14-Year-Old Joseph Campagnola Cracks Top-10 NAG Rankings in Multiple Events at FLAGS

by Riley Overend 1

March 13th, 2023 Club, News, Previews & Recaps

2023 Florida Spring Age Group Championships

  • March 1-5, 2023
  • Florida
    • FLAGS North meet held at National Training Center in Clermont
    • Other meet held at Long Center in Clearwater
  • SCY (25 yards)
  • Results on MeetMobile: “2023 Florida Swimming FLAGS NORTH” and “2023 Florida Swimming Spring Age Group Champs”

West Florida Lightning Aquatics 14-year-old Joseph Campagnola cracked the top-10 national age group (NAG) rankings in a few different events during Florida’s FLAGS meets earlier this month.

Competing at the Long Center in Clearwater, Campagnola dropped three seconds off his personal-best 200 IM time, moving up to fifth all-time in the boys’ 13-14 NAG rankings.

Top 200 IM Performers, Boys’ 13-14 NAG

  1. Michael Andrew – 1:45.29 (2014)
  2. Thomas Heilman – 1:46.61 (2021)
  3. Gray Umbach – 1:48.08 (2009)
  4. Carter Lancaster – 1:48.61 (2021)
  5. Joseph Campagnola – 1:48.87 (2023)

Campagnola clocked a 2:01.84 in the 200 breast, which ranks 10th in the history of his NAG. In the 100 breast, he tied for 10th in his age group with a 56.40. He also pulled out individual victories in the 100 breast (2:01.84) and 100 back (49.96), which rank 28th and 33rd, respectively, in his age group’s all-time rankings. In the 50 back, Campagnola posted a 24.36, tying for 10th this season.

Area Tallahassee 14-year-old Owen Ekk took home six individual wins at the FLAGS North meet in Clermont, highlighted by a top-20 time in the 100 free. His new personal-best 45.55 shaved more than a second off his previous-best 46.87 from December, moving Ekk up to 16th in the all-time boys’ 13-14 NAG rankings.

Ekk swam a few more top-50 times in the 200 free (1:39.93), 100 back (50.16), and 500 free (4:31.33). Those performances moved him up to 32nd, 38th, and 48th in his age group. He also won the 50 free (21.04) and 1000 free (9:25.40), jumping up to 51st and 77th in his NAG’s all-time rankings.

Planet Swim Aquatics 14-year-old Luke Zardavets broke into the top 30 of his NAG rankings in two different events with his wins in the 100 breast (56.87) and 200 breast (2:02.95). Zardavets took over a second off his previous-best 100 breast time of 57.91 from December and dropped more than four seconds in the 200 breast. Zardavets also recorded first-place finishes in the 50 fly (23.75), 200 fly (1:55.37), and 200 IM (1:54.67).

Laker Swimming 13-year-old Rylee Erisman highlighted the girls’ side of the meets, totaling seven personal bests and five individual victories. Most notably, she blazed a 49.62 in the 100 free to move up to 32nd all-time in the girls’ 13-14 NAG rankings. Erisman added top-100 times in the 50 free (22.99) and 100 back (54.96), which rank 55th and 97th all-time in her age group.

Saint Petersburg Aquatics 13-year-old Brinkleigh Hansen also brought home five individual titles in the 200 free (1:51.42), 500 free (4:53.21), 1000 free (10:04.98), and 1650 free (16:54.58), and 200 fly (2:06.22).

Other Highlights

  • Montverde Aquatic Club 14-year-old Cobi Wu placed second behind Campagnola in the 100 breast (57.17) and 200 breast (2:03.40), but his new lifetime bests now rank inside the top 50 ever for his age group. He’s the 25th-fastest performer in the 200 breast and the 47th-fastest performer in the 100 breast among 13- and 14-year-old boys nationally.
  • Sarasota Tsunami Swim Team 14-year-old Colin Jacobs dropped 16 seconds in the 1000 free, clocking a 9:19.62 that ranks him 29th in his NAG’s all-time rankings. He also racked up personal bests in the 200 free (1:44.72), 50 back (25.85), 50 fly (26.29), 100 fly (55.65), and 400 IM (4:08.19).
  • Another Sarasota Tsunami 14-year-old, Bogdan Zverev, collected victories in the 50 fly (23.05), 100 fly (51.48), and 200 fly (1:51.96), the latter of which ranks him 82nd in the all-time age group rankings.

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Chlorine Cole
1 year ago

Michal Andrew separating himself that much is wild

About Riley Overend

Riley is an associate editor interested in the stories taking place outside of the pool just as much as the drama between the lane lines. A 2019 graduate of Boston College, he arrived at SwimSwam in April of 2022 after three years as a sports reporter and sports editor at newspapers …

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