Elaydi, Gillis-Pade Break Decade-Old Pacific LSC Records at Spring Age Group Champs

2024 PC Spring Age Group Championship

• March 15-17, 2024
• Baler Aquatic Center
  • Hollister, California
• SCY (25 yards)
• Results on MeetMobile: “2024 Spring Age Group Championships SBA”

Santa Clara Swim Club 14-year-old Shareef Elaydi blasted a huge lifetime best in the 200-yard breaststroke at the PC Spring Age Group Championships last week in Hollister, California, dropping more than four seconds in just a month to move up to No. 3 in his age group rankings.

Elaydi clocked a winning time of 1:58.81, lowering his previous-best 2:02.93 from February. Only Ethan Dang (1:58.04) and Reece Whitley (1:55.52) have been faster in the U.S. boys 13-14 national age group (NAG) rankings. Elaydi also crushed the Pacific Swimming 13-14 LSC record of 2:01.17 set by Curtis Ogren way back in 2010. The swim is especially impressive considering Santa Clara Swim Club’s practice facility, the George F. Haines International Swim Center, has been closed indefinitely since January.

Elaydi also posted a personal best in the 100 freestyle (45.62), taking a tenth off his previous-best 45.72 from November and moving up to 27th in his age group in the process. He’s closing in on Luka Mijatovic’s Pacific Swimming 13-14 LSC record of 45.23 from January.

Speaking of Mijatovic, the 14-year-old Pleasanton Seahawks standout clocked three lifetime bests in the 200 IM (1:48.54), 200 breast (2:04.14), and 50 free (21.45) to rise up the NAG rankings. The distance specialist dropped more than half a second of his previous-best 200 IM time of 1:49.08 from November, touching within a second of teammate Tim Wu’s LSC record (1:47.93) from last year. Mijatovic, who now ranks 5th in the 13-14 NAG rankings, split 23.74 on his butterfly leadoff, 27.09 on his backstroke leg, 32.28 on his breaststroke leg, and 25.43 on his freestyle anchor.

Mijatovic knocked more than six seconds off his previous-best 200 breast time of 2:10.74 from January, entering the NAG rankings at No. 59. He also dropped more than a few tenths in the 50 free, lowering his previous-best 21.83 from January. In the 1000 free, Mijatovic triumphed with a time of 8:56.27, not far off his NAG record of 8:46.50 from December.

Mijatovic’s Pleasanton Seahawks teammate, 12-year-old Hanz Palattao, racked up a remarkable seven best times over the course of the meet. He picked up personal bests in the 200 free (1:51.03), 500 free (4:59.23), 50 back (27.45), 100 back (56.07), 200 back (2:00.94), 50 breast (29.12 in prelims), and 100 IM (56.24). Palattao saw his biggest improvement come in the 200 free, where he dropped more than a second off his previous-best 1:52.35 from January.

Santa Clara Swim Club 13-year-old Jesse Yuan continued his steep improvement curve in the 100 breast with a personal-best 59.81. He dropped almost two seconds off his previous-best 1:01.71 from earlier this month. Before this month, Yuan’s best time stood at 1:02.12 from December. He added huge lifetime bests in the 200 breast (2:10.64, dropping six seconds) and 500 free (5:09.42, dropping 12 seconds) while slicing about a tenth off his best time in the 200 IM (2:08.52).

Orinda Aquatics 12-year-old Cruz Tamayo got under 25 seconds in the 50 fly for the first time with a winning time of 24.72. He’s closing in on a 15-year-old LSC record (24.34) set by Justin Lynch back in 2009. Tamayo also recorded best times in the 50 free (23.44), 100 free (52.25), 200 free (1:58.85), 100 fly (56.63), and 100 IM (57.63).

Girls Recap

A Pacific Swimming record also fell on the girls side as Santa Clara Swim Club 12-year-old Aya Gillis-Pade toppled an 18-year-old LSC standard belonging to Olympic champion Maya DiRado.

Gillis-Pade won the 1000 free in 10:23.37, dropping 10 seconds off her best time from January and erasing Dirado’s Pacific LSC record of 10:25.76 from 2006. She moved up to 53rd in the U.S. girls 11-12 NAG rankings in the process.

Gillis-Pade already owned the LSC record in the 1650 free at 17:27.28 from her first time ever swimming event in January. She contested the mile again at this meet, finishing 14 seconds off her best time in 17:41.45. Gillis-Pade also lowered her lifetime bests across all three backstroke events. She dropped more than half a second in the 50 back (27.62), almost half a second in the 100 back (58.52), and more than three seconds in the 200 back (2:06.50).

Crow Canyon Country Club Sharks 11-year-old Coco Offenberg also put up some impressive backstroke performances with times of 28.56, 1:00.61, and 2:10.61 across the 50 back, 100 back, and 200 back, respectively. She also fired off a major personal best in the 200 free (1:58.32), dropping almost five seconds off her previous-best 2:03.24 from November.

Terrapins Swim Team 12-year-old Marina Didenko showed off her versatility by delivering a series of impressive time drops. She sliced almost six seconds off her best 200 breast time (from 2:26.33 in December to 2:20.38), six seconds in the 200 fly (2:12.64 in December to 2:06.69), six seconds in the 400 IM (from 4:39.30 in November to 4:33.90), and two seconds in the 200 IM (from 2:09.69 last month to 2:07.34). Didenko also shaved a couple tenths off his best 50 fly time with a 26.83.

Orinda Aquatics 14-year-old Stella Canoles dipped under 55 seconds in the 100 fly for the first time (54.96). She also won the 50 free (23.25) and 100 free (50.68), slightly off her best times of 22.89 and 49.76 from December. Her personal-best 50 free (22.89) is also the current LSC record.

Santa Clara Swim Club 9-year-old Amy Wang established herself as a young talent to watch with lifetime bests in the 50 fly (30.35), 100 IM (1:10.60), and 100 free (1:01.87).