AgonSwim Weekly Wonders of Age Group Swimming – 2/18/2014

The month of February is full of high school championships all across the country –at least in those regions where swimming is a winter sport– so our picks tend to skew a bit toward the older age-group swimmers. Still, we saw great swimming from all kinds of meets during the weekend of February 13-15, 2015. Here are the AgonSwim Weekly Wonders:

Matthew Nagler, 13, St Charles Swim Team: 50y free (22.43) – Nagler went a best time by .7 and broke through the 23-second barrier for the first time while leading off St Charles Swim Team’s Boys 13-14 200 free relay at the SCST Chicagoland Championships. He also finished the weekend with a best time in the 100 breast.

Veronica Burchill, 17, Unattached (Carmel Swim Club): 100y free (48.48) – Leading off the Carmel High School 400 free relay at the Indiana High School Girls Swimming and Diving Championship at the IUPUI Natatorium, Burchill crashed through the 49-second barrier, notching a best time by .6. She was nearly 2 seconds faster than she had been at the same meet a year ago, and is now 25th on the all-time list for 17-18 girls.

Erika Brown, 16, Unattached (SwimMAC Carolina): 200y free (1:46.47) – Swimming for William A. Hough High School at the North Carolina High School 4A State Championships, Brown won the 200 free and was runner-up in the 500. Her 200 time was a PB by 1.5 seconds, while her 500 was her best by 8.5.

Kaylee Williams, 12, Kingfish Aquatic Club of Waterford: 500y free (5:07.70) – Williams won the girls 11-12 100 free, 200 free, 500 free, and 100 fly at the Michigan Open hosted by Oakland Live Y’ers. She finished the weekend with new times in the 50/100/200/500 free as well as the 200 back. Williams was fully 19 seconds faster in the 500 than she was at the same time last year.

Michael Lee, 14, La Mirada Armada: 1000y free (9:21.63) – Lee lopped 13.3 seconds off his time while winning the boys 13-14 1000 at the Southern California Swimming Club Championships hosted by Rose Bowl Aquatics. He also won the 500 free (setting the meet record with 4:36.57), the 1650 (dropping 31 seconds to go 15:37.51), and finished with best times in the 200 IM and 400 IM.

Francesca Bains, 16, Woodmoor Waves: 1650y free (16:47.69) – Bains dropped over 21 seconds and finished second in the mile at the Phoenix Winter Invitational hosted by Phoenix Swim Club. Bains achieved PBs in every event she swam, including the 100 free, 200 free, 500 free, 100 fly, 200 fly, 200 IM and 400 IM.

Miriam Guevara, 14, Unattached (West Texas Typhoon): 100y back (56.01) – Guevara picked up her first national time standard in the 100 back while representing Loretto Academy at the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) Division I Championships. Guevara won the 100 back in meet-record time, dropping 1.5 seconds off her previous best. She was also runner-up in the 100 fly and swam fly on Loretto’s 200 medley relay and anchored the 200 free relay.

Tristan Pragnell, 11, Asphalt Green Unified Aquatics: 200y back (2:12.50) – Between prelims and finals, Pragnell dropped 4.5 seconds and wound up third in the boys 11-12 200 back at the Metro Zone Team Qualifier hosted by Metro OME. Pragnell came away from the meet with new times in the 200 free, 100/200 back, 100 fly, and 200 IM.

Nicholas Wukovits, 17, LTP Racing Club: 100y breast (56.45) – Wukovits went a best time by nearly 2 seconds and got his first national cut in the 100 breast at the South Carolina Short Course State Championships hosted by Team Greenville. Wukovits won the 500 free and 100 breast, and went best times in the 50/100/200/500 free, 100/200 breast, and 400 IM over the course of the weekend.

Mallory Beil, 14, Unattached (Northern KY Clippers Swimming): 100y fly (55.96) – Beil achieved a national standard in the 100 fly for the first time when she won the Kentucky High School Region Four Championships. The Dixie Heights High School freshman also finished third in the 200 free and swam on Dixie Heights’ medley and 400 free relays.

Ross Valdez, 13, Carpet Capital Aquatics Club: 200y fly (1:59.26) – Valdez broke the 2-minute barrier for the first time, dropping 8.7 seconds, when he won the boys 13-year-old 200 fly at the Georgia Age Group State Championships hosted by Dynamo Swim Club. Valdez finished the meet with new times in the 50/100/200 free, 100/200 back, 100 breast, 100/200 fly, and 200/400 IM.

Brian Poon, 17, Unattached (Phoenix Swimming): 200y IM (1:47.17) – Swimming for Westford Academy, Poon won the 200 IM with a PB by 1.5 seconds at the Massachusetts Division 1 State Swimming and Diving Championships. Poon also won the 100 breast with a best time, swam breast on Westford’s 200 medley relay, and anchored the 400 free relay.