SwimSwam’s The Weekly Wonders of Age Group Swimming – 7/16/2014

Wow! Where did all these breaststrokers come from? This weekend produced a ton of super-fast swims, in all events and from all over the country, but especially in breaststroke. Sometimes it just works out that way. We could have written an entire article about the huge time drops in the 100 breast alone. It was so difficult making choices… but here is our very long list for the weekend of July 11-13, 2014.

Ryland Sun, 13, Arkansas Dolphins – Lasers Swim Team: 50m free (25.64) – At the Mary Grace Tucker Memorial Meet hosted by Arkansas Dolphin -Laser Swim Team, Sun went seven-for-seven, dropping a cumulative total of 30.15 seconds in the 50/10/200 free, 100/200 back, 100 fly, and 200 IM. He whacked nearly two seconds off his 50 free time from the same meet last year.

Jared Williams, 16, Nu Wave Swim Club: 50m free (24.20) – Williams started the 2014 long course season with a 26.66 in the 50 free. He has now swum it at three successive meets, and dropped at least a half-second each time. This weekend he was at the Southern Zone South Sectional meet in Orlando, where he took a full 1.15 seconds off his seed time and achieved his first national cut in the event – Williams now has just .11 to go for Summer Juniors. He also picked up best times in the 100 free, 100 breast, and 200 IM.

Abby Burke, 14, Highlander Aquatic Club: 100m free (58.09) – Burke got her first national cut with a .63 drop in the 100 free at Orlando Sectionals. She made finals in every event she swam (50/100/200 free, 100 back, and 100 fly ) and ended the weekend with best times in each of them.

Dakota Luther, 14, Longhorn Aquatics: 200m free (2:03.69) – Luther dropped a full second in the 200 free and finished tenth at the Texas Senior Circuit meet hosted by Longhorn Aquatics in Austin. She also picked up new times in the 100 free, 100 back, and 100/200 fly.

Johannes Calloni, 14, Scarlet Aquatics: 400m free (4:09.41) – Calloni had a breakthrough meet at Orlando Sectionals, dropping time in the 200/400/1500 free, 100/200 back, and 400 IM. He finaled in the 400 free and both backs, and he achieved his first Summer Juniors cut in the mile. Calloni set the New Jersey Swimming LSC record in the 400 and lowered his own record in the 1500.

Chase Travis, 11, Delaware Swim Team: 800m free (9:09.92) – The Sand Box Invitational hosted by Retriever Aquatic Club and Annapolis Swim Club was the scene for Travis’s spectacular 32-second drop in the 800 free. She broke the Middle Atlantic LSC record in the event and jumped to number one in the country for her age. She also lowered her times in the 50/100/200/400 free, 200 back, 200 fly, and 200 IM.

Lindsay Stone, 15, PACK Swim Team of Pittsford: 800m free (8:57.12) – Stone won the 800 and finished top-eight in a strong field in the both 200 and 400 frees at North Baltimore’s Mid Summer Classic. The 800 was her second-fastest time after the Eastern Zone Sectionals in March, which she also won.

Joy Field, 15, Magnolia Aquatic Club: 1500m free (16:47.22) – Field picked up her first two Summer Juniors cuts at the Texas Senior Circuit meet in Austin, in the 800 and 1500 frees. She dropped nearly 40 seconds in the mile and popped into the top spot nationally for 15-year-old girls. Field also went best times in the 400 free and 200 back.

Lance Godard, 11, Kansas City Blazers: 200m back (2:33.84) – He hasn’t been 11 very long, but Godard already has a top-ten 200 back national ranking. At the Kansas City Blazers Last Chance Invitational, Godard went best times in both the 200 back and 200 fly and came out fourth and eleventh for 11-year-old boys nationally in the respective events.

Eva Crouse, 14, Aquabears: 100m breast (1:11.28) – Crouse won the women’s 100 breast at Connecticut LC Senior Championship meet at Wesleyan University, missing the CT state record by 3/100. She also won the 200 breast and 100 fly, and finished the weekend with personal bests in the 100/200 breast and 100/200 fly.

Egor Gavrilin, 15, Lake Erie Silver Dolphins: 100m breast (1:06.94) – Gavrilin won the 100 and 200 breast at the Lake Erie Senior Championship meet sponsored by Firestone Akron Swim Team. Although he wasn’t quite as fast as he’d been at Russian Junior Nationals in May, he still had nice swims. Gavrilin did, however, pick up new times in the 50 and 100 free.

Emma Cain, 14, Aspen Swim Club: 200m breast (2:29.17) – Swimming unattached, representing Great Britain at the European Junior Championships in Dordrecht, Netherlands, Cain dropped time in prelims, semis, and then again in finals. She went under 2:30 for the first time in semis and ended up on the podium with the bronze medal.

Dylan Rhee, 12, Ridgewood YMCA: 200m breast (2:37.41) – Rhee dropped 3.5 seconds in the men’s 200 breast at the New Jersey Senior State Championships hosted by the Cougar Aquatic Team. He finished sixth out of 36 swimmers in the event, and is now the fourth-fastest 12-year-old in the country.

Lucas Hess, 13, Park City Swimming: 200m fly (2:15.38) – At the Utah Long Course Championships in Kearn, Hess improved his 200 fly by more than 3 seconds and finished third in the “A” final of the open event. He was fourth in the 100 fly and won the “B” final of the 200 free. At the end of the weekend he had racked up best times in the 50/200 free, 200 back, 200 breast, and 100/200 fly.

Special thanks to Lyle Campbell for his assistance in putting this list together.