Dang Re-Breaks 11-12 NAG Record; KING 400 Medley Makes History Too

The 11-12 boys of the King Aquatic Club have swum to a second National Age Group Record in as many days this weekend at the PNS Championships in their home pool.

On Friday, they swam a 3:49.62 in the 400 yard medley relay with a combination of Tyler Lu, Alex Flores, Aaron Nguyen, and Ethan Dang: the same foursome that broke the 200 yard NAG Record on Thursday.

This relay continues to be interesting as it includes the fastest 11-12 breaststroker in history, Ethan Dang, swimming the freestyle leg. When looking at splits, though, KING happens to have the second-best breaststroker in the country in the age group as well, making this relay really work.

The splits:

• backstroke – Tyler Lu – 59.93
• breaststroke – Alex Flores – 1:00.27
• butterfly – Aaron Nguyen – 1:00.45
• freestyle – Ethan Dang – 48.97
• FINAL TIME: 3:49.62

That time broke the NCAP 400 medley relay record of 3:50.33 done earlier this year by a relay of Ryan Catron, Darius Truong, Leo Goldblatt, and Brett Feyerick.

In the individual 100 breaststroke, also on Friday night, Dang and Flores went 1-2. Dang broke his own National Age Group Record in the final with a 58.17, improving his own 58.53 done earlier this month. Flores took 2nd place in 1:00.28 in the individual, which ranks him 4th on the all-time list, behind only Dang, Whitley, and Michael Andrew.

Dang also won the 100 IM in a new personal best time of 54.81, which moves him to 2nd-place all-time in the age groups history in that race as well.

A Selection of Other Noteworthy Swims from Friday Night:

• 11-year old Amy Tang from the Pacific Dragons Swim Team jumped up and won the 11-12 girls’ 200 yard free in 1:57.62 – her best by almost four seconds. She also won the 200 back in 206.88 on Friday.
• Gabby Dang from Wave Aquatics won the girls’ 13-14 200 free in 1:52.37 – a best time for her by over a second-and-a-half.
• KING’s Zackary O’Haver won a great battle with West Coast Aquatics’ Jonathan Cook in the boys’ 13-14 200 yard free. O’Haver fought off a late charge from Cook on the last 50 to win 1:43.57-1:43.65. That was perhaps an unexpected challenge from Cook, who dropped five seconds from his previous lifetime best to take 2nd.
• Bella Battistoni won the girls’ 11-12 100 yard breaststroke in 1:05.37 – a new LSC Record.
• Alexander Wright won the boys’ 13-14 200 yard backstroke in 1:53.78.
• Gabby Dang (54.42) and Emma Carlton (54.59) now rank 4th and 5th in the country respectively in the 13-14 age group for the girls’ 100 yard fly after taking 1-2 in the event at this meet on Friday.