MP Weekly Wonders of Age Group Swimming – 10/25/2017

Here are the Weekly Wonders for the weekend of October 20-22, 2017:

Chloe Clark, 17, Sierra Marlins Swim Team: 50y free (22.65) – Clark earned a U.S. Open cut leading off the SMST 200 free relay at the Super League Meet #2 hosted by Clovis Swim Club. It was a personal best by a whopping .42 seconds, her first sub-23 50 free. She won the 100 back, was runner-up in the 200 breast, and took fourth in the 100 breast.

Omar Fathallah, 13, Mundelein Mustang Swim Club: 100y free (48.42) – Fathallah won the Open 50 free and 100 free at the MMSC Fall Frenzy, earning PBs in both events. He broke 49 seconds for the first time in the 100 free, improving his PB by 7/10 and going 3.9 seconds faster than at this time last year. Fathallah finished the weekend with new times in the 50/100/200 free, 100 back, 100 breast, and 400 IM.

Hayden Bellotti, 12, First Colony Swim Team: 500y free (5:02.44) – Swimming at the FCST-DADS Dual Meet hosted by First Colony Swim Team, Bellotti destroyed his previous PB to win the boys’ 11-12 500 free. He dropped 11.3 seconds and was 15.4 better than he’d been a year ago in the event. Bellotti also won the 50/100/200 free, 100 back, 50/100 fly, and 200 IM, going 8-for-8 in wins and 7-for-8 in best tiems.

Blake Wilton, 17, Colorado Stars: 100y back (50.10) – Wilton won the boys’ 15&O 100 back at the Scary FAST Invitational hosted by Fort Collins Area Swim Team, going a best time by 0.05 and taking 1.1 seconds off his time from last October. He also won the 50 free, 50 back, and 50/100 fly, and was runner-up in the 100 free. He left the meet with new times in the 50/100 free, 100 back, and 50/100 fly.

Will Hayon, 13, Mid Wisconsin Wave Makers: 100y back (55.33) – Competing at the MMSC Fall Frenzy, Hayon lowered his lifetime-bests in 5 of the 9 events he swam: 50 free, 100/200 back, 200 fly, and 400 IM. His 100 back time was a PB by 4.6 seconds, and fully 10.7 faster than a year ago. He finished third in the Open 50/100 free and 100 back; fourth in the 200 free and 100/200 fly; fifth in the 200 back and 400 IM; and eighth in the 200 IM.

Danika Katzer, 17, Coast Guard Blue Dolphins: 200y back (2:02.91) – Katzer went her third-best time and won the girls’ 15&O 200 back at the HPSC Swim for the Cure hosted by High Point Swim Club. It was her best-ever non-championship meet performance, 3 seconds faster than she was at this time last October. Katzer won the 1000 free (with a new PB), 100/200 back, 100/200 breast, 100 fly, and 200/400 IM, and was runner-up in the 200 fly.

Carly Schwab, 15, Rivertown Aquatics: 100y breast (1:04.37) – Swimming unattached for Briarcliff High School at the New York High School Section 1 League 1 Championships, Schwab finished second in the 100 breast with a PB by 8/10; she was 1.8 seconds faster than she’d been at the same meet last year. Schwab placed third in the 50 free (24.76), led off the first-place 200 free relay (25.03), and split a 29.43 50 breast on the runner-up 200 medley relay.

Summer Stanfield, 16, Storm Swim Club: 200y IM (2:01.74) – Representing Bartram Trail High School at the FHSAA 3A District 3 Championships, Stanfield broke 2:02 for the first time to win the girls’ 200 IM. It was a best time by 1.1 seconds and put her 3.6 seconds ahead of where she was this time last year. Stanfield also won the 100 back and led off the Bartram Trail medley relay.

Reminder: The Weekly Wonders column is a celebration of age-group swimming, where new champions are made every day. Anyone can look up the top swims of the week. That’s not what we’re doing here. If we were only reporting on the week’s top swims we would feature the same handful of athletes every Wednesday. Instead, this is an opportunity to introduce the swimming community to athletes who have made great strides in the context of their own particular swimming worlds. By association, it also celebrates their coaches and their teams. The Weekly Wonders column, therefore, amounts to a pat on the back for a job well done, and hopefully encourages swimmers of all levels to continue to reach from within to get to that next level.

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