Jaeger, Baumann Win On Day One Of Santa Clara Grand Prix; SOFLO’s Atkinson Competes Friday

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

May 30, 2013

American Connor Jaeger and Canadian Tabitha Baumann went the distance to win their opening events Thursday night at the Santa Clara Grand Prix at the George F. Haines International Swim Center.

Jaeger, a U.S. Olympian, won the 800-meter freestyle in a meet record 7:50.14, more than a nine-second margin of victory over Aussie Mack Horton in 7:59.64. Canadian Ryan Cochrane was third in 7:59.71.

“It makes me feel good that I swam faster than I did at Charlotte,” said Jaeger, who swam 7:53.35 in Charlotte.

“You don’t really know how much this actually means for how you are going to perform at the end of the year, but we’re continuing to swim faster so I guess that’s a good sign.”

In the only other event of the day, Baumann won the 1,500-meter freestyle in 16:37.03. Susana Escobar Torres of Mexico was second in 16:40.53 and Carolina Bilich Queiroz of Brazil was third in 17:00.42.

SOFLO’s three-time Jamaican Olympian Alia Atkinson begins to compete on Friday.

Atkinson, 24, will compete in the first of six three races she entered. She will swim the 100-meter freestyle, 200-meter breaststroke and 100-meter freestyle. She is seeded 71st in the freestyle, 11th in the breaststroke and 29th in the butterfly.

Prelims are 9 a.m. and finals at 5 p.m. Pacific Coast Time.

The event is the sixth and final stop on USA Swimming’s 2012-13 Arena Grand Prix Series that awards prize money to top finishers.

Friday and Saturday’s finals will air live on Universal Sports Network, 8-9:30 p.m. EST and live webcast of the entire meet will be streamed live online at usaswimming.org.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO, Comets Race Well In Session Three Of FGC Age Group Developmental Meet

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

May 30, 2013

South Florida Aquatic Club and Comets Swim Team swimmers had a good day during session three of the Florida Gold Coast Age Group Developmental Meet on Sunday, May 25th at Academic Village Pool.

SOFLO swimmers swept the girls’ 100-meter breaststroke.

Katrina Del Vecchio, 10, won the 10-and-under age group title in a lifetime-best 1:43.90, dropping from 1:58.11. Anabel Vazquez, 11, won the 11-12 age group in 1:33.94, also a lifetime-best, dropping from 1:36.30.

Valeria Villa, 11, won the 100-meter backstroke in 1:23.17.

Isabella Di Salvo, 11, won the 400-meter freestyle in 5:33.50.

Elizabeth Chevaldova, 8, of the Comets Swim Team, won the 50-meter freestyle in 37.78.

Comets teammate Erika Pelaez, 6, the youngest swimmer in the meet coming off a successful Sizzler performance on Friday, won the 100-meter backstroke in 1:42.23.

SOFLO’s “A” relay of Annita Huang, Isabel Shashaty, Isabella DiSalvo and Vanessa Mesa won the 200-meter freestyle relay in 2:18.76.

In the boys races, SOFLO and Comets dominated the win column.

Comets’ Zackary Harris, 8, coming off a dominating performance at the Friday Sizzler, won the 50-meter butterfly in a lifetime-best 41.51, a huge drop from 59.84.

Brandon Moran, 12, won the 50-meter butterfly in a lifetime-best 35.71, dropping from 37.98.

Akira Huang, 10, won the 50-meter freestyle in a lifetime-best 36.12, dropping from 38.16.

Bryant Segui, 11, won the 50-meter freestyle in a lifetime-best 32.66, dropping from 34.62.

Joseph Lee, 10, won the 100-meter breaststroke in a lifetime-best 1:43.06, a big drop from his previous best of 1:54.39.

Sam Walters, 12, won the 100-meter breaststroke in a lifetime-best 1:36.10, dropping from 1:39.97. Walters won his second event of the session in the 400-meter freestyle in a lifetime-best 5:13.06, dropping from 5:38.53.

Derek Tom, 11, won the 100-meter backstroke in 1:29.14.

SOFLO’s “A” relay of Joseph Lee, Brandon Moran, Bryant Segui and Sam Walters won the 200-meter freestyle relay in 2:17.21.

SESSION THREE RESULTS

GIRLS

200-meter freestyle relay:

12-and-under, 1. SOFLO A 2:17.21 (Annita Huang, Isabel Shashaty, Isabella Di Salvo, Vanessa Mesa), 2. SOFLO C 2:25.51, 4. SOFLO B 2:35.29, 5. SOFLO D 2:35.50, 7. SOFLO E 2:49.51.

50-meter butterfly:

10-and-under, 1. Naomi Vera, Rockway 42.53; SOFLO: 3. Katrina Del Vecchio 44.18, best time, 5. Michelle Marinheiro 45.25, 8. Jena Legaspi 48.25, best time, 11. Salma Hegazy 52.16, best time, 13. Daniela Barreto 54.63, best time; COMETS: 6. Erika Pelaez 45.43, 9. Elizabeth Chevaldova 48.34; 11-12, 1. Jessie Fernandez, Rockway 35.98; SOFLO: 2. Jennifer Rodriguez 36.49, best time, 3. Isabel Shashaty 37.13, best time, 4. Anabel Vazquez 37.61, best time, 5. Annita Huang 38.45, best time, 6. Alexandra Crespo 39.08, best time, 7. Elise Larin 39.45, best time, 8. Camila Alvarez 39.78, best time, 9. Valentina Carrion 46.18, 10. Paola Huerta 46.77, best time, 11. Mikaela De Gracia 47.37, 14. Lauren Siegman 50.12, 15. Samantha Cortez 53.97.

200-meter individual medley:

10-and-under, 1. Naomi Vera, Rockway 3:09.33; SOFLO: 2. Michelle Marinheiro 3:19.37, best time, 3. Jena Legaspi 3:32.61, best time, 5. Gretchen Montgomery 3:41.63, 6. Salma Hegazy 4:07.80, 8. Adrianna Rigau 4:33.73; 11-12, 1. Jessie Fernandez, Rockway 2:46.93; SOFLO: 2. Alexandra Crespo 2:59.50, best time, 3. Valeria Villa 3:06.92, 4. Kellie Wilcox 3:11.67, 5. Camila Alvarez 3:16.54, 7. Mikaela De Gracia 3:26.94, 9. Paola Huerta 3:41.99, best time.

