Fast starts at Mizzou Aquatics Center
The 2026 Speedo Summer Sectionals — Central Zone South — opened at the Mizzou Aquatics Center in Columbia on July 15, bringing a slate of regional and national-level swimmers to the university facility for four days of long-course competition.
On the first night of action, local spectators saw several standouts post season-best times. In the men’s 200-meter backstroke prelims, Andy Baklanov, training with Empire KC and headed to SMU as a rising sophomore, produced a breakthrough swim, clocking 1:58.02 — his first sub-2:00 performance in the event. That prelim mark elevated him to No. 5 among U.S. men this season in the 200 back.
"The Speedo Sectional meet in Columbia, MO kicked off yesterday at the Mizzou Aquatics Center,"
Baklanov went on to touch in 1:59.04 in the final. The prelim-to-final lineup on Day 1 also included longer distance and sprint events, where nationally ranked and rising high school talents were on display.
Notable swims and emerging stars
- Whitaker Steward, a rising freshman at Tennessee, won the men’s 1500 free in 15:37.88, a season best for him at the meet despite being off his career best.
- Gena Jorgenson of Nebraska took the women’s 800 free in 8:38.64, winning by about 10 seconds and adding the 200 back to her victories with a time around 2:14.
- Young sprinters also stood out: Zoe Smith won the women’s 50 fly in 27.18, a clear improvement on her recent best, and Leah Inman, 16, broke 26 seconds in the women’s 50 free with a 25.98.
Those performances continue a pattern of high-level swimming emerging from regional meets held at Columbia’s pools. The Mizzou Aquatics Center has become a regular stop for summer sectionals and developmental meets that feed into collegiate programs and national rankings.
How the results stack up
Baklanov's prelim time placed him among the top U.S. performers this season in the 200 back. The current U.S. list for the event on the first night looked like this:
| Rank | Swimmer | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keaton Jones | 1:57.11 |
| 2 | David King | 1:57.54 |
| 3 | Daniel Diehl | 1:57.92 |
| 4 | Tommy Hagar | 1:58.01 |
| 5 | Andy Baklanov | 1:58.02 |
Columbia’s hosting of meets like this provides local fans an early look at rising college freshmen and high-school prospects who will shape the next few seasons of NCAA and national-level swimming. For the city, the event brings athletes, coaches and families to campus and downtown businesses during a typically busy summer travel window.
Competition continues through July 18 with prelims and finals across a full program. Results and event timing were available on MeetMobile during the meet.
