Before their top swimmer, Amy Bilquist, heads off to college in the next few weeks,the Carmel Swim Club girls that have reached near-legendary age group sprint status gave her one more National Age Group Record. The quartet of Veronica Burchill, Claire Adams, and Bilquist combined with newcomer to the age-group Emma Nordin to break the National Age Group Record in the 400 meter free relay.
The group combined for a 3:44.85, which skimmed just under the 3:44.8 that Burchill, Adams, Bilquist and Rachel Hayden did in 2014 as the 15-18 National Age Group Record. They finished just .04 seconds behind the team of top sprinters from the University of Louisville, who touched in 3:44.81.
Comparative splits:
| Total | |||||
| Carmel Swim Club ’15 | Burchill – 56.48 | Adams – 55.93 | Nordin – 57.64 | Bilquist – 54.80 | 3:44.85 |
| Carmel Swim Club ’14 | Hayden – 57.37 | Burchill – 56.06 | Adams – 56.23 | Bilquist – 55.22 | 3:44.88 |
As compared to the old record, Bilquist made a big improvement after not quite hitting her full potential on this relay in 2014. That swim was done at Junior Nationals, and she had split four-tenths faster at the same meet on a flat-start. Now, returning from injury, she’s had a more targeted result in this relay.
Nordin is only 15, so this relay is ineligible for the 17-18 record, although they were well under that mark as well. She joined the Carmel Swim Club in the fall of 2013 after swimming in Louisiana and North Dakota earlier in her career.
Burchill has one year left at Carmel before she heads to Georgia in the fall of 2016. Adams is also to begin her senior year of high school, but has not committed yet. Bilquist is committed to swim for the defending NCAA Champions at Cal beginning this fall, and Nordin is about to begin her junior season of high school swimming.
After Claire Adams broke the World Junior Record in the 100 back in this session, Carmel will also have a chance to break the 400 medley relay National Age Group Record of 4:08.67.