50-meter freestyle:

10-and-under, 1. Elizabeth Chevaldova, Comets 37.78; SOFLO: 4. Katrina Del Vecchio 38.47, best time, 6. Sophia Bedoya 39.69, best time, 8. Jena Legaspi 41.58, best time, 9. Daniela Barreto 42.00, best time, 11. Gretchen Montgomery 43.90, 12. Adrianna Rigau 44.92, best time; COMETS: 7. Erika Pelaez 40.59, best time, 17. Vivian Chevaldova 1:00.31; 11-12, 1. Jessie Fernandez, Rockway 32.30, best time; SOFLO: 2. Anabel Vazquez 33.55, 4. Camila Alvarez 34.68, best time, 5. Alexandra Crespo 35.39, best time, 7. Paola Huerta 35.78, best time, 8. Kellie Wilcox 36.08, 9. Valentina Carrion 36.91, best time, 11. Lauren Siegman 39.20, 12. Amy-Nicole Toro 40.98, best time, 13. Ivanna Fregoso 41.76, best time, 14. Samantha Cortez 42.46, best time, 16. Simone Harvey Foote 55.77.

100-meter breaststroke:

10-and-under, 1. Katrina Del Vecchio, SOFLO 1:43.90; SOFLO: 3. Michelle Marinheiro 1:53.23, best time, 4. Gretchen Montgomery 1:56.15, best time, 5. Sophia Bedoya 1:56.23, best time, 6. Salma Hegazy 2:08.69, best time; COMETS: 2. Elizabeth Chevaldova 1:51.90, 7. Erika Pelaez 2:10.74, 10. Vivian Chevaldova 2:44.05; 11-12, 1. Anabel Vazquez, SOFLO 1:33.94, best time; SOFLO: 2. Alexandra Crespo 1:35.96, best time, 3. Mikaela De Gracia 1:39.79, best time, 4. Isabella Di Salvo 1:39.90, 5. Vanessa Mesa 1:40.18, best time, 6. Camila Alvarez 1:41.94, best time, 7. Valentina Carrion 1:42.87, best time, 11. Isabel Shashaty 1:46.66, best time, 12. Samantha Cortez 1:59.98, 13. Amy-Nicole Toro 2:04.14, best time, 14. Ivanna Fregoso 2:11.36, best time.

100-meter backstroke:

10-and-under, 1. Erika Pelaez, Comets 1:42.23; COMETS: 3. Elizabeth Chevaldova 1:43.81; SOFLO: 4. Daniela Barreto 1:50.72, best time, 5. Sophia Bedoya 1:51.38, 6. Salma Hegazy 1:52.87, 7. Adrianna Rigau 1:58.77; 11-12, 1. Valeria Villa, SOFLO 1:23.17; SOFLO: 2. Kellie Wilcox 1:25.56, best time, 3. Elise Larin 1:30.03, best time, 5. Paola Huerta 1:39.11, 6. Samantha Cortez 1:45.17, best time, 7. Lauren Siegman 1:50.40, 8. Ivanna Fregoso 1:52.85, best time.

400-meter freestyle:

10-and-under, 1. Ysabella Farias, ASC 5:50.35; 11-12, 1. Isabella DiSalvo, SOFLO 5:33.50.

BOYS

200-meter freestyle relay:

12-and-under, 1. SOFLO A 2:24.61; 3. SOFLO B 2:33.03.

50-meter butterfly:

10-and-under, 1. Zackary Harris, Comets 41.51, best time; COMETS: 5. Randy Smith 49.34; SOFLO: 9. Tanner Gibson 55.22, 11. Mark Andre De Gracia 59.41, 12. Diego Ochoa 59.68, best time, 13. Erick Quintero 1:02.60; 11-12, 1. Brandon Moran, SOFLO 35.71, best time; 6. Derek Tom 42.40, 7. Gabriel Saavedra 46.89, best time, 10. Michael Toro 55.19.

200-meter individual medley:

10-and-under, 1. Phillip Meira, Rockway 3:21.84; COMETS: 2. Zackary Harris 3:22.43, best time, 8. Mark Andre De Gracia 4:13.40; 11-12, 1. Matheo Velasquez, Rockway 3:02.44; SOFLO: 3. Derek Tom 3:11.40.

50-meter freestyle:

10-and-under, 1. Akira Huang, SOFLO 36.12, best time; SOFLO: 3. Marcos Vazquez 38.08, best time, 9. Tanner Gibson 42.33, best time, 11. Aamir Lacewala 45.57, 12. Ian Chalmers 45.84, 13. Erick Quintero 48.41, 14. Odin Farkas 49.08, best time, 15. Mark Andre De Gracia 49.84, 16. Daniel He 50.37; COMETS: 10. Randy Smith 42.40, 17. Miguel Crespo 51.32, best time; 11-12, 1. Bryant Segui 32.66, best time; SOFLO: 6. Derek Tom 36.26, best time, 8. Roberto Garrido 38.32, best time, 9. Gabriel Saavedra 43.57, 11. Michael Toro 44.76, best time.

100-meter breaststroke:

10-and-under, 1. Joseph Lee, SOFLO 1:43.06, best time; COMETS: 3. Zackary Harris 1:55.17, 15. Miguel Crespo 2:33.62; SOFLO: 5. Akira Huang 2:00.27, best time, 10. Diego Ochoa 2:08.19, 11. Mark Andre De Gracia 2:15.03, 12. Daniel He 2:15.89, 13. Odin Farkas 2:19.51, best time, 16. Ian Chalmers 2:48.30; 11-12, 1. Sam Walters, SOFLO 1:36.10; SOFLO: 4. Gabriel Saavedra 1:50.39, best time.

100-meter backstroke:

10-and-under, 1. Phillip Meira, Rockway 1:35.94; SOFLO: 2. Tanner Gibson 1:38.31, 3. Akira Huang 1:39.90, 4. Marcos Vazquez 1:41.04, 10. Aamir Lacewala 1:54.05, 13. Diego Ochoa 2:04.20, 14. Ian Chalmers 2:05.69, 15. Odin Farkas 2:14.84; COMETS: 8. Randy Smith 1:48.47; 11-12, 1. Derek Tom, SOFLO 1:29.14; SOFLO: 4. Roberto Garrido 1:35.96, best time, 5. Michael Toro 2:00.05.

400-meter freestyle:

10-and-under, 1. Samuel Rivas, GRSC 6:45.99; 11-12, 1. Sam Walters, SOFLO 5:13.06, best time.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO’s Atkinson Among World-Class Field At Santa Clara Grand Prix

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

May 29, 2013

Alia Atkinson of South Florida Aquatic Club will compete against a world-class field at the Santa Clara Grand Prix which gets under way Thursday at the George F. Haines International Swim Center.

The three-time Jamaican Olympian, fine tuning for this summer’s world championships in July, has an ambitious race schedule with six events over three days.

Atkinson, 24, will compete against several other Olympians and national record holders who are also training for the July 28-August 4 FINA 15th annual World Championships in Barcelona, Spain.

