AgonSwim Weekly Wonders of Age Group Swimming – 9/24/2014

Welcome to Season Two of “The Weekly Wonders of Age Group Swimming.” We are excited to partner with AgonSwim on this adventure and we can’t wait to see what the 2014-15 season has in store for age group swimmers across the United States.

It’s taken three weekends to build up a critical mass of meets (and believe me, we’ve been eagerly looking through the results since the beginning of the month), so this first report will cover the weekends of September 5-7, 12-14, and 19-21.

Jared Tovera, 12, Livermore Aqua Cowboys: 50y free (23.95) – Tovera won the boys 11-12 50/100 free, 100 back, and 100 fly at the Saint Helena Swim Club Endless Summer Classic. It was his first time under 24 seconds in the 50, and nearly five full seconds faster than at the same time a year ago.

Bella Cothern, 12, Jonesboro ‘Jets’ Swim Team: 50 free (25.15) – Swimming at Central Arkansas Swim Club’s Fall Invite, Cothern won the girls 11-12 50 free, 50 breast, 50 fly, and 100 breast. She picked up four new best times, and was 1.5 seconds ahead of her last year’s pace in the 50 free.

Alec Lezcano, 18, Desert Thunder Aquatics Club: 100y free (46.26) – Lezcano won the 50/100 free and 100 fly at the RIO Fall Opener hosted by Rio Salado Swim Club. Although he was 1.3 seconds off his personal best, Lezcano nonetheless turned in the second-fastest 100 free in the country for the first three weeks of September.

Adrian Aguilar, 13, Metro Aquatic Club of Miami: 200y free (1:49.10) – Aguilar won the boys 14 & under 200 free, 200 back, 200 breast, and 400 IM, picking up new times in the free and IM. This was the first time Aguilar broke the 1:50 barrier in the 200; he was 3.3 seconds faster than at the same period last year.

Danielle Albright, 11, Tule Nation Tritons: 1650y free (19:18.86) – Albright won the 50 breast, 100 IM and 1650 free at the Hanford Fall Classic hosted by Hanford Swim Club. Her first recorded time in the mile was a fast one; Albright leads the nation so far for 11-12 girls.

Julia Samson, 16, Albany Starfish: 100y back (57.52) – The leading time for all girls so far this season belongs to Samson who won the 100 back swimming unattached for Shenendehowa High School at the Owego Invitational at Owego Free Academy. Samson also won the 200 IM at the Invitational, helping lead Shenendehowa to a first-place finish.

Kayde Cross, 11, Central Arkansas Swim Club: 100y back (1:05.38) – Cross was the high point award winner for 11-12 boys at Central Arkansas Swim Club’s Fall Invite. He won the 11-12 50/100 free and 50/100 back. It was his second-fastest 100 back ever, and 2.8 seconds faster than a year ago.

Jacob Bening, 12, River City Aquatics: 200y back (2:09.03) – Swimming at Paducah Swim Team’s SwimFest, Bening dropped a whopping 18.6 seconds in the 200 back. He also finished the weekend with new personal bests in the 500 free, 100 back, 100 fly, and 200/400 IM. In fact, he dropped nearly 25 seconds in the 400 IM and was fifth overall in the open division.

Langston Weddington, 12, SwimAtlanta: 100m breast (1:06.03) – Weddington took 13th in the men’s open 100 breast at the SwimAtlanta Time Trials. Just a tick off his best time, he was eight full seconds faster than at the 2013 version of the same meet. Weddington went home with new times in the 100 free, 50 breast, and 200 IM.

Albert Lee, 16, Sun-shine Aquatics Swim: 200y breast (2:07.30) – At the Oahu Age Group Meet, Lee won the boys 15-16 50/200 free and 100/200 breast. His season-opening 200 breast was a personal best by 1/10, and was 2.5 seconds faster than his season-opening swim a year ago. Lee also went best times in the 50 and 200 free.

Isaac Smith, 12, Western Kansas Swim Club: 100y fly (57.75) – Smith won the boys 11-12 100 fly at the Sprint Decathlon hosted by Northland United Swim Team. With a personal best time. By 7.6 seconds. Plus he was nearly ten seconds faster than he was a year ago. He also won the 50/100 free, 50 back, 50/100 breast, 50 fly, and 100/200 IM and took second in the 100 back.

Jocelyn Ruiz, 11, Blue Marlins Of Hialeah Garden: 200y fly (2:17.17) – Ruiz dropped three seconds off her seed time to win the girls 11-12 200 fly at the Coral Springs Swim Club Open Invitational. She also finished the meet with new personal bests in the 50/100/200 free, 100/200 back, and 100 fly.

Andrea Kyriakidis, 16, Nashville Aquatic Club: 200y IM (2:06.30) – Swimming for Bolles School at the high school’s Bulldog Invitational, Kyriakidis won the girls 200 IM and 100 breast. Although she was off her best 200 IM time, it was a nice early-season swim and she won by a 4.5-second margin.

Michael Auderer, 13, Fayetteville Aquatics Swim Team: 400y IM (4:26.71) – Auderer went a best time by 8.2 seconds to win the boys 400 IM at the Fall Invitational hosted by hosted by Rocky Mount Family YMCA. He was nearly 18 seconds faster than at the same time a year ago. Auderer rounded off the weekend with personal bests in the 50 free (-.7), 100 breast (-6.2), 100 fly (-.1), and 200 IM (-2.9).