By Madeline Folsom on SwimSwam
2026 Mel Zajac Jr. International Swim Meet
June 5-7, 2026 UBC Aquatic Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada LCM (50 Meters) Meet Central Psych Sheets Day 1 RecapDay 2 of the Mel Zajac Jr. Invite wrapped up Saturday evening and there were some more fast swims and lifetime best times set as the athletes gear up for the final day of competition tomorrow.
Women’s Recap
The women’s meet opened with Sadie Buckley picking up her first win of the meet in the women’s 200 IM. She stopped the clock in 2:13.66, beating fellow American Liberty Clark‘s 2:14.74 by more than a second. She added about a second from her lifetime best of 2:12.35, which she swam in May. Buckley is committed to Texas for 2027.
Clark added two tenths from her best of 2:14.51, also set in May, though at a different meet than Buckley.
Clark went on to pick up the win in the women’s 50 freestyle, touching in 24.89 to be the only swimmer under 25 seconds in the event. This swim was two tenths off the 24.67 she set in December. Kayla Noelle Sanchez finished 2nd in 25.20, six tenths off her best of 24.68 from June of 2021.
The 100 butterfly saw University of Calgary’s Kamryn Cannings set the top time of 1:00.16. This won the event by more than a second over Kam Gardiner, who swam 1:01.43 for the silver. Cannings has a lifetime best of 58.67, which she swam in March of 2023. Gardiner, who is from Illinois, took a second off her previous best of 1:02.25 from June of 2025.
The 50 backstroke saw Kylie Masse earn the win in 27.68. She was more than a second ahead of 2nd place finisher Alyssa Sagle‘s 28.73, and she added about half-a-second from the 27.13 she set in May of 2025. Sagle, who is committed to Virginia for the fall, added four tenths from her best of 28.35, which she swam in July of 2025.
Brinkleigh Hansen picked up another individual win in the 400 free after she won the 1500 free yesterday. She stopped the clock in 4:12.87, about a second off her best of 4:11.73, which she swam last June. Canadian Abby McLeod finished 2nd in 4:20.21, a little more than two seconds off her best of 4:17.73 from last June.
The women’s 200 breaststroke was one of the closest race of the meet so far. A pair of Canadians, Shima Taghavi and Amaris Peng finished 1st and 2nd with just six hundredths separating them. Taghavi came out on top, 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 lead through the first 150 before falling just behind, touching the wall in 2:31.97.
Taghavi added four seconds from the 2:27.83 she swam at the World Junior Championships in August, while Peng added three from the 2:28.13 she swam in July of 2023.
The USA Junior 800 freestyle relay team 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 event by 15 seconds over the 2nd place UBC Thunderbirds, who swam 8:19.43.
Men’s Recap
Josh Liendo swam two events on Saturday, the 50 back and the 50 free. He won the 50 free, the final individual event of the meet, touching in 22.50, two tenths off his season best 22.29 from the Fort Lauderdale Open last month.
Yuri Kisil finished 2nd in 22.62, six tenths off his best of 22.01 from May of 2024. Santo Condorelli took 3rd in 22.71, a near second add from the 21.68 he swam last June and half-a-second off the 22.25 he swam at the Pro Swim Series in Sacramento.
In the 50 backstroke, Liendo took 2nd, touching in 25.96, a three second drop from the 29.07 he swam at this meet back in 2018, the last time he raced the event individually.
American Collin Holgerson won the event in 25.70, six hundredths off his lifetime best of 25.64 from July. He is committed to Tennessee for 2027.
The 200 IM went to Baylor Stanton in 2:02.14, half-a-second ahead 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 just wrapped up his freshman year at Indiana, added two tenths from his best of 2:02.47, and York, who just finished his sophomore year in high school, dropped almost a second from the 2:03.75 he set in July of 2025.
York picked up another 2nd place finish in the 200 breaststroke, swimming 2:14.41 to come in a little more than half-a-second behind Apollo Hess‘ 2:13.81 for 1st. The Canadian Hess dropped half-a-second from the 2:14.26 mark he set in June of 2025, and York added about a second from the 2:13.21 he swam last July.
The men’s 400 freestyle was won by Aiden Hammer, who just finished his freshman year at Texas, in 3:50.97. This swim was two seconds off his best of 3:48.20, which he set at last summer’s World Junior Championships.
Gabriel Manteufel, who is committed to Indiana for 2026, finished 2nd in 3:51.73, half-a-second off the 3:51.23 he swam in August last year.
Kai Lilienthal won the men’s 100 fly in 53.39, just one hundredth ahead of Charlie Cancelmo‘s 53.40 in 2nd.
Lilienthal dropped about a tenth from his previous best of 53.48, which he swam in April of 2024. Cancelmo, who also just finished his sophomore year of high school, added two tenths from his best of 53.20.
The final event of the session was the men’s 800 freestyle relay, which went to the USA Junior team 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 finished about 17 seconds ahead of the 2nd place team from Olympians Swimming, who touched in 7:42.68.
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