Atkinson’s first three races are Friday. She will compete in the 100-meter freestyle, 200-meter breaststroke and 100-meter freestyle. She is seeded 71st in the freestyle, 11th in the breaststroke and 29th in the butterfly.

On Saturday she swims the 50-meter freestyle which she is seeded 28th and on Sunday she competes in her marquis event, the 100-meter breaststroke, where she is seeded second behind Hardy, and 200-meter individual medley in which she is seeded 13th.

Several U.S. swimmers gearing up for the June 25-29 National Championships and World Trials in Indianapolis including Missy Franklin, Ryan Lochte, Dana Vollmer, Nathan Adrian, Anthony Ervin, Natalie Coughlin, Allison Schmitt, Cullen Jones and Tyler Clary.

Joining Atkinson among the international field will be Olympic gold medalist and sprint freestyle world record holder Cesar Cielo of Brazil and Emily Seebohm of Australia.

A field of more than 500 swimmers will begin swimming on Thursday. The women’s 1500-meter freestyle and men’s 800-meter freestyle are the first events. Prelims are 9 a.m. and finals at 5 p.m. Pacific Coast Time.

The event is the sixth and final stop on USA Swimming’s 2012-13 Arena Grand Prix Series that awards prize money to top finishers.

Friday and Saturday’s finals will air live on Universal Sports Network, 8-9:30 p.m. EST and live webcast of the entire meet will be streamed live online at usaswimming.org.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

Comets Pelaez, Harris, Chevaldova Sizzle At Friday Sizzler

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

May 28, 2013

Erika Pelaez, Zackary Harris and Elizabeth Chevaldova of the Comets Swim Team were on fire at the Comets Sizzler last Friday at the Academic Village Pool.

The red hot swimmers dominated their events and posted lifetime-best times against a strong field of swimmers from Swim Fort Lauderdale, Gulliver, Blue Marlins and Davie Nadadores.

Pelaez, 6, won the 25-yard butterfly in a best time 16.72, dropping from 18.74; 25-yard backstroke in 19.19, dropping from 19.96; 25-yard breaststroke in 24.21, dropping from 25.13; and 25-yard freestyle in a best time 16.21, dropping from 17.07.

Harris, 8, won the 25-yard butterfly in a best time 16.60, dropping from 18.32; 25-yard backstroke in a best time 18.35, dropping from 20.19; 25-yard breaststroke in a best time 21.67, dropping from 22.58; and 25-yard freestyle in a best time 15.42, dropping from 15.74.

Elizabeth Chevaldova, 8, competing unattached for the Comets Swim Team, won the 25-yard butterfly in 17.89 and 25-yard backstroke in a best time 18.66, dropping from 19.94; 25-yard breaststroke in a best time 20.26, dropping from 21.87; and 25-yard freestyle in a best time 15.53, dropping from 15.93.

The Comets swept both the girls and boys 8-and-under 100-yard relays. Nearly every Comet swimmers turned in at least one lifetime-best.

GIRLS

25-yard butterfly:

6-and-under, 1. Erika Pelaez, Comets 16.72, best time; COMETS: 3. Vivian Chevaldova 26.19, best time, 4. Lara Chevaldova 27.42, best time; 7-8, 1. Elizabeth Chevaldova, Comets 17.89; COMETS: 3. Sabrina Osorio 20.06, best time, 4. Valerie Vank 21.41, 7. Sofia Osorio 23.26, best time, 18. Lia Siegman Sobrino 28.86, 19. Zaara Lacewala 31.39, best time.

25-yard backstroke:

6-and-under, 1. Erika Pelaez, Comets 19.19, best time; COMETS: 3. Vivian Chevaldova 24.39, best time, 4. Lara Chevaldova 26.22, best time; 7-8, 1. Elizabeth Chevaldova, Comets 18.66, best time; COMETS: 6. Valerie Vank 21.08, 9. Sabrina Osorio 24.02, 11. Lia Siegman Sobrino 24.27, 13. Sofia Osorio 24.85, best time, 19. Zaara Lacewala 27.66, best time.

25-yard breaststroke:

6-and-under, 1. Erika Pelaez, Comets 24.21, best time; COMETS: 2. Lara Chevaldova 27.15, best time, 3. Vivian Chevaldova 27.47, best time; 7-8, 1. Elizabeth Chevaldova, Comets 20.26, best time; COMETS: 2. Sabrina Osorio 23.40, best time, 4. Valerie Vank 24.55, 10. Sofia Osorio 28.53, best time, 14. Zaara Lacewala 29.89, best time, 18. Lia Siegman Sobrino 31.03.

25-yard freestyle:

6-and-under, 1. Erika Pelaez, Comets 16.21, best time; COMETS: 3. Vivian Chevaldova 22.40, best time, 4. Lara Chevaldova 22.84, best time; 7-8, 1. Elizabeth Chevaldova, Comets 15.53, best time; COMETS: 4. Valerie Vank 18.03, 5. Sabrina Osorio 18.75, best time, 9. Sofia Osorio 20.08, best time, 14. Lia Siegman Sobrino 22.84, 21. Zaara Lacewala 25.25, best time.

100-yard freestyle relay:

8-and-under, 1. Comets Swim Team 1:11.03.

BOYS

25-yard butterfly:

6-and-under, 1. Jason Cuffe, SFTL 22.28; 7-8, 1. Zackary Harris, Comets 16.60, best time; COMETS: 2. Randy Smith 18.03, best time, 4. Alejandro Mateus 20.39, best time; 7. Christian Porta 21.76, 9. Fernando Barreto 23.03, best time, 10. Noah Hew 23.08, best time, 14. Jake Cavanagh 25.81, best time, 15. Sebastian Gonzalez 26.81, 16. Miguel Crespo 28.11, best time, 18. Samuel Bullen 29.14.

25-yard backstroke:

6-and-under, 1. Jason Cuffe, SFTL 26.34; 7-8, 1. Zackary Harris, Comets 18.35, best time; COMETS: 2. Randy Smith 20.28, best time, 5. Alejandro Mateus 21.26, best time, 7. Christian Porta 21.52, 8. Noah Hew 22.50, best time, 9. Jake Cavanagh 23.03, best time, 12. Fernando Barreto 23.87, best time, 13. Samuel Bullen 25.09, best time, 20. Miguel Crespo 27.22, 24. Sebastian Gonzalez 28.36, best time.

25-yard breaststroke:

6-and-under, 1. Jason Cuffe, SFTL 32.66; 7-8, 1. Zackary Harris, Comets 21.67, best time; COMETS: 4. Randy Smith 24.12, best time, 5. Alejandro Mateus 24.58, best time, 7. Samuel Bullen 25.94, best time, 10. Fernando Barreto 26.81, best time, 11. Christian Porta 27.10, 12. Jake Cavanagh 27.77, best time, 14. Noah Hew 27.79, best time, 18. Sebastian Gonzalez 29.58, best time.

