Courtesy: Andrea Basaraba Kilgallon
Team Redbird took flight at the 16th Annual Patrick Moore Memorial Relay Meet in Mission Viejo, California over the weekend, shattering all five women’s 280+ long course relay world records in a single day: the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle, and the 200m and 400m medley. (For the 280+ age group, the team’s combined age must equal 280 or greater.)
The dominant victories included a new 800m freestyle relay world record by 40 seconds and a new 400m medley relay world record by 26 seconds.
Charlotte Davis, Veronica Hibben, and Laura Val led the historic effort by competing in all five relays over the course of just two and a half hours. Judy Garay, Jelena Kunovac, and Carola Khouri rounded out the roster for the five world record performances.
The Team Redbird women’s 240+ team celebrated an additional triumph when Ellen Reynolds, Garay, Arlette Godges, and Susan Williams set a new USMS national record in the 400m medley relay.
To cap off the unforgettable day, Val broke three individual long course world records while leading off the relays, setting new marks in the 50m backstroke, 100m backstroke, and 100m freestyle.
Reflecting on the extraordinary performances, Jelena Kunovac said:
“Team Redbird is so much more than a tight-knit ‘virtual’ swim team—we are a community that brings together people who believe there are no limits to their goals, who love to chase new adventures, and who compete on the world’s biggest stages. The five relay and three individual world records in one day are an incredible accomplishment, but our greatest achievement is inspiring one another to prove that the best chapters of our lives are still ahead of us.”
