SwimSwam’s The Weekly Wonders of Age Group Swimming – 8/13/2014

This is our last WWAGS for the 2013-14 swim year. There weren’t many meets over the weekend of August 3-6, but they were taper meet for a good number of swimmers (with the exception of those who made Pan Pacs or Junior Pan Pacs teams). We noticed great swims at Western Zones, Eastern Zones, NACC, NCSA, and Nationals, amongst others. Following are the Daring Dozen for the weekend:

Katrina Konopka, 17, Y-Spartaquatics Swim Club: 50m free (25.66) – Konopka finaled in the 50 two weeks in a row with new PBs each time: her 25.75 earned her fourth in the A final at Juniors; her 25.66 was the second-fastest in the 18U C final at Phillips 66 National Championships in Irvine. Konopka also finished up Nationals with best times in the 100 breast (from time trials) and 100 fly.

Thomas Roark, 14, Boise YMCA Swim Team: 100m free (53.80) – Swimming at the Western Zone Age Group Championships hosted by Pacific Northwest Swimming at Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center, Roark won the boys 13-14 100 free, going a best time by a tick in prelims, then dropping another whole second in finals. He also went best times in the 50 free and 200 free.

Paige Madden, 15, City of Mobile Swim Association: 200m free (2:00.83) – Madden went under 2:01 for the second time in two weeks when she swam in the C final at Phillips 66 Nationals. She had just achieved the standard for Nationals at Juniors the week before. Madden also swam the 800 at Nationals, where she went her best time by 1.5 seconds.

Matthew Lequang, 12, Princeton Tiger Aquatic Club: 400m free (4:23.69) – At the Eastern Zone Long Course Age Group Championships hosted by Poseidon Swimming & Virginia Swimming, Lequang won the boys 11-12 400 free with a best time by 4.2 seconds. That gave him the fourth-fastest time of the year for 12-year-old boys. Lequang finished the meet with new PBs in 50/100/400 free and 100 back.

True Sweetser, 16, Gator Swim Club: 1500m free (15:18.64) – Sweetser was entered in the mile at Phillips 66 Nationals with an SCY time. He dropped 48 seconds to win heat 3 from lane 7, and ended up 13th overall. He left Irvine with new times in the 200/400/800/1500 freestyles and finished the season with top-ten times for 16-year-old boys in all four events (6th/2nd/2nd/1st, respectively).

Joey Reilman, 17, Firestone Akron Swim Team: 100m back (56.77) – After A final finishes in both the 100 and 200 back at Juniors, Reilman logged a best time in the 100 at Nationals Time Trials. In the 200, although he swam his PB at Juniors, Reilman nonetheless finished 3rd in the 18U C final at Nationals. All told, Irvine was the scene for his lifetime best 200 free and 100/200 back; he finished the season number 1 for 17-year-olds in the 200 back and number 2 in the 100.

Alex Sumner, 14, Suburban Seahawks Club: 200m back (2:16.50) – Sumner placed third at NCSA Summer Swimming Championships hosted by Pleasant Prairie Patriots at IUPUI. She bettered her seed time by 2.1 seconds in prelims and then by another 1.2 in finals. Sumner ended up the second-ranked 14-year-old girl in the country for the 200 this season. Sumner also left the meet with new PBs in the 200 fly and 200 IM.

Lyon Zhang, 14, East Bay Aquatics Association: 100m breast (1:06.21) – Zhang won the boys 13-14 100 breast at North America Challenge Cup in Veracruz, Mexico by 3.3 seconds, just .10 off his best time. He scored points for Pacific Swimming in the 200 back (4th), 200 breast (1st), 100 fly (4th), 200 IM (1st), and 400 IM (1st), in addition to the 100 breast. Zhang picked up PBs in the 200 back, 200 IM and 400 IM.

Jorie Caneta, 17, Roadrunner Aquatic: 100m breast (1:09.41) – Prior to Juniors Caneta had never been under 1:11 for the 100 breast; then she went under 1:10 four times in a row. She finished the summer with the number 2 time for 17-year-old girls.

Carl Krell, 14, Kemmerer Swim Club: 100m fly (59.54) – Krell went under 1:00 for the first time in finals at the Western Zone Age Group Championships. Qualifying 7th in prelims, Krell hopped up 4 spots and finished third in the 13-14 boys 100 fly. He also ended the meet with PBs in the 100 free and 200 back.

Maddy Potter, 13, Edina Swim Club: 200m fly (2:18.60) – The only 13-year-old in the A final of the 100 and 200 fly at NCSA Summer Champs, Potter left Indianapolis with new PBs in both events. Her 1:02.44 was good enough for fifth in the 100, while her 2:18.60 landed her a seventh-place finish in the 200. Potter finishes the season ranked number 1 in the 100 fly for her age.

Jarod Arroyo, 13, Utah Valley Aquatics: 200m IM (2:16.70) – One more notable performance coming out of the Western Zone Age Group meet was Arroyo’s PB and third-place finish in the boys 13-14 200 IM. He finaled in the 100/200 back, 100/200 fly, and 200/400 IM and left the meet with best times in the 200 back, 200 fly, and both IMs.