2014 Swammy Awards: Age Group Swimmer of the Year – 10 & Under

To see all of the 2014 Swammy Award winners, presented by TYR, click here.

2014 Honorees: Meghan Lynch and Andrew Rogers

10 & Under Girls

Meghan Lynch – Greenwich YWCA Dolphins Swim Team, Greenwich, Connecticut

Courtesy of Jeremy Cochran, Greenwich YWCA.

By just about every metric one can come up with, Meghan Lynch finished 2014 at the top of the Girls 10 & Under age category. She had 16 top-ten swims out of a possible 23 short-course and long-course events, and was number 1 in ten of them; she set four national age group records; and she ended up with the second-highest IMX ranking in the country for 10-year-old girls in both SCY and LCM seasons.

Lynch is the fastest ten-year-old female breaststroker ever to grace the pool deck, having broken NAG records in both the 50 and 100 distances, in both short course yards and long course meters. The new standards now stand at 31.73/1:08.07 and 36.13/1:17.74, respectively. In addition to those four events, Lynch was also the top swimmer in the 200y free, 200y IM, 50/200/400m free, and 200m IM. Other top-ten swims included: 100y free (2nd), 100y IM (2), 100m free (3), 50y free (5), 500y free (6), and 50m fly (10).

Short Course NAGs
50 breast – 31.73 (3/27/14)
100 breast – 1:08.07 (3/27/14)

Long Course NAGs
50 breast – 36.13 (7/12/14)
100 breast – 1:18.67 (6/1/14)
100 breast – 1:17.74 (7/12/14)

As an 11-year-old, Lynch currently sits in the top ten nationally at the end of this fall’s short course season in 50/100/200/1650y free, 50/100/200y breast, and 100/200/400y IM. She is number one in the 50/100y breast and 200y IM.

Runner-Up:

Joy Jiang – Westchester Aquatic Club, New Rochelle, New York: Jiang was just as impressive as Lynch throughout 2014, but with one NAG to her name versus four for Lynch, she became the 10-year-old runner-up.

Like Lynch, Jiang made the top-ten list 16 out of 23 possible times. She finished the year with the top IMX score in both SCY and LCM rankings, and rewrote the national age group record book in the 100m fly when she beat Ella Eastin’s 1:08.81 from 2008 with 1:08.67. Jiang owned all the fly and back events for the age group, finishing number 1 in both SCY and LCM in the 50/100 fly and 50/100 back. She was 2nd in the 200m IM, 3rd in 100y IM and 400m free, 4th in 200y IM and 200m free, 7th in 200y free, 8th in 100m free, and 9th in 100y free.

Long Course NAGs
100 fly – 1:08.67 (8/6/14)

Although she has only been competing as an 11-year-old since the beginning of the fall, Jiang is already ranked number 2 in IMX for 11-year-old girls this SCY season. She has the number 1 time in the 400y IM, and top-tens in 50/100/200y back, 100/200y fly, and 100/200y IM.

Honorable Mention

In alphabetical order:

• Giulia Baroldi – Joe Flaherty’s Dolphins, Gaithersburg, Maryland: Baroldi, who was still 10 at the end of December, jumped to the top of the 10-year-old standings in the 50y and 100y free at the Tom Dolan Invitational. She finished the year with six other top-ten swims: 200y free (3rd), 100m free, 50y back, 100m back (4th in each), 100y IM (7th), and 200y IM (9th).
• Ava Lachey – Ohio State Swim Club, Columbus, Ohio: Lachey’s name made the top-ten list ten times in 2014, and she placed among the top ten in IMX scores for both SCY and LCM seasons. Lachey’s highest-ranking swims included 100m back (3rd), 50m free, 100y free, 100y back (5th in each), 50m back (6th), 100m free, 200y IM, 200m IM (7th in each), 50y back (8th), and 100y IM (9th).
• Asia Minnes – Swim Neptune, Scottsdale, Arizona: Minnes was the year’s fastest 10-year-old in the 100y IM, and was number 2 in 500y free, 50y back, 100y breast, 200y IM, 50/100m back, and 50/100m breast. Other top-ten swims included 200m IM, 100y back, 50y breast, and 100/400m free. As an 11-year-old this fall, Minnes has the nation’s fastest 100y IM and top-ten times in the 50y back, 50/100y breast, and 200y IM.
• Michelle Tekawy – JCC Waves, Irvine, California: Although she aged up in the middle of the summer, Tekawy nevertheless finished the year with the 4th highest IMX score in both SCY and LCM seasons. She had eight top-ten swims, including 200m IM (4th), 100/200y IM, 200y free, 400m free (all 5th), 100y fly (6th), and 50y fly, 100m breast (both 7th).

