SOFLO Launches Official Website On April 1

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

March 31, 2011

South Florida Aquatic Club will launch its official website on Friday, April 1st. No fooling!

The much-anticipated website will cater to swimmers, parents, coaches, sponsors and general public interested in following swimming and other aquatic sports locally, nationally and internationally.

The Florida Gold Coast’s newest club that merged the Coral Springs Swim Club and Comets combines more than 500 swimmers and 20 employees, two 50-meter Olympic-size pools, three 25-meter and 25-yard pools and diving and teaching pools at the Coral Springs Aquatic Complex, Mullins Park and City of Pembroke Pines Academic Village Pool.

In its first year of existence, SOFLO, sponsored by Nike, was awarded USA Swimming’s Bronze Medal Club Excellence Award for 2011. SOFLO is ranked seventh ahead of more than 80 well-established swim clubs in the Bronze category.

The new website features information in every aspect of club swimming, including meet results, swimmer features, high school and college swimming coverage, health and fitness columns and extensive photos and gallery, featured videos, blog, instructional videos and advertisers on YouTube.

“I love the way it is going to bring our program together,” SOFLO CEO  Chris Anderson said.

“It is going to make the administration much easier, not only as a working website for our clientele, it will be great for the growth of our program.”

Other features on the website will be online entries. Twelve-and-under swimmers will be able to pick the sessions they want to swim and 13-and-over swimmers will be able to pick their sessions and events. This feature will be added this summer.

The swim meet and activities calendar will be updated at the end of April for 2011 and 2012.

The project has been a labor of love for web designer and creator Nestor Mateus of Miramar-based Rodmat Solutions, who is also a swim parent. Two-time Olympian and coach Vlad Polyakov will serve as webmaster.

The official website address is www.swim4soflo.com.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com.

http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO’s Tristan Celestin Wins Two More Titles, Emily Kopas Joins Winners’ Circle

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

March 27, 2011

SOFLO’s Tristan Celestin continued his winning ways Sunday on the final day of the Florida Gold Coast-Florida Swimming All-Star Meet at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce.

The 12-year-old, representing the Florida Gold Coast All-Stars, added two more titles, one individual and one relay, and fourth place to his two-day Herculean effort.

Celestin won the 11-12 50-yard breaststroke in 30.10 seconds. He was also fourth in the 50-yard butterfly in 28.13.

Celestin was a member of the winning 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:39.05 with members Julien Pinon, Joseph Perez and Kearn Kurbanali.

On Saturday, he won the 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard medley relay and was fourth in the 50-yard freestyle.

SOFLO’s Emily Kopas, 14, a U.S. Olympic trials qualifier, won the 13-14 200-yard breaststroke in 2:18.68.

In the team competition, Florida Swimming continued its dominance by sweeping the combined, girls and boys team titles.

The girls race was the closest with Florida Swimming winning, 329-307. The boys won 365-271 and Florida Swimming won the combined, 694-578. 

SUNDAY RESULTS

COMBINED TEAM SCORES

Florida Swimming 694, Florida Gold Coast 578

GIRLS TEAM SCORES

Florida Swimming 329, Florida Gold Coast 307

BOYS TEAM SCORES

Florida Swimming 365, Florida Gold Coast 271

GIRLS

100-yard backstroke: 10-and-under, 1. Sophia Perez, FGC 1:07.91; SOFLO: 12. Sarah Bucaro 1:18.33.

200-yard backstroke: 11-12, 1. Christie Bassett, FLAS 1:01.04; SOFLO: 10. Samantha Stinemire 1:05.86, 17. Jessica Rodriguez 1:07.67, 23. Catharine Cooper 1:11.43, 25. Audrey Mason 1:13.06; 13-14, 1. Julie Suarez, FGC 2:04.96; SOFLO: 5. Melissa Marinheiro 2:14.05, 17. Leonie Davies 2:22.22.

100-yard freestyle: 13-14, 1. Hannah James, FLAS 52.97; SOFLO: 6. Melissa Marinheiro 55.14, 11. Emily Kopas 55.99.

500-yard freestyle: 11-12, 1. Savannah Bowser, FLAS 5:08.44; SOFLO: 8. Allison Kopas 5:28.41, 10. Jessica Rodriguez 5:33.52, 13. Sophia Bucaro 5:34.64, 15. Kelley Heron 5:35.40.

1,650-yard freestyle: 13-14, 1. Katherine Duggan, FLAS 17:24.40; SOFLO: 6. Leonie Davies 18:59.19.

50-yard breaststroke: 10-and-under, 1. Gaia Fella, FGC 35.62; SOFLO: 13. Delanie Perez 39.73; 11-12, 1. Ingrid Wall, FLAS 31.97; SOFLO: 13. Kelley Heron 34.74, 15. Audrey Mason 35.39.

200-yard breaststroke: 13-14, 1. Emily Kopas, FGC 2:18.68.

50-yard butterfly: 10-and-under, 1. Sophia Perez, FGC 30.22; SOFLO: 29. Delanie Perez 36.66; 11-12, 1. Abby Duncan, FLAS 27.52; SOFLO: 16. Allison Kopas 29.99, 18. Samantha Stinemire 30.69, 23. Catharine Cooper 31.36.

200-yard butterfly: 13-14, 1. Hannah James, FLAS 2:06.38.

200-yard freestyle relay: 10-and-under, 1. Florida All-Stars 1:53.46; SOFLO: 6. FGC 2:01.82 (Gabriella Antonini, Andrea Santander, Mackenzie Martell, Sarah Bucaro); 11-12, 1. Florida All-Star Team 1:42.20; SOFLO: 6. FGC 1:48.84 ( Samantha Stinemire, Shayne Sipowski, Catharine Cooper, Sophia Bucaro); 7. FGC 1:52.23 (Allison Kopas, Claudia Mendez, Audrey Mason, Marin Mullen); 8. FGC 1:53.43 (Jessica Rodriguez, Kelley Heron, Adriana Sarmiento, Laura Zaidenberg); 13-14, 1. Florida Gold Coast 1:38.69 (Hannah Veale, Omaira German, Caroline Nava, Darby Goodwin); SOFLO: 5. FGC 1:49.11 (Rachel Peraza, Kelly Fertel, Leonie Davies, Kristen Suarez).

BOYS

100-yard backstroke: 10-and-under, 1. Lucas Kravchenko, FLAS 1:04.99; SOFLO: 7. Samuel Quintero 1:12.68, 17. Rafael Rodriguez 1:23.12

200-yard backstroke: 11-12, 1. Zachary Poti, FLAS 1:00.70; SOFLO: 6. Juan Lucas 1:04.34, 8. Gustavo Valery 1:04.69, 11. Alfredo Mesa Jr. 1:05.78; 13-14, 1. Boleck Depawlikowski, FGC 1:57.53.

100-yard freestyle: 13-14, 1. Wesley Olmsted, FLAS 48.18.

