Presenting our MP Weekly Wonders for the weekend of July 28-30, 2017:
Martina Thomas, 17, Razorback Aquatic Club Aquahawgs: 100 free (57.45) – Thomas dropped 6/10 and earned her first Winter Nationals cut in the 100 free qualifying for the A final at NCSA Summer Swimming Championships. She finished seventh in the 100 free and sixth in the 200 free. Thomas finished the weekend with new PBs in the 100 free, 200 back, and 50 fly.
Alana Barthel, 14, Aulea Swim Club: 100m back (1:06.90) – Barthel swam her three best 100 back times at the Oahu Grand Prix. She won the four-person A-final of the girls’ 12-14 100 back with 1:07.79 after a PB of 1:07.55 in prelims. She swam a third time, and this one cracked the 1:07 barrier. Barthel is now 4.2 seconds faster than she had been a year ago. She also earned lifetime-bests in the 50 back and 50 fly.
Madelyn Christman, 14, Fishers Area Swimming Tigers: 200m back (2:15.63) – Christmas won the girls’ 13-14 100 free, 100/200 back, and 200/400 IM, and was fourth in the 50 free, at the Indiana Swimming Age Group State Championships. She dropped gobs of time and picked up new PBs in all 7 events. She also scored her first Summer Nationals cut in the 200 back, her first Summer Juniors cut in the 100 back, and her first Winter Juniors cut in the 100 free.
Camryn Forbes, 18, Butler Y Aquatic Club: 200m back (2:13.57) – Forbes won the women’s 200 back at the YMCA National Long Course Championships, taking 7/10 off her lifetime best. She also won the 100 free and 100 back, and finished fourth in the 50 back. Forbes lowered her PB in the 50 free leading off the BYAC 200 free relay.
Matt Fallon, 14, Somerset Valley YMCA: 200m breast (2:19.73) – One of the youngest boys swimming at Speedo Junior National Championships, Fallon made it into the C final of the 200 breast, dropping half a second off a PB that was only 2 weeks old. In finals he improved by another few hundredths and finished 19th, the only 14-year-old in the A, B, or C final of the event. Last summer at this time, Fallon was a 2:29.2-200-breaststroker.
Trenton Vonhartitzsch, 12, SwimTulsa: 200m breast (2:37.94) – Vonhartitzsch lopped an improbable 10.9 seconds off his best 200 breast time at the Oklahoma Long Course State Championship hosted by Jenks Trojan Swim Club. He went 8-for-8 for the weekend, winning the boys’ 11-12 50/100 free, 50/100 back, 50/100/200 breast, and 200 IM, and picking up new PBs in everything he swam.
Garret Green, 13, Blue Tide Aquatics: 200m IM (2:16.26) – Green dropped 5.2 seconds to land in the A final of the boys’ 13-14 200 IM at the Texas Age Group Swimming Long Course Championship hosted by Longhorn Aquatics. The only 13-year-old in the final, he finished seventh with a time that was 9.4 seconds than what he’d done a year ago at this time. Green finished the meet with new times in the 100/400/800 free, 100/200 breast, and 200/400 IM.
Zachary Washburn, 13, Manta Ray Aquatics: 200m IM (2:20.10) – The only 13-year-old in the A final of the boys’ 13-14 200 IM at the Inland Empire Long Course Championships in Pendleton, Oregon, Washburn destroyed his PB by 5.4 seconds and got the win. He also won the 50/100 free and 100/200 fly, and was runner-up in the 200 free and 100 back, and third in the 200 back. Washburn came home with new PBs in all 8 events.
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.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MP, PLEASE VISIT WWW.MICHAELPHELPS.COM.
ABOUT MP
Launched in the spring of 2015, MP designed by Aqua Sphere is a shared vision to develop innovative products that are inclusive and accessible to a broader range of swimmers across the full swimming lifecycle. Combining Aqua Sphere’s global product design expertise and distribution with Michael Phelps’ and Bob Bowman’s experiences at the highest levels of swim performance, the MP brand features technical swim products leveraging proprietary technologies and performance enhancing designs.
ABOUT AQUA SPHERE
Established in Genoa, Italy, in 1998, Aqua Sphere is the premier swimming equipment manufacturer for fitness and recreational swimming, aquatic exercise and triathlons. With the launch of its cutting-edge Seal Mask—the world’s first swim mask, the company set the industry standard and today continues to innovate with a complete range of premium products, including eye protection, swimwear, triathlon wetsuits, footwear, and swim fitness and training accessories. The designs have gained the respect and loyal following of many celebrities and notable athletes, including the world’s most decorated Olympian Michael Phelps, with whom Aqua Sphere is partnering to develop a global brand partnership. Alongside its parent company Aqua Lung and supported by an international distribution network, Aqua Sphere has grown into a worldwide enterprise representing unparalleled design, development and manufacturing expertise, with a global footprint in more than 90 countries. For more information, visit www.AquaSphereSwim.com orhttp://www.Facebook.com/AquaSphereSwim.
ABOUT AQUA LUNG
Aqua Lung pioneered the creation of modern diving equipment in 1943 when Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau teamed with Emile Gagnan to develop the first “aqua-lung” that made underwater exploration possible. Today, the brand continues to be the leading global designer and manufacturer of dive and water sports gear. With a deep commitment to quality, research and testing, Aqua Lung has revolutionized the scuba diving experience by setting industry standards for scuba equipment in technology, comfort, safety and design. The company’s rich history as an expert in the dive and water sports industry has led to the demand of Aqua Lung equipment for recreational, technical and military applications in more than 90 countries around the world, under the brand names of Aqua Lung, Aqua Sphere, Apeks, U.S. Divers, and Stohlquist. For more information, visit www.AquaLung.com or http://www.Facebook.com/AquaLungDivers.