25-yard freestyle:

6-and-under, 1. Jason Cuffe, SFTL 20.01; 7-8, 1. Zackary Harris, Comets 15.42, best time; COMETS: 4. Randy Smith 17.25, best time, 7. Alejandro Mateus 18.42, best time, 8. Christian Porta 19.90, 10. Noah Hew 20.02, best time, 15. Fernando Barreto 21.51, 16. Miguel Crespo 21.66, best time, 18. Jake Cavanagh 22.32, 19. Samuel Bullen 22.93, 22. Sebastian Gonzalez 23.63, best time.

100-yard freestyle relay:

8-and-under, 1. Comets A 1:08.92, 3. Comets B 1:23.41.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO Swimmers Dominate FGC Senior Open First Session

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

May 28, 2013

South Florida Aquatic Club swimmers dominated the first session of the Florida Gold Coast Senior Open on Saturday at Academic Village Pool.

Julien Pinon and Juan Lucas were triple winners.

Pinon, 14, won the 200-meter freestyle in 2:02.06; 100-meter butterfly in 1:03.05; and 400-meter individual medley in a best time 5:04.27, dropping from 5:08.58.

Pinon is training for the June 29-30 Comen Cup in Italy and July 14-19 European Youth Olympic Festival. The American Heritage sophomore will represent France.

Lucas, 14, 50-meter backstroke, 30.87, best time, dropping from 31.54; 200-meter backstroke in 2:25.25; and 50-meter freestyle in 27.76, best tie, dropping from 28.01.

Three-time Jamaican Olympian Alia Atkinson, gearing up for this week’s Santa Clara Invitational, Natasha Testa and Marc Rojas were double winners.

Atkinson, 24, won the 50-meter backstroke in 31.70 and 100-meter butterfly in 1:04.67.

Testa, 14, won the 100-meter butterfly in 1:10.78, 50-meter freestyle in 30.62.

Rojas, 19, won the 200-meter freestyle in 2:06.21 and 100-meter breaststroke in 1:13.02.

Other SOFLO winners were:

Lauren Simm, 13, 100-meter breaststroke, 1:36.92, best time dropping from 1:40.01.

Stephanie Mlujeak, 14, 200-meter freestyle, 2:28.07.

Melissa Marinheiro, 16, 200-meter freestyle, 2:09.93.

Annita Huang, 11, 200-meter backstroke, 2:48.26, best time, dropping from 2:48.61.

Anna Montgomery, 13, 200-meter backstroke, 2:52.87, best time, dropping from 2:59.14.

Abolade Oyetunji, 13, won the 400-meter individual medley in 6:28.32.

Tyler Gibson, 13, won the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:24.19.

Endi Babi, 25, won the 100-meter butterfly in 1:01.30.

Brandon Moran, 12, won the 200-meter backstroke in 2:49.73, best time, dropping from 3:05.46.

SESSION TWO RESULTS

GIRLS

200-meter medley relay:

13-and-over, 1. SOFLO A 2:18.76 (Anna Montgomery, Jessica Rodriguez, Maria Lopez, Evelin Jimenez), 2. SOFLO B 2:28.39, 3. SOFLO D 2:32.06.

50-meter backstroke:

13-14, 1. Moo Moo Long, FLA 37.04; SOFLO: 2. Stephanie Mlujeak 38.26, 6. Lauren Simm 39.10, best time, 7. Anna Montgomery 39.33, 8. Natasha Testa 39.41, 10. Abolade Oyetunji 40.27, 11. Valentina Diaz 40.55, best time, 12. Zariya Harris 40.74, best time, 16. Andrea Avellaneda 45.80, best time, 18. Keren Rivera 48.92, 19. Kristen Armstrong 53.41, best time; 15-and-over, 1. Alia Atkinson, SOFLO 31.70; SOFLO: 5. Melissa Marinheiro 33.12, 6. Marcella Marinheiro 33.32, 9. Amber Hunter 34.63, 10. Maria Lopez 35.72, 12. Kaitlin Armstrong 36.60, 14. Evelin Jimenez 37.27, 16. Genesis Pabon 39.65, 22. Emely Nunez 46.68, best time.

200-meter freestyle:

13-14, 1. Stephanie Mlujeak, SOFLO 2:28.07; SOFLO: 5. Anna Montgomery 2:40.01, best time, 6. Zariya Harris 2:41.03, 8. Valentina Diaz 2:45.80, best time, 10. Lauren Simm 2:47.24, 13. Keren Rivera 3:16.23, best time, 14. Andrea Avellaneda 3:28.72; 15-and-over, 1. Melissa Marinheiro, SOFLO 2:09.93; SOFLO: 6. Kylie Herman 2:17.69, 8. Haley Wright 2:19.52, 9. Maria Lopez 2:22.59, 13. Astrid Rigau 2:25.59, best time, 18. Daniela Jimenez 2:29.00, 23. Genesis Pabon 2:47.07, 24. Karina Medina 2:53.19, 27. Emely Nunez 3:06.37, best time.

100-meter breaststroke:

13-14, 1. Lauren Simm, SOFLO 1:36.92, best time; SOFLO: 3. Keren Rivera 1:52.85, 8. Andrea Avellaneda 2:12.63; 15-and-over, 1. Rachael Bradford-Feldman, SAS 1:18.98; SOFLO: 7. Astrid Rigau 1:33.49, best time, 8. Karina Medina 1:36.39, 10. Emely Nunez 1:40.99, best time.

100-meter butterfly:

13-14, 1. Natasha Testa, SOFLO 1:10.78; SOFLO: 2. Jessica Rodriguez 1:12.73, best time, 5. Stephanie Mlujeak 1:23.88, 9. Valentina Diaz 1:39.37; 15-and-over, 1. Alia Atkinson, SOFLO 1:04.67; SOFLO: 4. Amber Hunter 1:07.74, 6. Evelin Jimenez 1:09.79, 12. Haley Wright 1:12.76, 14. Whitney Johnson 1:15.30, 19. Astrid Rigau 1:24.46, 20. Genesis Pabon 1:31.00, 21. Karina Medina 1:36.88.

200-meter backstroke:

12-and-under, 1. Annita Huang, SOFLO 2:48.26, best time; SOFLO: 2. Jennifer Rodriguez 2:54.02, best time, 3. Vanessa Mesa 3:00.17, 4. Isabel Shashaty 3:00.31, 5. Kellie Wilcox 3:06.53, 6. Michelle Marinheiro 3:12.27; 13-14, 1. Anne Montgomery, SOFLO 2:52.87, best time; 15-and-over, 1. Tasija Karosas, SAS 2:24.16; SOFLO: 8. Marcella Marinheiro 2:43.86, 11. Kylie Herman 2:46.85, best time, 12. Daniela Jimenez 2:51.96.

