TAC Titans Defeat SwimMAC in Clash of Club Giants

2022 North Carolina Short Course Age Group Championships

• February 17-20, 2022
• Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, North Carolina
• Short course (25 yards)
• Results (PDF)

The TAC Titans defeated SwimMAC in both the boys and girls meets during the North Carolina Short Course Age Group Championships, held from February 17 to February 20.

TAC won the boys meet with 1940 points, and it won the girls meet with 2522 points.

Top Five Teams–Boys

1. TAC Titans: 1940 points
2. SwimMAC Carolina: 1728 points
3. North Carolina Aquatic Club: 1302 points
4. New Wave Swim Team: 975.5 points
5. Marlins of Raleigh: 708.5 points

Top Five Teams–Girls

1. TAC Titans: 2552 points
2. SwimMAC Carolina: 1623 points
3. North Carolina Aquatic Club: 878.5 points
4. New Wave Swim Team: 581.5 points
5. Mecklenburg Swim Association: 571

Boys’ Meet

Samuel Marsteiner, swimming for the New Wave Swim Team, was the most prolific winner among the 13-14 boys, taking the top spot in the 200 free (1:40.77, Futures cut), 500 (4:34.36, Futures cut), 1000 (9:23.85, bonus Juniors cut), 400 IM (4:04.52, Futures cut), 200 fly (1:50.53, bonus Juniors cut), and 200 back (1:50.52, Futures cut).

His 200 free, 1000 free, 400 IM, 200 fly, and 200 back cuts are all personal bests.

Close behind Marsteiner–who won six individual events–was TAC’s Clement Camacho, 14, who won three individual events: the 100 IM (51.90), 200 IM (1:53.64, Futures cut), and the 100 breast (59.67). 

All three of those events were Camacho’s best times. He also swam as a member of all five of TAC’s winning relays.

TAC won the 200 free relay in 1:28.83, and the team consisted of Cohen Singletary (21.91), Camacho (21.74), Abhay Tharakan (22.42), and Thomas Tuescher (22.76). The team dropped over a second off its seed time.

Camacho was also part of the 400 and 800 freestyle relays. The 400 free relay, consisting of Singletary (48.38), Greyson Young (49.18), Tharakan (48.97), and Camacho (48.21), swam a total time of 3:14.74, almost identical to the team’s seed time of 3:14.68. In the 800 free relay, the team of Camacho (1:42.96), Tharakan (1:46.08), Young (1:48.77), and Tuescher (1:49.57) swam to a total time of 7:07.38.

Finally, TAC also won the 200 medley and the 400 medley relays. The 200 medley consisted of Young on back (26.06), Tharakan on breast (28.33), Camacho on fly (23.30), and Singletary on free (21.90), and swam to a total time of 1:39.59, over 1.5 seconds faster than its seed time.

In the 400 medley relay, the team was exactly the same and swam to a total time of 3:35.83.

Touch Camacho won fewer individual events than Marsteiner, his participation in the relays earned him the high point award for the meet.

In the 11-12 meet, Andrew Sito of the New Wave Swim Team won the high point award, for good reason. He won eight individual events, and also two of the four relays. 

Sito won the 50 free (23.02), 100 free (50.71), 200 free (1:51.04), 500 free (5:04.51), 200 IM (2:05.12), 50 back (50.71), 100 back (56.98), and the 200 back (2:00.68). All eight of those times were best times.

Sito, 12, was also a member of the 200 and 400 free relays. He swam a 23.11 split, and his teammates were Jason Van Olst (24.57), Erich Grena (24.94), and Cody Watts (25.07). The team swam a total time of 1:37.69, dropping five seconds from its seed time and defeating 2nd-place North Carolina Aquatic Club by about a half second.

In the 400 free relay, Sito anchored the relay with a 49.85 split, while Watts split 56.31, Van Olst split 54.57, and Grena split 58.15. The team swam a total time of 3:38.88, just .15 faster than MAC’s 2nd-place 3:39.03.

North Carolina Aquatic Club won the other two relays, the 200 and 400 medley. The teams were almost identical with the exception of the anchor legs. The 200 medley team swam a total time of 1:49.01, with Chuanxi Zhang on back (27.91), Maximilian Halpern on breast (30.82), Cody Sha on fly (25.04), and Fletcher Wulber on free (25.24). The 400 medley swam a total time of 4:00.69, with Zhang (1:01.05), Halpern (1:09.76), Sha (56.71), and Jacob Clark on free (53.17).

The 400 medley was a tight race between NCAC and TAC, with TAC’s team coming in at 4:00.83. 

Finally, in the 10&U meet, Stokes Oxrieder with the Marlins of Raleigh won the high point award, despite not being on any winning relays. He did, however, win six individual events: the 50 free (27.04), 100 free (58.37), 200 free (2:10.68), 100 IM (1:07.05), 200 IM (2:27.72), and 50 fly (29.39). 

All of Oxrieder’s times were best times.

The two relays were split between Waves of Wilmington (WOW) and MAC. WOW won the 200 free relay with a time of 1:59.05, consisting of Henry Luckadoo (29.82), Slater Spencer (28.10), Ayden Jackson (32.52), and Ethan Ferree (28.61). The team won by just .10, narrowly defeating the Marlins.

