14-Year-Old Luke Zardavets Rips 56.40 100 Breast, No. 10 in NAG Rankings

3rd Annual Frank Holleman Invitational

• Sept. 22-23, 2023
• Ponte Vedra, Florida
• SCY (25 yards)

Allen Nease High School freshman Luke Zardavets vaulted up the U.S. boys’ 13-14 national age group (NAG) rankings with a personal-best 56.40 in the 100-yard breaststroke at the third annual Frank Holleman Invitational last month in Florida.

Zardavets, 14, shaved almost half a second off his previous-best 56.87 from March, jumping from 31st to 10th in the NAG rankings. The Planet Swim Aquatics standout has been on a steep improvement curve in the 100 breast over the past year, dropping from 1:01.07 to 56.40.

U.S. Boys’ 13-14 NAG Rankings

1. Reece Whitley – 53.06 (2014)
2. Michael Andrew – 53.88 (2014)
3. Ethan Dang – 55.06 (2016)
4. Noah Cakir – 55.94 (2022)
5. Andrew Eubanks – 56.09 (2023)
6. Erik Petruzzi – 56.17 (2021)
7. Antonio Octaviano – 56.19 (2017)
8. Matthew Lucky – 56.28 (2019)
9. Tanner Kurz – 56.36 (2007)
10. Tie: Luke Zardavets – 56.40 (2023) / Joseph Campagnola – 56.40 (2023)

Zardavets also posted a 26.01 50 breast split on Nease’s 200 medley relay along with a personal-best 1:53.64 in the 200 IM. His previous best was a 1:54.02 from last December.

Other highlights from the boys’ side of the meet included Bartram Trail senior TJ Frost taking victories in the 500 free (4:27.96) and 200 IM (1:50.10). He shaved more than two seconds off his best 500 free time from last December and nearly two seconds off his best 200 IM time from March.

Bolles School sprinter Andy Kravchenko also won the 50 free in 20.55, four-tenths off his personal-best 20.15 from March. Kravchenko also placed 2nd in the 100 back (52.36) behind Virginia Tech commit Hayden Sunman (51.76), who was a second off his personal-best 50.71 from March.

On the girls’ side, Fleming Island senior Maryn McDade went best times in the 50 free (22.94) and 100 free (50.97) en route to 1st-place finishes in both events. Her previous bests were 23.07 from last November and 51.38 from March, respectively.

There was a thrilling battle in the 500 free, where Ponte Vedra’s Lily Doyle (4:56.56) edged Bartram Trail freshman Jenna Frost (4:56.88) by just a few tenths. Doyle also tallied lifetime bests in the 100 free (53.21 leading off Ponte Vedra’s 400 free relay) and 200 free (1:51.44), but Nease junior Olivia Moore won the 200 free with a breakthrough time of 1:51.04. She hadn’t gone a best time in that event since December of 2021, when she clocked a 1:51.11.