SwimSwam’s The Weekly Wonders of Age Group Swimming – 8/6/2014

Thank you for your patience; it’s been a busy end-of-summer. Nevertheless we wanted to honor some great swims during the long course season’s championship meets so we’ll start with the weekend of July 31-August 3. We had several Zones meets going on, YMCA National Championships, and Speedo Junior Nationals, in addition to age group championships in several parts of the country. Here are our Daring Dozen from that weekend.

Josh Pales, 12, Lincoln Select Swimming: 100m free (57.14) – Pales went six-for-six, winning the boys 11-12 50/100/200/400 free, 50 breast, and 200 IM at the Central Zone 14 & Under Championships hosted by Midwestern Swimming in Oklahoma City. Not only that, he picked up PBs in each of those events as well. Pales closed out the year with national top-ten times for 12-year-old boys in the 50/100/200 free and 50 breast.

Zachary Hils, 13, Wildcat Aquatics: 200m free (1:55.29) – Hils won the boys 13-14 200 free at Southern Zone Age Group Swimming Championships hosted by Alamo Area Aquatics Association in San Antonio, Texas. Seeded with 1:57.0, he went 1:57.8 in prelims and then dropped 2.5 in finals for his first Winter Juniors standard. In addition to the 200, Hils finished the meet with best times in the 50/100/400 free, 50/100/200 back, and 200/400 IM.

Madison Homovich, 14, North Carolina Aquatics Club: 400m free (4:12.30) – Homovich had a breakout meet at Speedo Junior National Championships in Irvine. She was an A finalist in the 200 fly and 400 IM, and medaled in the 400 free (2nd), 800 free (2nd), and 1500 (2nd). The meet produced seven PBs for her: 200/400/800/1500 free, 200 fly, and 200/400 IM.

Amanda Nunan, 15, Egg Harbor Twp Seahawks: 800m free (8:42.84) – Seeded 26th in the 800 at Speedo Junior Nationals, Nunan dropped 12 seconds and found herself on the medal stand on the first night with a third-place finish. She also went best times in the 200 free and 1500 free and finaled in the 400.

Tan Dunn, 14, Southern Crescent Aquatic Team: 100m back (58.21) – Dunn won the boys 13-14 100 back at the AAAA Southern Zones in San Antonio with a new meet record of 58.21. He also won the 50 free (meet record, 24.14) and 200 back (meet record, 2:06.38). In addition, he came away from the meet with PBs in the 100/200 free and 100 fly.

Sophia Tuinman, 11, Plymouth-Canton Cruisers: 200m back (2:29.06) – At the Central Zone 14 & Under Age Group Championships hosted by Lake Erie Silver Dolphins, Tuinman went six-for-six with PBs in the 200/400 free, 50/100/200 back, and 200 IM. She finished the summer number 3 on the Top Ten list for 11-year-old girls in the 200 back and number 4 in the 100.

Connor Hoppe, 18, Clovis Swim Club: 100m breast (1:02.16) – Cal-bound Hoppe won the men’s 100 breast at Speedo Junior Nationals from lane 6 with a best time by 1.3 seconds. Entered with a 1:03-mid, he dropped 3/10 in prelims and another second in finals for the win.

Jonathan Rutter, 18, Powel Crosley YMCA: 200m breast (2:15.96) – Rutter, soon-to-be Yale class of 2018, won his second consecutive title, with his second consecutive YMCA national record, at the YMCA National Championships in Indianapolis. Rutter dropped nearly two seconds from his 2013 record time, and his 2:15.96 was faster than the winning time at Speedo Junior Nationals in Irvine. Rutter ended his summer at YNats with PBs in the 100/200/400 free, 100/200 breast, and 200 IM.

Keane Alejandro, 11, Canyons Aquatic Club: 200m breast (2:37.33) – At the Speedo Long Course Far Western Championships hosted by Terrapins Swim Team, Alejandro dropped five seconds off his seed time and finished second in the boys 11-12 200 breast. His time is now 14th on the all-time top ten list for 11-12 boys. He was, however, number 1 for 11-year-old boys this season, and that by seven seconds.

Isabella Gati, 14, Central Arkansas Swim Club: 100m fly (1:02.02) – Last year, at the 2013 Central Zone 14 & Under Championship meet in Kansas, Gati won the 100 fly in 1:05.16. At this year’s version, held at the Oklahoma City Community College Olympic Festival Pool, she dropped more than three seconds and picked up another win AND her first-ever Summer Juniors cut. She notched her best 100 back this year, too.

Seth Hendrix, 14, Jeffco Hurricanes: 200m fly (2:06.66) – Swimming at the Western Zone Senior Championships hosted by Clovis Swim Club, Hendrix won the B final with a best time by 3.5 seconds. He eked out the win by .27 and picked up his first Winter Juniors cut. Hendrix left California with several other best times: 200/400/800/1500 free, and 200/400 IM.

Sam Stewart, 17, YMCA Hub Fins: 200m IM (2:04.89) – At Speedo Junior Nationals Stewart made finals in the 200 back, 200 IM, and 400 IM. He improved his PBs in the 200 back (by 2.3 seconds), 100 fly (0.5s) 200 fly (4.1s), 200 IM (1.2s), and 400 IM (4.8s).