SwimSwam’s The Weekly Wonders of Age Group Swimming – 2/26/2014

Just when you think you’ve seen some incredible age group swimming, along comes a weekend like this past one with state high school championships taking place all over the country and you just can’t believe what these kids are doing. Apologies for skewing this report toward the older end of the age-group spectrum but there was a lot that deserved to be mentioned. Here are the week’s Daring Dozen:

Sophia Clayton-Luce, 13, New Wave Swim Team: 50 free (23.63) – Clayton-Luce finished second in the women’s 50 free at the 2014 North Carolina Swimming Senior Short Course Championship hosted by TAC Titans. She was nearly a full second faster than she was at the same meet last year. She also finished third in the 100 free and was the only A,B or C finalist under the age of 15 in both events.

Ed Kim, 18, Bellevue Club Swim Team: 100 free (43.90) – Swimming for Eastlake High School at the Washington State 4A Championships, Kim dipped under 44 for the first time and swam the week’s second-fastest 18-and-under 100 free in the country… no mean feat for a week that featured college conference and high school championships all over the country. It was his best time by a half-second, and 1.5 faster than what he went last year. Harvard might wish they could put him on Saturday’s relay at Ivies. Next year.

Alisabeth Marsteller, 18, Mason Manta Rays: 200 free (1:46.78) – Marsteller broke the Division I high school record while winning the 200 free at the Ohio State High School Swimming and Diving Championships. Swimming for Cincinnati Ursuline, she also won the 100 free and anchored the state record-setting 400 free relay. Princeton-bound Marsteller was nearly two seconds faster than she was a year ago at the same meet.

Jonathan Roberts, 18, North Texas Nadadores: 500 free (4:16.90) – Roberts broke the Texas state high school record, set by Michael Klueh in 2005, by 2.5 seconds with his phenomenal win for Southlake Carroll in the 5A State Meet. This was his best time by 3.2 seconds, his previous PB coming from the same meet last year. Roberts will swim for University of Texas next year.

Dylan Moffatt, 11, Black Hawk Area Swim Team: 1000 free (10:50.61) – Swimming at the Iowa Swimming 12 & Under Short Course Championships, Moffatt won the 100/200/500/1000/1650 free and 400 IM. Moffatt now holds the second-fastest 1000 of the season for 11-year-old boys.

Anina Lund, 15, Badger Swim Club: 1650 free (16:34.33) – Lund won the mile at the 2014 Senior Metropolitan Winter Championships at Lehman College in Bronx, NY. She was just a little off her best time from Winter Nationals in December 2013, but still 14 seconds faster than at the same meet last February.

Lainie Bell, 13, Dynamo Swim Club: 100 back (55.90) – Bell won the 50/100 free, 100/200 back, and 100 breast at the 2014 Georgia 14 & Under Short Course Championship. Her 100 back time was her best by 1.5 seconds, was 3.3 seconds faster than at the same meet last year, and was her first-ever national cut.

Rhyan White, 14, Wasatch Front Fish Market: 200 back (1:59.57) – Just a tick off her best time from Minneapolis Grand Prix in November, White nevertheless went her second-best time ever to win the 200 back at the Utah Senior State Championships by 5 seconds. Her time was 6 seconds ahead of where she was at the same meet last year.

Antonio Octaviano, 11, Radnor Aquatic Club: 100 breast (1:07.79) – Octaviano won the 100/200 breast and 50 fly at the Nittany Lion Aquatic Club Last Chance Meet at Penn State. He went his best time by 2.4 seconds in the 100 breast, and was almost 9 ahead of where he was last February.

Dillon Hall, 13, Georgia Coastal Aquatic Team: 200 breast (2:09.45) – Hall won the 100/200 breast and the 200/400 IM at the Georgia 14 & Under Short Course Championship. His 200 breast was a 4+ second drop from his seed time, and over 7 seconds faster than at the same meet last year.

Victoria Edwards, 15, Longhorn Aquatics: 100 fly (53.99) – A freshman at Austin Westlake, Edwards broke 54 for the first time and won the 100 fly at the Texas 5A State Meet. It was her best time by a half-second, and over 2 seconds ahead of where she was last year at this time. Edwards was also runner-up in the 100 back.

Abrahm DeVine, 17 Cascade Swim Club: 200 IM (1:47.60) – DeVine went his lifetime best by 1.6 seconds en route to winning the 200 IM at the Washington State 3A Boys’ Swim/Dive Championships. The Lakeside High junior broke the state record and was 3.3 seconds faster than he was a year ago.

Special thanks to Lyle Campbell for his assistance in putting this list together.