Here are the Weekly Wonders for the weekend of April 5-7, 2017:
Katherine Helms, 12, Mason Makos Swim Team: 50m free (28.75) – Helms went four-for-four, earning best times in all the events she swam at the FISH Long Course Derby. She dropped half a second in the 50 free and posted her first sub-29, finishing second in the girls’ 11-12 event. She then won the 100/200/400 freestyles, improving her times by 0.9, 2.9, and 18.6 seconds, respectively.
Ayla Spitz, 16, Irvine Novaquatics: 100y free (49.64) – Swimming unattached for Newport Harbor High School, the sophomore clocked a best-by-0.1 49.64 to win the 100 yard free at the Sunset League Championships. It was the #1 18-and-under time in the country for the week. Spitz also went 54.16 in the 100 back and 25.82 leading off the medley relay.
Agustin Rodriguez, 12, City Of Hialeah Storm Swim Team: 400m free (4:29.14) – Rodriguez dropped 6.6 seconds and finished fifth in the boys’ open 400 free at the Coral Springs Open Invitational. He was 15.6 seconds ahead of last year’s pace. Rodriguez left the meet with new PBs in the 50/400 free, 50 back, 50 breast, 50/100 fly, and 200 IM.
Patrick Callan, 17, Trident Aquatics Club: 400m free (3:51.66) – Callan swam the fastest 400 free for 18-and-unders this week, when he dropped 5.3 seconds and won the bronze medal at the Arena Pro Swim Series Atlanta. He was 10 seconds faster than he’d been a year ago. He also improved his 200 free (-1.8) and 200 fly (-14.5) in Atlanta.
James Calvin Huenefeld, 13, Bulldog Aquatic Club: 100m back (1:05.62) – Huenefeld dropped 1 second in prelims and another 1.5 in finals to take 2.5 second off his best 100 back time, at the Mississippi Makos Long Course Meet. Huenefeld has now improved 7.2 seconds since last year at this time. He finished the weekend with new PBs in the 50/100/200/400 free, 100 back, 100/200 fly, and 400 IM.
Emma Atkinson, 15, Germantown Academy Aquatic Club: 100m back (1:02.73) – Atkinson went a perfect three-for-three, winning the women’s 15-and-up 100 free, 100 back, and 200 back at the Diplomat Swim Club May Maelstrom. She dropped 3.7 seconds in the 100 back, 5.5 ahead of last year’s pace. Atkinson smashed her PB in the 200 back, taking 5.4 second off and earning her first US Open cut. She then improved her 100 free by .7 and dipped under the 1:00 mark for the first time.
Addie Farrington, 15, Dynamo Swim Club: 200m back (2:33.14) – Farrington won the C final of the women’s 200 breast at the Arena PSS Atlanta. She improved her time by 2.4 seconds and picked up her first Summer Nationals cut. She also went best times in the 100 breast (-.08) and 400 IM (-5.1).
Sam Hoover, 13, North Carolina Aquatic Club: 100m breast (1:12.78) – Swimming at the NCAC Quad Meet, Hoover went best times in all 8 events he swam. He won the boys’ 13-14 100 breast and 200 breast. He dropped .7 in the former and was 6.2 seconds faster than he’d been last spring. His 200 breast, on the other hand, was his first recorded swim in the event.
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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