500-yard freestyle: 11-12, 1. Julien Pinon, FGC 5:04.35; SOFLO: 3. Carlos Rodriguez 5:18.77; 8. Alfredo Mesa Jr. 5:25.88.

1,650-yard freestyle: 13-14, 1. Logan Samuelson, FLAS 16:23.53.

50-yard breaststroke: 10-and-under, 1. Eric Vives, FGC 36.84; SOFLO: 5.Jonathan Skarie 39.18; 11-12, 1. Tristan Celestin, SOFLO 30.10; SOFLO: 8. Cristian Rossi 33.99.

200-yard breaststroke: 13-14, 1. Andrew Wojcik, FLAS  2:11.94.

50-yard butterfly: 10-and-under, 1. Kyle Dimatteo, FGC 30.21; 11-12, 1. Zachary Poti, FLAS 27.00; SOFLO: 4. Tristan Celestin 28.13, 11. Carlos Rodriguez 29.11, 20. Cristian Rossi 30.18.

200-yard butterfly: 13-14, 1. Wesley Olmstead, FLAS 1:58.21.

200-yard freestyle relay: 10-and-under, 1. Florida All-Stars 1:52.53; SOFLO:  4. FGC 2:02.87 (Kenny Cordovez, Jonathan Skarie, Reid Banciella, Joshua Stone), 6. FGC 2:03.23 (Ethan Hauber, Alessandro Pascali, Samuel Quintero, Alfredo Viera Wolfermann); 11-12, 1. FGC 1:39.05 (Julien Pinon, Tristan Celestin, Joseph Perez, Kearn Kurbanali); SOFLO: 3. FGC 1:42.98 (Yousef Abdelraouf, Adrian Moya, Gustavo Valery, Cristian Rossi); 5. FGC 1:45.32 (Alfredo Mesa Jr., Carlos Rodriguez, Alejandro Carriazo, Luke Smutny); 13-14, 1. Florida All-Stars 1:31.62.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

 http://www.swim4soflo.com

California Wins Men’s NCAA Team Title, Texas Falls Short; Kenyon Streak Ends At Division III Meet

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

March 26, 2011

University of California at Berkeley won its first men’s NCAA swimming title in 31 years late Saturday night.

After a dominating second day, the Bears wrapped up the title and held off defending champion Texas on the third and final day with 493 points, nearly a 64-point margin over the Longhorns at the NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis.

The Bears clinched the title with a win in the 400-yard freestyle relay in 2:47.39 with Graeme Moore, Josh Daniels, Tom Shields and Nathan Adrian.

It is California’s third men’s team title and first since winning back-to-back titles in 1979 and 1980. It was also head coach’s Dave Durden’s first title. Durden was selected the Swimming Coach of the Championships.

It is the first time since 1994 a college has won the men’s and women’s team title.

“We knew we could do something special,” said Adrian selected as the Swimmer of the Meet. “It’s great to finally win it.”

Earlier on Saturday, after barely qualifying in the morning prelims, Adrian also won the 100-yard freestyle in 41.10, just off his American record of 41.08. It was his third consecutive win in the event at NCAAs.

Texas needed to win the relay and the Bears had to finish sixth or worse for the Longhorns to defend their title. Texas finished fourth in the relay.

Texas finished second with 470 ½ points. It was the ninth NCAA runner-up finish for Texas coach Eddie Reese to go with his ten NCAA titles.

Stanford was third with 403 points, Arizona with outgoing head coach Frank Busch was fourth with 302 and Florida was fifth with 291 points. Busch now takes on the role as the new U.S. national team director.

“I’m really proud of how everyone raced all weekend,” Florida coach Gregg Troy said. “We raced tough all season long and went through some adversity this week but we still hung in there tight. We still feel like we could have been a little bit better, but overall it was a really great season.”

Texas’ Michael McBroom won the grueling 1,650-yard freestyle in 14:32.86 and became the first Longhorn to ever win the distance event.

Arizona’s Cory Chitwood, still recovering from a broken hand suffered last month, defended his title in the 200-yard backstroke by out-touching Indiana’s Eric Ress in 1:38.84, just .12 seconds ahead of Ress.

Eric Friedland of Texas added to the Longhorn shortlived excitement by winning the 200-yard breaststroke in 1:52.43. Florida State’s Rob Holderness was seventh in 1:54.82 and earned All-American honors. After the breaststroke Texas enjoyed the lead briefly, 426.5-426.

Redemption was sweet for Georgia’s Mark Dylla who won the 200-yard butterfly in 1:40.60 a year after winning the event but getting disqualified for an illegal one-hand touch. He overtook California’s Tom Shields in the final 25 yards. Florida’s Marcin Cieslak was fourth in 1:42.13 and Gator teammate Sebastien Rousseau was seventh in 1:43.15.

Purdue’s David Boudia was denied his third NCAA title of the weekend finishing second behind Duke’s Nick McCrory on the 10-meter platform for the second year in a row. McCrory won with 548.90 points. Boudia finished with 479.10. Boudia, who won two NCAA titles, was named the Diver of the Meet and Purdue coach Adam Soldati was selected Coach of the Meet.

ELSEWHERE

Kenyon College saw its 31 consecutive national championship streak end when Denison won the NCAA Division III Men’s National Championships in Knoxville, Tenn. In an incredible finish, Denison captured the title by one point, 500.5-499.5. It is the first time since 1979 Kenyon has been beaten. In the women’s competition Emory won its second consecutive team title.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com.

 http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO’s Tristan Celestin Wins Twice On Opening Day Of FGC-Florida All-Star Meet

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

March 26, 2011

SOFLO’s Tristan Celestin lived up to his All-Star status on the opening day of the Florida Gold Coast-Florida Swimming All-Star Meet at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce.

On Saturday, Celestin, 12, was the only SOFLO male to win an individual event. He was also a member of a winning relay for the Florida Gold Coast All-Star team.

Celestin topped an impressive field of All-Stars to win the 11-12 100-yard breaststroke in 1:07.29.

Celestin, a sixth grader at West Glades Middle School and Florida Gold Coast record holder, also swam the second leg of the winning 200-yard medley relay that won in 1:50.66. He was joined by SOFLO teammate Gustavo Valery, swimming lead-off leg and Julien Pinon and Kearn Kurbanali.

Celestin was also fourth in the 50-yard freestyle in 25.23.

The two-day meet, that concludes with one final session on Sunday, is being webcast on Florida Swim Network. There are also videos of past races earlier in the meet.

SATURDAY RESULTS

GIRLS

50-yard backstroke: 10-and-under, 1. Gaia Fella, FGC 32.05; SOFLO: 11. Sarah Bucaro 34.82; 11-12, 1. Abby Duncan, FLAS 28.61; SOFLO: 5. Samantha Stinemire 30.10, 12. Allison Kopas 31.04, 19. Catharine Cooper 34.35.

100-yard backstroke: 13-14, 1. Julie Suarez, FGC 59.68; SOFLO: 16. Leonie Davies 1:06.36.

