14-Year-Old Joseph Campagnola Cracks Top-10 NAG Rankings in Multiple Events at FLAGS

2023 Florida Spring Age Group Championships

• March 1-5, 2023
• Florida
  • FLAGS North meet held at National Training Center in Clermont
  • Other meet held at Long Center in Clearwater
• SCY (25 yards)
• Results on MeetMobile: “2023 Florida Swimming FLAGS NORTH” and “2023 Florida Swimming Spring Age Group Champs”

West Florida Lightning Aquatics 14-year-old Joseph Campagnola cracked the top-10 national age group (NAG) rankings in a few different events during Florida’s FLAGS meets earlier this month.

Competing at the Long Center in Clearwater, Campagnola dropped three seconds off his personal-best 200 IM time, moving up to fifth all-time in the boys’ 13-14 NAG rankings.

Top 200 IM Performers, Boys’ 13-14 NAG

1. Michael Andrew – 1:45.29 (2014)
2. Thomas Heilman – 1:46.61 (2021)
3. Gray Umbach – 1:48.08 (2009)
4. Carter Lancaster – 1:48.61 (2021)
5. Joseph Campagnola – 1:48.87 (2023)

Campagnola clocked a 2:01.84 in the 200 breast, which ranks 10th in the history of his NAG. In the 100 breast, he tied for 10th in his age group with a 56.40. He also pulled out individual victories in the 100 breast (2:01.84) and 100 back (49.96), which rank 28th and 33rd, respectively, in his age group’s all-time rankings. In the 50 back, Campagnola posted a 24.36, tying for 10th this season.

Area Tallahassee 14-year-old Owen Ekk took home six individual wins at the FLAGS North meet in Clermont, highlighted by a top-20 time in the 100 free. His new personal-best 45.55 shaved more than a second off his previous-best 46.87 from December, moving Ekk up to 16th in the all-time boys’ 13-14 NAG rankings.

Ekk swam a few more top-50 times in the 200 free (1:39.93), 100 back (50.16), and 500 free (4:31.33). Those performances moved him up to 32nd, 38th, and 48th in his age group. He also won the 50 free (21.04) and 1000 free (9:25.40), jumping up to 51st and 77th in his NAG’s all-time rankings.

Planet Swim Aquatics 14-year-old Luke Zardavets broke into the top 30 of his NAG rankings in two different events with his wins in the 100 breast (56.87) and 200 breast (2:02.95). Zardavets took over a second off his previous-best 100 breast time of 57.91 from December and dropped more than four seconds in the 200 breast. Zardavets also recorded first-place finishes in the 50 fly (23.75), 200 fly (1:55.37), and 200 IM (1:54.67).

Laker Swimming 13-year-old Rylee Erisman highlighted the girls’ side of the meets, totaling seven personal bests and five individual victories. Most notably, she blazed a 49.62 in the 100 free to move up to 32nd all-time in the girls’ 13-14 NAG rankings. Erisman added top-100 times in the 50 free (22.99) and 100 back (54.96), which rank 55th and 97th all-time in her age group.

Saint Petersburg Aquatics 13-year-old Brinkleigh Hansen also brought home five individual titles in the 200 free (1:51.42), 500 free (4:53.21), 1000 free (10:04.98), and 1650 free (16:54.58), and 200 fly (2:06.22).

Other Highlights

• Montverde Aquatic Club 14-year-old Cobi Wu placed second behind Campagnola in the 100 breast (57.17) and 200 breast (2:03.40), but his new lifetime bests now rank inside the top 50 ever for his age group. He’s the 25th-fastest performer in the 200 breast and the 47th-fastest performer in the 100 breast among 13- and 14-year-old boys nationally.
• Sarasota Tsunami Swim Team 14-year-old Colin Jacobs dropped 16 seconds in the 1000 free, clocking a 9:19.62 that ranks him 29th in his NAG’s all-time rankings. He also racked up personal bests in the 200 free (1:44.72), 50 back (25.85), 50 fly (26.29), 100 fly (55.65), and 400 IM (4:08.19).
• Another Sarasota Tsunami 14-year-old, Bogdan Zverev, collected victories in the 50 fly (23.05), 100 fly (51.48), and 200 fly (1:51.96), the latter of which ranks him 82nd in the all-time age group rankings.