Competitor Coach of the Month is a recurring SwimSwam feature shedding light on a U.S.-based coach who has risen above the competition. As with any item of recognition, Competitor Coach of the Month is a subjective exercise meant to highlight one coach whose work holds noteworthy context – perhaps a coach who was clearly in the limelight, or one whose work fell through the cracks a bit more among other stories. If your favorite coach wasn’t selected, feel free to respectfully recognize them in our comment section.
Schroeder YMCA claimed the girls’ and combined team titles at the YMCA National Short Course Championships at the beginning of April, and it was Schroeder co-head coach Chandler Lewis earning YMCA Coach of the Year honors.
Lewis, who leads the senior programs at the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center, guided four of his swimmers to individual national titles, and the girls also dominated the relays, winning four of five.
Anne Dickinson, an 18-year-old Indiana commit, was on fire, winning titles in the girls’ 200 free (1:47.65), 500 free (4:43.82), 1000 free (9:46.51) and 1650 free (16:30.31), setting new personal best times in the latter two events. Her time in the mile was notably more than 11 seconds under her previous PB (16:41.33).
Her younger sister, 16-year-old Maggie Dickinson, also performed well, winning YMCA national titles in the 100 free (49.17), 100 back (53.04) and 200 back (1:53.43) while also placing 2nd in the 50 free (23.26). Her swim in the 100 free marked a new lifetime best, ranking her 12th this season in the girls’ 15-16 age group.
Also winning an individual title on the girls’ side was Aibhy King, 16, who topped the field in the 100 fly with a big personal best of 53.27, ranking her 15th this season in the 15-16 age group.
The girls’ team rolled to victory in four of the five relays, with the Dickinson sisters featuring in all of them:
- 200 free relay, 1:32.26 (1st) – Maggie Dickinson (23.07), Aibhy King (23.22), Lauren Komassa (23.16), Anne Dickinson (22.81)
- 400 free relay, 3:22.78 (1st) – Maggie Dickinson (49.60), Lauren Komassa (51.27), Katelyn Anderson (51.83), Anne Dickinson (50.08)
- 800 free relay, 7:22.79 (1st) – Anne Dickinson (1:48.35), Maggie Dickinson (1:47.78), Amanda Lotz (1:54.27), Katelyn Anderson (1:52.39)
- 200 medley relay, 1:40.52 (1st) – Maggie Dickinson (24.50), Lauren Komassa (29.46), Aibhy King (23.70), Anne Dickinson (22.86)
- 400 medley relay, 3:40.87 (2nd) – Maggie Dickinson (53.66), Lauren Komassa (1:04.22), Aibhy King (53.93), Anne Dickinson (49.06)
On the boys’ side, 18-year-old Dawson Walters, a Minnesota commit, set four best times and snagged a pair of individual titles in the 100 fly (46.89) and 100 back (47.66), having established a new PB of 47.06 in prelims of the 100 back. He also placed 2nd in the 200 fly (1:45.38), 8th in the 50 free (20.82) and helped the Schroeder team to five top-six finishes in the relays.
Schroeder finished with 672.5 total points, edging out Cavalier Aquatics (663) to win their first combined team championship since 1997.
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The Schroeder girls’ team also won the title with 398 points to top Upper Main Line YMCA (384), and Lewis was recognized as Coach of the Year at the end of the meet.
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Go Schroeder!
Amazing coach- has guided to many athletes to great things!!