There was fast swimming all over the country this past weekend, not least of which were the high school championships in Florida, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota, amongst others. Below is the AgonSwim Weekly Wonders list for the weekend of November 14-16, 2014.
Rachel Wittmer, 15, Unattached (Aquajets Swim Team): 50y free (22.62) – Swimming for Edina High School at Minnesota’s 2014 MSHSL Girls’ AA Swimming & Diving Championships, Wittmer won the 50 and 100 free titles, achieving new personal bests in both events. Her 50 free time broke the Minnesota state AA record as well as the all-time state record, by .11.
Kaitlyn Schorr, 15, Unattached (Southwest Stars Swim Club): 100y free (50.24) – Schorr knocked nearly a full second of her seed time and was 3.5 seconds faster than a year ago when she took second place in the 100 free at the Florida High School Class 1A Championships. The Montverde Academy sophomore was also fourth in the 50 free, again with a best time.
Kaitlynn Wheeler, 13, Springfield YMCA Swim Team: 500y free (4:56.57) – Wheeler has swum the 500 free three times in November; each time she goes a little faster. This time it was a whole 2.3-second improvement, and it led her to a second-place finish at the Speedo Midwest Senior Challenge hosted by Iowa Flyers at University of Iowa. Wheeler also went best times in the 200/1650 free and 100/200 back.
Sean Grieshop, 15, Nitro Swimming: 1000y free (9:02.31) – Grieshop went a best time in the 1000 free by just a tick with his leadoff split going out in the 1650 at the Longhorn Aquatics 11 & Over Meet. Grieshop has the fastest time in the country for all boys, 18 and under, in both the 1000 and 1650.
Makoa Alvarez, 17, West Oahu Aquatics: 100y back (49.47) – Alvarez won the 100 back and 100/200 fly at the Hawaii Swimming Senior SCY Championships. He placed second in the 200 IM with a best time, and came away from the meet Number 3 on the boys’ high point table.
Ruby Martin, 14, Iowa Flyers Swim Club: 200y back (1:57.73) – Martin took her swimming to a new level at the Speedo Midwest Senior Challenge. She won the 100 free, 200 back (meet record), and 400 IM (meet record), posting best times in all of them. She also went new PBs in the 100 back and 100 breast. Her 200 back time was a 4-second improvement over her previous fastest.
Andie Peterson, 13, Unattached (Fargo-Moorhead YMCA Swim Team): 100y breast (1:04.95) – An eighth grader at West Fargo, Peterson dropped four seconds in the 100 breast between prelims and finals and wound up runner-up in the North Dakota Girls’ State Swimming & Diving Championships. Peterson went 1:08.87 at the same meet last year. She now holds the third-fastest 100 breast time in the country for 13-year-old girls.
Holly Jansen, 14, Potomac Marlins: 200y breast (2:16.73) – Jansen went a best time and was 5.5 seconds faster than at the same meet a year ago when she won the girls 13-14 200 breast at the Carl Warner Memorial meet hosted by Coast Guard Blue Dolphins. Jansen also won the 100 free, 200 back, 100 breast, and 200 IM.
Claire Maiocco, 16, Unattached (Trinity Prep Aquatics): 100y fly (53.97) – In her first dip under the 54-second mark, Maiocco knocked .7 off her seed time and finished second in the 100 fly at the Florida High School Class 1A meet. The Trinity Prep sophomore also finished third in the 50 free with 23.30.
Shelby Stanley, 13, Carter Center Aquatics: 200y fly (2:09.64) – Stanley was about a second off her lifetime best but still 9 faster than a year ago when she won the girls 13-14 200 fly at the November Invitational hosted by H2okie Aquatics. Stanley also won the 200 free, 200 back, 100/200 breast, and 200/400 IM.
Casey Storch, 15, Machine Aquatics: 200 IM (1:54.23) – Storch lopped 1.7 seconds off his seed time at the Atlantic Quad Meet hosted by Marlins of Raleigh. Storch left the meet with new PBs in the 50 free, 100/200 breast, 100 fly, and 200/400 IM.
Vanessa Chong, 11, Laguardia Aquatic Club: 400y IM (4:49.04) – Chong dropped 2.7 seconds and won the girls open division of the 400 IM at the Big Apple Classic hosted by Flushing Flyers. Chong went best times for the weekend in the 100 free, 100/200 back, 200 breast, 100/200 fly, and 200/400 IM.
Dear Bobo
Ty for recognizing Kate Douglass. Kate swims 5-6 practices per week. She hasn’t even begun growing. Our focus at the Westchester Aquatic Club is IM base with a lot of technique – all team members excelling in IM. Not sure what other programs have done to burn out their 12 year olds and no disrespect to them, but Kate’s has great parents and we both allow her to succeed in swimming while having fun in and outside the pool. We are very proud of Kate and her accomplishments and have put no limitations on what she can or can’t do in the future. I am grateful and thank God that the I have the opportunity to coach and… Read more »
Also 16-year-old Beata Nelson
51.70 in the 100 fly 15/16 NAG record!
Other names for that weekend.
BOYS
9-year-old Nicholas Arndt from The Fish
1.06.21 in the 100 fly
12-year-old Alex Neff from Tide Swimming
49.44 in the 100 free
1.48.73 in the 200 free
11-year-old Hayden Zheng from Aquajets Swim Team
30.39 in the 50 breast
1.06.00 in the 100 breast
15-year-old Austin Katz
48.57 in the 100 back
14-year-old Reece Whitley from Penn Charter Aquatic Club
55.09 in the 100 breast
15-year-old James Daugherty
55.14 in the 100 breast
15-year-old Vance Sanders from Clearwater Aquatic Team
1.48.80 in the 200 fly
GIRLS
12-year-old Andrea Santander from Gulliver Swim Club
52.08 in the 100 free
1.51.98 in the… Read more »
Bobo –
while I love your enthusiasm, I’m wondering if you consider any other factors besides the times when posting things like “next american star” after a 12 year old does something really fast? If history is to be believed, the faster a swimmer is early in their career, the less likely they are to be at the top of the heap later on. It is unusual for a stand out at 12 to be a stand out at 18-20 years of age. Thoughts?
When a close look at 11 & 12 history is observed all the worlds best now were damn fast at 11&12. They were not all NAG holders but still fast! IE: 100m back: 12yr Aaron Piersol 1:03′ 60, 11 Phelps 1:05’91, 11 Grevers 1:06’12… Even Lochte, who people say started late, still had top 16 times by 11 & 12. I think finding a world class swimmer that was’nt on the top ten by year radar by 11 & 12, that blew up in high school, would be a lower percentage than top ten 11 & 12’s turning world class. That is a guess and have’nt done research or know of data backing it. Just about all the worlds best… Read more »
6 years later, she’s still a versatile NCAA star…
We must also keep an eye on 14-year-old Ruby Martin.
She continues to improve steadily and shows a huge versatility.
I repeat here since 2013 summer that Sean Grieshop is a star in the making.
Great last weekend for him!
1.38.47 in the 200 free/9.02.31 in the 1000 free/15.01.15 in the 1650 free/1.48.77 in the 200 IM
I still don’t know if he will become more a distance freestyler or more an IMer in the future but he’s right now very impressive on both sides.