AgonSwim Weekly Wonders of Age Group Swimming – 12/17/2014

One of our favorite weekends of the year for age group swimming just wrapped up, with big end-of-season swims coming out of Speedo Winter Juniors, Tom Dolan Invitational, and various other championship meets around the country. See who made the AgonSwim Weekly Wonders list for December 12-14, 2014.

Cody Bollinger, 15, Poseidon Swimming: 50y free (20.41) – Swimming at Tom Dolan Invitational, Bollinger swam three sub-21 50 frees, going 20.99 to lead off Poseidon’s 200 free relay, 20.98 in prelims of the 50 free to land a spot in the A-final, and 20.41 in finals to finish fourth, tied with Townley Haas. Bollinger also picked up new PBs in the 100 free (46.49), 100 back (49.33), 200 back (1:50.00), 100 breast (58.99), and 100 fly (49.78).

Gabi Albiero, 12, Cardinal Aquatics: 100y free (52.68) – Albiero chopped more than 2.5 seconds off her seed time to win the girls 11-12 100 free at the Cardinal Aquatics Christmas Classic. The swim bumped her up to number 2 on the top-ten list for 12-year-old girls this season, and to number 44 on the all-time list for 11-12 girls. Albiero’s other best times from the weekend include 50 free (24.31), 200 free (1:54.86), 500 free (5:16.00), 100 back (58.97), 50 fly (26.50), 100 fly (57.51), and 200 IM (2:12.83).

Taylor Ruck, 14, Scottsdale Aquatic Club: 200y free (1:45.81) – Ruck beat her best time by nearly a second and was 6.8 seconds faster than she was last December when she finished third in the women’s 200 free at Speedo Winter Junior Championships. Ruck went on to establish new PBs in the 100 free (48.54), 500 free (4:41.38), 100 back (52.95), 200 back (1:53.13), 200 IM (2:02.13), and 400 IM (4:13.96).

Tim Park, 13, Ridgewood YMCA Breakers Swim Team: 500y free (4:45.40) – Park whacked 8 seconds off his seed time en route to winning the boys 13-14 500 free at the Cross Island YMCA Barracudas/Flushing YMCA Flyers Holiday Invitational. Park’s swim was 24 seconds faster than a year ago, and moved him up to 8th on the top-ten list for 13-year-old boys this season. Park also went best times in the 100 free (49.29), 200 free (1:44.86), 100 fly (57.70), 200 fly (2:06.79), 200 IM (2:03.23), and 400 IM (4:23.28).

Walker Higgins, 17, Tennessee Aquatics: 500y free (4:23.13) – Seeded with a 4:32.72 at Speedo Winter Juniors, Higgins dropped 7.1 seconds in prelims to qualify fourth, then improved another 2.5 in finals to finish third on the podium. That makes him seventh of 17-year-old boys for the season. Higgins also went best times in the 50 free (20.81) and 200 free (1:37.90).

Ivan Puskovitch, 13, Germantown Academy Aquatic Club: 1000y free (9:43.74) – Puskovitch dropped 12.4 seconds to win the boys 13-14 1000 free at the 41st Annual Christmas Invitational Meet hosted by North Baltimore Aquatic Club at St. Mary’s College. His time qualified him for the Eastern Zone Summer Sectionals meet and moved him to second for the year among 13-year-old boys. Puskovitch also went best times in the 200 free (1:49.15), 500 free (4:48.61), 1650 free (16:25.58), 200 breast (2:19.88), 200 IM (2:02.77), and 400 IM (4:12.41).

Erica Sullivan, 14, Sandpipers of Nevada: 1650y free (16:29.31) – Sullivan came into Speedo Winter Juniors with a 16:56.60, not even fast enough to be seeded in yards. She then blasted a 16:29.31 and placed 14th, 27.3 seconds faster than her previous best time. Sullivan now sits third on the list of 14-year-old girls for the season.

Matt Magness, 13, Golden Ram Aquatics: 100y back (52.49) – Magness sliced 2.2 seconds off his seed time in the 100 back between prelims and finals at the Speedo Holiday Classic hosted by Diplomat Swim Club. He finished the weekend with new PBs in the 100 free (48.54), 500 free (4:43.19), 200 back (1:53.66), 100 fly (53.03), 200 IM (1:57.07), and 400 IM (4:15.06).

Braxton Flowers, 17, Cypress Fairbanks Swim Club: 200y back (1:44.24) – If Flowers had gone his seed time in the 200 back at Speedo Winter Juniors, he would have finished somewhere around 40th. Instead, he dropped an astounding 4.7 seconds in prelims and qualified second for finals. Dropping another 1/10 in finals, Flowers held off some pretty strong competition and came away with the silver medal. Flowers left Seattle with new PBs in the 200 free (1:40.66), 100 back (48.21), and 100 fly (50.20).

Heather MacCausland, 13, Lionville Community YMCA: 100y breast (1:05.53) – MacCausland crushed her seed time of 1:12.06 at the DSC Speedo Holiday Classic, dropping 3.2 seconds in prelims to make the A final, then another 3.3 seconds in finals to win the event. She also won the 200 breast with a best time by 7.6 (2:26.41), and also got new PBs in the 50 free (25.01), 100 free (54.32), 200 free (1:59.00), 200 IM (2:12.53), and 400 IM (4:43.65).

Jaden Welsh, 11, Harrison Extended Aquatic Team: 100y breast (1:09.74) – Swimming at the 53rd Annual Christmas Meet Invitational hosted by Team Pittsburgh Aquatic, Welsh dropped 2.5 seconds between prelims and finals. She finished 8 seconds faster than at the same meet a year ago. Welsh also picked up new times in the 200 free (2:09.62), 50 breast (32.19), 200 breast (2:38.30), 50 fly (30.14), and 100 IM (1:06.86).

Liam Sullivan, 13, Mount Desert Island YMCA: 200y breast (2:10.04) – Sullivan beat his seed time by 3.2 seconds and was fully 10 seconds faster than a year ago at the Bowdoin Open at Bowdoin College. Sullivan finished the meet with PBs in the 100 back (1:00.22), 100 breast (1:00.23), 200 IM (2:00.54), and 400 IM (4:15.79).

David Dixon, 15, NOVA of Virginia Aquatics: 100y fly (49.37) – Dixon dipped under 50 seconds for the first time in prelims at the Speedo Tom Dolan Invitational, just landing a spot in the A-final. He dropped another half-second in finals and finished fourth with 49.37. Dixon also went best times in the 50 free (22.08), 100 breast (57.10), 200 breast (2:04.96), 200 fly (1:46.97), 200 IM (1:52.37), and 400 IM (3:57.86).

Reece Whitley, 14, Penn Charter Aquatic Club: 200y IM (1:49.02) – While Whitley was being fêted for breaking NAG records in breaststroke, he also made huge leaps forward in his IMs at the Speedo Tom Dolan Invitational. He won the boys 13-14 200 IM with a best time by 3.8, and the 400 IM with a best time by 6.5 (3:55.86). In addition to the IMs and his much-publicized breasts (53.06/1:55.52), Whitley also established new times in the 50 free (22.14), 100 free (47.48), 100 back (52.53), and 100 fly (50.43).