50-meter freestyle:

13-14, 1. Natasha Testa, SOFLO 30.62; SOFLO: 3. Abolade Oyetunji 31.98, 6. Valentina Diaz 33.23, 10. Zariya Harris 33.66, 13. Lauren Simm 34.57, best time, 18. Keren Rivera 39.02, 21. Andrea Avellaneda 42.55, best time, 22. Kaitlin Armstrong 45.09, best time; 15-and-over, 1. Harper Bruens, FLA 27.47; SOFLO: 2. Alia Atkinson 28.45, 4. Maria Lopez 29.08, 8. Amber Hunter 29.41, 10. Kaitlin Armstrong 29.54, best time, 13. Marcella Marinheiro 29.88, 16. Evelin Jimenez 30.18, 22. Whitney Johnson 31.27, 26. Genesis Pabon 33.03, 29. Karina Medina 34.74, 35. Emely Nunez 38.92.

400-meter individual medley

13-14, 1. Abolade Oyetunji, SOFLO 6:28.32; 15-and-over, 1. Megan Moroney (SAS) 5:17.37; SOFLO: 2. Melissa Marinheiro 5:20.46, best time, 5. Kylie Herman 5:47.24, 8. Daniela Jimenez 6:06.62.

BOYS

200-meter medley relay:

13-and-over, 1. SOFLO C 2:04.44 (Ryan Capote, Jonathan Strod, Jacob Walters, Alfredo Mesa), 2. SOFLO B 2:06.61, 3. SOFLO D 2:08.24, 4. SOFLO E 2:10.68, 5. SOFLO A 2:11.29.

50-meter backstroke:

13-14, 1. Juan Lucas, SOFLO 30.87, best time; SOFLO: 2. Esteban Diaz-Velasco 31.36, 3. Kevin Porto 33.59, best time, 5. Juan Osorio 36.64, best time, 6. Cristian Rossi 37.35, 7. Miguel Hernandez 38.50, best time, 8. Andre Molko 38.54, best time, 10. Brandon Fratianni 42.22; 15-and-over, 1. Julius Petzold, FLA 31.23; SOFLO: 5. Simon Ortiz 35.68, 6. Xavier Brown 35.90, 8. Daniel Reyna 36.39, best time, 9. Bowie Suen 38.54, 12. Miguel Crespo 42.08, best time, 16. Eduardo Graziano 49.45.

200-meter freestyle:

13-14, 1. Julien Pinon, SOFLO 2:02.06; SOFLO: 2. Juan Lucas 2:09.62, best time, 3. Jonathan Strod 2:09.79, best time, 4. Kevin Porto 2:14.89, best time, 5. Esteban Diaz-Velasco 2:15.26, best time, 6. Andres Arias 2:23.61, best time, 7. Matthew Menocal 2:24.52, best time, 8. Cristian Rossi 2:25.05, 9. Tyler Gibson 2:25.41, 11. Andre Molko 2:31.61, best time, 12. Miguel Hernandez 2:31.72, 13. Juan Medina 2:32.74, best time, 15. Bryan Moran 2:39.38, best time, 16. Brendan Cassie 2:51.20; 15-and-over, 1. Marc Rojas, SOFLO 2:06.21; SOFLO: 2. Jacob Walters 2:06.65, 10. Jordan Colon 2:11.07, best time, 11. Ryan Capote 2:12.02, 14. Edward Kon 2:17.34, 15. Roger Capote 2:17.54, 19. Eduardo Graziano 2:30.18, 20. Richard Cadena 2:31.71, best time, 21. Federico Molina 2:32.86, best time, 23. Henry Perillo 2:33.33.

100-meter breaststroke:

13-14, 1. Tyler Gibson, SOFLO 1:24.19; SOFLO: 2. Alfredo Mesa 1:27.32, best time, 3. Brendan Cassie 1:27.69, 5. Juan Medina 1:29.63, best time, 6. Juan Osorio 1:29.99, 7. Andres Arias 1:30.39, best time, 9. Matthew Menocal 1:31.95, best time; 15-and-over, 1. Marc Rojas, SOFLO 1:13.02; SOFLO: 4. Bowie Suen 1:18.12, 6. Edward Kon 1:20.90, best time, 8. Baldwin Suen 1:23.59, best time, 9. Roger Capote 1:24.19, 10. Henry Perillo 1:26.56, 12. Simon Ortiz 1:34.58, best time, 14. Richard Cadena 1:36.83, 16. Marco Crespo 1:44.52, best time, 17. Federico Molina 1:44.83.

100-meter butterfly:

13-14, 1. Julien Pinon, SOFLO 1:03.05; SOFLO: 2. Jonathan Strod 1:06.57, 3. Esteban Diaz-Velasco 1:12.18, best time, 4. Tyler Gibson 1:19.71, 7. Brendan Cassie 1:28.02, best time, 8. Miguel Hernandez 1:31.59, best time, 10. Brandon Fratianni 1:45.47; 15-and-over, 1. Endi Babi, SOFLO 1:01.30; SOFLO: 3. Xavier Brown 1:02.93, 8. Jordan Colon 1:08.60, best time, 13. Daniel Reyna 1:14.36, best time, 16. Eduardo Graziano 1:17.70, 17. Richard Cadena 1:18.05, best time, 20. Federico Molina 1:26.96.

200-meter backstroke:

12-and-under, 1. Brandon Moran, SOFLO 2:49.73, best time; SOFLO: 2. Bryant Segui 2:50.85, best time, 3. Sam Walters 2:58.52, 4. Gabriel Saavedra 3:16.42; 13-14, 1. Juan Lucas, SOFLO 2:25.25; SOFLO: 2. Juan Osorio 2:55.73, 3. Andre Molko 3:01.36; 15-and-over, 1. Quinn Cassidy, SAS 2:21.28; SOFLO: 5. Bowie Suen 2:52.63.

50-meter freestyle:

13-14, 1. Juan Lucas, SOFLO 27.76, best time; SOFLO: 2. Cristian Rossi 28.35, 3. Miguel Hernandez 30.16, 4. Matthew Menocal 30.21, best time, 5. Juan Osorio 30.47, 8. Andres Arias 30.99, 9. Tyler Gibson 31.03, 10. Andrew Molko 31.67, 11. Brendan Cassie 31.73, 13. Bryan Moran 32.95, best time, 14. Juan Medina 33.17, 15. Brandon Fratianni 33.87, best time; 15-and-over, 1. Gage Kohner, SAS 25.86; SOFLO: 3. Endi babi 26.44, best time, 5. Xavier Brown 26.86, 8. Ryan Capote 26.98, best time, 10. Jacob Walters 27.06, 12. Eduardo Graziano 27.74, best time, 16. Bowie Suen 28.80, 17. Edward Kon 29.14, best time, 18. Baldwin Suen 29.56, 21. Simon Ortiz 30.52, best time, 22. Henry Perillo 30.57, 24. Federico Molina 31.42, best time, 25. Daniel Reyna 31.66, best time, 25. Richard Cadena 31.66, best time, 30. Marco Crespo 33.96, best time.

