AgonSwim Weekly Wonders of Age Group Swimming – 4/15/2015

This was a weekend with just a few, very large meets, and most of those swimming were from the 14-and-under age groups. The meets that received the most attention, thanks to several NAG record-breaking swims, were the NASA Showcase Classic in Clearwater, Florida and Speedo Far Westerns in Morgan Hill, California, but there were fast swims from all around the country. Here are the AgonSwim Weekly Wonders for April 10-12, 2015:

Winn Aung, 12, Redding Swim Team: 50y free (22.09) – Aung went his best time by .36, set a meet record, and jumped up to third on the all-time list for 11-12 boys when he won the 50 free at Speedo Far Western Championships in Morgan Hill, California. Aung also won the boys 11-12 100/500 free and 50/100/200 fly.

Isabelle Henig, 14, Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics: 200y free (1:47.48) – Henig wasn’t messing around with little drops here and there in the 200 free; she went through the 1:50 barrier for the first time in a very big way, dropping 2.8 seconds and achieving her first national cut in the event. Henig left Far Westerns with newt times in the 50/100/200/1000 free, 100 fly, and 200 IM.

Leo Goldblatt, 12, Nation’s Capital Swim Club: 1000y free (9:55.12) – Goldblatt dropped 28 seconds and won the boys 12 1000 free at the NASA Showcase Classic in Clearwater, Florida. Goldblatt moved from 84th to sixth on the all-time list in one fell swoop. The weekend produced new PBs for Goldblatt in the 50/100/200/500/1000 free, 100 back, 50/100/200 fly, and 400 IM.

Miranda Heckman, 13, Pleasanton Seahawks: 1650 free (16:49.11) – At Far Westerns, Heckman improved her time by 32 seconds and was nearly a full minute faster than she was at the same meet last year when she won the girls 13-14 mile by 55 seconds. Heckman finished the weekend with new times in the 100/200/500/1000/1650 free, 50/100 back, 100 fly, and 200/400 IM.

Gabriela Pierobon Mays, 12, Waunakee Wave: 200y back (2:02.05) – Pierobon Mays placed second in the 200 back by 1/100 at NASA Showcase Classic, dropping 3.7 seconds and breaking the Wisconsin state record. She also broke the WI record in the 50 free with 23.91. Pierobon Mays also won the 100 fly in 55.52, lowering her own state record by 1.1 seconds and moving up to third on the all-time list, .01 behind Ella Eastin; and she took another half-second off the 50 fly record she already held, going 25.13 for the third-fastest in history.

Max Miranda, 15 Bluefish Swim Club: 200m back (2:07.84) – At the IMX Challenge hosted by Seacoast Swimming – Seekonk at Brown University, Miranda dropped over 7 seconds and got his first-ever backstroke national cut. He won the boys 14 & over 400 free, 200 fly, 200 IM and 400 IM and was runner-up in the 200 back and 200 breast; both the back (-7 seconds) and breast (-9 seconds) were best times.

Brian Glat, 15, BGC-N. Westchester Marlins: 200y back (1:51.73) – Glat was runner-up in the 200 back by a mere .10 at Boys & Girls Clubs National Swimming Championships hosted by Carrollwood Village Swim Team. He went his third-best time, only 1.7 off his PB. Glat also finished third in the 1650 by .19; he notched his best mile time by 8.7 seconds.

Jason Louser, 13, Three Village Swim Club: 100y breast (59.92) – Louser broke 1:00 for the first time winning the boys 13-14 100 breast at Suffolk County Championships. He also picked up new personal bests in the 100 free, 100 fly, and 200 IM.

Matthew McDermott, 16, Unattached (Golden West Swim Club): 200m breast (2:26.58) – Swimming at an age group meet hosted by Golden West Swim Club, McDermott won the boys 15 & over 100 breast and 200 breast. The 200 was just .28 off his personal best and 8 seconds faster than last year at this time, while his 100 was a PB by a half-second. McDermott also picked up new times in the 100/200 free, 100 fly, and 200 IM.

Kimani Gregory, 13, Pittsburgh Stingrays Swim Team: 100y fly (51.34) – Gregory won the boys 13 100 fly at NASA Showcase Classic, dropping 4/10 and narrowly missing the top-100 all-time list for 13-14 boys. Kimani left the meet with new times in the 50/100 free, 50/100 back, 50/100 breast, 50/100 fly and 200 IM.

Max Hardt, 12, Aquastar: 200y IM (2:02.14) – Hardt dropped 2.5 seconds to win the boys 12 200 IM at NASA Showcase Classic, moving from 98th to 29th on the all-time list for 11-12 boys. When all was said and done, Hardt came away with new times in the 50/100/200 back, 50 breast, and 200/400 IM. He finishes the year among the top-ten 12-year-old boys in all three backstrokes, all three breasts, all three IMs, and the 200 fly.

Garrett Clasen, 14, West Chicago Sharks: 400y IM (3:59.21) – Winning the boys 14 400 IM at NASA Showcase Classic, Clasen dropped over 2 seconds and earned his first national time standard in the event. Clasen took home best times in the 50 free, 50/100/200 back, 50/100 breast, 50/100/200 fly, and 200/400 IM.