10 & Under Boys

Andrew Rogers – Arkansas Dolphins Swim Team, Little Rock, Arkansas

In a year with some truly excellent 10-and-under boys, Andrew Rogers stood out for the quality of his swims over the quantity. There were a couple others who had a greater number of top-ten times but no one had more Number 1 swims and no one had a higher “power point” average than Rogers. He also sported the top-ranked IMX score for 10-year-old during the long-course season, was the number one 9-year-old last short-course season, and leads the IMX table for 10-year-olds this fall.

Rogers closed out 2014 with 13 top-ten swims, including five Number 1s. He saved the best for last, though, breaking the national age group record in the 100y fly at the COR Winter Classic in Richardson, Texas at the beginning of December. Rogers went 59.81 to down a mark that had stood at 59.97 for 22 years. Rogers’ other top times were 100/200m free, 100m fly, and 200m IM. In addition, he finished 2nd in the 50m fly, 3rd in 200y free, 50y fly, 400m free, and 100m back, 5th in 100y back, and 6th in 500y free and 100y IM.

Short Course NAGs
100 fly – 59.81 (12/6/14)

Honorable Mention

In alphabetical order:

• Johnny Bradshaw – The Fish, McLean, Virginia: Bradshaw was the top-ranked 10-year-old boy in the IMX standings for the 2013-14 short-course season and is the 9th 11-year-old so far this fall; during long-course season his IMX score was 8th in the nation. Bradshaw had 15 top-ten times during 2014, including the Number 1 50y free and 50/100y breast times among 10-year-old boys. Additionally, he was ranked 2nd in 50y back and 50m breast; 3rd in 200y IM; 4th in 50y fly, 100y IM, 50/100m free, and 50m back; 6th in 100y free; 8th in 100y back; and 9th in 200y free and 100m breast. Competing as an 11-year-old this fall, Bradshaw wound up with top-ten times in the 50y free, 50y back, 50y breast, 50y fly, and 100y IM.
• Brett Feyerick – Nation’s Capital Swim Club, Bethesda, Maryland: Before Feyerick aged out of the 10 & Unders in March he broke the national age group record in the 50y back with 27.52, more than 4/10 faster than Destin Lasco’s 2012 record of 27.96. And while he was only 10 for the first two months of the year, he remained in the top ten for 2014 in the 50y back (1st), 50y free (3rd), 100y back (4th), 100y free (5th), 50y fly (7th), and 100y fly (9th). As an 11-year-old he has the Number 1 time in the 100/200y free, and 50/100/200y back. He is also top-ten in 50/500y free, 100/200y fly, and 400y IM.
• Lance Godard – Kansas City Blazers, Kansas City, Missouri: Godard led the nation with 18 top-ten times in 23 events. In IMX rankings he was Number 2 behind Rogers in long-course and Number 2 behind Bradshaw in 2013-14 short-course. He finished up 2014 with the fastest 200y free and 50m fly; was 2nd in 200y IM and 200m IM; 3rd in 50/100m free and 100y back; 4th in 50/100y free, 200/500m free, 100m back; 6th in 50m back; 7th in 100m fly; 8th in 100y fly, 100y IM, and 50y back, and 10th in 500y free. So far this fall he is Number 1 among 11-year-olds in the 500y free, and has top-ten swims in 100/200y free, 100y back, and 100/200y IM.
• Baylor Nelson – SwimMAC Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina: Nelson was the third-ranked 10-year-old in IMX for both 2013-14 SCY season and 2014 LCM season, and currently sits at 8th for 11-year-old boys this fall. His 11 top-ten times for the year include: 2nd in 50y fly and 50/100m fly; 3rd in 100y fly; 4th in 200m IM and 200y free; 5th in 200m free; 7th in 50y back; 8th in 200y IM and 50m free; and 9th in 100y free. So far this short-course season, Nelson has top-ten times for 11-year-olds in the 50y back and 50y fly.