100-yard freestyle: 10-and-under, 1. Sophia Perez, FGC 1:01.69; SOFLO: 15. Sarah Bucaro 1:07.34; 11-12, 1. Rose Smiddy, FGC 54.42; SOFLO: 11. Catharine Cooper 58.75, 13. Sophia Bucaro 59.08, 16. Samantha Stinemire 59.27, 22. Allison Kopas 1:00.07, 24. Kelley Heron 1:00.43.

200-yard freestyle: 10-and-under, 1. Sophia Perez, FGC 2;11.81; SOFLO: 9. Sarah Bucaro 2:24.28, 15. Delanie Perez 2:25.15; 11-12, 1. Rose Smiddy, FGC 1:57.59; SOFLO: 10. Sophia Bucaro 2:06.45, 14. Kelley Heron 2:09.34; 13-14, 1. Hannah James, FLAS 1:54.28; SOFLO: 3. Melissa Marinheiro 1:56.13.

100-yard breaststroke: 10-and-under, 1. Gaia Fella, FGC 1:18.97; SOFLO: 10. Delanie Perez 1:25.51; 11-12, 1. Alexa Rivera 1:12.03; SOFLO: 7. Kelley Heron 1:14.60, 9. Audrey Mason 1:15.21, 13. Jessica Rodriguez 1:16.34; 13-14, 1. Lindsey Swartz, FGC 1:06.78.

100-yard individual medley: 10-and-under, 1. Gaia Fella, FGC 1:09.33, SOFLO:  25. Sarah Bucaro 1:18.80; 11-12, 1. Ingrid Wall, FLAS 1:02.25; SOFLO: 14. Allison Kopas 1:07.59, 15. Kelley Heron 1:07.84, 25. Audrey Mason 1:09.44, 26. Jessica Rodriguez 1:09.45, 29. Samantha Stinemire 1:11.46.

200-yard individual medley: 10-and-under, 1. Gaia Fella, FGC 2:30.23; SOFLO: 14. Delanie Perez 2:47.79; 11-12, 1. Rose Smiddy, FGC 2:11.65; SOFLO: 18. Jessica Rodriguez 2:26.18, 21. Audrey Mason 2:28.20; 13-14, 1. Lindsey Swartz, FGC 2:10.96.

400-yard individual medley: 13-14, 1. Katherine Duggan, FLAS 4:40.82; SOFLO: 6. Melissa Marinheiro 4:47.68, 10. Leonie Davies 4:59.31.

50-yard freestyle: 10-and-under, 1. Talia Bates, FLAS 27.15; SOFLO: 24. Sarah Bucaro 31.14; 11-12, 1. Ingrid Wall, FLAS 25.22; SOFLO: 8. Catharine Cooper 26.34; 13. Samantha Stinemire 26.72, 23. Sophia Bucaro 28.17, 24. Audrey Mason 28.19; 13-14, 1. Athena Cimino, FLAS 24.62; SOFLO: 27. Leonie Davies 27.61.

100-yard butterfly: 10-and-under, 1. Sophia Perez, FGC 1:08.29; SOFLO: 15. Delanie Perez 1:20.36; 11-12, 1. Savannah Bowser, FLAS 1:01.88; SOFLO: 4. Allison Kopas 1:03.46, 19. Jessica Rodriguez 1:08.78; 13-14, 1. Hannah James, FLAS 56.77; SOFLO: 11. Melissa Marinheiro 1:02.36.

500-yard freestyle: 13-14, 1. Hannah James, FLAS 5:01.79; SOFLO: 6. Melissa Marinheiro 5:15.91, 10. Leonie Davies 5:27.20.

200-yard medley relay: 10-and-under, 1. FGC (Adriana Cortes Urbina, Gaia Fella, Sophie Perez, Andrea Moya) 2:09.33; SOFLO: 5. FGC (Sarah Bucaro, Adriana Rodriguez, Acadia Rubin, Andrea Santander) 2:17.16; 7. FGC (Gabriella Antonini, Delanie Perez, Emily Cordovi, Alexandra Meszaros) 2:20.94; 11-12, 1. FLAS 1:53.89; SOFLO: 2. FGC (Samantha Stinemire, Alexa Rivera, Allison Kopas, Rose Smiddy) 1:56.56, 5. FGC (Jamie Flores, Kelley Heron, Sydney Groth, Stephania Hernandez) 2:01.08, 7. FGC (Jessica Rodriguez, Audrey Mason, Claudia Mendez, Shayne Sipowski) 2:03.98, 8. FGC (Marin Mullen, Jisella Bordieri, Julia Talamo, Catharine Cooper) 2:04.28; 13-14, 1. FGC (Kristen Suarez, Lindsey Swartz, Alexa Kalandiak, Caroline Nava) 1:48.43.

BOYS

50-yard backstroke: 10-and-under, 1. Marshall Webster, FLAS 31.61; SOFLO: 19. Rafael Rodriguez 39.13; 11-12, 1. Zachary Poti, FLAS 28.32; SOFLO: 3. Gustavo Valery 29.71, 6. Juan Lucas 30.36.

100-yard backstroke: 13-14, 1. Wesley Olmsted, FLAS 53.48.

100-yard freestyle: 10-and-under, 1. Lucas Kravchenko, FLAS 58.20; SOFLO: 15. Rafael Rodriguez 1:08.20; 11-12, 1. Julien Pinon, FGC 52.02; SOFLO: 5. Cristian Rossi 55.90, 8. Alfredo Mesa Jr. 56.32, 13. Gustavo Valery 56.88, 15. Juan Lucas 57.13, 24. Carlos Rodriguez 59.11.

200-yard freestyle: 10-and-under, 1. Lucas Kravchenko, FLAS 2:06.23; SOFLO: 6. Samuel Quintero 2:16.55, 12. Rafael Rodriguez 2:25.63; 11-12, 1. Julien Pinon, FGC 1:53.93; SOFLO: 7. Juan Lucas 2:02.10, 8. Gustavo Valery 2:03.43, 13. Alfredo Mesa Jr. 2:05.63; 13-14, 1. Wesley Olmsted, FLAS 1:46.71.

100-yard breaststroke: 10-and-under, 1. Eric Vives, FGC 1:22.06; SOFLO: 5. Samuel Quintero 1:25.82, 6. Jonathan Skarie 1:26.12; 11-12, 1. Tristan Celestin, FGC 1:07.29; 13-14, 1. Andrew Wojcik, FLAS 1:00.77.

100-yard individual medley: 10-and-under, 1. Adrian Aguilar, FGC 1:09.68; SOFLO: 6. Samuel Quintero 1:13.30, 11. Jonathan Skarie 1:16.47, 15. Rafael Rodriguez 1:17.52, 11-12, 1. Zachary Poti, FLAS 1:03.21; SOFLO: 7. Gustavo Valery 1:05.72, 10. Cristian Rossi 1:06.57.

