2021 Swammy Awards: Age Group Swimmer of the Year – 10 & Under

originally published Dec 29, 2021

To see all of our 2021 Swammy Awards, click here.

2021 Honorees: Delaney O’Toole and Reef McMeeking

10 & Under Girls

Delaney O’Toole – Fox Chapel Killer Whales (Pittsburgh, PA)

O’Toole achieved 18 top-ten times (of 23 total events) in the 10-and-under age group during 2021. She led the nation in six events and ranked among the seven fastest swimmers in another 12 events. She began her rampage this summer in long course, finishing with the #1 IMX ranking among 10-year-olds for the 2021 LCM season. In the months that followed, she jumped to the top of the rankings thanks in large part to big performances at the Mark J. Braun Fall Classic. She wrapped up 2021 at the 59th Annual Pitt Christmas Meet, winning all her events (50/100/200/500 free, 50/100 back, 50/100 breast, 50 fly, and 100 IM) and taking home the High Point Award for 10&U girls.

O’Toole led the nation for 10-and-under girls in the SCY 500 free and 50 back and LCM 100/200/400 free and 100 back. She ranked #2 in the SCY 00 free and LCM 50 back, 50 fly, and 200 IM; #3 in the SCY 100/200 free, 100 back, and 200 IM and LCM 50 free; #4 in the LCM 100 fly; #5 in the SCY 200 IM; and #7 in the LCM 50 breast.

Runner-Up

Grace Koenig-Song – NASA Wildcat Aquatics (Chicago, IL): Koenig-Song aged out of the 10-and-unders in the early spring but she still finished the year with 13 top-ten performances for the age group, eight of them at #1. In the nine months after her nation-leading swims, no one was able to match her times in the SCY 200 free, 50 breast, 50/100 fly, and 200 IM and the LCM 50 free, 100 fly, and 200 IM. She also finished the year ranked #2 in the LCM 100/200 free; #3 in the and LCM 100 breast; and #4 in the SCY 100 breast.

Honorable Mention

• Elisabeth Chiu – Rockwall Aquatic Center of Excellence-NT: Chiu finished the year among the ten fastest swimmers in 13 events. She ranked 2nd in the SCY 200/500 free and LCM 400 free; 3rd in the SCY 200 IM and LCM 100 back; 4th in the SCY 100 back and 100 fly and LCM 200 free; 7th in the Lcm 100 fly and 200 IM; and 8th in the SCY 50 back and 100 IM and LCM 100 free. She finished the 2021 long-course season second to O’Toole in IMX points and currently leads the nation for 10-year-olds in the 2021-22 short-course IMX season.

• Haylee Pramono – Aquazot Swim Club-CA: Pramono was one of the leading 10-and-under swimmers of the second half of 2021, finishing the year with 12 top-10 times. She was #2 in the SCY 100 breast and 100 IM; #3 in the LCM 50 breast; #4 in the LCM 100 breast and 200 IM; #5 in the SCY 50 breast; #6 in the SCY 50/100 back and LCM 100 back; and #7 in the SCY 50/100 fly and 200 IM. She is also #2 in IMX points for the 2021-22 short-course season.

• Gabi Brito – Beach Cities Swimming: Brito aged out of the 10-and-unders after the summer, but not before she left her mark with 12 top-10 swims. She finished the 2020-21 season ranked #1 among 10-year-olds in IMX points. As 2021 drew to a close, she was ranked #2 in the LCM 50 free; #3 in the LCM 100 free and 200 IM; #4 in the SCY 50 free and 200 IM; #5 in the SCY 100 breast; #6 in the SCY 200 free; #7 in the LCM 200 free and 100 breast; #8 in the SCY 100 fly; #9 in LCM 100 back; and #10 in the SCY 100 free.

• Julia Bak – Queens Aquatic Club-MR: Bak had some big swims this summer and at the end of the year to land in the top-10 in the age group 11 times. She finished 2021 1st in the LCM 50 free; 3rd in the SCY 50 back and 50 fly and the LCM 50 back; 4th in the LCM 50 free; 5th in the SCY 100 fly and LCM 100 fly; 6th in the SCY 100 free and 100 IM; 7th in the SCY 50 free; and 10th in the LCM 100 free.

• Koto Kobukai – Lakeside Aquatic Club-NT: Kobukai ranked in the top-10 of the age group for the year in 11 events. She was #2 in the LCM 100 fly; #3 in the LCM 200 free; #4 in the SCY 500 free and LCM 100 free; #5 in the SCY 50 fly and LCM 50 fly; #6 in the SCY 100 fly; #7 in the SCY 100/200 free; and #10 in the SCY 100 IM and LCM 200 IM.

