AgonSwim Weekly Wonders of Age Group Swimming – 2/25/2014

As we continue to catch up from being on the road covering college events, we saw more high school championships that produced some very fast swimming during the weekend of February 20-22, 2015, as well as a handful of great age-group meets. Here are the AgonSwim Weekly Wonders:

Ashley Volpenhein, 16, Unattached (Mason Manta Rays): 50y free (22.35) – Swimming for Mason High School at Ohio’s SW District D1 Meet at Miami University, Volpenhein won the 50 free with an incredible 22.35. Not only was it her first sub-23, it was her best by .76; pretty crazy for a 50. She also won the 100 free in 49.34, a PB by 1.05 seconds. Volpenhein set the District Meet record in the 50 by a whopping 7/10, and in the 100 by 6/10. She also anchored Mason’s 400 free relay in 48.45.

Lauren Pitzer, 16, Unattached (Lakeside Aquatic Club): 100y free (48.72) – Swimming for Keller Fossil Ridge at the UIL 6A State Swimming and Diving Championships at the University of Texas, Pitzer won the 100 free in her first sub-49. Last February Pitzer was a 50.3 100 freestyler. She also won the 200 free with 1:46.18, 2.3 seconds faster than runner-up.

Aukai Lileikis, 17, Unattached (Aulea Swim Club): 200y free (1:35.62) – At the Hawaii High School Swimming and Diving State Championships, Lileikis won both the 200 and 500 free by large measures, and broke the HHSAA record in each event. The Punahou School junior first broke the 200 free record in prelims with 1:36.75, then again in finals with 1:35.62. In the 500 he smashed through the old mark of 4:28.60 with his finals swim of 4:24.26. Both records had stood since 2002. Lileikis also anchored the Punahou 200 free relay in 20.03 and swam a 44.05 on the 400 free relay (although it was DQd).

Addison Bridges, 14, Performance Elite Aquatics: 1000y free (10:13.63) – Bridges dropped 18 seconds en route to winning the girls 13-14 1000 free at the Mississippi Short Course State Championships hosted by Shockwave Aquatic Team at Tupelo Aquatic Center. Bridges also won the 200 free, 500 free, 100 back, 200 back, 200 fly, and 200 IM, setting meet records in the 100/200 back and 200 fly.

Kabir Randhawa, 13, Team Suffolk: 1650y free (16:34.67) – Randhawa improved his mile time by over 33 seconds in just three months when he placed 17th at the Senior Metropolitan Winter Championships. He had gone 17:07.9 in November, which was a 1:15-improvement over the previous November. Randhawa finished Senior Mets with new PBs in the 500/1000/1650 free, 200 back, 200 fly, and 400 IM.

Kevin Liu, 16, Unattached (Upper St. Clair Swim Club): 100 back (49.17) – Representing Upper St. Clair High School, Liu went a best time by .63 and won the 100 back at the AAA WPIAL Swimming and Diving Championships at University of Pittsburgh’s Trees Pool. He also placed fourth in the 200 IM with a PB by more than 2 seconds (1:54.38). Liu has made huge strides in the past year: in 2014 at the same meet, Liu was fifth in the back (52.73) and didn’t even qualify for finals in the IM.

Holden Smith, 11, Triton Swimming: 200y back (2:12.20) – Smith improved his 200 back by more than 10 seconds at the Lakeside Seahawks’ “Dare to Care” Winter Invitational. That swim rocketed him to number 7 in the country for 11-year-old boys this season. Smith also went a best time in the 200 breast with 2:40.44. The “Dare to Care” meet, sponsored by Lakeside in cooperation with Speedo and Yum! Brands Foundation, doubles as a food drive for charity.

Anthony Nosack, 15, Unattached (Tualatin Hills Swim Club): 100y breast (57.37) – Representing Jesuit High School at the Oregon High School 6A Swimming State Championships, Nosack won the 100 breast with a new PB. After just being out-touched for the title in the 200 IM (but still going a best time by 2 seconds), Novak turned around and just out-touched someone else to win the breaststroke. Nosack also swam breast on Jesuit’s 200 medley relay and anchored the 400 free relay, both of which won state titles.

Cooper Willetts, 11, Eagle Swim Association: 200y breast (2:30.37) – Willetts dropped 3.3 seconds in a time trial at the Short Course Championships hosted by Premier Aquatics Club. That bumped him up to sixth in the nation for 11-year-old boys. Willetts also picked up best times in the 200 free, 100 breast and 100 IM over the weekend.

Kailyn Winter, 11, Cabrillo Threshers: 100y fly (1:00.84) – Winter improved her 100 fly time by 3.7 seconds at the Pacific Swimming age group meet hosted by Gilroy Gators Swim Team. Winter won both the girls 11-12 100 fly and 400 IM, and left Gilroy with new times in both events. Winter is now the eighth-ranked 11-year-old in the 100 fly this season.

Jack Smithson, 15, Sunkist Swim Team: 200y fly (1:52.81) – Swimming at the Mississippi Short Course State Championships, Smithson won the boys 15-16 200 free, 500 free, 1000 free, 200 back, 100 fly, 200 fly, and 400 IM. He achieved new PBs in the 200/500 free, 200 back, 100/200 fly, and 400 IM.

Paul DeLakis, 16, Unattached (Eau Claire YMCA Marlins): 200y IM (1:46.91) – Representing Eau Claire Memorial/North at the Wisconsin Boys Division 1 State Meet, DeLakis won the 200 IM by over 4.5 seconds and set a state and pool record with 1:46.91. He also won the 100 breast with 55.52 (1 second off brother Alex’s state record). DeLakis swam breast on EC Memorial/North’s medley relay (25072) and anchored their 400 free relay in 44.56.