Elaydi, Mijatovic, Urlando Shine at 2024 George Haines International Swim Meet

By Riley Overend on SwimSwam

2024 Georgia Haines International Swim Meet

• May 24-27, 2024
• Morgan Hill, California
• LCM (50 meters)
• Results

Santa Clara Swim Club 14-year-old Shareef Elaydi highlighted last weekend’s George Haines International Swim Meet with a 100-meter butterfly victory in 54.17, which ranks No. 2 all-time among U.S. 13-14 boys behind only Thomas Heilman (53.27 from 2021).

Elaydi lowered his previous-best 54.44 from March, narrowly missing Andrei Minakov’s Pacific Swimming LSC record of 54.04 from 2016. However, he did take down an LSC record in the 100 breaststroke with his win in 1:03.73, improving upon his own standard of 1:04.22 from February.

Elaydi also posted a huge personal best in the 400 IM (4:31.16), dropping more than four seconds off his previous best (4:35.39 from last June) to jump up to 11th in the national age group (NAG) rankings. He added more impressive marks in the 50 free (24.13) and 200 IM (2:04.27), the latter of which was just about half a second shy of his NAG record (2:03.73 from March).

The 200 freestyle, 400 free, and 200 butterfly featured some fun Luca vs. Luka battles. Luca Urlando, a 22-year-old American record holder who seems to be training with Sacramento’s DART Swimming before he returns to the University of Georgia this fall, won all three events, but Pleasanton Seahawks star Luka Mijatovic put up some quick times for a 15-year-old.

Urlando took the 200 free title in 1:48.34, the 400 free in 3:51.34, and the 200 fly in 1:55.95. While none marked season-best times, his 400 free victory appears to make him the 6th-fastest American this calendar year. Urlando was just a few tenths shy of his season-best 1:55.63 200 fly that ranks No. 1 among Americans this calendar year.

Mijatovic, who turned 15 last month, earned runner-up finishes in the 200 free (1:49.79) and 400 free (3:52.45), slightly off his best times from March (1:49.63/3:51.18 when he was still 14). He now ranks 14th in the 15-16 NAG rankings for the 200 free and 9th for the 400 free. At the LSC level, he erased Aidan Burns’ 400 free record from 2014 (3:52.51) while just missing former Pleasanton Seahawks star Maxime Rooney’s 200 free record from 2014 (1:49.54).

Mijatovic also placed 4th in the 200 fly (2:04.87) and 1st in the 800 free (8:12.08), where he’s a dark horse contender to make the Olympic team this summer. Mijatovic was well off his personal-best 800 free time of 4:59.64 from last August, but his win was still good enough to crack the top 100 NAG rankings at No. 72. He added lifetime bests in the 50 free (24.23) and 200 IM (2:06.73), dropping .59 seconds in the former and .28 seconds in the latter.

Rising Stanford senior Aaron Sequeira captured the 200 IM crown in 2:02.98, taking more than a second off his previous-best 2:04.47 from earlier this month. In the process, he dipped under the U.S. Olympic Trials cut of 2:03.49 right before the qualifying window closes. Sequeira touched less than a second ahead of rising Stanford sophomore Gibson Holmes, who knocked more than three seconds off his best time en route to 2nd place in 2:03.68. He’s just a couple tenths shy of the Trials cut.

Mijatovic’s training mate, Pleasanton Seahawks 15-year-old Tim Wu, blasted a pair of lifetime bests in the 200 free (1:50.74) and 400 free (3:57.56). He dropped a couple tenths off his previous-best 200 free (1:50.94 from February) and more than half a second off his previous-best 400 free (3:58.11 from last month), moving up to 32nd and 85th in the 15-16 NAG rankings, respectively.

Rising Stanford sophomore Ethan Harrington threw down a personal best in the 50 free during prelims with a 22.76. He shaved just over a tenth off his previous-best 22.88 from last June to sneak under the Trials cut of 22.79. Harrington also placed 2nd in the 100 free (50.76) behind Cardinal teammate Luke Maurer (51.05), who has been as fast as 48.94 back in 2022.

Women’s Recap

Middle-distance freestyle specialist Leah Smith was the big name competing on the women’s side, picking up victories in the 200 free (1:59.71) and 400 free (4:09.39) in Morgan Hill, California.

The Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medalist in the 400 free and champion in the 4×200 free relay is a contender for her second Olympics this summer after missing a trip to Tokyo a few years ago. Smith is ranked 5th among Americans in the 400 free this calendar year (4:07.85 from January’s Pro Swim Series stop in Knoxville) and 8th in the 200 free (1:59.14 from Knoxville in January), putting her just on the outside of the Olympic qualification bubble based on recent performances.

Liberty Clark picked up an Olympic Trials cut in the 50 free with a personal-best 25.50, dropping a couple tenths off her previous-best 25.70 from earlier this month. The 16-year-old Indiana commit (’25) set her third lifetime best of the month in the 50 free, with her best time this month sitting at 25.89 from last August — a couple tenths short of the Trials cut (25.69).

Clark’s Crow Canyon Country Club Sharks teammate, 14-year-old, Daniela Linares, put on a backstroke clinic on her way to wins in the 50 back (30.85), 100 back (1:02.96), and 200 back (2:13.88). All three marked lifetime bests. She dropped almost three seconds in the 200 back to move up to No. 31 in the 13-14 NAG rankings and almost two seconds in the 100 back to become the 47th-fastest performer nationally in her age group.

Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics (PASA) 16-year-old Kelsey Zhang punched her ticket to Trials in the 100 fly with a personal-best 1:00.10 in prelims. Her previous best from earlier this month (1:00.32) was just off the Trials cut of 1:00.19. Zhang also placed 1st in the 200 IM (2:17.19) and 400 IM (4:51.14), dropping almost eight seconds in the 400 IM off her previous-best 4:59.05 from 2022.

Rising Stanford senior Anna Shaw claimed the 100 free title in 55.86, sneaking under her previous-best 55.91 from 2021. She’s just a blink away from the Trials cut of 55.79.

SwimSwam: Elaydi, Mijatovic, Urlando Shine at 2024 George Haines International Swim Meet