200-yard individual medley: 10-and-under, 1. Lucas Kravchenko, FLAS 2:29.45; SOFLO: 5. Samuel Quintero, FGC 2:34.10, 11. Jonathan Skarie 2:44.00, 15. Rafael Rodriguez 2:47.63; 11-12, 1. Julien Pinon, FGC 2:12.61; SOFLO: 16. Alfredo Mesa Jr. 2:23.80, 18. Carlos Rodriguez 2:24.11, 23. Cristian Rossi 2:28.22; 13-14, 1. Wesley Olmsted, FLA 1:59.69.

400-yard individual medley: 13-14, 1. Boleck Depawlikowski, FGC 4:17.01.

50-yard freestyle: 10-and-under, 1. Lucas Kravchenko, FLAS 26.80; SOFLO: 17. Jonathan Skarie 30.92; 11-12, 1. Michael Kennedy, FLAS 24.11; SOFLO: 4. Tristan Celestin 25.23, 11. Cristian Rossi 25.60, 13. Gustavo Valery 25.73, 14. Juan Lucas 25.76, 20. Alfredo Mesa Jr. 26.82; 13-14, 1. Jackson Auer, FLAS 22.94.

100-yard butterfly: 10-and-under, 1. Kyle Dimatteo, FGC 1:7.12; SOFLO: 8. Samuel Quintero 1:14.38; 11-12, 1. Zachary Poti, FLAS 59.57; SOFLO: 9. Carlos Rodriguez 1:04.86; 13-14, 1. Wesley Olmsted, FLAS 51.67.

500-yard freestyle: 13-14, 1. Logan Samuelson, FLAS 4:45.40.

200-yard medley relay: 10-and-under, 1. FLAS 2:05.90; 11-12, 1. FGC (Gustavo Valery, Tristan Celestin, Julien Pinon, Kearn Kurbanali) 1:50.66; SOFLO: 3. FGC (Juan Lucas, Brad Johnson, Tanner Fuller, Cristian Rossi) 1:55.81; 13-14, 1. FLAS 1:41.68.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

 http://www.swim4soflo.com

Comets, Coral Springs Sizzle At Broward Sizzler In Tamarac; Comets’ Sebastian Lares Wins Four Events

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

March 26, 2011

With so many outstanding 8-and-under Comets and Coral Springs Swim Club swimmers, the future looks promising for the South Florida Aquatic Club.

Meet director Dave Wathen called Friday night’s 8-and-Under Broward Sizzler Invitational at the Tamarac Caporella Aquatic Complex featuring 160 swimmers from the Florida Gold Coast “an incredible sizzler.”

During the two-hour short course meters meet hosted by the Sunrise Booster Club, Comets and Coral Springs Swim Club swimmers rose to the occasion. 

Six-year-old Sebastian Lares of the Comets Swim Team definitely knows his strokes and is already looking good for the individual medley.

Lares took home four first place ribbons and one third place relay ribbon.

Lares won all four of his 6-and-under individual events. He won the 25-meter butterfly in 24.41; 25-meter backstroke in 25.16; 25-meter breaststroke in 29.73 and 25-meter freestyle in 22.63.

Lares also led off the Comets’ third place 100-yard freestyle relay team that finished in 1:30.73. Other relay members were Joseph Lee, Nicholas Mazon and Daniel Saliba.

Another 6-year-old, Giuliana Garcia of the Coral Springs Swim Club won three individual events.

Garcia won the 6-and-under 25-meter butterfly in 26.93, 25-meter breaststroke in 29.18 and 25-meter freestyle in 22.33.

Other individual champions were Isabella Franco, 8, of the Comets in the 7-8 25-meter breaststroke in 26.69 and Daniel Saliba, 7, of the Comets in the 7-8 25-meter breaststroke in 24.92.

Franco was also a member of the fourth-place girls 100-meter freestyle relay and Saliba was a member of the third place boys relay.

BROWARD SIZZLER RESULTS

GIRLS

25-meter butterfly: 6-and-under, 1. Giuliana Garcia, CSSC 26.93; CORAL SPRINGS: 2. Marissa Kopec 27.40; 7-8, 1. Josefine Richter, Pine Crest 23.71; CORAL SPRINGS: 4. Cara Virgin 25.11, 13. Stephanie Kopec 27.91, 21. Emma Gomez 29.90, 24. Olivia Mason 30.27, 33. Katherine Minielly 32.57, 38. Molly Mason 33.48, 41. Michelle Lapidot 34.73, 46. Gisele Girones 38.84; COMETS: 5. Trinity Hoyos 25.44, 6. Katrina Del Vecchio 25.65, 15. Isabella Franco 28.07, 19. Emma Perera 29.68, 26. Madison Ramon 30.46, 37. Zoe Mutombo 33.25, 42. Analucia Raimont 35.45, 43. Gretchen Montgomery 35.57, 47. Isabella Lizarazo 39.87, 51. Kylie McIntosh 43.32, 54. Sophia Bedoya 50.15.

25-meter backstroke: 6-and-under, 1. Isabella Chambers, Plantation 26.77; CORAL SPRINGS: 3. Giuliana Garcia 28.91, 5. Marissa Kopec 30.95; 7-8, 1. Lalainie Bannister, Lauderhill 22.49; CORAL SPRINGS: 5. Olivia Mason 25.43, 21. Katherine Minielly 28.42, 23. Michelle Lapidot 28.61; 26. Stephanie Kopec 29.53, 27. Molly Mason 30.04, 28. Cara Virgin 30.10, 29. Emma Gomez 30.56, 48. Gisele Girones 39.20; COMETS: 9. Trinity Hoyos 26.75, 13. Emma Perera 26.94, 16. Katrina Del Vecchio 27.19, 20. Isabella Franco 28.30, 24. Gretchen Montgomery 28.76, 25. Madison Ramon 28.90, 36. Sophia Bedoya 33.1, 44. Zoe Mutombo 37.34, 45. Kylie McIntosh 37.52, 47. Isabella Lizarazo 38.53, 49. Analucia Raimont 39.21.

25-meter breaststroke: 6-and-under, 1. Giuliana Garcia, Coral Springs 29.18; CORAL SPRINGS: 3. Marissa Kopec 30.66; 7-8, 1. Isabella Franco, Comets 26.69, CORAL SPRINGS: 4. Cara Virgin 27.20, 5. Olivia Mason 27.62, 12. Stephanie Kopec 30.64, 16. Molly Mason 31.99, 20. Michelle Lapidot 32.62, 24. Emma Gomez 33.13, 34. Gisele Girones 35.92, 40. Katherine Minielly 38.12; COMETS: 9. Trinity Hoyos 29.58, 13. Gretchen Montgomery 31.01, 18. Emma Perera 32.34, 23. Katrina Del Vecchio 33.11, 26. Madison Ramon 33.94, 43. Analucia Raimont 39.87, 44. Isabella Lizarazo 39.94, 47. Zoe Mutombo 42.12, 48. Kyle McIntosh 42.32, 49. Sophia Bedoya 45.27.

