SwimSwam’s The Weekly Wonders of Age Group Swimming – 11/20/2013

We had multiple showcases for fast swimming this past weekend: several states are still in the midst of their high school championships, there was a Grand Prix, and some pretty quick age group meets went on all over the place. Ready for this week’s Daring Dozen? Here we go:

Lucie Nordmann, 13, The Woodlands Swim Team: 50 free (23.63) – In prelims at the 2013 Arena Grand Prix in Minneapolis Nordmann dropped .5 from her lifetime best of 24.31 to make the C final. Apparently undaunted by the seasoned competition around her, she dropped another .25 in finals and finished twenty-first. Nordmann also finaled in the 100 back, and won a swimoff in the 200 back that bumped her up to first alternate. All in all she came away with 5 best times. Not bad for a first Grand Prix.

Jacob Molacek, 17, Greater Omaha Aquatics: 100 free (43.86) – Auburn-bound Molacek also had some very impressive early-season swims at the 2013 Arena Grand Prix Minneapolis. In addition to swimming two lifetime bests in the 100 free (once in prelims, once leading off the 400 free relay), Molacek notched up PBs in the 50 free (19.82 – first time under 20), 100 back (49.94 – first time under 50), 100 breast (53.93 – you guessed it, first time under 54) and 200 IM (1:48.26).

Andrew Trepanier, 13, South Metro Storm: 100 free (48.07) – Trepanier tied with Molacek for the 100 free honors with his swim at Minnetonka Swim Club’s 14&U Team Challenge. Trepanier went two best 100 frees at the meet, 49.62 in prelims and 48.07 in finals. The latter represents a 4.5-second drop from this time last fall. Trepanier also won the 100 fly (52.91) and 100 IM (56.05).

Ruby Martin, 13, Iowa Flyers Swim Club: 200 free (1:50.51) – At the 2013 Speedo Midwest Senior Challenge hosted by Iowa Flyers Swim Club, Martin dropped nearly three seconds from prelims to finals in winning the 200 free in 1:50.51. That’s 3.5 seconds faster than where she was last year. Martin also won the 100 free (51.28), 500 free (4:56.04), and 200 IM (2:04.05).

Kevin Tu, 12, Irvine Novaquatics: 1000 free (10:10.77) – At the Irvine Novaquatics’ 2013 NOVAmber Intrasquad Meet, Tu dropped 32 seconds and grabbed the number one spot in the country for an 11/12 boys’ 1000 free. He also went best times in the 100 (51.58)/200 (1:51.04)/500 (4:57.59) free, 100 (57.94)/200 (2:03.07) back, and 400 IM (4:25.06).

Regan Smith, 11, South Metro Storm: 100 back (57.75) – At the Minnetonka Swim Club 14&U Team Challenge, Smith broke the 11/12 Minnesota state record of 58.33 that had previously been shared by Rachel Bootsma and Bre Thorne. Her swim is currently the top-ranked 100 back in the nation for 11-12 girls. At the same meet Smith also went best times in the 50 (25.13)/100 (53.80) free, 50 back (27.52), 50 (26.35)/100 (58.40) fly, and 100 IM (1:01.09).

Haley Hynes, 15, Kansas City Blazers: 200 back (1:58.20) – Hynes won the 200 back at the 2013 Speedo Midwest Senior Challenge hosted by Iowa Flyers Swim Club with 1:58.20, a 9.5-second improvement over her time from the same weekend in 2012. She also had the top time in the 100 back at the meet (54.81).

Elijah Warren, 13, Denver Swim Academy: 100 breast (58.63)/ 200 breast (2:09.03) – Warren competed at the 2013 Arena Grand Prix Minneapolis where he finished an astounding thirty-fifth in the 100 breast with 58.63, a time that is 3.5 seconds faster than he swam last week and nearly 9 faster than last November. His 200 was even more impressive: 2:09.03 put him thirty-ninth and it was a 30 second drop from a year ago. Warren now holds the second-fastest 100 breast time in the country for 13-year-old boys and the third fastest 200 breast. In addition, Although he didn’t final, Warren had several monster November-to-November drops at the Grand Prix (50 free -2 for 22.24; 100 free -2, 48.93; 100 back -4, 56.82; 100 fly -7, 53.77; 200 IM -17, 1:57.71). Lastly, Warren, whose fastest 200 free to date is 1:55, split a 1:47 on DSA’s 800 free relay, where he was teamed up with three 17/18 year-olds.

Beata Nelson, 15, UN: 100 fly (52.06) – Swimming for Verona Area High School, Nelson won the Wisconsin Girls Division I State High School Championships with a record-breaking time of 52.06. Not only was it 2.5 seconds faster than the previous state record (54.55, set by Sarah Wanezek in 1999), but it was also .36 faster than Janet Hu’s 15/16 Girls’ 2012 NAG mark of 52.40. The sophomore has two more years to go after Jasmine Tosky’s national high school record of 51.92. Nelson also swims for YMCA Dane County.

Megan Kingsley, 17, Mount Pleasant Swim Club: 200 fly (1:56.00) – Kingsley went four seconds faster than a year ago, and was within .5 of her all-time best in the 200 fly with her 1:56.00 third-place finish at 2013 Arena Grand Prix Minneapolis. She did go a best time (4:11.94) in the 400 IM, finishing second behind American record-holder Caitlin Leverenz. Kingsley had multiple top-sixteen finishes in Minneapolis: 100 back (9); 100 fly (3); 200 fly (3); 200 IM (3); 400 IM (2).

Lisa Bratton, 17, UN: 200 IM (1:59.44) – Future Texas A&M Aggie and current senior at Richland High School, Bratton won the 200 IM at the Washington 4A Girls’ State Swim and Dive Championships at King County Aquatics Center, two full seconds faster than her winning time in 2012. In what was surely a very exciting final against future Michigan Wolverine Carolyn McCann, Bratton was nearly a second behind after the fly, 1.5 up after the back, and .09 down going into the free leg. In the end she touched out McCann by .12. It was both girls’ first time under 2:00, a nice accomplishment to take with them to A&M and Michigan. Bratton also swims for the Tri-city Channel Cats.

Ryan Harty, 17, Greenwood Memorial Swim Club: 400 IM (3:54.27) – Harty went a season-best time in prelims at 2013 Arena Grand Prix Minneapolis, and was 1.2 seconds faster than last November with his 3:54.27 400 IM. Harty also achieved best times in the 50 free (20.94), 200 free (1:39.12), 100 back (47.77), and 200 breast (2:04.49).

Brian Poon, 16, Phoenix Swimming: Poon is a very versatile swimmer, and he really showed that off at the Minneapolis Grand Prix last weekend where he finished 11th  in the 400 IM with a 3:55.89 (3:55.12 in prelims, 6.7 faster than last November), and 16th in the 200 IM (1:51.44 in prelims). Those are both lifetime bests for him, and no other swimmer 16-or-younger placed higher in either event.