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.
Jorge Guerra, 12, North Channel Aquatics (NOCH-GU): Guerra fired off personal best times in five events at the Sharks April LCM Meet in Texas, putting his versatility on display in butterfly, IM and distance freestyle. The 12-year-old North Channel Aquatics member clocked 17:52.57 in the 1500 free, ranking him first this season and 88th all-time in the boys’ 11-12 age group in what was his first-ever long course mile. He also went 1:03.66 in the 100 fly to rank first in the age group this season, while his 5:06.46 performance in the 400 IM ranks second among 11-12s in 2022-23.
Una Diaz, 12, Long Island Aquatic Club (LIAC-MR): Diaz had a standout showing at the Long Island Aquatic Club’s Speedo LI Challenge last weekend, establishing new personal best times in seven different events. Highlighting those efforts was her performance in the 400 IM, as Diaz lowered her PB by eight and a half seconds in 5:13.47, ranking her second this season among girls in the 11-12 age group and nearly cracking the top 100 all-time. She also takes over the #1 spot in the age group this season in the 800 free, touching in 9:28.86 in what was only her second-ever swim in the event.
Reid O’Connell, 13, Long Island Aquatic Club (LIAC-MR): O’Connell put up five PBs at the Speedo LI Challenge, including clockings of 8:44.31 in the 800 free and 2:12.66 in the 200 back that rank him ninth among 13-year-old boys in the U.S. since the beginning of 2020. He also went 4:15.99 in the 400 free, ranking him 19th fastest over the last three years for 13-year-olds, and added best times in the 200 fly (2:14.81) and 200 breast (2:34.13).
Margot Levesque, 14, Bluefish Swim Club (ABF-NE): Also competing at the LI Challenge, Levesque had a strong showing for Bluefish Swim Club, highlighted by her performance in the 400 IM. Levesque, who only turned 14 over the last month, set a new lifetime best in the event for the third time in 2023, clocking 5:02.16 to rank sixth this season in the girls 13-14 age group. Levesque added best times in the 100 back (1:10.13), 100 fly (1:08.75) and 200 IM (2:25.80).
Jake McCoy, 16, Cougar Aquatics (COUG-IE): McCoy had a pair of monstrous swims at the Dick LaFave Classic in Federal Way, dropping three seconds in the 400 IM (4:29.94) and nearly two in the 200 back (2:04.69). McCoy, who had previously been 4:32.90 and 2:06.34 in the two events, respectively, now ranks fifth in the boys’ 15-16 age group this season in both races.
Shannon Conway, 14, North Baltimore Aquatic Club (NBAC-MD): Conway established best times in every event she swam at the Carol Chidester Invitational in Annapolis, picking up eight victories, including a time of 26.53 which ranks her fourth among 13-14 girls this season and cracks the top 100 all-time. The 14-year-old NBAC swimmer also moves into third this season among 13-14 girls in the 400 free (4:23.68) and fifth in the 200 free (2:06.03).
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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