25-meter freestyle: 6-and-under, 1. Giuliana Garcia, Coral Springs 22.33; CORAL SPRINGS: 2. Marissa Kopec 23.09; 7-8, 1. Josefine Richter, Pine Crest 19.77; CORAL SPRINGS: 4. Olivia Mason 20.40, 5. Cara Virgin 20.67, 13. Stephanie Kopec 22.43, 14. Emma Gomez 22.57, 21. Molly Mason 23.69, 25. Katherine Minielly 24.62, 31. Michelle Lapidot 25.98, 48. Gisele Girones 32.43; COMETS: 7. Trinity Hoyos 21.24, 12. Isabella Franco 22.23, 15. Katrina Del Vecchio 22.71, 24. Emma Perera 24.42, 28. Madison Ramon 25.88, 34. Zoe Mutombo 28.14, 41. Gretchen Montgomery 29.15, 42. Sophia Bedoya 29.86, 44. Kylie McIntosh 30.49, 51. Isabella Lizarazo 36.79, 52. Analucia Raimont 36.96.

100-meter freestyle relay: 8-and-under, 1. Pine Crest (Lejla Najarro, Rebecca Forrester, Jourdan henry, Josefine Richter) 1:27.76; 2. Coral Springs “A” (Marissa Kopec, Emma Gomez, Stephanie Kopec, Olivia Mason) 1:29.29; 4. Comets “A” (Gretchen Montgomery, Emma Perera, Isabella Franco, Trinity Hoyos) 1:40.39; 6. Coral Springs “B” (Gisele Girones, Molly Mason, Katherine Minielly, Michelle Lapidot) 1:45.52; 8. Comets “C” (Sophia Bedoya, Katrina Del Vecchio, Zoe Mutombo, Madison Ramon) 2:02.00.

BOYS

25-meter butterfly: 6-and-under, 1. Sebastian Lares, Comets 24.41; COMETS: 3. Fernando Ziehm 37.18, 10. Miguel Crespo 57.20; CORAL SPRINGS: 6. Ryan Schmuki 41.36, 7. Edward Huang 44.96; 7-8, 1. Raphael Santos, Fort Lauderdale Aquatics 19.29; COMETS: 3. Daniel Saliba 22.42, 9. Dylan Face 26.41, 11. Joseph Lee 27.34, 14. Nicholas Mazon 28.15, 16. Akira Huang 30.27, 17. Marcus Hernandez 30.40, 22. Tanner Gibson 33.11, 26. Ryan Heron 34.93, 28. Anthony Gutierrez 36.28, 33. Marcos Vazquez 38.96; CORAL SPRINGS: 4. Joshua Hanks 24.48, 5. Connor Marks 25.59, 8. Daniel Huang 26.25, 12. Fabio Savino 27.65, 19. Brian Gonzalez 31.02, 29. Alex Dworet 36.52, 34. Andre Hada 40.99.

25-meter backstroke: 6-and-under, 1. Sebastian Lares, Comets 25.16; COMETS: 2. Fernando Ziehm 32.01, 10. Miguel Crespo 46.15; CORAL SPRINGS: 3. Ryan Schmuki 33.36, 5. Edward Huang 36.21; 7-8, 1. Raphael Santos, Fort Lauderdale Aquatics 21.86; COMETS: 2. Daniel Saliba 23.74, 8. Joseph Lee 25.35, 16. Nicholas Mazon 28.25, 17. Dyan Face 28.62, 18. Tanner Gibson 28.75, 19. Akira Huang 29.63, 22. Ryan Heron 30.68, 24. Marcos Vazquez 31.56, 30. Anthon Gutierrez 35.67, 31. Marcus Hernandez 35.76; CORAL SPRINGS: 4. Joshua Hanks 24.01, 6. Connor Marks 24.72, 10. Daniel Huang 25.62, 13. Nick Ismailoff 27.65, 14. Brian Gonzalez 27.90, 20. Fabio Savino 29.79, 25. Alex Dworet 32.47, 34. Andre Hada 38.21. 

25-meter breaststroke: 6-and-under, 1. Sebastian Lares, Comets 29.73, COMETS: 2. Fernando Ziehm 32.81, 6. Miguel Crespo 45.67, CORAL SPRINGS: 4. Ryan Schmuki 41.76, 7. Edward Huang 49.00; 7-8, 1.  Daniel Saliba, Comets 24.92; CORAL SPRINGS: 3. Joshua Hanks 27.75, 6. Fabio Savino 29.09, 13. Nick Ismailoff 31.76, 14. Daniel Huang 31.82, 21. Connor Marks 34.65, 29. Brian Gonzalez 38.98, 31. Andre Hada 40.54, 38. Alex Dworet 47.16; COMETS: 10. Dylan Face 30.25, 11. Akira Huang 30.61, 12. Nicholas Mazon 31.51, 16. Tanner Gibson 32.58, 19. Joseph Lee 34.37, 20. Ryan Heron 34.51, 25. Marcos Vazquez 35.63, 27. Anthony Gutierrez 37.31, 35. Marcus Hernandez 42.02.

25-meter freestyle: 6-and-under, 1. Sebastian Lares, Comets 22.63; COMETS: 2. Fernando Ziehm 26.94, 7. Miguel Crespo 37.58; CORAL SPRINGS: 4. Edward Huang 34.28, 6. Ryan Schmuki 34.75; 7-8, 1. Raphael Santos, FLA 16.62; COMETS: 3. Daniel Saliba 19.31, 8. Dylan Face 21.47, 10. Nicholas Mazon 22.19, 16. Tanner Gibson 23.77, 17. Akira Huang 24.15, 29. Marcus Hernandez 28.10, 34. Marcos Vazquez 31.05, 35. Anthony Gutierrez 31.71, 36. Ryan Heron 32.72; CORAL SPRINGS: 5. Connor Marks 20.39, 6. Joshua Hanks 20.45, 12. Daniel Huang 22.61, 14. Fabio Savino 23.48, 19. Brian Gonzalez 24.21, 22. Nick Ismailoff 26.10, 33. Alex Dworet 30.85, 37. Andre Hada 33.17.

100-meter freestyle relay: 8-and-under, 1. Fort Lauderdale Aquatics “A” (Michael Gonio, Jack Faulkner, Jacobi James, Raphael Santos) 1:28.40; 2. Coral Springs “A” (Connor Marks, Fabio Savino, Daniel Huang, Joshua Hanks) 1:30.39; 3. Comets “A” (Sebastian Lares, Joseph Lee, Nicholas Mazon, Daniel Saliba) 1:30.73; 5. Comets “B” (Tanner Gibson, Ryan Heron, Dylan Face, Akira Huang) 1:40.19; 6. Coral Springs “B” (Ryan Schmuki, Andre Hada, Nick Ismailoff, Brian Gonzalez) 1:51.99; 8. Comets “C” (Marcus Hernandez, Marcos Vazquez, Anthon Gutierrez, Fernando Ziehm) 2:00.38.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.c

 http://www.swim4soflo.com

Cal-Berkeley Takes Lead, Gators Win Two Titles On Day Two Of NCAA Men’s Championships

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

March 25, 2011

University of California at Berkeley took over the lead Friday at the NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis.

