If you’re looking for the future of American breaststroke, there is no need to look beyond the nation’s capital.
That’s certainly what spectators at junior nationals in Irvine, California are thinking after watching Nation’s Capital add their moniker to yet another 100 breast national age group record.
Carsten Vissering, 16, smashed the meet and national age group record in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke with a victory on Thursday night at junior nationals. Vissering posted a time of 1 minute, 1.94 seconds to become the first 15-16 year old to go under the 1:02 mark. He broke Christian Higgins’ (New Canaan, Conn.) mark of 1:02.29, set in 2009.
Vissering’s time moves the rising Georgetown Prep junior to 12th overall among Americans this year and makes him the second fastest American teenager behind Kevin Cordes, who represented the United States at world championships in Barcelona last month.
It also qualifies Vissering to join his NCAP teammate Andrew Seliskar on the U.S. world junior championships team, which will compete in Dubai, United Arab Emirates at the end of the month. Seliskar, 16, finished fourth in 1:02.76. Seliskar owns the 15-16 NAG record in the event in short course yards. Vissering’s swim brings both 100 breast records under the NCAP banner — a rare occurrence when the records are not held by the same swimmer.
“Carsten had a great swim,” Seliskar said. “I look forward to swimming with him in Dubai.”
Despite several finals appearances, Irvine hasn’t been all positive for Seliskar. The rising Thomas Jefferson junior struggled after a record-breaking start on Monday night and has yet to find the podium in an individual event since striking gold on day one.
On Tuesday, Seliskar failed to advance out of prelims in the men’s 400 individual medley after disqualified during the back to breast turn in the preliminary heats. This came after scratching the men’s 100 freestyle to focus on the event.
“It was really disappointing,” Seliskar said. “I felt fast in prelims; it was a best time. I felt like I could have gone a lot faster in finals, but I knew I had to put it behind me.”
The following night, Seliskar finished sixth in the men’s 100 butterfly final in 53.49. It was a personal best for Seliskar, but was well outside qualifying for the worlds junior team in the event. Justin Lynch (Vallejo, Calif.) won the event in a new meet record time of 52.91.
Seliskar redeemed his Tuesday night with a fantastic lead-off leg for NCAP’s second-place finishing men’s 400 freestyle relay. Seliskar split 51.77 seconds to put NCAP into position to medal. James Jones, 15, a rising sophomore at Robinson Secondary, split a 52.98 during the second leg. Graham Baird, 16, and Grant Goddard, 16, split 51.83 and 52.12 to close the race. Baird and Goddard will be juniors this fall at Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Georgetown Prep, respectively.
Tomorrow, the final day of competition, Seliskar swims his signature event — the 200 individual medley — and the butterfly leg of the men’s 4×100 medley relay. If he makes finals, tomorrow will be his 10th, 11th and 12th swims in five days.
“I’m definitely tired,” Seliskar said. “But I’m really excited for my 200 IM tomorrow. I know I will be a lot faster than I was at world trials. Gunner [Bentz] wants to go under two minutes in the event, and I hope I can go with him.”
Seliskar is one of the most versatile swimmers in the country and has been dominating in the 200 distances in butterfly, breast and IM — not to overlook a 1:52.49 in the 200 free during Thursday’s prelims. The combination has landed Seliskar at the top of the 2015 recruiting class.
Other area finalists:
Hannah Lindsey, 15, of All Star Aquatics finished eighth in the C-final of the women’s 100 backstroke. The rising Churchill sophomore touched in 1:04.60.
Cassidy Bayer finished second in the B-final of the women’s 100 butterfly in 1:00.30 on Wednesday. Bayer, 13, was first to the turn in 28.19, but couldn’t hang on to the lead in the final 25 meters. Bayer entered the meet with the second fastest qualifying time among juniors with a 59.99, but was knocked out of the eligibility for junior worlds on by those in the championship final.
Gavin Springer (NCAP) finished sixth in the C-final of the men’s 400 freestyle in 3:59.12. Springer, a second team All-Met this past season, is a rising junior at Sidwell Friends.
Springer also anchored NCAP’s fourth place men’s 4×200 freestyle relay with a 1:54.35 split. Christopher Grimmett-Norris, a Kentucky bound graduate out of Chantilly, led off in 1:54.00. Goddard opened up a massive lead for NCAP, which Baird extended to over 15 meters where they handed things off to Springer. Goddard and Baird split 1:54.59 and 1:53.38, respectively.
