Kropp takes fifth place
GLENDALE — Andrea Kropp continued her year of impressive performances in breaststroke events on Saturday, this time on the national stage.
The recent Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy graduate, who captured a CIF Southern Section Division I title in the 100-yard breaststroke in May, placed fifth in the championship final of the 200-meter breaststroke in 2 minutes 27.63 seconds at the 2010 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships at William J. Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine.
“It was just the most amazing feeling ever,” said Kropp, who competed in several events as part of Rattler Swim Club over the five-day event. “I was seeded 13th in the event, so I was looking to hopefully make top-eight finals, no matter how I did it, as long as I dropped time [I would] be happy, but to get fifth was just icing on the cake.”
Kropp’s appearance in the 200 breaststroke championship final, along with her 18th-place finish in the bonus final of the 100 breaststroke in 1:09.64 on Thursday, accounted for the local highlights of the meet, which also included a 16th-place consolation-final showing in the 200 butterfly in 2:14.21 for 2009 Crescenta Valley High graduate Yumi So on Friday.
So also competed in preliminary heats in a handful of events for her Swim Pasadena team, finishing 63rd in the 100 butterfly in 1:02.45 and 82nd in the 200-individual medley in 2:22.24 on Tuesday before placing 82nd in the 100 backstroke in 1:05.51 on Wednesday.
So also helped the Swim Pasadena 4x100 medley relay finish 34th in 4:25.47 on Saturday.
Current Falcons swimmer Young Tae Seo, who captured a CIF title and two Masters Meet titles in May as a freshman, was 52nd in the 400 IM on Tuesday in 4:31.04 and 43rd in the 200 butterfly in 2:04.33 on Wednesday, while competing for Swim Pasadena.
After finishing 96th in prelims for the 100 breaststroke in 57.26 on Thursday, Seo returned on Friday to place 65th in the 200 IM in 2:07.05 and helped his 4x200 freestyle relay team finish 21st in 7:50.64.
Seo then finished 56th in the 200 breaststroke in 2:22.01 on Saturday.