Heading into the third and final day, the Bears lead with 352 points. Texas is second with 288.5 followed by Stanford, 278.5, Arizona, 214 and Florida, 213. Florida State is 24^th with 14 points. 

California started off its successful night with a win in the 200-yard medley relay with Guy Barnea, Damir Dugonjic, Graeme Moore and Nathan Adrian in 1:23.12, more than a second ahead of Texas.

Barnea, Dugonjic and Moore were competing in the event for the third consecutive season. The Bears, defending champions in the relay, were the fastest morning qualifier in 1:24.39.

University of Georgia senior Bill Cregar, sixth fastest morning qualifier, snapped Michigan’s five-year win streak by winning the 400-yard individual medley in 3:40.97.

Cregar is the first Georgia swimmer to win the event since 2003 when St. Petersburg’s Robert Margalis won. Race favorite Conor Dwyer of Florida, who failed to make the final, won the “B” final in 3:42.49. Dwyer is ill with a stomach virus.

In a battle of national champions, Stanford senior Austin Staab, the 2009 NCAA champion, second fastest morning seed and race favorite, recaptured the 100-yard butterfly in 44.69 ahead of California’s Tom Shields, the defending champion and fastest morning qualifier, in 44.91.

University of Florida finally found the winner’s podium with senior Brett Fraser of the Cayman Islands, who finished seventh last year, won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:32.21. It was the third consecutive year a Gator has won the event. Conor Dwyer won last year and Brett’s brother Shaune won in 2009. Fraser had fun on the podium during the medal ceremony doing the Gator chomp.

Dugonjic, a senior, after swimming on the winning relay, came back to win an individual title in the 100-yard breaststroke in 50.94 for his third consecutive NCAA title in the event. He won in 2009 in 50.86 and 2010 in 51.65.

California added more points in the 100-yard backstroke when sophomore Tom Shields overcame Indiana sophomore Eric Ress in the last 50 yards to win in 45.02. Ress was second in 45.14.

Purdue junior David Boudia won his second NCAA title of the meet on 3-meter springboard. He finished with 472.30 points narrowly edging Grant Nel of Texas A&M with 471.35. Florida State’s Landon Marzullo was seventh with 378.85 and earned All-American honors.

Boudia goes for the trifecta on 10-meter platform on Saturday.

In the final event of the night, the 800-yard freestyle relay, favorite and top seed University of Florida with Florida Gold Coast swimmer Jeffrey Raymond of Davie swimming anchor leg (1:34.33), won in 6:14.88 ahead of Virginia in 6:16.59. Cal-Berkeley was fifth in 6:20.54. Other Gator relay members were Dwyer leading off, Fraser and Sebastien Rousseau. 

The meet is being streamed live on ESPN3.com.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

 http://www.swim4soflo.com

AQUATIC NOTEBOOK: Issue 31, Nike Swim Miami Set For April 9 At New Site

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

March 25, 2011

Nike Swim Miami will have a new site for its 2011 event.

The Saturday, April 9 open water swims, with an all-star field of competitors, will be held at the Miami Yacht Club on Watson Island at 1001 MacArthur Causeway.

Pre-race registration will be held Friday, April 8, noon-6 p.m. at the Miami Yacht Club.

On Saturday, check-in is 6-9:45 a.m. and Sponsor Expo will be open from 7 a.m.-2 p.m.

Race time is 7:30 a.m. for the Miami Mile, 8:30 a.m. for the 800-meter swim, 9 a.m. for the 4K and 10 a.m. for the 10K swim. Swimmers must show proof they have completed a 1,650 or mile swim if they want to compete in the 10K.

Each race will have a separate start time for male and female swimmers within appropriate intervals.

There will be two racing courses. In the 800-meter and one-mile events swimmers will head out and return back in a narrow course designed for optimum observation of large numbers of competitors. There are no feeding stations in these races.

The Florida Gold Coast will also use the event as its Junior Olympics  open water swim. The top four in each age group (11-12, 13-14 and 15-18) will be invited to compete as members of the FGC Open Water All-Star Team at the June 10-11 Florida Cup Challenge against Florida Swimming in Fort Myers.

In the 4K and 10K events, swimmers will follow a rectangular course totaling 2000 meters per loop. A feeding station will be provided and use of feed sticks by coaches is permitted.

All registration will be closed Friday, April 1. Late entries with added cost will be accepted through noon on Friday, April 8. There is also race day registration.

The event will have a live webcast courtesy of La Ley Sports, hosted by one of the former Dos Amigos of 790 The Ticket.

Last year, SOFLO’s Kelley Heron won the 800-meter swim in 13:13, six seconds ahead of Fort Lauderdale Aquatics’ Greg Fernandes. Jesus Marin of Davie Nadadores won the Miami Mile in 20:18. University of Florida-bound Carlos Omana of Metro Aquatic Club won the 5K in 1:01:18. Alex Meyer of Massachusetts Bay Marlins won the 10K in 1:57:58.

The Miami Sports International event will also host Board Up, which features product demonstrations, all-day entertainment from some of the area’s top musicians, bikini fashion show and action sports professionals, skateboard and BMX contests.

Jungle Island is offering a 25 percent discount for general admission with the promo code 8860.

For more information, contact event director Jonathan Strauss at 305-273-1129 or thesportspromoters@swimgym.net.

FRENCH LONG COURSE NATIONALS

Fred Bousquet, fresh off his training camp at Pine Crest Swimming and tune-up meet in Plantation, posted the world’s best time in the 50-meter freestyle during the French Long Course Nationals in Strasbourg.

France is using the meet as a qualifier for the world championships in Shanghai this summer.

Bousquet, the former world record holder, posted the first sub-22 second 50-meter freestyle of the year. He won in 21.82 and teammate Alain Bernard was second in 21.98.

In other fast swims:

Yannick Agnel swam the world’s fastest 400-meter freestyle in 3:43.85, breaking his own national record of 3:46.17.

Camille Lacourt swam the fastest 100-meter backstroke in 52.44, the fastest time this year.

Camille Muffat became the first Frenchwoman to crack 54 seconds in a textile suit when she won the 100-meter freestyle in 53.97.

Olympic medalist Hugues Duboscq won the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:11.99.

UNIVERSITY OF NEW ORLEANS CUTS SWIMMING

The University of New Orleans has decided to eliminate swimming and diving as part of its NCAA re-classification from Division I to Division II.

UNO, which plans to add three sports next month, will be in the Gulf South Conference which does not sponsor swimming or diving.

