Josh Liendo Wins 50 Free on Night time Two of Mel Zajac Jr. International Meet

2026 Mel Zajac Jr. International Swim Meet

Day 2 of the Mel Zajac Jr. Invite wrapped up Saturday night and there have been some extra quick swims and lifelong greatest instances set because the athletes gear up for the ultimate day of competitors tomorrow.

Women’s Recap

The girls’s meet opened with Sadie Buckley selecting up her first win of the meet within the girls’s 200 IM. She stopped the clock in 2:13.66, beating fellow American Liberty Clark‘s 2:14.74 by greater than a second. She added a few second from her lifetime greatest of two:12.35, which she swam in May. Buckley is dedicated to Texas for 2027.

Clark added two tenths from her greatest of two:14.51, additionally set in May, although at a distinct meet than Buckley.

Clark went on to select up the win within the girls’s 50 freestyle, touching in 24.89 to be the one swimmer beneath 25 seconds within the occasion. This swim was two tenths off the 24.67 she set in December. Kayla Noelle Sanchez completed 2nd in 25.20, six tenths off her better of 24.68 from June of 2021.

The 100 butterfly noticed University of Calgary’s Kamryn Cannings set the highest time of 1:00.16. This received the occasion by greater than a second over Kam Gardiner, who swam 1:01.43 for the silver. Cannings has a lifetime better of 58.67, which she swam in March of 2023. Gardiner, who’s from Illinois, took a second off her earlier better of 1:02.25 from June of 2025.

The 50 backstroke noticed Kylie Masse earn the win in 27.68. She was greater than a second forward of 2nd place finisher Alyssa Sagle‘s 28.73, and he or she added about half-a-second from the 27.13 she set in May of 2025. Sagle, who’s dedicated to Virginia for the autumn, added 4 tenths from her better of 28.35, which she swam in July of 2025.

Brinkleigh Hansen picked up one other particular person win within the 400 free after she received the 1500 free yesterday. She stopped the clock in 4:12.87, a few second off her better of 4:11.73, which she swam final June. Canadian Abby McLeod completed 2nd in 4:20.21, just a little greater than two seconds off her better of 4:17.73 from final June.

The girls’s 200 breaststroke was one of many closest race of the meet thus far. A pair of Canadians, Shima Taghavi and Amaris Peng completed 1st and 2nd with simply six hundredths separating them. Taghavi got here out on prime, touching in 2:31.91 after splitting 35.09/39.07/38.58/39.17. Peng swam 35.18/38.82/38.56/39.41 to steer by way of the primary 150 earlier than falling simply behind, touching the wall in 2:31.97.

Taghavi added 4 seconds from the two:27.83 she swam on the World Junior Championships in August, whereas Peng added three from the two:28.13 she swam in July of 2023.

The USA Junior 800 freestyle relay group of Hansen (2:02.02), Sydney Schoeck (2:02.84), Lily King (2:00.52), and Clark (1:58.71) swam 8:04.09 to win the occasion by 15 seconds over the 2nd place UBC Thunderbirds, who swam 8:19.43.

Men’s Recap

Josh Liendo swam two occasions on Saturday, the 50 again and the 50 free. He received the 50 free, the ultimate particular person occasion of the meet, touching in 22.50, two tenths off his season greatest 22.29 from the Fort Lauderdale Open final month.

Yuri Kisil completed 2nd in 22.62, six tenths off his greatest of twenty-two.01 from May of 2024. Santo Condorelli took third in 22.71, a close to second add from the 21.68 he swam final June and half-a-second off the 22.25 he swam on the Pro Swim Series in Sacramento.

In the 50 backstroke, Liendo took 2nd, touching in 25.96, a 3 second drop from the 29.07 he swam at this meet again in 2018, the final time he raced the occasion individually.

American Collin Holgerson received the occasion in 25.70, six hundredths off his lifetime better of 25.64 from July. He is dedicated to Tennessee for 2027.

The 200 IM went to Baylor Stanton in 2:02.14, half-a-second forward of David Kovacs‘ 2:02.64 in 2nd and Wilson York‘s 2:02.99 in 3rd. Stanton, who is committed to Cal for 2026, has a lifetime best of 2:01.00 from last summer’s World Juniors.

Kovacs, who simply wrapped up his freshman yr at Indiana, added two tenths from his greatest of two:02.47, and York, who simply completed his sophomore yr in highschool, dropped virtually a second from the two:03.75 he set in July of 2025.

York picked up one other 2nd place end within the 200 breaststroke, swimming 2:14.41 to come back in just a little greater than half-a-second behind Apollo Hess‘ 2:13.81 for 1st. The Canadian Hess dropped half-a-second from the two:14.26 mark he set in June of 2025, and York added a few second from the two:13.21 he swam final July.

The males’s 400 freestyle was received by Aiden Hammer, who simply completed his freshman yr at Texas, in 3:50.97. This swim was two seconds off his greatest of three:48.20, which he set eventually summer time’s World Junior Championships.

Gabriel Manteufel, who’s dedicated to Indiana for 2026, completed 2nd in 3:51.73, half-a-second off the three:51.23 he swam in August final yr.

Kai Lilienthal received the lads’s 100 fly in 53.39, only one hundredth forward of Charlie Cancelmo‘s 53.40 in 2nd.

Lilienthal dropped a few tenth from his earlier better of 53.48, which he swam in April of 2024. Cancelmo, who additionally simply completed his sophomore yr of highschool, added two tenths from his better of 53.20.

The closing occasion of the session was the lads’s 800 freestyle relay, which went to the USA Junior group of Manteufel (1:51.84), Norvin Clontz (1:50.72), Maximus Goettsch (1:51.90), and Kenneth Barnicle (1:51.01) in 7:25.47. They completed about 17 seconds forward of the 2nd place group from Olympians Swimming, who touched in 7:42.68.