These are our favorite swims from the weekend of October 5-7, 2018:
Aiden Hayes, 15, Sooner Swim Club (SSC-OK): 100y free (45.87) – Swimming at the Jenks Trojan Swim Club Fall Invite in his first short course meet as a 15-year-old, Hayes won the 13&O 50/100 free, 100 back, 100/200 fly, and 200 IM. His 100 free time, a PB by 1 and 2.8 seconds faster than at the same meet last year, broke the Oklahoma LSC 15-16 state record. He also went a best time in the 200 fly, with 1:50.35.
Aubrey Chandler, 16, Upper Palmetto YMCA Stingrays (RAYS-SC): 100y free (51.00) – Swimming unattached for Fort Mill High School, Chandler dropped .87 to win the 100 free at the 2018 South Carolina 5A High School Championships. She posted the #4 time in the country for 18-and-under girls for the weekend and was 1.6 seconds faster than she’d been at this time last year. Chandler also won the 50 free (a PB of 23.58) and was a member of two runner-up relays.
Kristina Games, 13, Central Arkansas Swim Club (CASC-AR): 100y free (52.95) – Games dropped half a second to break the 53-second barrier for the first time at the 55th Annual Aquakids Bob Courtway Invite. She was runner-up in the girls’ open event and posted a time that was 1.8 seconds faster than she’d been a year ago. Games also went best times in the 200 free and 100 back, coming in 4th and 2nd, respectively.
Shane Washart, 15, Greater Philadelphia Aquatic Club (GPAC-MA): 1650y free (16:02.53) – At the GPAC Intersquad Meet, Washart picked up his first Futures cut with a 9.6-second drop in the 1650 free, making him 41.1 seconds faster than he’d been in November of 2017. He posted the #1 18-and-under time in the U.S. for weekend. He also earned new PBs in the 100 breast and 100 fly.
Nicole Dumitrascu, 11, Nampa Swim Team (NST-SR): 100y back (1:03.14) – Dumitrascu took 2 seconds off her seed time in the 100 back to notch a PB that is 5.5 seconds faster than her best time a year ago (1:08.56), swum at the 2017 version of the FINIS Koudelka Memorial Invite. She finished the weekend with new times in the 50/100 back, 100 breast, 100 fly, and 100/200/400 IM.
Liam Flaherty, 13, Stamford Sailfish Aquatic Club (SSAC-CT): 200y back (2:01.74) – Swimming at the Chelsea Piers Aquatic Club Age Group Qualifier, Flaherty dropped 8.8 seconds to win the boys’ 13-14 200 back by half a pool length. His time is now 13.4 seconds faster than his PB from December 2017 (2:15.16). He also won the 100 back, 100/200 breast and 200 IM and was runner-up in the 200 fly. He finished the weekend with new PBs in all 6 events.
Emily Shores, 16, Liquid Lightning (LL-MI): 100y breast (1:03.61) – Representing Stoney Creek High School at the Oakland County Girls’ swim championship, Shores notched her first Winter Juniors cut in the 100 breast with a 1.4-second drop, making her 1.8 seconds faster than she was last year. Shores won the 100 breast by 2 seconds and was runner-up in the 200 IM with a PB of 2:08.97.
Louie Fasani, 13, Wolverine Aquatics (WAC-SN): 100y fly (54.92) – Fasani placed 3rd in the 13-and-over 100 fly at the SAC Regional Meet. It was his second-best time, only .08 off his week-old PB and 8.4 seconds faster than he’d been (1:03.28) in September 2017. Fasani also earned new PBs in the 200 back, 200 fly, and 200 IM, finishing 3rd, 2nd, and 3rd in the respective events.
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.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MP, PLEASE VISIT WWW.MICHAELPHELPS.COM.
ABOUT MP
Launched in the spring of 2015, MP designed by Aqua Sphere is a shared vision to develop innovative products that are inclusive and accessible to a broader range of swimmers across the full swimming lifecycle. Combining Aqua Sphere’s global product design expertise and distribution with Michael Phelps’ and Bob Bowman’s experiences at the highest levels of swim performance, the MP brand features technical swim products leveraging proprietary technologies and performance enhancing designs.
ABOUT AQUA SPHERE
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.
ABOUT AQUA LUNG
Aqua Lung pioneered the creation of modern diving equipment in 1943 when Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau teamed with Emile Gagnan to develop the first “aqua-lung” that made underwater exploration possible. Today, the brand continues to be the leading global designer and manufacturer of dive and water sports gear. With a deep commitment to quality, research and testing, Aqua Lung has revolutionized the scuba diving experience by setting industry standards for scuba equipment in technology, comfort, safety and design. The company’s rich history as an expert in the dive and water sports industry has led to the demand of Aqua Lung equipment for recreational, technical and military applications in more than 90 countries around the world, under the brand names of Aqua Lung, Aqua Sphere, Apeks, U.S. Divers, and Stohlquist. For more information, visit www.AquaLung.com or http://www.Facebook.com/AquaLungDivers.
