SwimSwam’s The Weekly Wonders of Age Group Swimming – 6/18/2014

A lot of new names had some great swims during the weekend of June 13-15, 2014. Below are our picks for the Daring Dozen:

Atesh Camurdan, 11, NOVA of Virginia Aquatics and David Curtiss, 11, Tri-Hampton YMCA Swim Team: 50m free – Both Camurdan and Curtiss had massive drops in the 50 free this weekend, recording the season’s fourth- and fifth-fastest times in the country for 11-year-old boys, respectively. Camurdan won the boys 11-12 50 free at High Point Swim Club’s Furniture City Invitational with 27.91, a 4.5-second drop from the same meet last year. Curtiss improved two seconds from his seed time to win the boys 9-12 50 free at the Middle Atlantic June Junket, going 27.95. A year ago his best was 30.9.

Seth Young, 11, Northern KY Clippers Swimming: 100m free (1:01.17) – Young won the boys 11-12 100/200 free, 100 fly, and 200 IM at the 15th Annual David Webb Invitational Meet in Erlanger, Kentucky. The weekend produced his top 50/100/200/400 free and 50/100 fly times, and the 2.7 seconds he erased off his personal best in the 100 free landed him the number two spot in the country for 11-year-old boys.

Payton Marvin, 12, Nitro Swimming: 200m free (2:10.33) – Marvin took 4.4 seconds off her best 200 free, and was seven seconds faster than a year ago, when she won the girls 11-12 event at the 6th Annual Speedo Bill Nixon Memorial Invitational and 50 Free Shootout hosted by Lakeside Aquatic Club. Marvin also won the 400 free, 100/200 back, and 200 IM.

Marshall Webster, 13, Sarasota YMCA Sharks: 400m free (4:19.80) – At the Gulf Coast Swim Team Summer Invitational Webster finished third in the boys 13-14 400 free with a best time by almost two seconds; he was exactly 11 seconds faster than at the same meet a year ago. Webster also went home with best times in the 50/100 free, 100 breast, and 100 fly.

Ryan Bunn, 12, Southern Utah Swimming Association: 1500m free (19:37.68) – At the Utah Summer Games Age Group Meet, Bunn won the boys 11-12 50/200/100/400/1500 free, 50/100 back, and 50/100/200 fly, setting USG records in each of them. His mile was a PB by 33 seconds, and was 2.5 *minutes* under the old Summer Games record.

Hannah Gouger, 16, Loyola Blakefield Aquatics: 100m back (1:04.36) – Just a tick off her personal best, Gouger nonetheless came back from third in prelims to win the women’s 100 back at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club Long Course Championships. She finished the weekend with new best times in the 800 free and 200 IM.

Kiley Vandevier, 14, Excel Aquatics: 200m back (2:18.94) – Vandevier sliced a second off her best 200 back and was nearly four seconds faster than she was a year ago when she broke the Bill Nixon Memorial Invitational meet record in the girls 13-14 event. Needless to say, there’s a new record now. She also won the 100 back with a record time, and made off with personal bests in the 200/400 free and 400 IM.

Anita Sumali, 12, ABQ Dolphins Swim Team: 100m breast (1:17.07) – Sumali won the girls 11-12 breast at the Bill Nixon Memorial Invitational but it was her prelims time of 1:17.07 that broke the meet record. Sumali also got the record for the 50 with her 34.71 winning time.

Majester Abdul-Jalil ,14, Unattached (West Virginia): 200m breast (2:35.41) – Barely 14, Abdul-Jalil won both the boys 13-14 100 and 200 breast at the Greater Columbus Swim Team of Ohio’s Creekside Blues and Jazz Blast. He finished the weekend with new times in the 200/400 free, 100/200 breast, and 400 IM.

Kiara Norris, 13, Memphis Tiger Swim Club: 100m fly (1:04.64) – Norris went her second-best lifetime 100 fly at the 86th Ohio Valley Championships hosted by Lakeside Swim Club, in Louisville, KY. She did, however, take home beset times in the 50 free and 200 back.

Mackenzie Vargas, 15, California Capital Aquatics: 200m fly (2:17.89) – Putting up her second-best performance in the 200 fly, Vargas won the girls 200 fly at the Summer Sanders Invitational, hosted by CCA at the Roseville Aquatic Center. Vargas achieved best times in the 50/200/800 free, 100 fly, and 200/400 IM at the meet.

AJ Mainord, 13, Hendrix AquaKids: 200m IM – Mainord dropped six seconds and finished third in the 200 IM at the Fort Smith Tiderider Recordsetter Invitational in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Mainord won the boys 13-14 100/200 breast and 200 fly and took second place in the 100 fly and 400 IM.

Special thanks to Lyle Campbell for his assistance in putting this list together.