• Drue Rogers – Lakeside Aquatic Club-NT: Like her teammate Kobukai, Rogers finished 2021 among the nation’s top-10 in 11 events. She was 2nd in the SCY 100 fly; 4th in the SCY 100 free and 50 back; 5th in the LCM 200 free and 200 IM; 6th in the SCY 200 IM and LCM 400 free; 7th in the SCY 100 IM; 8th in the SCY 200 free and LCM 100 back; and 9th in the SCY 500 free.

• Victoria Setyabudhy – Club Wolverine-MI: Setyabudhy wrapped up 2021 with ten times that ranked among the top-10 for the age group. She was the fastest LCM 50 breaststroker in the nation and finished with the #2 times in the SCY 50 breast and LCM 100 breast. She was #3 in the SCY 100 breast; #4 in the SCY 50 back; #5 in the SCY 100 IM; #6 in the LCM 200 IM; #7 in the LCM 50 back; #8 in the SCY 100 back; and #10 in the SCY 100 IM. She was also the third-ranked 10-year-old in IMX points for the 2021 LCM season.

10 & Under Boys

Reef McMeeking – Hydro4 Swimming (DeLand, FL)

McMeeking was a force in the 10-and-under age group all year, and he wrapped up 2021 ranked among the seven fastest 10&U swimmers in the country in 13 events. At year-end, he had the third-highest IMX score for 10-year-olds thus far in the 2021-22 SCY season. He also finished the year with Florida Swimming LSC records in the SCY 100 free (it had belonged to Ryan Murphy for 16 years), 50 breast and 100 breast, and the LCM 50 breast.

McMeeking notched the top time in the nation this year in the LCM 50 breast. He was ranked #2 in the SCY 100/500 free and 50 breast; #3 in the SCY 200 free and 200 IM and LCM 100 breast; #4 in the SCY 100 IM; #5 in the SCY 50 free and 100 breast and LCM 50 free; #6 in the LCM 100 free; and #7 in the LCM 400 free.

Runners-Up:

Morgan Wendler – Terrapins Swim Team (Concord, CA): Wendler aged up to the 11-12s in the spring, but he left the 10-and-unders unbeaten in the SCY 50/100 fly and 100/200 IM and the LCM 50/100 fly. He also finished the year at #2 in the LCM 200 IM; #6 in the SCY 100 breast; #7 in the SCY 100 back and 50 breast; and #10 in the SCY 200/500 free and LCM 100 breast. He was second in IMX points for the 2020-21 SCY season.

Jacob Nadur – Dublin Community Swim Team (Dublin, OH): Nadur had 14 top-10 swims for 2021 and he leads the nation in IMX scores for the 2021-22 SCY season so far. Nadur ranks #2 in the SCY 200 free, #3 in the SCY 100 IM; #4 in the SCY 200 IM and LCM 100 /200 free and 200 IM; #5 in the SCY 100 free; #6 in the SCY 50 free and 100 fly; #7 in the SCY 50 fly; #8 in the LCM 100 fly; and #10 in the SCY 50/100 breast and LCM 50 fly.

Honorable Mention

• Lincoln Montague – Cypress Fairbanks Swim Club-GU: Montague had a big summer, finishing 2nd in IMX scores for 10-year-olds. He made the top-10 ranks 10 times this year, finishing #1 in the SCY 100 back; #2 in the LCM 100 back; #3 in the SCY 500 free and 50 back and LCM 200/400 free and 200 IM; #4 in the LCM 50 back; #5 in the LCM 100 fly; and #7 in the LCM 50 fly.

• Trace Colton – North Palm Beach Swim Club-FL: Colton also finished the year with ten top-10 times. He was the age group’s top LCM 100 freestyler and he ranked 2nd in the LCM 50/200 free and 100 fly; 3rd in the SCY 50 free; 4th in the SCY 100 free and LCM 400 free and 50 fly; 5th in the SCY 200 free; and 10th in the LCM 200 IM.

• Gareth Hollender – NOVA of Virginia Aquatics-VA: Hollender was the #1 10-year-old in the nation in IMX points for the 2021 LCM season and the #2 10-year-old for the 2020-21 SCY season. He finished the year at #1 in the LCM 100 back and 200 IM; #2 LCM 100 breast; #5 SCY 100 IM; #6 SCY 200 IM and LCM 50 breast and 50/100 fly; #8 LCM 200 free; and #10 SCY 100 fly.

• Sawyer Hansen – Saint Petersburg Aquatics-FL: Hansen closed out the 2020-21 SCY season ranked second in the nation among 9-year-old in IMX points. After aging up, he had a big summer and fall, and finished the year with the top times in the SCY 200/500 free and LCM 200 free. He also ranked #2 in the LCM 100/400 free; #6 in the LCM 200 IM; #7 in the LCM 100 fly; #8 in the LCM 50 free; and #9 in the LCM 50 back.

Past Winners