Presenting our MP Weekly Wonders for the weekends of July 7-9 and July 14-16, 2017:
Matthew Lattin, 18, Ensworth Aquatics: 50m free (24.15) – Lattin posted a personal best by 0.14 in the 50 free, his second best time in a month, at the 2017 Music City Medley hosted by Ensworth Aquatics. He won the 50 breast and 50 fly, and placed second in the 50 back and 200 IM. Lattin achieved PBs in all five events.
Jessica Davis, 14, Crow Canyon Country Club Sharks: 100m back (1:03.68) – Davis picked up her first Winter Juniors cut in the 100 back in prelims at the Pacific Swimming Speedo Adam Szmidt 14-and-Under LCM JOs, then came back in finals and qualified for U.S. Open with PB by 2.1 seconds. She is now 3.5 seconds ahead of last year’s pace in the event. Davis finished the weekend with new times in the 50/100/200/400 free, 50/100/200 back, and 200 IM.
Makayla Cazier, 17, Utah Valley Aquatics: 100m back (1:05.44) – Cazier dropped 1.2 seconds from a PB that was only a month old, when she led off UVRA’s 400 medley relay at the Southern Zone South Sectional Championship hosted by YMCA Central Florida. It was her first Winter Juniors cut, and an improvement of 1.7 seconds over last year at this time. Cazier also went best times in the 200 free, 200 back (also a first-time Winter Juniors cut), and 200/400 IM.
Erek Nelson, 17, Fins Swim Team: 200m back (2:04.98) – Nelson scored his first U.S. Open cut in the 200 back with a 3.3-second drop at Southern Zone Sectional Championship hosted by The Athens Bulldog Swim Club. He has now dropped 4.2 seconds since last year. Nelson also went best times in the 100 free and 100 back. He dropped a full second in the latter and picked up a qualification for Winter Juniors.
Sydnie Horne, 17, Schroeder YMCA Swim Team: 200m back (2:20.14) – Swimming at the Western Great Lakes Open hosted by Schroeder YMCA, Horne won the women’s open 200 back with a best time by nearly 2 seconds, and a first Winter Juniors qualification. Horne also went PBs in the 100 free and 100 back, the latter of which earned her a first invitation to Summer Juniors.
Nathan Jao, 12, Enfinity Aquatic Club: 200m fly (2:14.88) – Jao dropped an astounding 10.7 seconds in the 200 fly and was 21.2 seconds faster than he’d been a year ago, swimming at the North Carolina Long Course Age Group Championships. He broke three state records over the course of the weekend (50 free, 200 fly, 200 IM), and is currently ranked #1 in the U.S. for his age group in the 100 fly and the 200 fly.
Caitlin Tycz, 17, Long Reach Swim Club: 200m fly (2:17.36) – Competing at the MSI International Invitational hosted by Maine Swimming, Tycz improved her 200 fly time by 1 second and was 3.3 seconds ahead of last year’s pace, while pocketing her first Summer Juniors cut in the event. Tycz, the high point winner for her age group, also notched new times in the 50 back and 50 breast during the weekend.
Jacques Rathle, 13, Crawfish Aquatics: 400m IM (4:47.07) – Rathle dropped 6.1 seconds in his 400 IM, earning his fourth PB of the year, at the Louisiana Long Course State Championship Meet. Last May he was a 5:26.7 IMer. Rathle wrapped up the weekend with new times in the 50/100/200 free, 100/200 breast, 100 fly, and 200/400 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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