Here are the Weekly Wonders for the weekend of October 27-29, 2017:
Amy Feddersen, 17, Ames Cyclone Aquatics Club: 100y free (49.70) – Swimming unattached at Iowa High School Regionals, Fedderson broke 50 seconds for the first time and clocked the weekend’s #1 100 freestyle for 18-and-under girls. It was her best time by 6/10 and her first Summer Juniors cut in the event. She also had the second-fastest 50 free of the weekend, with her first sub-23 (22.78, an improvement of 3/10, and a new U.S. Open cut). Fedderson is 9/10 ahead of last year’s pace in the 100, and 7/10 in the 50.
Chloe Brede, 13, Seahawks Swim Club: 200y free (1:53.56) – Brede dropped 1.3 seconds to finish second in the women’s open 200 free at the Jim Devine Memorial Invitational hosted by Columbia Swim Club. Her time is now 9.1 seconds faster than it was at this time last season. Brede also earned best times in the 100/200/500 free, 100/200 fly, and 200 IM.
Brooke West, 17, Team Millennium: 100y back (56.24) – West picked up her first Winter Juniors cut in the 100 back with a half-second drop, while swimming unattached at the Illinois High School MCAC Girls Championships. West is 1.2 seconds faster than she was at this point last year. She also went a best time in the 200 IM, dropping 1.4 seconds for 2:05.83.
Trenton Vonhartitzsch, 13, SwimTulsa: 100y breast (1:01.64) – Competing at the Arkansas Swimming TYR Fall Super Finals, Vonhartitzsch won the boys’ 13-14 50/100 free, 100/200 breast, and 200/400 IM. He was also runner-up in the 500 free and third in the 100 fly. He dropped 1.6 second in the 100 breast for a 7.5-second improvement over his time last from last October. He finished the weekend with new times in the 50/100/500 free, 100/200 breast, 100 fly, and 200 IM.
Bella Cothern, 15, Dart Frog Aquatics: 100y breast (1:04.54) – Cothern notched a PB in the 100 breast with her second-ever sub-1:05 at the Jim Devine Memorial Invite. She dropped 2/10 and was runner-up in the event. Cothern left the meet with new lifetime bests in the 50/200 free, 200 back, and 100/200 breast.
Maya Atkins, 17, NOVA of Virginia Aquatics: 200y breast (2:16.62) – Atkins won the girls’ open 200 breast at the NOVA Senior Classic thanks to a 2.8-second drop off her seed time. She is now fully 5 seconds faster than she was a year ago in the event. This comes two weeks after she earned new PBs in the 200 free, 100/200 back, and 100 breast.
Robert Wagner, 14, Helena Lions Swim Team: 100y fly (54.41) – Wagner won the boys’ 13-14 50/100/200 free, 50/100 back, 50/100/200 fly, and was third in the 200 breast, at the FAST Fall Frost Open hosted by Falls Aquatic Swim Team. He improved his 100 fly time by 8/10 and was 3.6 seconds ahead of last year’s pace. Wagner won the high point award for 13-14 boys and pocketed new times in the 50/100/200 free, 200 breast, and 50/100/200 fly.
Charlson Teo, 13, Spartan Aquatic Club: 200y fly (2:03.06) – Swimming at the Trick or Treat Grab Bag Classic hosted by Utica Shelby Swim Club, Teo placed second in the men’s open 200 fly. He went a best time by 4/10 and was 10.2 seconds faster than he’d been last year at this time. Teo earned new PBs in the 100 free, 200 back, 200 fly, and 400 IM. A week ago he went best times in the 100 back and 100 fly, and two weeks ago he updated his lifetime bests in the 200/500 free, 100 breast, and 200 IM.
Reminder: The Weekly Wonders column is a celebration of age-group swimming, where new champions are made every day. Anyone can look up the top swims of the week. That’s not what we’re doing here. If we were only reporting on the week’s top swims we would feature the same handful of athletes every Wednesday. Instead, this is an opportunity to introduce the swimming community to athletes who have made great strides in the context of their own particular swimming worlds. By association, it also celebrates their coaches and their teams. The Weekly Wonders column, therefore, amounts to a pat on the back for a job well done, and hopefully encourages swimmers of all levels to continue to reach from within to get to that next level.
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Established in Genoa, Italy, in 1998, Aqua Sphere is the premier swimming equipment manufacturer for fitness and recreational swimming, aquatic exercise and triathlons. With the launch of its cutting-edge Seal Mask—the world’s first swim mask, the company set the industry standard and today continues to innovate with a complete range of premium products, including eye protection, swimwear, triathlon wetsuits, footwear, and swim fitness and training accessories. The designs have gained the respect and loyal following of many celebrities and notable athletes, including the world’s most decorated Olympian Michael Phelps, with whom Aqua Sphere is partnering to develop a global brand partnership. Alongside its parent company Aqua Lung and supported by an international distribution network, Aqua Sphere has grown into a worldwide enterprise representing unparalleled design, development and manufacturing expertise, with a global footprint in more than 90 countries. For more information, visit www.AquaSphereSwim.com orhttp://www.Facebook.com/AquaSphereSwim.
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Hello, Anne and Swimswam staffers! Could I ask a favor? I would love it if you could include the city/state where these young athletes live/train in your articles? So many swimming club names are so similar that it gets confusing, and I always look at your articles to see how athletes in my LSC are doing. Keep doing the great work you do every day, and thank you!
Keep the athletes safe. Leave the location out of it.