MAC won the 200 medley relay with a time of 2:09.60, dropping almost 7 seconds off of its seed time. The team consisted of Todd Haywood on back (32.59), Jesse Cyrus on breast (35.95), Neel Soloman on fly (31.16) and Grant Degner on free (29.90). The team won by almost four seconds.

Girls’ Meet

The girls meet was led by one family: the Whelehans, whose Meredith, Sloane, and Finola won the 13-14, 11-12, and 10&U high point awards. The Whelehans swim for TAC.

In the 13-14 meet, Meredith Whelehan won six individual events, and swam in three winning relays. Whelehan won the 50 free (23.40, Futures cut), 100 free (50.39, Juniors bonus cut), 200 free (1:49.00, Juniors bonus cut), 500 free (4:54.99, Futures cut), 1000 free (9:58.74, Juniors bonus cut), and 200 back (2:00.39, Futures cut). Only Avery Klamfoth, who won the 1650, kept Whelehan from sweeping all of the free events.

Whelehan also swam in the winning 200 and 400 free relays, which the teams swam in 1:35.60 and 3:28.56, respectively. Whelehan swam a 23.61 as the lead in the 200 free relay, followed by Sydney Holfelder (23.50), Kalle Rendon (24.53), and Kyley Lloyd (23.96).

Whelehan also led the 400 free relay with a 51.35 split, followed by Holfelder (51.35), Lloyd (53.15), and Rendon (52.71). In both relays, TAC won, but MAC’s A and B teams rounded out the podium.

Finally, TAC also won the 200 medley relay in 1:46.30. Whelehan swam back (27.27), Mia Jeltema swam breast (29.84), Tara Talwar swam fly (25.88), and Holfelder swam free (23.31). TAC won this relay with its narrowest margin–a mere .08, with MAC just behind.

MAC secured wins in the other two relays, the 800 free relay and the 400 medley relay, this time with TAC taking 2nd. MAC won the 800 free relay in 7:27.16. The relay consisted of Clarke Neace (1:50.66), Zetta Bartee (1:51.54), Audrey Pardue (1:54.49), and Klamfoth (1:50.47). 

TAC came in 2nd with a 7:28.61.

In the 400 medley, MAC won in 3:46.34. Avery Vassil swam back (57.35), Klamfoth swam breast (1:02.33), Bartee swam fly (55.63), and Neace swam free (51.03). MAC won by a hefty margin, almost three seconds.

Klamfoth herself won five individual events: the 1650 free (16:45.14, Juniors bonus cut), 200 IM (2:02.10, Juniors bonus cut), 400 IM (4:16.76, Juniors bonus cut), 200 fly (2:01.42, Juniors bonus cut), and 100 breast (1:02.28, Juniors cut). Her times in the 1650, 200 fly, and 100 breast were her personal bests. 

Meredith Whelehan’s younger sister Sloane won the high point at the 11-12 meet, winning eight individual events and participating in all four winning relays.

Sloane Whelehan won the 50 free (24.45), 100 free (53.31), 200 free (1:54.06), 500 free (5:14.95), 200 IM (2:10.16), 400 IM (4:36.96), 100 back (58.80), and the 200 back (2:01.99, Futures cut). Whelehan swam best times in the 50 free, 200 free, 500 free, 100 back, 200 back, and 400 IM.

TAC won all four of the 11-12 relays: the 200 free relay (1:41.21), 400 free relay (3:42.00), 200 medley relay (1:50.29), and 400 medley relay (4:02.80).

In the 200 free relay, Whelehan anchored with a 24.06. Her other teammates were Carolin He (25.12), Ailey Craig (25.79), and Leah Smith (26.24). The same girls also swam the 400 free relay–Whelehan split 53.32, He split 55.14, Craig split 56.86, and Smith split 56.68.

TAC won the 200 medley by almost five seconds. He swam back (27.85), Eva Koehler swam breast (31.71), Gabrielle Whitley swam fly (26.72), and Whelehan swam free (24.01).

TAC’s win in the 400 medley was even more staggering, as the team clinched first with almost 12 seconds to spare. He swam back again, Kaylee Dietrich swam breast, Whitley swam fly and Whelehan swam free.

To round out the trio of Whelehan sisters, Finola Whelehan won four individual events and participated in the two winning relays to lock in the 10&U high point. Whelehan won the 50 free (27.36), 100 free (1:00.52), 100 IM (1:08.99), and 50 back (31.72). Whelehan swam a best time in all four events.

TAC won both the 200 free relay and the 200 medley relay with times of 1:59.02 and 2:10.69, respectively. In the 200 free relay, Whelehan (27.44) was joined by Yixi Liu (28.75), Tessa Jeltema (31.04), and Valentina Butler (31.79). The team beat 2nd-place Granite Falls Swim Club by almost three seconds. 

In the 200 medley, Whelehan swam the free leg (27.63), while Jeltema swam back (35.49), Liu swam breast (34.96), and Greta Hockett swam fly (32.61). Again, the team won by almost three seconds.

Whelehan’s teammate, Liu, also won three individual events: the 50 fly (31.11), 50 breast (35.44), and the 100 breast (1:19.32). All three times were best times.