These are our favorite swims from the weekend of September 21-23, 2018:
Hayes Varvel, 15, Paducah Swim Team (PST-KY): 200y free (1:45.69) – Swimming at the Paducah SwimFest, Varvel dropped 3.5 seconds to win the boys’ 200 free by half a pool length; he is 6.7 seconds ahead of last year’s pace. He also won the 50/100/500 free, 100/200 back, and 100/200 fly and scored PBs in the 100 free and 100 back.
Caleb Ozenne, 14, Eagle Swimming Association (ESA-GU): 100y back (55.88) – Ozenne dropped 1.5 seconds to finish 2nd in the boys’ open 200 back at the ESA IMX Invite. It was a 6.3-second improvement from the 1:02.1 PB he swam in October 2017. Ozenne was runner-up in the 200/500 free and 100 fly, 3rd in the 200 IM, 5th in the 50 free, and 8th in the 200 breast, and he went 7-for-7 for the weekend earning all PBs.
Amadeusz Knop, 13, SKY Family YMCA Hurricanes (SKY-FL): 200y back (1:56.44) – Knop clocked his second-best 200 back, only 4/10 off his PB, while winning the boys’ 13-14 event at the GCST Fall Invite hosted by Gulf Coast Swim Team. He was nonetheless 7.6 seconds ahead of where he was at the same meet last year, when he swam 2:04.06 for a PB. Knop also won the 50 free, 100 back and 200 IM, was runner-up in the 100 free and 100 fly, and placed 6th in the 100 breast. He finished the weekend with new PBs in the 50/100 free, 100 breast, 100 fly, and 200 IM.
Christian Koh, 13, Bellevue Club Swim Team (BC-PN): 100y breast (1:02.44) – Swimming at the 40th Annual BC Blue-Orange Classic hosted by Bellevue Club Swim Team Boosters at Hazen High School Pool, Koh took half a second off his PB to win the boys’ 13-14 100 breast by 3/100. He has now improved by 2.5 seconds since this time a year ago. Koh also won the 100 back; he was 4th in the 50 free and 100 fly and earned a PB in the latter.
Cecilia Porter, 16, Baylor Swim Club (BAY-SE): 100y breast (1:03.85) – Porter took 1/10 off her previous PB in the 100 breast to finish 4th in the mixed event at the Baylor Swim Club-hosted Fall Kick-Off Classic Meet. She was the only girl in the top 11. It was her best performance outside of high school championship season by 4 seconds. Porter also finished 4th in the 200 breast, the only girl in the top 8. She finished the meet with new PBs in the 200/500 free, 200 back, 100 breast, and 200/400 IM.
Olivia Dendinger, 14, Sarpy County Swim Club (SCSC-MW): 100y breast (1:05.17) – Swimming at the SCSC Intersquad Meet, Dendinger scored her 2nd-best 100 breast, only .18 off her PB and 3.7 seconds ahead of her pace from last October where she swam a PB of 1:08.88. Dendinger did pick up new times in the 50 free and 200 IM during the weekend.
Amanda Kopas, 16, Azura Florida Aquatics (AZFL-FG): 100y fly (57.43) – Swimming unattached for NSU University School, Kopas took 4/10 off a 2-week-old PB in the 100 fly at the Sharks High School Swim Meet. She is already 1.7 seconds ahead of where she was in November 2017 when she swam a PB of 59.13. She finished the meet with new times in the 100 fly and 200 IM.
Megan Corcoran, 12, Greater Pensacola Aquatic Club (GPAC-SE): 200y fly (2:11.70) – Competing at the Speedo Beach Blast hosted by Panama City Swim Team, Corcoran knocked 4/10 off her PB in the 200 fly to come in 2nd in the girls’ open event. It’s only the 3rd time she’s swim the 200 fly and she’s now 6 seconds faster than her first swim in January of 2018. Corcoran won the girls’ 11-12 500 free and 200 IM and finished in the top-9 of the open 100/200 free, 100/200 back, and 400 IM. She wrapped up the meet with new times in the 200 fly and 200/400 IM.
Reminder: The Weekly Wonders column is a celebration of age-group swimming, where new champions are made every day. Anyone can look up the top swims of the week. That’s not what we’re doing here. If we were only reporting on the week’s top swims we would feature the same handful of athletes every Wednesday. Instead, this is an opportunity to introduce the swimming community to athletes who have made great strides in the context of their own particular swimming worlds. By association, it also celebrates their coaches and their teams. The Weekly Wonders column, therefore, amounts to a pat on the back for a job well done, and hopefully encourages swimmers of all levels to continue to reach from within to get to that next level.
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ABOUT MP
Launched in the spring of 2015, MP designed by Aqua Sphere is a shared vision to develop innovative products that are inclusive and accessible to a broader range of swimmers across the full swimming lifecycle. Combining Aqua Sphere’s global product design expertise and distribution with Michael Phelps’ and Bob Bowman’s experiences at the highest levels of swim performance, the MP brand features technical swim products leveraging proprietary technologies and performance enhancing designs.
ABOUT AQUA SPHERE
Established in Genoa, Italy, in 1998, Aqua Sphere is the premier swimming equipment manufacturer for fitness and recreational swimming, aquatic exercise and triathlons. With the launch of its cutting-edge Seal Mask—the world’s first swim mask, the company set the industry standard and today continues to innovate with a complete range of premium products, including eye protection, swimwear, triathlon wetsuits, footwear, and swim fitness and training accessories. The designs have gained the respect and loyal following of many celebrities and notable athletes, including the world’s most decorated Olympian Michael Phelps, with whom Aqua Sphere is partnering to develop a global brand partnership. Alongside its parent company Aqua Lung and supported by an international distribution network, Aqua Sphere has grown into a worldwide enterprise representing unparalleled design, development and manufacturing expertise, with a global footprint in more than 90 countries. For more information, visit www.AquaSphereSwim.com orhttp://www.Facebook.com/AquaSphereSwim.
ABOUT AQUA LUNG
Aqua Lung pioneered the creation of modern diving equipment in 1943 when Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau teamed with Emile Gagnan to develop the first “aqua-lung” that made underwater exploration possible. Today, the brand continues to be the leading global designer and manufacturer of dive and water sports gear. With a deep commitment to quality, research and testing, Aqua Lung has revolutionized the scuba diving experience by setting industry standards for scuba equipment in technology, comfort, safety and design. The company’s rich history as an expert in the dive and water sports industry has led to the demand of Aqua Lung equipment for recreational, technical and military applications in more than 90 countries around the world, under the brand names of Aqua Lung, Aqua Sphere, Apeks, U.S. Divers, and Stohlquist. For more information, visit www.AquaLung.com or http://www.Facebook.com/AquaLungDivers.