“Ultimately, we could not make swimming and diving work within our plan for properly supporting ten sports needed in order to comply with Division II membership standards in 2011-2012,” said Athletic Director Amy Champion, who worked with swim coach James Winchester to come up with budget-saving ideas.

This past season UNO competed as a Division I independent school.

ANOTHER SWIMMER COMES OUT OF RETIREMENT

After three years away from competitive swimming, two-time Olympic trials finalist Chris DeJong, 26, has come out of retirement to train for the Trials in the 200-meter backstroke and 200-meter freestyle.

The former University of Michigan swimmer will make his debut next month at the Ann Arbor, Mich. Grand Prix event named for the late Michigan swimmer and coach Eric Namesnik, a former Spanish River High and Mission Bay swimmer, who grew up competing in the Florida Gold Coast. DeJong was fourth in the 200-meter backstroke in the 2004 trials and sixth in 2008.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

 http://www.swim4soflo.com

Stanford, Adrian Break ARs On Day One Of NCAA Championships; Jay Fitzgerald To Be Honored

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

March 24, 2011

Stanford broke an American record twice, Nathan Adrian rewrote the record book and University of Texas took the lead on Day One of the NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships Thursday at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis.

Stanford started off the day with an American record in the 200-yard freestyle in morning prelims.

Stanford’s Alex Coville (19.28), Aaron Wayne (18.95), Jakob Allen (18.88) and Austin Staab (18.73) broke the American record in 1:15.84, breaking the 1:15.90 set by Texas in 2009.

The Cardinals came back in finals to break their own record to win the relay in 1:15.26. The win gave Stanford its NCAA-record ninth win in the event.

Matt McLean of Virginia, the top seed after morning prelims, won the 500-yard freestyle in 4:10.15. Defending champion Conor Dwyer of Florida finished a disappointing third in 4:13.98.

Stanford’s Austin Staab, the fastest morning qualifier, won the 200-yard individual medley in 1:41.57.

Olympic hopeful Nathan Adrian of California-Berkeley reclaimed the 50-yard freestyle with an American record in 18.66, bettering his national record of 18.71 set in 2009 when he last won the NCAA title in the event. Adrian also anchored California’s winning 400-yard medley relay that won in 3:02.28. Guy Barnea, Damir Dugonjic and Tom Shields were also relay members.

Purdue’s David Boudia defended his 1-meter springboard title with 461 points.

University of Texas leads after Day One with 139 points followed by Stanford, 136; California, 134; Auburn, 110.5 and Arizona, 99.

No. 5-ranked University of Florida is seventh with 70 points. The Gators picked up All-American honors in four events.

“We had some good performances today,” Gators coach Gregg Troy said. “We raced really well. We had a couple of disappointments with some races we thought we would be better in, but by the same token, Cieslak and Rousseau did tremendous in the 200 IM.”

Freshman Marcin Cieslak was sixth in the 200-yard individual medley in a career-best 1:43.69, earning All-American honors. Sophomore Sebastien Rousseau was tenth in a career-best 1:44.24.

Dwyer failed to defend his title in the 500-yard freestyle with his third place in 4:13.98 after winning last year in 4:13.64.

“Conor in the finals maybe overswam the front-end of the race a little bit,” Troy said.

Florida took fourth in the 400-yard medley relay in 3:06.81 with Marco Loughran, Dwyer, Cieslak and Brett Fraser.

“We are going to put the pieces back together and get it started back again tomorrow,” Troy said.

Florida State senior diver Landon Marzullo finished 15^th on one-meter springboard with 340.00 for six dives and earned honorable mention All-American. Senior diver Michael Neubacher finished 25^th with 298.20 points. Florida State is 25^th with two points.

On Saturday, Pine Crest Swimming veteran coach Jay Fitzgerald will be honored with the 2011 Outstanding Service Award from the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association.

Fitzgerald will be honored during the annual NISCA Conference held in conjunction with the NCAA Men’s Championships. The names of the recipients of the prestigious award will be displayed in the International Swimming Hall of Fame Museum in Fort Lauderdale.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com.

 http://www.swim4soflo.com

Comets, Coral Springs Swim Club Compete In 8-and-Under Sizzler Invitational In Tamarac On Friday

Comets, Coral Springs Swim Club Compete In 8-and-Under Sizzler Invitational In Tamarac On Friday

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

March 24, 2011

Marissa Kopec, Daniel Huang and Joshua Banks of the Coral Springs Swim Club will be among top seeds when they compete in the 8-and-Under Sizzler Short Course Invitational on Friday in Tamarac.

Kopec, 6, is seeded first in three events in the 6-and-under age group—25-meter butterfly, 25-meter backstroke and 25-meter freestyle. She is also seeded second in the 25-meter breaststroke.

Hanks, 7, is seeded first in two events in the 7-8 age group—25-meter backstroke and 25-meter freestyle. He is seeded second in the 25-meter butterfly.

Huang, 8, is seeded first in the 7-8 25-meter butterfly.

Coral Springs Swim Club is also seeded one-two in the 100-meter freestyle relays.

The two-hour meet features 160 swimmers and is sanctioned by the Florida Gold Coast.

Comets and Coral Springs Swim Club swimmers competing and events are:

BOYS

Boys 6-and-under 25-meter butterfly: COMETS: Sebastian Lares, Miguel Crespo, Fernando Ziehm; CORAL SPRINGS: Ryan Schmuki, Edward Huang.

Boys 7-8 25-meter butterfly: CORAL SPRINGS: Daniel Huang, Joshua Hanks, Connor Marks, Alex Dworet, Fabio Savino, Alexander Meyer, Nick Ismailoff, Andre Hada, Brian Gonzalez; COMETS: Daniel Saliba, Tanner Gibson, Nicholas Mazon, Joseph Lee, Dyan Face, Marcus Hernandez, Akira Huang, Ryan Heron, Marcos Vazquez, Anthony Gutierrez.

Boys 6-and-under 25-meter backstroke: COMETS: Sebastian Lares, Miguel Crespo, Fernando Ziehm; CORAL SPRINGS: Ryan Schmuki, Edward Huang.

Boys 7-8 25-meter backstroke: CORAL SPRINGS: Joshua Hanks, Daniel Huang, Connor Marks, Alex Dworet, Fabio Savino, Alexander Meyer, Nick Ismailoff, Andre Hada, Brian Gonzalez; COMETS: Daniel Saliba, Tanner Gibson, Nicholas Mazon, Joseph Lee, Dyan Face, Marcus Hernandez, Akira Huang, Ryan Heron, Marcos Vazquez, Anthon Gutierrez.

Boys 6-and-under 25-meter breaststroke: COMETS: Sebastian Lares, Miguel Crespo, Fernando Ziehm; CORAL SPRINGS: Ryan Schmuki, Edward Huang.