400-meter individual medley:

13-14, 1. Julien Pinon, SOFLO 5:04.27; SOFLO: 2. Jonathan Strod 5:22.75, 3. Kevin Porto 5:27.56, best time, 4. Alfredo Mesa 5:38.47, 5. Juan Medina 6:25.41; 15-and-over, 1. Quinn Cassidy, SAS 5:07.42; SOFLO: 2. Jacob Walters 5:09.83, 3. Jordan Colon 5:11.21, 5. Ryan Capote 5:23.17, best time, 10. Roger Capote 5:40.47, best time, 11. Xavier Brown 5:59.82.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO Swimmers Shine, Drop Time In Opening Session Of FGC Development Meet

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

May 27, 2013

South Florida Aquatic Club swimmers enjoyed a successful opening session on the opening day of the Florida Gold Coast Age Group Development Meet Saturday at Academic Village Pool.

Several boys and girls swimmers not only won events, but improved times.

SOFLO’s “B” relay won the 200-meter medley relay in 2:34.78 with swimmers Anabel Vazquez, Jennifer Rodriguez, Alexandra Crespo and Elise Larin. The foursome bettered their seed time of 2:37.68.

Among individual SOFLO winners were:

Katrina Del Vecchio, 10, 50-meter backstroke, best time 44.47, dropping from 48.46.

Anabel Vazquez, 11, 50-meter backstroke, 38.50 best time, dropping from 41.49.

Elise Larin, 11, 100-meter freestyle, 1:13.68, best time, dropping from 1:17.02.

Michelle Marinheiro, 10, 400-meter individual medley, 6:46.34.

Anabel Vazquez, 11, 400-meter individual medley, 6:01.74.

Akira Huang, 10, 50-meter backstroke, 43.92, best time, dropping from 45.45 and 100-meter freestyle, 1:24.25, best time, dropping from 1:24.65.

Bryant Segui, 11, 200-meter freestyle, 2:32.78, best time, dropping from 2:38.44 and 100-meter freestyle, 1:11.68, best time, dropping from 1:15.83.

Joseph Lee, 10, 400-meter individual medley, 6:14.65.

Sam Walters, 12, 400-meter individual medley, 5:55.82.

SESSION ONE RESULTS

GIRLS

200-meter medley relay:

12-and-under, 1. SOFLO B 2:34.78, best time (Anabel Vazquez, Jennifer Rodriguez, Alexandra Crespo, Elise Larin), 2. SOFLO A 2:37.75, 4. SOFLO C 2:58.40, 5. SOFLO D 3:01.91.

50-meter backstroke:

10-and-under, 1. Katrina Del Vecchio, SOFLO 44.47, best time; COMETS: 2. Elizabeth Chevaldova 45.25, 4. Erika Pelaez 46.47, 17. Vivian Chevaldova 1:07.23; SOFLO: 6. Jena Legaspi 46.57, 9. Valerie Kon 48.59, best time, 10. Gretchen Montgomery 50.34, best time, 11. Sophia Bedoya 50.41, best time, 12. Daniela Barreto 50.48, best time, 16. Adrianna Rigau 55.50; 11-12, 1. Anabel Vazquez, SOFLO 38.50, best time; SOFLO: 2. Isabel Shashaty 38.57, best time, 3. Isabella DiSalvo 39.16, best time, 4. Jennifer Rodriguez 39.85, best time, 5. Marianna Serrao 40.14, 7. Elise Larin 42.02, best time, 9. Camila Alvarez 43.00, 10. Alexandra Crespo 43.30, best time, 13. Samantha Cortez 48.74, best time, 14. Amy-Nicole Toro 48.88, best time, 15. Lauren Siegman 50.08, best time.

200-meter freestyle:

10-and-under, 1. Natalie Morlote, ASC 3:01.86; COMETS: 3. Erika Pelaez 3:12.63; SOFLO: 4. Sophia Bedoya 3:21.83, 5. Salma Hegazy 3:23.65, best time; 11-12, 1. Jessie Fernandez, Rockway 2:32.38; SOFLO: 2. Elise Larin 2:41.23, best time, 3. Isabella DiSalvo 2:41.75, best time, 4. Kellie Wilcox 2:47.47, 5. Camila Alvarez 2:49.54, best time, 8. Paola Huerta 2:56.40, best time, 9. Mikaela De Gracia 3:00.77, 10. Valentina Carrion 3:02.30, 12. Ivanna Fregoso 3:23.12, best time, 13. Lauren Siegman 3:34.22.

50-meter breaststroke:

10-and-under, 1. Tatiana Rodriguez, GRSC 48.32; SOFLO: 2. Katrina Del Vecchio 48.77, best time, 5. Sophia Bedoya 53.10, best time, 6. Michelle Marinheiro 53.18, 7. Gretchen Montgomery 55.60, 9. Jena Legaspi 57.44, best time, 10. Daniela Barreto 57.77, best time, 14. Adrianna Rigau 1:05.77, 16. Valerie Kon 1:07.38, best time; COMETS: 3. Elizabeth Chevaldova 51.56, 11. Erika Pelaez 1:01.91, 17. Vivian Chevaldova 1:11.41; 11-12, 1. Jessie Fernandez, Rockway 42.20, best time; SOFLO: 2. Annita Huang 43.49, best time, 3. Alexandra Crespo 44.61, best time, 4. Camila Alvarez 45.80, 5. Isabella DiSalvo 45.91, 6. Mikaela DeGracia 45.04, best time, 7. Kellie Wilcox 46.47, best time, 9. Isabel Shashaty 49.62, 11. Valentina Carrion 50.40, best time, 12. Samantha Cortez 55.11, 13. Paola Huerta 56.69, best time, 14. Amy-Nicole Toro 56.89, 15. Ivanna Fregoso 1:01.06, 16. Lauren Siegman 1:07.60.

100-meter butterfly:

10-and-under, 1. Ysabella Farias, ASC 1:36.32; SOFLO: 2. Katrina DelVecchio 1:47.39, 3. Jena Legaspi 1:49.02, 6. Salma Hegazy 2:03.99; 11-12, 1. Jessie Fernandez, Rockway 1:22.54; SOFLO: 2. Isabella DiSalvo 1:23.57, best time, 3. Alexandra Crespo 1:24.75, best time, 4. Annita Huang 1:24.96, best time, 5. Marianna Serrao 1:25.48, 7. Elise Larin 1:36.51, 8. Mikaela DeGracia 1:51.38.

