AgonSwim Weekly Wonders of Age Group Swimming – 3/11/2014

It’s hard to believe college season is finally over and we can get back to business. There have been a few more high school championships, as well as Sectional meets and state meets, over the last several weekends – all of which produced many great swims to be recognized. The following are our AgonSwim Weekly Wonders for the weekend of March 6-8, 2015:

Brett Butler, 12, Unattached (A.S.K. Swim): 50y free (22.86) – Swimming for Fargo Davies at the North Dakota Boys’ State Swimming & Diving Meet, Butler crashed right through the 23-second mark for a PB of 22.86 and a 13th place finish. Butler also was 15th in the 100 free.

Jada Surrell-Norwood, 12, Colorado Stars: 100y free (52.60) – Surrell-Norwood improved her seed time by 1.2 seconds between prelims and finals, and won the girls 11-12 100 free by 2.3 seconds at the Colorado Swimming 14 & Under Age Group Championships. She also won the 50 free, 50 back (LSC record), 50 fly (LSC record), and 100 IM.

Katie Trace, 15, Upper Arlington Swim Club: 200y free (1:48.93) – Trace earned her first national cut in the event when she led off Upper Arlington’s 800 free relay at the Tim Myers Senior Championships hosted by Miami University Aquatic Club Makos. At the end of the meet, Trace had new PBs in the 50 free, 100 free, 200 free, 1650 free, 100 back, 200 back, 100 fly, and 400 IM.

Aitor Fungairino, 14, Metro Aquatic Club of Miami: 500y free (4:33.22) – Fungairino dropped more than 10 seconds in his 500 and set the Florida Gold Coast LSC record for 13-14 boys when he won the event at the FG Junior Olympics hosted by Coral Springs Swim Club. Fungairino also won the 100 free, 200 free, 1650 free, 50 back, 100 back, and 200 back (LSC record).

Evan Holt, 13, Club North Swimming: 1000y free (9:50.14) – Holt chopped 33.5 seconds off his previous personal best and finished just one place out of scoring position in the men’s 1000 free at Jenks Sectionals. That catapulted him up to the number 6 spot in the country for 13-year-old boys this season.

Scott Pekarske, 13, TJCC Stingrays Swim Team: 1650 free (16:21.15) – At the Arizona Short Course Age Group Championship, Pekarske won the boys 13-14 mile by more than a 50, improving his time by 42.6 seconds over his swim at the same meet last year. He also won the 500 and had the fastest 1000 of the meet (calculated as an intermediary split from the 1650). Pekarske ended the weekend with PBs in the 200/500/1000/1650 free, and 100/200 fly.

Courtney Caldwell, 17, Ad Astra Area Aquatics: 100y back (54.10) – Caldwell won the 100 back at Jenks Sectionals with a new personal best time. She also won the 100 free and was third in the 50 free, 200 free and 100 fly. Caldwell went a best time in the 200 back in prelims but didn’t swim the event in finals.

Noah Henry, 14, Tigershark Swim Team: 200y back (1:49.21) – Henry dropped 3.5 seconds to get his first national cut in the 200 back at Texas Age Group Swimming Championships hosted by The Woodlands Swim Team. Henry also picked up PBs in the 50 free, 100 free, 100 back, and 100 fly. The 100 fly was also a first-time national cut.

Ben Gorski, 18, Arlington Aquatic Club: 100y breast (54.49) – Just a month after achieving best times at the Virginia Independent School Championships, Gorski lowered his PB by another 3/10 to finish second to Andrew Seliskar at the PVS SC Senior Championships hosted by Nation’s Capital Swim Club at George Mason University. Gorski was also second in the 200 breast with another PB, and he picked up a new 100 fly time as well.

Elliott Gayken, 16, Hilton Head Aquatics: 200y breast (2:04.85) – Gayken went a best time in prelims by 5.7 seconds at Speedo Sectionals at Greensboro Aquatics Center, then dropped another half-second in finals. He came away from the meet with his first national cut in the event. Gayken also earned new PBs in the 50 free, 100 free, 100 breast, and 200 IM.

Brooke Forde, 16, Lakeside Swim Team: 200y fly (1:58.94) – Between prelims and finals at the Southern Premier meet hosted by Nashville Aquatic Club, Forde dropped a combined 5.5 seconds, blazed past the 2:00 barrier, and picked up her first national cut in the event. She also went best times in the 200 free, 100 breast, 200 breast, 100 fly, and 400 IM.

Miles Smachlo, 16, Unattached (Albany Starfish): 200y IM (1:48.47) – Swimming for Deerfield Academy at the New England Private Schools Division I Championships, Smachlo went a best time by 2.5 seconds and won the 200 IM with a new New England Prep record of 1:48.47. He also won the 100 fly in record-breaking time (48.42). Smachlo split 21.6 in the fly on Deerfield’s record-setting 200 medley relay and anchored their first-place 400 free relay.