Boys 7-8 25-meter breaststroke: CORAL SPRINGS: Joshua Hanks, Daniel Huang, Connor Marks, Fabio Savino, Alex Dworet, Alexander Meyer, Nick Ismailoff, Andre Hada, Brian Gonzalez; COMETS: Daniel Saliba, Tanner Gibson, Nicholas Mazon, Joseph Lee, Dylan Face, Marcus Hernandez, Akira Huang, Ryan Heron, Marcos Vazquez, Anthon Gutierrez.

Boys 6-and-under 25-meter freestyle: COMETS: Sebastian Lares, Miguel Crespo, Fernando Ziehm; CORAL SPRINGS: Ryan Schmuki, Edward Huang.

Boys 7-8 25-meter freestyle: CORAL SPRINGS: Joshua Hanks, Daniel Huang, Connor Marks, Fabio Savino, Alex Dworet, Alexander Meyer, Nick Ismailoff, Andre Hada, Brian Gonzalez; COMETS: Daniel Saliba, Tanner Gibson, Nicholas Mazon, Joseph Lee, Dylan Face, Marcus Hernandez, Akira Huang, Ryan Heron, Marcos Vazquez, Anthony Gutierrez.

GIRLS

Girls 6-and-under 25-meter butterfly: CORAL SPRINGS: Marissa Kopec.

Girls 7-8 25-meter butterfly: CORAL SPRINGS: Stephanie Kopec, Olivia Mason, Cara Virgin, Molly Mason, Emma Gomez, Katherine Minielly, Michelle Lapidot, Gisele Girones; COMETS: Michelle Marinheiro, Analucia Raimont, Isabella Franco, Trinity Hoyos, Zoe Mutombo, Annabell Tigue, Emma Perera, Gretchen Montgomery, Madison Ramon, Isabella Lizarazo, Katrina Del Vecchio, Kylie McIntosh, Sophia Bedoya.

Girls 6-and-under 25-meter backstroke: CORAL SPRINGS: Marissa Kopec.

Girls 7-8 25-meter backstroke: CORAL SPRINGS: Olivia Mason, Cara Virgin, Molly Mason, Stephanie Kopec, Michelle Lapidot, Emma Gomez, Katherine Minielly, Gisele Girones; COMETS: Michelle Marinheiro, Analucia Raimont, Isabella Franco, Trinity Hoyos, Zoe Mutombo, Annabell Tigue, Emma Perera, Gretchen Montgomery, Madison Ramon, Isabella Lizarazo, Katrina Del Vecchio, Kylie McIntosh, Sophia Bedoya.

Girls 6-and-under 25-meter breaststroke: CORAL SPRINGS: Marissa Kopec.

Girls 7-8 25-meter breaststroke: CORAL SPRINGS: Stephanie Kopec, Olivia Mason, Cara Virgin, Molly Mason, Katheine Minielly, Gisele Girones, Michelle Lapidot, Emma Gomez; COMETS: Michelle Marinheiro, Analucia Raimont, Isabella Franco, Trinity Hoyos, Zoe Mutombo, Annabell Tigue, Emma Perera, Gretchen Montgomery, Madison Ramon, Isabella Lizarazo, Katrina Del Vecchio, Kylie McIntosh, Sophia Bedoya.

Girls 6-and-under 25-meter freestyle: CORAL SPRINGS: Marissa Kopec.

Girls 7-8 25-meter freestyle: CORAL SPRINGS: Olivia Mason, Cara Virgin, Emma Gomez, Stephanie Kopec, Michelle Lapidot, Katherine Minielly, Molly Mason, Gisele Girones; COMETS: Michelle Marinheiro, Analucia Raimont, Isabella Franco, Trinity Hoyos, Zoe Mutombo, Annabell Tigue, Emma Perera, Gretchen Montgomery, Madison Ramon, Isabella Lizarazo, Katrina Del Vecchio, Kylie McIntosh, Sophia Bedoya.

IF YOU GO

What: 8-And-Under Sizzler Invitational

When: Friday, 5 p.m. warm-up, events 5:30 p.m.

Where: Tamarac Caporella Aquatic Complex, 9300 NW 58^th St., Tamarac

How to get there: The aquatic complex is located just north of Commercial Blvd. From Commercial Blvd., turn north on 94^th St., the pool is on the right.

Admission: $2, heat sheets $2. For information call 954-747-4635.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com.

 http://www.swim4soflo.com

Florida, FSU Swimmers Compete In NCAA Division I Men’s Championships In Minneapolis

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

March 23, 2011

Florida and Florida State will be well-represented at the NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships that begin on Thursday at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.

The No. 5-ranked University of Florida Gators qualified 14 swimmers for the three-day meet.

“The men’s meet on paper looks to be one of the fastest meets ever,” Florida head coach Gregg Troy said. “It’s going to be highly competitive.”

The Gators, fifth last year, have finished in the top five four of the last five years and top 10 for 11 consecutive years.

Senior Conor Dwyer is among favorites to challenge for an NCAA title. He is the reigning 200- and 500-yard freestyle national champion and seven-time All-American. He is also the defending NCAA and SEC Male Swimmer of the Year and U.S. national team member.

Dwyer will be joined by 13 of his teammates including freshman Marcin Cieslak of Poland, Marco Loughran of Great Britain, Brett Fraser of the Cayman Islands, Balazs Gercsak of Hungary and South African Sebastien Rousseau.

Coming into the NCAA meet, the Gators have the fastest times in six different events and are in the Top 10 in ten others. Loughran has the fastest time in the NCAA in the 200-yard backstroke and second fastest in the 100-yard backstroke.

Cieslak, recently named SEC Male Freshman of the Year, has top 10 times in five events.

Florida State is sending a small contingent of three swimmers and divers. Seniors Rob Holderness and divers Landon Marzullo and Mike Neubacher will compete for top eight finishes and All-American honors.

“Our team is not as big as it’s been in the past, but what we come with has a chance to perform extremely well,” FSU head coach Neil Harper said. “They survived the difficulties of getting here and they have a very good chance at performing well and their goals are very high.”

Holderness is the first FSU swimmer to sweep the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke events at an ACC Championship meet. Last year he won the consolation final to finish ninth in the 200 breaststroke and was 17^th in the 100 breaststroke.

Stanford, California, Auburn and darkhorse Texas are expected to battle for the team title at the three-day meet.

Three Florida Gold Coast swimmers are competing.

Louisville junior Brendon Andrews of Lake Lytal Lightning will compete in the 100-yard backstroke (46.94) and 800-yard freestyle (6:23.23); Florida senior Joey Pedraza of Fort Lauderdale in the 1,650-yard freestyle (15:03.12) and Florida junior Jeff Raymond of Davie in the 200-yard freestyle (1:35.38) and 800-yard freestyle (6:16.39).

Prelims are 1 p.m. and finals 8 p.m. EST.

ESPN3 will stream coverage of the finals on Friday and Saturday. ESPN will also air a 90-minute show at 1:30 p.m. on April 6.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

 http://www.swim4soflo.com