Competing at the 2018 TYR Mid Season Challenge in Chicago, the CWAC (Chicago Wolfpack Aquatic Club) girls broke the 11-12 National Age Group Record in the 400 medley relay by close to a second in a time of 3:54.77. The previous record belonged to the Aquajets Swim Team, who were 3:55.61 back in 2010.
National Age Group Record! Congrats to Maya, Kayla, Gabby, and Jess on breaking the 11-12 girls 400MR National Record with a time of 3:54.77!! @swimswamnews #packpride https://t.co/63BVR1ix9O pic.twitter.com/oQBsdaEwPj
— CWAC (@PackPride10) December 2, 2018
The relay was made up of Maya Arroyo, Kayla Duran, Gabby Veliz and Jessica Kurpeikis, and the Aquajets team that held the old record was comprised of Heidi Katter, Olivia Anderson, Bre Thorne and Courtney Evensen.
Below, check out a split comparison between the two teams. The main difference maker came on the lead-off leg, as Arroyo’s 57.86 was well over a second quicker than Katter.
| Aquajets Swim Team, 2010 | CWAC, 2018 |
| Heidi Katter – 59.20 | Maya Arroyo – 57.86 |
| Olivia Anderson – 1:03.31 | Kayla Duran – 1:04.66 |
| Bre Thorne – 1:00.15 | Gabby Veliz – 1:00.04 |
| Courtney Evensen – 52.95 | Jessica Kurpeikis – 52.21 |
| 3:55.61 | 3:54.77 |
Arroyo was half a second off her best time set in the individual 100 back prelims the morning before this race (57.35), but the other three were all well under their lifetime bests on their splits.
Their swim also broke the previous Illinois state record by over five seconds, and earlier in the day the team of Kurpeikis (24.21), Brooke Manheke (25.20), Isabella Chow (26.37) and Arroyo (22.91) combined for a time of 1:38.69 in the 200 free relay which broke the state record by over two seconds and fell just shy of the 11-12 NAG set by Schroeder YMCA earlier this year in 1:38.32.