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.
It’s been a big month for the Long Island Aquatic Club, under head coach Dave Ferris and his staff.
As swimming has begun to return to some form of normalcy, the Long Island Aquatic Club has a number of swimmers positioned highly in the national ranks for the young 2020-2021 season.
15-year-old Tess Howley has been an age group star for awhile now. She bettered her own personal best in the 100 free this month, going 49.95 for her first-ever swim under 50 seconds. The NAG record holder in her previous 13-14 age group, Howley is already charging up the 15-16 rankings early in her time in that age group. This month, Howley went 53.83 in the 100 fly and 1:55.74 in the 200-yard fly. The latter ranks #22 in USA Swimming history for the 15-16 age bracket.
15-year-old Kailey Simons hit career-bests in both backstrokes. She was 56.98 in the 100 back (dropping four tenths of a second) and 2:05.04 in the 200 back (dropping three tenths). Meanwhile 16-year-old Kiki Kennedy had a major breakthrough swim in the 200 back, going from 2:05.96 to 1:59.48.
On the boys side, 15-year-old Alvin Tsai had a massive drop in the 200 fly, going from 2:02.00 to 1:55.29.
Others with notable lifetime-best swims this month:
- Cavan Gormsen, 15: 9:44.05 in the 1000 free
- April Chun, 13: 10:30.34 in the 1000 free
- Brooke Baldwin, 14: 10:34.02 in the 1000 free
- Makayla Pearce, 16: 10:37.46 in the 1000 free
- Lily Gormsen, 13: 10:43.61 in the 1000 free
- Bridget Ye, 15: 2:19.17 in the 200 breast
- Joanie Cash, 17: 2:06.49 in the 200 fly
- Griffen Schimmel, 17: 9:43.81 in the 1000 free
- Matthew Giardinelli, 16: 9:44.01 in the 1000 free
- Michael Ma, 16: 9:46.20 in the 1000 free
- Eduardo Santana, 15: 10:01.02 in the 1000 free
- Matt Beehler, 15: 1:54.09 in the 200 back
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Dave Ferris is one of the best club coaches in the country. He gets his swimmers in great shape and they really finish. I have enjoyed watching how his program has developed so many elite age group swimmers. He has former swimmers participating in colleges ranging from the east coast to the west coast. Congrats Dave a well deserved accolade.
A lot of coaches working with those kids, Great Work. For the record, Ginny Nussbaum is Tess’s primary coach.