100-meter freestyle:

10-and-under, 1. Andrea Tinsley, ASC 1:23.80; SOFLO: 2. Katrina Del Vecchio 1:24.73, best time, 3. Jena Legaspi 1:25.97, best time, 9. Sophia Bedoya 1:34.43, 11. Salma Hegazy 1:35.97, best time, 12. Daniela Barreto 1:38.71, best time, 15. Adrianna Rigau 1:46.57; COMETS: 5. Elizabeth Chevaldova 1:29.12, 6. Erika Pelaez 1:30.40, best time, 17. Vivian Chevaldova 2:24.05; 11-12, 1. Elise Larin, SOFLO 1:13.68, best time; SOFLO: 2. Alexandra Crespo 1:15.26, best time, 3. Camila Alvarez 1:15.59, best time, 5. Kellie Wilcox 1:17.69, best time, 7. Valentina Carrion 1:21.78, best time, 8. Paola Huerta 1:23.19, 10. Mikaela DeGracia 1:24.87, 11. Samantha Cortez 1:32.69, best time, 12. Ivanna Fregoso 1:34.64, best time, 13. Lauren Siegman 1:36.59, 14. Amy-Nicole Toro 1:38.32.

400-meter individual medley:

10-and-under, 1. Michelle Marinheiro, SOFLO 6:46.34; SOFLO: 2. Gretchen Montgomery 7:31.27; 11-12, 1. Anabel Vazquez, SOFLO 6:01.74; SOFLO: 2. Annita Huang 6:01.95, best time, 4. Elise Larin 6:39.07.

BOYS

200-meter medley relay:

12-and-under, 1. GRSC 2:54.94, 2. SOFLO B 2:59.83, 4. SOFLO C 3:13.78, 6. SOFLO D 3:37.11.

50-meter backstroke:

10-and-under, 1. Akira Huang, SOFLO 43.92, best time; SOFLO: 6. Tanner Gibson 48.21, best time, 11. Aamir Lacewala 52.08, 14. Ian Chalmers 53.49, best time, 15. Daniel He 54.03, 16. Diego Ochoa 55.31, best time, 17. Edward O;Brien 55.41, best time, 18. Mark Andre De Gracia 55.94, best time, 22. Odin Farkas 1:01.31, 23. Chris Vasquez 1:02.82, best time; COMETS: 8. Randy Smith 48.71, 19. Noah Hew 57.03, best time, 20. Jake Cavanagh 59.41, best time, 24. Miguel Crespo 1:04.75, best time, 26. Samuel Bullen 1:07.34; 11-12, 1. Matheo Velasquez, Rockway 37.92; SOFLO: 3. Derek Tom 41.39, 6. Sebastian Sevilla 44.52, 7. Ethan Hew 44.75, best time, 9. Gabriel Saavedra 45.15, best time, 10. Shane O’Brien 46.40, best time, 11. Michael Toro 50.86.

200-meter freestyle:

10-and-under, 1. Phillip Meira, Rockway 3:00.43; SOFLO: 9. Tanner Gibson 3:19.56, best time, 11. Edward O’Brien 3:39.43; 11-12, 1. Bryant Segui, SOFLO 2:32.78, best time; SOFLO: 4. Derek Tom 2:46.57, 7. Sebastian Sevilla 2:55.69, best time, 8. Shane O’Brien 2:56.13, 9. Ethan Hew 3:04.78, best time.

50-meter breaststroke:

10-and-under, 1. Kamal Kay-Ramos, GRSC 53.91; COMETS: 2. Zackary Harris 54.18, 6. Randy Smith 57.01, 17. Samuel Bullen 1:05.16, 18. Noah Hew 1:05.68, best time, 23. Miguel Crespo 1:11.46; SOFLO: 3. Akira Huang 54.79, best time, 8. Diego Ochoa 57.70, 11. Odin Farkas 1:00.81, 12. Mark Andre De Gracia 1:01.65, 13. Erick Quintero 1:01.66, 14. Edward O’Brien 1:03.85, best time, 16. Tanner Gibson 1:04.76, 19. Aamir Lacewala 1:06.12, 20. Chris Vasquez 1:06.51, 21. Daniel He 1:06.53; 11-12, 1. Kevin Barranco, Rockway 44.80; SOFLO: 2. Bryant Segui 45.19, 3. Ethan Hew 48.16, best time, 4. Gabriel Saavedra 50.50, best time, 5. Derek Tom 51.93, 7. Sebastian Sevilla 53.11, 8. Shane O’Brien 53.57, best time, 10. Michael Toro 57.78, best time.

100-meter butterfly:

10-and-under, 1. Phillip Meira, Rockway 1:30.73; COMETS: 3. Zackary Harris 1:43.44; SOFLO: 4. Akira Huang 1:54.12, best time, 8. Mark Anre De Gracia 2:21.19, best time; 11-12, 1. Matheo Velasquez, Rockway 1:23.81.

100-meter freestyle:

10-and-under, 1. Akira Huang, SOFLO 1:24.25, best time; SOFLO: 3. Tanner Gibson 1:30.38, best time, 4. Marcos Vazquez 1:31.64, 11. Aamir Lacewala 1:45.71, 12. Edward O’Brien 1:46.19, best time, 13. Mark Andre De Gracia 1:46.86, best time, 14. Ian Chalmers 1:47.27, best time, 15. Erick Quintero 1:48.75, 16. Diego Ochoa 1:49.49, best time, 20. Chris Vasquez 1:58.99, 21. Daniel He 1:59.30, 22. Odin Farkas 1:59.97, best time; COMETS: 17. Jake Cavanagh 1:51.05, 18. Noah Hew 1:51.07, best time, 19. Miguel Crespo 1:53.33, best time, 23. Samuel Bullen 2:12.18; 11-12, 1. Bryant Segui, SOFLO 1:11.68, best time; SOFLO: 5. Derek Tom 1:18.19, 8. Sebastian Sevilla 1:20.27, 10. Shane O’Brien 1:21.08, best time, 11. Gabriel Saavedra 1:22.61, best time, 12. Roberto Garrido 1:25.67, 13. Ethan Hew 1:28.73, best time, 16. Michael Toro 1:43.40, best time.

