• Andrew Seliskar doubles up in Orlando
• For NCAP’s senior duo, practice makes podium
• Matthew Hirschberger sets a second national age group record at juniors
• Nation’s Capital off to a record-breaking start at junior nationals