In our GMX7 Weekly Wonders of Age Group Swimming series, we celebrate swimmers of every age and experience level with age group profiles of some recent results.
Ben Liang, 13, Nitro Swimming (NTRO-ST): Liang started 2023 off on the right foot with two new personal best times and a few other elite swims at the TXLA New Year’s Classic last weekend, hitting PBs in the 200 fly (1:57.85) and 200 breast (2:16.01) while also posting respective times of 1:56.45 and 4:14.53 in the 200 and 400 IM. Liang’s swim in the 200 fly ties him for seventh this season among 13-year-old boys in the U.S., while his 200 IM showing of 1:56.30 from December ranks sixth and his 400 IM best (4:13.90) is 11th.
Reina Liu, 12, Greensboro Community YMCA (GCY-NC): Liu notched an incredible nine best times at the SGSA January Jump Start meet last weekend, headlined by blistering showings of 26.67 in the 50 back and 59.30 in the 100 IM. In the 50 back, Liu now ranks 34th all-time in the girls’ 11-12 age group, while in the 100 IM she’s tied for 51st (also first in the U.S. this season in both events).
Austin Sorg, 14, Rocket Swim Club (RSC-OH): Sorg, a freshman at Oak Harbor High School, set new Sandusky Bay Conference records at the SBC Swimming Championships last weekend, hitting times of 1:50.59 in the 200 free and 52.93 in the 100 fly. Sorg, a 14-year-old who also competes for the Rocket Swim Club, also set best times in both races, and was additionally apart of Oak Harbor’s winning 200 free and 200 medley relays at the meet.
Julie Mishler, 15, Fishers Area Swimming Tigers (FAST-IN): Mishler played a major role as the Wawasee Warriors won eight out of 11 events at the Northern Lakes Conference girls’ swimming championship meet, factoring into four of the five meet records set by the school. Mishler, who competes for FAST in club swimming, put up times of 22.88 in the 50 free and 55.23 in the 100 fly to set new championship records, with the 100 fly mark having been on the books since 2012. The 15-year-old sophomore also contributed as Wawasee set new records in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays. Mishler’s 100 fly performance was a personal best, while her 50 free PB of 22.67 was set at Winter Juniors – East in December.
Hugh Harrison, 17, Star Swimming (STAR-NI): In a high school dual meet against Mercyhurst Prep, Warren Area High School’s Harrison set new program records and personal best times in the 100 breaststroke (59.81) and 100 butterfly (51.15), impressively doing so while swimming on his own. The 100 breast record, which he edged out by .06, had been on the books since 2014, while the previous 100 fly mark of 52.81 was set last year. “It’s not very hard to hype myself up during meets like this, whether I have competition or not,” Harrison told the Times Observer. “I’m mainly focused on self-improvement and swimming as fast as I possibly can. But competition helps. I hate losing.”
Juli Cavalcanti, 12, Tiger Splash Swim Team/Cypress Fairbanks Swim Club (CFSC-GU): Cavalcanti won all five of her events at the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation (TAAF) Winter Games of Texas Swimming Championships, highlighted by a new record in the 100 freestyle. Cavalcanti’s time of 56.58 in the event broke the TAAF League record of 58.53, set in 2018 by Maria Jhoanna Oushalkas. Cavalcanti also swam to new bests in the 50 free (26.39), 50 back (29.59) and 50 fly (28.89), and added another victory in the 100 IM (1:05.36).
About GMX7
Founded in 2018, GMX7 is based in St. Petersburg, Florida and is dedicated to changing the world of swimming by empowering competitive swimmers with the best aquatic resistance training devices ever created. GMX7 was founded by David McCagg, a 7-time gold medalist, former world record holder and winner of multiple national championships. The first device on the market by GMX7 is the X1-PRO. Designed by ROBRADY Engineering, it has already been the recipient of several awards including the 2020 International Design Excellence Award and the 2020 Red Dot Award for product design.
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