Swimming

Marie Landreneau Becomes First Louisiana U18 to Break 50 Seconds in 100 Yard Free

March 4, 2024

Across two weeks, Louisiana’s best age group and high school swimmers raced in two different competitions, the first in Sulphur for the Senior Championships and the second in Baton Rouge for the age group championships.

2024 Louisiana Senior SC State Championships

February 15-18, 2024
Sulphur Recreation & Aquatic Center, Sulphur, Louisiana
Short Course Yards (25 yards)
Full Meet Results

A total of seven LSC Records in the 15-16, 17-18, and 15-18 age groups were broken at the senior state meet.

That includes a 17-18 age group sprint record from Marie Landreneau in the 100 yard free. She swam 49.86 to break Amy Miller’s 2016 record of 50.19, making her the first junior-aged swimmer under 50 seconds in the event in the state’s history.

Landreneau, a high school senior, is headed to Georgia next season, where the Bulldog women are in need of reinforcements. 49.86 would rank 7th among the Bulldogs this season. Her previous best was a 50.32 from last year’s NCSA Junior National Championships, where historically she’s been faster than at these LSC Championships.

Landreneau also won the 200 free (1:49.85), 500 free (4:59.02), 1000 free (10:17.45), 100 fly (55.29) and 200 IM (2:02.75). Of those swims, the 1000 free and 200 IM were best times, with a second drop in the 200 IM being the highlight.

She swims for City of Lafayette Aquatics.

Her foil in many of those races was Rylee Simoneaux of Crawfish Aquatics. She was the runner-up in the 500 in a best time of 5:01.90, but picked up wins in the 100 back (54.60) and 200 back (1:59.41). That 100 back time was a new lifetime best, knocking three-tenths off her high school state-title winning time of 54.92 from November.

A high school junior, Simoneaux is committed to the University of Houston.

15-year-old Kendall Jollands from the Crescent City Swim Club was one of the youngest winners of the meet. She took wins in the 50 fly (25.34) and 200 fly (2:03.46 – after a 2:02.92 in prelims), both of which were big time drops, and added another best time in the 100 fly (55.15). Her best times entering the meet in the 100 fly was 55.78, which won her a Division I state title in the fall, and in the 200 fly was a 2:04.68 from December. In total, she’s dropped over five seconds in the 200 fly this season.

A high school freshman, she’s a long way from the start of her college recruitment, but this performance should put her on some radars.

Another sprint record fell in the 200 free relay. There, Sadie Huenefeld of the Bulldog Aquatic Club split 23.40 on a leadoff. That came in addition to her win in the individual event in 23.46.

There were two girls’ relay records broken as well. The South Louisiana Swim Team swam 1:45.21 in the mixed 200 medley relay, and the Nu Wave swim Club broke the girls’ 17-18 800 free relay record with a 7:56.04.

While the girls did most of the record-breaking at the meet, there were still some standout performers. Jack Primeaux won six total events, including five individually. He swam 22.93 in the 50 back, 48.72 in the 100 back, and 1:48.63 in the 200 back, all best times.

He also won the 50 fly (22.56) and 100 fly (49.29). Primeaux, a high school senior, has still not announced his college commitment.

There was a big head-to-head battle between Crawfish Aquatics teammates Calix Hammett and Colin Candebat in the 200 free. Hammett opened a pretty big lead going into the final 50 before Candebat fought back with a 24.52 last-50 split, a second better than Hammett, but Hammett won in 1:39.49. Candebat was 2nd in 1:39.65.

For Hammett, a senior Kentucky commit, that was his first swim under 1:40.

2024 Louisiana Age Group SC State Championships

February 22-25, 2024
LSU Natatorium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Short Course Yards (25 yards)
Results on Meet Mobile: “2024 LA Age Group SC State Championships”

A pile of LSC Records also fell at the age group championships.

13-year-old Avery Daigle from Franco’s Fins set new State Records in both the 50 free (23.14) and 100 fly (55.37), in both cases breaking her own record.

Prior to this season, the record was a 56.86 done by Sarah Holt in 2017. The aforementioned Kendall Jollands swam 56.85 in December before aging up, Daigel swam 56.60 in January, and now in February Daigel swam 55.37 for the big drop – now a second-and-a-half better than the former record.

The 50 free has seen a huge drop as well this season. Sadie Huenefeld swam 24.15 in 2022, but Daigle dropped that to 23.75 in October, 23.21 in December, and now 23.14.

All that comes while in the younger half of the age group for Daigle. Her 50 free time already ranks her in the top 100 all-time in the 13-14 age group nationally as well.

In the boys’ 13-14 age group, JJ Hoover broke both LSC butterfly records. He swam 51.19 in the 100 fly and 1:54.21 in the 200 fly. Those swims cut half-a-second and nine-tenths of a second, respectively, off the old records.

A member of the Bulldog Aquatic Club, his best times coming into the meet were 54.74 and 2:03.95, respectively.

In the 10 & under age group, Sadie Allen from Crawfish Aquatics broke LSC Records in the 50 free (26.34) and 50 fly (27.90). Those drops for her were 1.2 and 1.3 second drops, respectively.

Although they weren’t records, she also won the 100 IM (1:06.89), 100 free (59.39), 100 fly (1:04.55), 200 IM (2:25.59), 50 free (26.34), and as part of the 200 free relay (2:00.57) and 200 medley relay (2:14.28). That makes a total of nine wins in the meet.

SwimSwam: Marie Landreneau Becomes First Louisiana U18 to Break 50 Seconds in 100 Yard Free