2025 Southern Zone Age Group Championships
- July 30- August 2, 2025
- Rosen Aquatic and Fitness Center, Orlando, Florida
- Long Course Meters (50 Meters)
- Results
Two zone records fell at the Southern Zone Age Group Championships in Orlando, which saw multiple swimmers clock top-100 times in history.
Unattached 13-year-old Edmond Reynolds broke the Southern Zone record in the boys’ 13-14 100 breast, stopping the clock in 1:05.08. The previous record was 1:05.31, set by former American Olympian Gunnar Bentz in 2010.
Reynold’s time is the 16th fastest boys’ 13-14 100 breast in history, and earned him victory in what was an extremely fast heat. Tidal Wave Swimming’s Nicolay Chernev clocked the 43rd fastest time in history to take second, a personal best of 1:06.04. North Kentucky Clippers’ Tyler Rice, the third-place finisher, also thrust himself into the top-100 all time, producing a lifetime best of 1:06.76 to become the 92nd fastest swimmer in history.
Reynolds shattered the Southern Zone record in the boys’ 13-14 200 breast as well, breaking Gunnar Bentz’s previous record of 2:23.03 by just over a second. Reynolds touched the wall in a personal best of 2:22.02, the 26th fastest boys’ 13-14 100 breast in history and the 3rd fastest this season.
Reynolds also swam the 9th fastest time this season in the boys’ 13-14 200 IM to win the event (2:09.99), took 2nd place in the boys’ 13-14 50 free (25.01), and finished 3rd in the boys’ 13-14 200 back.
North Kentucky Clippers’ Andrew Kruger earned five individual golds at the meet. He took first in the boys’ 13-14 200 free (1:56.37), 400 free (4:10.63), 100 fly (58.49), 200 fly (2:09.05), and 400 IM (4:37.34). He also took second in the boys’ 13-14 200 IM (2:11.65).
Each of Kruger’s times were personal bests that propelled him up this season’s boys’ 13-14 top times: he is ranked 3rd in the nation in the 200 free, 15th in the 400 free, 25th in the 100 fly, 10th in the 200 fly, 17th in the 200 IM, and 7th in the 400 IM.
Team Greenville’s Millie Conner, 12, was another standout performer at the meet. She won the girls’ 11-12 50 fly in 28.82, and clocked 28.79 in prelims, the 2nd fastest time in the nation this season and 26th quickest all-time. She took the girls’ 11-12 400 free in 4:39.33, ahead of Fast Lane Aquatics’ Sarah Fiamia, who clocked 4:42.36. Those are the 10th and 19th quickest times in the event this season, respectively.
Fiama took victory over Conner in the girls’ 11-12 200 free, touching the wall in 2:10.94 over Conner’s 2:12.73. Fiama’s time in the event ranks her 6th in the nation this season, and Conner’s ranks her 14th.
Conner also placed 2nd in the girls’ 11-12 100 fly, touching the wall in 1:05.55, the 9th fastest time in the country this season. Dynamo Swim Club’s Warren Hawkins took gold in the event, stopping the clock in 1:05.33, the 6th fastest time this season.
Nitro Swimming’s Alex Kirsling, 12, won the most golds out of every swimmer in the meet. He took first in the boys’ 11-12 100 free (57.72), 200 free (2:05.56), 400 free (4:24.55), 100 back (1:04.32), 100 fly (1:02.01), and 200 IM (2:22.20). Kirsling set personal bests in the 100 fly, 100 free, and 400 free, all of which propelled him up the boys 11-12 national rankings this season. He is now ranked 5th in the 400 free, 4th in the 100 fly, and 6th in the 200 IM.
Kirsling’s times in the 100 fly and 400 free also moved him up the boys’ 11-12 all-time rankings. He is the 53rd fastest in history in the 100 fly, and the 74th quickest of all time in the 200 IM.
Other Notable Performances
- The boys’ 13-14 50 free was won in 24.85 by SwimMAC Carolina’s Jesse Cyrus. The personal best from Cyrus makes him the 30th fastest in the event this year. Cyrus also won the boys’ 13-14 100 backstroke, clocking 1:00.51, making him the 25th fastest swimmer in the event this season.
- North Carolina Aquatics Club’s Penelope Chao, 11, had a strong meet. She won the girls’ 11-12 100 backstroke in 1:08.85, and took gold in the girls’ 11-12 200 IM, clocking 2:29.40. Chao narrowly missed her personal bests in the finals of both events, but did achieve a personal best of 2:29.06 in the prelims of the 200 IM, the 7th fastest time in the nation this season.
- TAC Titan’s Steven Zhou-He, 13, swam to personal bests in the boys’ 11-12 100 fly (58.78) and 200 fly (2:11.09), earning him 2nd and 3rd place, respectively. Those improvements made him the 31st fastest 100 butterflier and 23rd quickest 200 butterflier in the boys’ 13-14 age group this season.
Final Team Standings
Boys
- North Carolina Zone Team: 1556.5
- Florida Zone Team: 1002
- South Texas Zone Team: 756
- Georgia Zone Team: 626.5
- Florida Gold Coast Zone Team: 613.5
Girls
- North Carolina Zone Team: 1349
- Florida Zone Team: 1082.5
- Southeastern Zone Team: 819.5
- Georgia Zone Team: 708.5
- South Texas Zone Team: 690.5
