2023 SPEEDO ESSZ SPRING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Thursday, March 9 – Sunday, March 12, 2023
- Triangle Aquatic Center — Raleigh, NC
- SCY (25 Yards)
- Results: “2023 Speedo ESSZ Spring SC Championships” on MeetMobile
16-year-old TAC Titans swimmer and Tennessee commit Jillian Crooks set two more best times at the final session of the Cary Sectionals, as she swam her fastest times ever in the 100 free and 200 back.
Crooks clocked a 48.47 100 free, which takes a few tenths off her previous best of 48.73 set back in January. She went out in a 23.29 and came home in a 25.13. Just two events later, Crooks raced the 200 back, where she clocked a 1:54.34 to win by nearly five seconds. Her best time prior to this meet was a 1:57.09, also from January 2023.
Both of Crooks’ times would have just missed qualification for the 2023 NCAA Championships, with her 100 free time being 0.1 away and her 200 back time being 0.4 seconds away. She also would have ranked third in the 100 free and and second in the 200 back on Tennessee’s depth chart this season.
On the men’s side, an impressive swim came from 17-year-old NC State commit Jerry Fox, who went a 43.13 to win the 100 free. He dropped 0.6 seconds from his best time of 43.73 coming into this meet, a time that he set at Winter Juniors.
There was a close race in the men’s 200 back, as Cole Witmer of NSEA swim took the win in a time of 1:45.24, while 22-year-old postgrad David Wahlen was just 0.17 seconds behind in second to swim a 1:45.41. Witmer’s time is a significant improvement of his PB of 1:50.22 coming into this meet, while Wahlen also dropped a second off his own PB.
Other Results:
- Women’s 200 IM: Nicole Zettel, TAC Titans, 1:59.27
- Men’s 200 IM: Andrew Li, TAC Titans, 1:47.30
