2016 Swammy Awards: Age Group Swimmer of the Year – 11-12

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2016 Honorees: Meghan Lynch and Ronald Dalmacio

11-12 Girls

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

Lynch wasn’t just the top 11-12 year-old girl of 2016; she established herself as one of the most notable swimmers of all time in the age category. Before Lynch aged out in the fall, she had registered 11 swims on the top 100 lists for 11-12 girls in SCY and 11 in LCM. Among those were all-time top-10 performances in the 200y free (8th), 200y breast (5th), 100y IM (6th), 200y IM (7th), 400y IM (10th), 200m breast (4th), 200m IM (3rd), and 400m IM (3rd).

Lynch led the nation in IMX scores for 12-year-old girls for both the SCY season and the LCM season. She made top-ten lists 23 times out of a possible combined 35 events in the 11-12 age category, including #1 swims in the 200y breast, 200m breast, 200/400m IM, and 400y IM. She was the second-fastest performer in the 50/400m free, 200/500/1000y free, 100y breast, 100m breast, and 100/200y IM. Lynch was top-5 in another handful of events (50/100y free, 100/200/800/1500m free, 50y breast, and 50m breast) and eighth in the 1650 free.

With only a couple of months under her belt competing as a 13-year-old, Lynch already owns the #2 IMX score in the country for the SCY season underway, and she has already made the all-time top 100 for 13-14 girls in the 200y breast and 200/400y IMs. She is the #1 200y breaststroker and 200y IMer among 13-year-old this fall; she is also #2 in the 400y IM, #3 in the 100y breast, #8 in the 500y free, #8 in the 1650 free, and #9 in the 200y free.

Runner-Up

Justina Kozan – BREA Aquatics (California)

Kozan had a great season in her own right, figuring in the top ten for 11-12 girls in 21 events out of 35. She was particularly strong in long course meters, where she finished second to Lynch in IMX scores for 12-year-olds, and posted the #1 times in the country in the 100/200m free and 100m fly. She was #2 in the 800m free, 200m fly, and 200m IM; #3 in the 200y IM and 400m IM; #4 in the 50m free and 200/1650y free; and #5 in the 100/500y free and 400y IM. Her other top-10 swims were: 50y free, 400m free, 100y back, 100m back, 50m fly, and 100/200y fly.

Honorable Mention

In no particular order:

• Claire Curzan – Raleigh Swimming Association (NC): Curzan was the only national age group record-breaker among the 11-12 girls for 2016. Swimming in the C final of the 100y fly at the 2016 U.S. Winter Junior Championships-East, Curzan posted a 54.57 to take down the former NAG record of 54.73 set by Regan Smith in 2014. Curzan won’t age out of the 11-12s until next summer so she has ample time to do further damage to the mark. In addition to the 100y fly, Curzan had the nation’s #1 times in the 50y fly and 50m fly. She was runner-up in the 50y free, #3 in the 100m fly, #4 in the 100y back, and #10 in the 50m back.
• Joy Jiang – Westchester Aquatic Club (NY): Jiang wound up the year with the top 100m back performance for 11-12 girls. She also posted top-10 times in the 400m free, 100/200y back, 200m back, 50/100m fly, 100/200y fly, 200y IM, and 200/400m IM.
• Zoe Skirboll – Franklin Area Swim Team/Racer X Aquatics (PA): Skirboll represented FAST throughout the pre-summer short course season and at the beginning of long course season, after which she swam unattached. This fall she has represented RXA, and is currently the #1 12-year-old in the country in the 50/100y free and 50/100y breast. She finished the summer with the top IMX score for 11-year-olds, and the #1 time in the country for 11-12s in the 100m breast, #2 in the 50m breast and 50m fly, #3 in the 50m free, #5 in the 100m free, and #8 in the 200m IM.

11-12 Boys

Ronald Dalmacio – Rose Bowl Aquatics, Pasadena, California

Dalmacio is head and shoulders ahead of his peer group in those events (mostly backstroke) that he excels in. In long course meters he was more than half a second faster than the next-fastest 50 backstroker, 3.1 seconds faster in the 100m back, and 3.5 seconds faster in the 200m back. In short course yards he topped the field by 1/10 in the 50, 1 second in the 100, and 3/100 in the 200.

Dalmacio broke four 11-12 national age group records this year, and he still has half a year left as a 12-year-old to continue his assault on the record book. He finished 2016 at the top of the 11-12 age category in the 50y free, 100m free, 50/100/200y back, 50/100/200m back, and 100y IM. His other top-ten performances included: 50m/200 free, 100/200y free, 50/100y fly, 200y IM, and 200m IM.

Short Course NAGs:

50y back – 24.11 – 12/10/16
100y back – 50.99 – 11/5/16
200y back – 1:53.33 – 11/6/16

Long Course NAGs:

50m back – 27.88 – 6/19/16

Dalmacio’s IMX score ranked #1 in the country for 11-year-olds in 2015-16 short course season and #2 for 12-year-old in the summer long course season. This fall he leads the nation in the 12-year-old category.

Honorable Mention

In no particular order:

• Braeden Haughey – TAC Titans (NC): Haughey had a consistently successful 2016 and finished in the top ten for 11-12s in the 50/100/200/400m free, 100/500y free, 200/200y back, 100m back, 200Y fly, and 200m IM. He made giant strides during the year, dropping 5 seconds year-over-year in the 100y back, 20 seconds in the 200y back, 19.3 seconds in the 200m IM, and 25 seconds in the 400m free, just to name a few.
• Andrew Lin – Champaign County YMCA (IL): Lin finished 2016 with 11 times in the top 10 for 11-12 boys, including the #1 performance in the 100m fly. He was also top-ten in the 50y back, 50/100/200m back, 50/100y fly, 50 fly, 100/200y IM, and 200m IM.
• Parker Macy – Aquazot Swim Club (CA): Macy led the nation in IMX scores for 12-year-old boys during the 2016 long course season. He was the top 11-12 boy in the 200m breast, 200m IM, and 400m IM during the 2016 swim year. Macy notched a total of ten top-10 swims, including the 200/400/800m free, 1650y free, 100m breast, and 200/400y IM, in addition to the events listed above. After aging up this fall, Macy put up top-ten times for 13-year-olds in the 1000/1650y free, 200y breast, and 400y IM.
• Josh Zuchowski – Flood Aquatics Swim Team (FL): Zuchowski was ranked the #2 11-year-old in short course season and the #3 12-year-old in long course season in IMX scores this year, and finished 2016 with top-ten times in the 50/100/200m back, 100/200y back, 100/200/400y IM, and 200/400m IM. This fall he leads the nation among 12-year-old boys in the 200y IM and the 400y IM and is ranked second in the 100y IM.