2015 Swammy Awards: Age Group Swimmer of the Year – 11-12

Check out all of our 2015 Swammy Awards here.

2015 Honorees: Chase Travis and Winn Aung

11-12 Girls

Chase Travis – Delaware Swim Team/North Baltimore Aquatic Club

Travis competed for Delaware Swim Team during short-course season and transitioned to North Baltimore over the second half of the year. Although she aged into the 13-14 age group in the middle of July, Travis finished the year with seven #1 times and made top-ten lists 20 times out of a possible combined 35 events in the 11-12 age category.

Travis was 2015’s top 12-year-old in the country in the 500/1000y free, 400/800/1500m free, 200y IM, and 400m IM. She was also ranked second in the 1650y free, 200y back, 200m back, 50y breast, 100/200y fly, and 400y IM.

As a 13-year-old, Travis closed out 2015 ranked #1 in the 1650y free, #3 in the 1000 and 500, #6 in the 200y free, and #8 in the 200y IM. She punched her ticket to Winter Juniors in the 1000y free, 100y fly, and 400/800/1500m free.

Honorable Mention

In alphabetical order:

• Joy Jiang – Westchester Aquatic Club (NY): Jiang was the number one 11-year-old in the country in both SCY and LCM IMX scores, and the number 3 12-year-old in the country in LCM. She finished top-ten in 11-12s in 100/200y back, 100/200m back, 50y breast, 50/100y fly, 200y fly (#1), 100/200m fly, 200/400y IM, 200/400m IM.
• Ella Marlow – Greater Tampa Swimming Association (FL): Marlow was the only national age group record-breaker in this group, having taken down the 50m fly mark in August. The versatile Marlow also finished 2015 at the top of the list in the 100m free, and was top-ten in 50/100y free, 50m free, 50m back, 50/100y fly, and 100m fly. As a 13-year-old, she made top-10 in the 100y free and 100y fly.

11-12 Boys

Winn Aung – Redding Swim Team Aqua Ducks, Redding, California

As mentioned above, the 11-12 age group is eligible for 35 events. Like the 10-and-unders, they swim 50 stroke and 100 IM, but like the 13-and-older swimmers they also compete in 200 stroke, 400 IM, and distance free. The fact that one swimmer finished the year in the number one position in 12 of those 35 events, and in the top-10 in another six, is astounding. But that’s not all. Aung also set five national age group records during the year, establishing himself as the most dominant swimmer in the age category.

The events in which Aung topped the charts for 11-12 boys are: 50/100/200/500y free, 50/100/200/400m free, 100/200y fly, and 50/100m fly. He was second in the 50y fly and 200m fly, third in the 400m IM, seventh in the 50m back, and eighth and ninth in the 100y IM and 200y IM, respectively.

Short Course NAGs:

200y free – 1:45.43 – 2/28/15
200y fly – 1:56.05 – 2/27/15

Long Course NAGs:

100m free – 55.03 – 7/24/15
200m free –1:59.72 – 7/10/15
200m fly – 2:12.91 – 6/14/15

Barely 13 at the end of 2015, Aung nevertheless closed out the year as the fastest 13-year-old 100y freestyler and 200y butterflier, second-fastest 100y butterflier, and fourth-faster 50 freestyler.

Honorable Mention

In alphabetical order:

• Brett Feyerick – Nation’s Capital Swim Club (MD): Feyerick led the nation in the SCY season with the top IMX score for 12-year-old boys. More importantly, he broke the national age group record in the 50y back (24.22). He finished the year ranked number one in 50/100y back, 50/100m back, and 100y IM. He was top-ten in 50/100/200/500y free, 200y back, and 200m back.
• Dare Rose – Scarlet Aquatics (NJ): Rose was the only other 11-12 boy to break a national age group record in 2015, and he did it in an absolutely convincing fashion. In July, Dare became the fastest 200m butterflier (2:11.85) in history by a full second, only a month after Winn Aung had taken a huge bite out of the national mark. It was Rose’s best time by nearly four seconds, a simply incredible performance. Rose finished the year with 13 top-ten swims: 200/500y free, 50/100/200/400m free, 50/100/200y fly, 50/100/200m fly, and 200m IM.
• Tyler Lu– King Aquatic Club (WA): Lu scored in the top ten 14 times in 2015: 50y free, 50/100/200y back, 50/100/200m back, 100/200y breast, 100/200m breast, and 100/200/400y IM.