A Bold Take on a Rising Star: Luc Dionne Blazes to a 3:49.15 400 IM Win at Katie Ledecky Invitational
NCAP's Luc Dionne rocketed up the all-time age-group rankings in both the 400 IM and the 100 breaststroke on day two of the Katie Ledecky Invitational. The event took place December 11–14, 2025, at the Eppley Recreation Center in College Park, MD, with competition conducted in short course yards (25 yards) across prelims and finals. See the meet psych sheet and live results links for reference.
A standout performance from the 16-year-old NCAP swimmer, training at Georgetown Prep, propelled him to a dominant victory in the 400 IM with a time of 3:49.15. This marked a substantial drop from his prelims time of 3:55.77 and represented an improvement over his prior season-best of 3:56.69 achieved in the same event last year. His 400 IM breakthrough came after a strong series of splits that showcased his all-around versatility across strokes and distances.
Split snapshot (new best times vs. previous best):
- 100 yards butterfly: 53.65 (new) vs. 54.72 (old) – improvement of 1.07 seconds
- 100 yards backstroke: 58.08 (new) vs. 61.86 (old) – improvement of 3.78 seconds
- 100 yards breaststroke: 63.07 (new) vs. 64.79 (old) – improvement of 1.72 seconds
- 100 yards freestyle: 54.35 (new) vs. 56.34 (old) – improvement of 1.99 seconds
- Final 100y split: 3:49.15 total (new) vs. 3:56.69 (old) for the event overall
With this performance, Dionne rose to 41st all-time in the 15–16 age group for the 400 IM. In addition to the impressive 400 IM, he placed fourth in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 54.73, shaving nearly one full second from his previous best. These results followed a string of notable drops at the prior week’s US Open in long course, where he posted 1:02.9 in the 100 breast, 2:14.8 in the 200 breast, and 2:03.94 in the 200 IM.
Other notable performances from the Open-Age Division included:
- Sophia Sileo-Magliari of Upper Dublin Aquatic Club, a Drexel-bound senior, won the girls’ 100 breast in 1:01.53, shaving half a second off her personal best and potentially setting a freshman record at Drexel if she repeats the time next season.
- Chuck Katis, a former Cal standout and US National Team member, won the men’s 100 breast in 53.04 at age 32. That marks his best time since 2019 after a few years of mid- to high-54s. The Masters’ age-group record sits at 51.97, set by Brandon Fischer in 2023. Among juniors, 17-year-old NCAP teammate Joey Coleman led the way in 54.41, marking a three-second improvement in his final year of high school before heading to Queens in the fall.
- Alex Grocholski continued his hot streak after strong long-course performances at the US Open. He won the 200 free in a best time of 1:37.03, narrowly edging Chelsea Piers’ Jack Cunningham by about a half-second. Grocholski also took second in the 400 IM (3:52.94) and anchored the winning NCAP 200 free relay with a 19.07 split.
- Emma Cigna, the defending Virginia High School Class 3 Champion in the 200 free, won the 200 free in 1:47.60, narrowly holding off LIAC’s Vivienne Zangaro (1:47.72). Cigna’s time was roughly 1.3 seconds faster than her state-winning effort from the previous year.
Age-Group Highlights of Note:
- Ten-year-old Anna Ringh of Long Island Aquatic Club captured four events, including a 33.52 in the 50 breaststroke—one of the fastest times ever recorded in that age group—alongside wins in the 100 free (1:00.41), 50 fly (28.82), and a 27.35 anchor split on the winning 200 free relay (Meet Record: 1:53.43). Teammates Nadia Kim, Audrey Chandra, and Uma Hafeez contributed to the relay.
- Jeffrey Qian of Asphalt Green won the 10 & under 50 breast in 32.77, tying for 31st all-time in the age group, placing him just ahead of 2008 U.S. Olympian Scott Spann.
- Vanessa Delev of Badger Aquatic Club (NY) captured the 11–12 girls’ 100 free in 53.66, adding to her earlier wins in the 200 back, 500 free, and 400 IM on Thursday.
- Nathan Lee of NCAP won the boys’ 10 & under 50 fly in 27.49, ranking 21st all-time in the age group. He also anchored the winning 200 free relay with a 26.59 split.
- Jax Torba of QNS Aquatics won the boys’ 100 back in 1:02.37, placing him 30th all-time in the age group and continuing his trend of posting best times at back-to-back meets.
- Vincent D’Eramo posted 56.94 in the boys’ 13–14 100 breast, shaving a full second off his best, edging Ryan Yao (56.97) in a closely contested race.
- NCAP’s 14-year-old Manu Maher dropped more than five seconds off his best in the 200 free, clocking 1:41.20 in finals after a 1:40.05 prelims, a time that places him among the top 50 all-time for his age group.
- 14-year-old Julia Bak of QNS Aquatic Club won the 13–14 100 fly in 54.20, moving into the top 75 for the age group. Her time would have placed second in the open-age event behind only 15-year-old Sarah Lucca (53.71).
- NCAP’s Rafa Fontana won the boys’ 13–14 100 fly in 50.03, also placing him in the top 75 for the age group.
- Madison Suchecki of Suburban Seahawks (PA) won the 400 IM in 4:19.75, a four-second improvement over her lifetime best, with a 59.96 backstroke leg that helped her pull away for a seven-second victory.
- 14-year-old Ryan Yao significantly trimmed more than seven seconds off his personal best in the 400 IM to win in 3:59.27, in a tight contest with Rafa Fontana who led early before Yao caught and passed on the freestyle.
Bottom line: Luc Dionne’s breakthrough marks a defining moment for a rising talent in NCAP’s stable, signaling not only speed but depth across strokes that could foreshadow even more rapid progress in the months ahead. With high-level competition continuing at the Katie Ledecky Invitational and other national meets, the swimming world will be watching closely to see how this young athlete builds on this momentum.
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