GMX7 Weekly Wonders of Age Group Swimming – 3/17/2023

In our GMX7 Weekly Wonders of Age Group Swimming series, we celebrate swimmers of every age and experience level with age group profiles of some recent results.

Daniel Branon, 14, North Baltimore Aquatic Club (NBAC-MD): Branon had an explosive showing at the Maryland 14 & Under Championships, winning six individual titles and resetting his best time in eight different events (including relay lead-offs). The headliner was his seismic drop in the 200 fly, as he progressed from 1:50.88 entering the meet down to 1:50.57 in the prelims and ultimately 1:49.76 in the final, ranking 18th all-time in the boys’ 13-14 age group. He added a 9:29.11 showing in the 1000 free, ranking him 13th in the age group this season, and his 51.29 swim in the 100 fly sits 32nd.

Juli Cavalcanti, 12, Cypress Fairbanks Swim Club (CFSC-GU): Cavalcanti broke the girls’ 11-12 1000 freestyle record for Gulf Swimming LSC with her personal best time of 10:37.32 in late February, lowering the previous mark of 10:38.78 set back in 2013. The swim, which was a 46-second drop from her previous best, also resulted in Cavalcanti setting a new Cypress Fairbanks record and ranks her 15th this season in the girls’ 11-12 age group. The following week, she recorded lifetime bests in the 200 free (2:00.03), 500 free (5:16.17), 100 back (1:01.28), 200 back (2:12.81) and 200 IM (2:16.14) at the Texas Age Group Short Course Championships in early March.

Jonathan Feole-Haughey, 13, AnglerFish Aquatics (AA-NE): Feole-Haughey rattled off a number of best times at the Charles River Aquatics New England 11-14 SCY Championships in early March, including a pair of blistering times in the backstroke events. The AnglerFish Aquatics member clocked 52.51 in the 100 back, ranking him sixth this season for 13-year-old boys, and his time of 1:54.63 in the 200 back ranks him ninth. Feole-Haughey added best times in the 200 free (1:47.43), 500 free (4:48.66), 1000 free (9:54.13), 200 IM (2:01.12) and 400 IM (4:17.79).

Sadie Buckley, 13, Mason Makos Swim Team (MAKO-PV): Buckley dropped more than three seconds over the course of the day in the 200 back at the Potomac Valley Short Course 14 & Under Championships in College Park, going from 2:02.45 coming into the meet down to 1:59.26. That swim ranks the Mason Makos Swim Team product second this season among 13-year-old girls in the U.S., and she added PBs in the 200 free (1:53.68) and 400 IM (4:28.96).

Ali Sayed, 16, Club Aquatique Montreal (CAMO-Canada): Racing at the Ontario Swimming Championships in Scarborough (LCM), Sayed set new Quebec Provincial Records for 15-17 boys in the 50 free (23.24) and 100 free (50.88), and added best times in the 200 free (1:55.61), 400 free (4:19.94), 100 fly (55.97) and 200 IM (2:13.81). In the 100 free, Sayed entered the meet with a lifetime best of 52.27.

Zuri Ferguson, 16, Bluefish Swim Club (ABF-NE): Ferguson had a standout performance at the New England 15-18 Age Group Championships, setting five new best times including a pair of blistering swims in the backstroke events. Ferguson clocked 53.52 in the 100 back to rank 15th this season in the girls’ 15-16 age group, dipping under her previous best of 53.73, while in the 200 back, she improved by over half a second in 1:56.20 to sit 14th this season.

About GMX7

Founded in 2018, GMX7 is based in St. Petersburg, Florida and is dedicated to changing the world of swimming by empowering competitive swimmers with the best aquatic resistance training devices ever created. GMX7 was founded by David McCagg, a 7-time gold medalist, former world record holder and winner of multiple national championships. The first device on the market by GMX7 is the X1-PRO. Designed by ROBRADY Engineering, it has already been the recipient of several awards including the 2020 International Design Excellence Award and the 2020 Red Dot Award for product design.

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