2025 Swammy Awards: Age Group Swimmer of the Year — 11-12

See all of our 2025 Swammy Awards here

2025 Honorees: Grace Gannon & Ayden Tan

The 11-12 age group was an interesting one when determining Swammys. The boys award was obvious with the assault Ayden Tan leveled on the NAG records before turning 13 a few months ago. The girls’ award was less so, but ultimately Grace Gannon came out on top.

11-12 Girls

Grace Gannon, Fisher’s Area Swim Team

Grace Gannon of Fisher’s Area turned 13 before the start of the 2025-26 SC season, and her versatile range and number of nation-leading times earned her the 11-12 Swammy Award for 2025.

She was 12 for most of the long course season, turning 13 just before her final meet which means she was able to earn her way on the top-10 lists across both courses. At the conclusion of the 2024-25 SCY season and the 2025 LC season, she held 24 top-10 times, eight of which were nation-leading.

Last short course, she set the top times in the 50 fly, 100 fly, and 200 IM and she appeared on the top 10 list in the 1000 free (5th), 1650 free (5th), 50 back (6th), 100 back (6th), 200 back (5th), 100 breast (6th), 200 breast (4th), 200 fly (5th), 100 IM (4th), and 400 IM (4th).

During the long course season, she led the country in five events, the 1500 free, the 200 breast, the 100 fly, the 200 fly, and the 400 IM. She also set top 10 times in the 800 free (4th), 50 back (9th), 100 back (3rd), 200 back (6th), 100 breast (2nd), and the 200 IM (3rd).

Gannon showed off her versatility as she held a top-10 time in each stroke and, in long course, the only stroke she didn’t lead the nation in was backstroke where her highest ranking was 3rd.

She also moved up the all-time rankings, jumping to 12th all-time in the 11-12 long course 100 fly and 19th all-time in the long course 400 IM.

Nation-Leading Times

SCY

• 50 fly — 25.87
• 100 fly — 56.99
• 200 IM — 2:05.76

LCM

• 1500 free — 17:41.50
• 200 breast — 2:42.51
• 100 fly — 1:03.54 (12th All-Time)
• 200 fly — 2:22.35
• 400 IM — 5:03.81 (19th All-Time)

Girls’ Honorable Mentions

• Sara Young, Rockville Montgomery Swim Club — Sara Young from Rockville Montgomery turned 12 at the start of 2025, and she slowly began making her mark on the season rankings. At the end of last short course, she was on the top-10 list in four events. By long course, she had six top-10 times, and over the first four months of this short course season, she leads the nation in seven events and holds top-10 times in four others. She currently holds top times in the 50 free (24.18), 100 free (51.78), 200 free (1:51.41), 500 free (5:01.90), 100 fly (56.06), 200 fly (2:05.34), and the 200 IM (2:09.55). Young also earned spots on the top-20 all-time list in the 200 free (11th) and 100 fly (18th).
• Zaryna Wardlay, Metroplex Aquatics — Wardlay turned 13 just a few weeks before Gannon, spending a lot of the long course season as a 12-year-old. She finished the 2024-25 SC season with one top time, in the 50 freestyle at 23.61, and six top 10 times. At the conclusion of the 2025 LC season, she led the country in three events — 50 free (26.86), 50 back (30.95), and the 50 fly (28.44) — and she held three top 10 times. In the all-time rankings, she held top-20 times in the 50 free short course (11th), 50 free long course (10th), and 50 fly long course (11th).

11-12 Boys

Ayden Tan, San Ramon Valley Aquatics

Over the summer it felt like every week we were writing another National Age Group record article about Ayden Tan. He finished his time as an 11-12 swimmer with seven NAG records, all of which were set from June to September.

His first 11-12 record came in the boys’ 100 IM when he swam 53.28 at a rare June SCY meet, taking more than a second off his previous best, and shattering Michael Andrew‘s former NAG record time of 53.86 that was more than a decade old.

A few weeks later, he started his assault on the LC record book. At the end of June, he broke the 200 IM record, swimming 2:12.80 to take nearly a second off Richard Poplawski‘s 2:13.59 from 2019 and taking more than a second off his previous best.

In the middle of July, he broke his 3rd NAG record, swimming 54.91 in the long course 100 free to become the youngest American under 55 seconds in the event, cutting just over a tenth off Winn Aung‘s 2015 NAG record of 55.03.

He followed that up with two more NAG records at another SCY meet at the end of July. He swam 22.85 in the boys’ 50 fly to take just two hundredths off Thomas Heilman‘s 2019 NAG record of 22.87. He also broke the 200 IM record, swimming 1:54.79 to demolish Josh Zuchowski‘s former record of 1:55.75 from 2017.

In August, Tan took down his final NAG record of the long course season. He swam 24.95 in the long course 50 free to take three hundredths off Ronald Dalmacio‘s 24.98 from 2017.

He finished out his 11-12 campaign with his seventh NAG Record, and final SCY record at the beginning of September. He swam the 100 backstroke in 50.76 to take just over two tenths off the 50.99 Dalmacio swam in 2016.

On top of holding the fastest 11-12 time ever in seven events, Tan also had 11 events where he made his way into the top-10 all-time

Top 10 All-Time Events

SCY

• 50 free — 21.76 (2nd)
• 100 free — 48.49 (8th)
• 50 back — 23.88 (2nd)
• 100 back — 50.76 (1st)
• 200 back — 1:56.00 (9th)
• 50 fly — 22.85 (1st)
• 100 fly — 51.56 (2nd)
• 100 IM — 53.28 (1st)
• 200 IM — 1:54.79 (1st)
• 400 IM — 4:10.60 (2nd)

LCM

• 50 free — 24.95 (1st)
• 100 free — 54.91 (1st)
• 200 free — 2:00.88 (T-3rd)
• 100 back — 1:01.31 (5th)
• 200 back — 2:12.39 (4th)
• 50 fly — 26.42 (2nd)
• 100 fly — 59.71 (3rd)
• 200 IM — 2:12.80 (1st)

Honorable Mentions

• Parker Wheeler, Swim Atlanta — SwimAtlanta’s Parker Wheeler was an HM on this list last year as an 11-year-old, and now at 12, he earns the designation again. He currently holds three top times in the country this season, leading the nation in the 200 free (1:44.55), 500 free (4:41.34), and the 50 fly (24.13). Over the last three seasons, he has racked up top-10 times in 38 events and he currently has the 2nd fastest times in history in the 200 free (1:44.55), 500 free (4:41.34), and he has moved up to the top-20 in the 50 free (17th), 1000 free (17th), 50 fly (7th) short course and the 200 free (15th) 400 free (20th), 800 free (18th), and 50 fly (7th) long course.
• Daniel Bunge, NOVA of Virginia — NOVA of Virginia’s Daniel Bunge has similar birthday timing to Ayden Tan, swimming just one meet as an 11-12 this season. He made his mark, though, swimming times in five of his six events that still sit in the top-10 in the country, including two top times. Bunge also set the fastest time in the country in the boys’ 11-12 400 freestyle during long course (4:18.14). He currently leads the 100 IM (56.21) and the 200 IM (2:00.36) in the season rankings. Over the three swimming seasons he has swum in 2025 (2024-25 SC, 2025 LC, and 2025-26 SC), Bunge set current top-10 times in 27 events.

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