2024 Great Pumpkin Invite
- October 18-20, 2024
- Greenville, South Carolina
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results on Meet Mobile: “2024 SC TG Great Pumpkin Invite”
SwimAtlanta’s Parker Wheeler was on fire at the Great Pumpkin Invite last month in Greenville, South Carolina, establishing some of the fastest times we’ve seen from 11-year-old boys this season.
Wheeler’s most noteworthy swim came in the 1650 freestyle—just his second time racing the event—where he dropped a time of 17:33.10, well over two minutes faster than what he went last October as a 10-year-old (19:50.49).
The swim ranks Wheeler 1st this season for 11-year-old boys and 3rd in the 11-12 age group. There have also only been three 11-year-olds faster since the beginning of 2020: Jude Burkhart in 2023 (17:18.33), Reid O’Connell in 2021 (17:19.23), and Luke Dunn in 2022 (17:21.91).
Wheeler’s split at the 1000 (10:35.75) also would rank 1st for 11-year-olds this season by a wide margin.
Wheeler also took off 11 seconds in the 400 IM, clocking 4:35.87 to rank 1st for 11-year-olds this season and 8th for 11-12s. Since the 2019-20 season, nine 11-year-olds have been faster, led by Burkhart (4:26.49) and O’Connell (4:27.44).
Wheeler also posted the fastest time for 11-year-olds this season in the 200 fly (2:14.17), a time that ranks 2nd in the 200 IM (2:12.14), and he sits in the top 10 in the 200 back (2:14.41 for 6th) and 100 IM (1:03.08 for 7th).
Another SwimAtlanta product, 15-year-old Gavin Halusic, had a strong showing with wins in the 500 free (4:34.45), 100 fly (49.09) and 200 fly (1:49.10), and set additional best times in the 100 free (46.03) and 200 free (1:40.19).
He now ranks 2nd this season among 15-year-olds in both fly events and 9th in the 500 free.
Also performing well among the SwimAtlanta boys was 14-year-old Will Kaminsky, who set bests in the 100 breast (58.10) and 200 breast (2:07.49) that rank 3rd and 6th, respectively, in the boys’ 13-14 age group this season.
Their teammate Connor Christopherson established new best times in the 50 free (20.89) and 100 free (45.36), and was also 1:39.23 in the 200 free, which rank him 2nd, 3rd and 3rd, respectively, for 15-year-old boys this season.
On the girls’ side, Mecklenburg Swim Association’s Eliza Wallace had the top swim in the 100 breast, clocking 1:01.29 to rank 1st this season in the 15-16 age group. The Tennessee commit’s best time stands at 59.67 from February.
Her teammate Shaelyn Shields swept the backstroke events, setting season-bests of 55.72 in the 100 and 1:57.85 in the 200 to rank 23rd and 4th, respectively, among 17-year-old girls this season.