400-meter individual medley:

10-and-under, 1. Joseph Lee, SOFLO 6:14.65; 11-12, 1. Sam Walters, SOFLO 5:55.82, best time.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

Arena Grand Prix Turns Into Gauge For World Trials

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

May 12, 2013

While Anthony Ervin, Jessica Hardy and several other swimmers are right where they want to be six weeks out from the world championship trials, Ryan Lochte got a wakeup call during the Arena Grand Prix Charlotte UltraSwim that ended on Sunday at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center.

For the second straight night, Ervin, an Olympic gold medalist, topped a talented field to win the 100-meter freestyle in 49.14, a day after winning the 50-meter freestyle.

Ervin went out in 22.9 in the 100-meter race and had a full body length on the field that included three other Olympians, before coming home.

“No surprise there in the first 50,” Ervin said. “I knew if I was going to win I had to have my best performance in the race. I just decided to go for it, deal with pain and pay for it later.

“I was feeling the water and momentum on the way out,” Ervin said. “On the way back, what was water turned into stone.”

Chase Kalisz, 19, of Bel Air, Md. knocked off Lochte in the 200-meter individual medley. Lochte, 28, the world record holder and three-time Olympic medalist in the event started tiring late in his race much like the rest of his races in the meet.

Kalisz won in 1:59.66, two days after winning the 400-meter individual medley and just 1/10th of a second off his best time. Lochte was third in 2:01.56. Kalisz overtook Lochte on the breaststroke leg and coasted on the freestyle leg.

“I just tried to stay within reach of everyone in first half, attack the breaststroke and swim as hard as I could coming home,” Kalisz said. “Ryan is the best swimmer ever in the 200 IM. We are in different parts of our training. To go that time now I am happy with it.”

Just fifteen minutes after the IM, Lochte competed in the 200-meter backstroke against a strong field and finished third after struggling to come off the wall. Bolles swimmer Ryan Murphy won the race with great turns and momentum coming off the final wall. He finished in 1:59.93. Lochte’s time was 2:00.80.

“I think because Ryan just had the 200 IM I had a little extra on the last 50,” Murphy said. “I didn’t really change my race strategy. I just try to get out fast and push the last wall as hard as I can. I have been working on killing the last wall while keeping my speed.”

Said Lochte, “This is my time to get in gear. I still think I can make worlds. I just have to get back to work.”

Other individual winners were:

Connor Jaeger, 1500-meter freestyle, 15:02.68.

Kathleen Baker, 200-meter IM, best time 2:14.46.

Megan Romano, 100-meter freestyle, 55.24.

Kaitlin Harty, 200-meter backstroke, 2:10.38, best time by four second. “I have no idea where that came from,” Harty said.

Chloe Sutton, 800-meter freestyle, 8:25.88, edging out Venezuela’s Andreina Pinto, 8:25.93.

The Grand Prix Series resumes May 30-June 2 in Santa Clara, Calif.

DIVING

Chinese divers won all four events on the final day of the AT&T FINA USA Diving Grand Prix to sweep the meet on Sunday at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Complex.

U.S. Olympic medalist Troy Dumais took a silver medal in the 3-meter springboard event. Dumais was the only U.S. medalist on Sunday.

American Murphy Bromberg, competing in her fist senior international final, placed fourth on women’s platform.

The U.S. team now heads to Tallahassee for the World Championship Trials, May 15-20.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

Ervin Wins Splash & Dash; Hardy Wins Third Event At Arena Grand Prix

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

May 11, 2013

Playing catch-up for most of the race, ageless Anthony Ervin won the 50-meter freestyle Saturday night at the Arena Grand Prix Charlotte UltraSwim.

Ervin, 31, of California Aquatics won the splash and dash in 22.01, holding off Marcello Chierighini (22.09) and reigning Olympic gold medalist Cullen Jones (22.16).

The men’s field featured five Olympians. Only 15/100ths of a second separated the top three finishers.

Ervin, the top morning qualifier in 22.43, caught Jones, who had the best start of the field at the end of the race and held off Chierighini who was charging fast.

“I have been training really hard,” Ervin said. “I wasn’t expecting to put down a best-in-season time like that. I felt real rough this morning. Tonight I wanted to feel that speed and swim better. It felt like the pool was doing the work for me. I have confidence in my training. I am just excited about my finish.”

Olympian Jessica Hardy, 26, of Trojan Swim Club, won her third event of the meet in the 50-meter freestyle. Racing against three other Olympians in the field, Hardy overtook early leader and hometown favorite Madison Kennedy to win in 25.09.

Kennedy and Megan Romano tied for second in 25.12. It was a best time for Romano.

“That was a blast, one lap is the distance to race,” Hardy said with a smile. “Sprinting is fun. It was a great show from everybody in the race.”

In other championships events Saturday night:

Andreina Pinto, 21, of Gator Swim Club won the 200-meter butterfly in 2:12.40.

Singapore Olympian and national record holder Joseph Schooling, 17, competing against one of the youngest men’s field, won his second event of the meet in the 200-meter butterfly in 1:57.79. Four other teenagers were in the final.

“I was pretty pumped for my race,” Schooling said. “I jumped on that second 50 too much and that third 50 started hurting. I am going to race my hardest this summer. Everyone races for best times. If I get a best time in any of my events I’ll be happy.”

Romano, 22, of Athens Bulldogs won the 100-meter backstroke in 1:00.83. Davie Nadadores’ Carolina Colorado was fourth in 1:01.73.

Andrew teDuits, 19, swimming unattached won the 100-meter backstroke in 54.43. Ryan Murphy, 17, of Bolles was third in 54.49 and Ryan Lochte, 28, was sixth in 55.48.

Chloe Sutton, 21, of Mission Viejo won the 400-meter freestyle in 4:09.10.

Connor Jaeger, 22, of Club Wolverine won the 400-meter freestyle in 3:48.77.

Annie Zhu, 18, of North Baltimore won the 200-meter breaststroke by 1/100th of a second in 2:27.16. She caught early leader Laura Sogar of Bluefish who was second in 2:27.17.

Mike Alexandrov, 28, of Trojan Swim Club won the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:13.60.

Dana Vollmer, 25, swimming unattached, won the 50-meter butterfly in 26.18. Claire Donahue, 24, of Western Kentucky, a frequent visitor and trainer with the South Florida Aquatic Club, coming back from surgery, was second in 26.77. Davie’s Carolina Colorado was fourth in 27.24.

Marcelo Chierighini, 22, of Auburn won the 50-meter butterfly in 23.72. Cullen Jones was second in 24.03.

DIVING

David Boudia, competing in his first meet since winning a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, took a silver medal on the 10-meter platform Saturday at the AT&T USA Diving Grand Prix in Fort Lauderdale. China swept all four gold medals awarded on Saturday in the men’s 10-meter, women’s 3-meter, men’s 3-meter synchro and women’s 10-meter synchro. “I’m glad to be competitive with the Chinese at this stage,” Boudia said. American Amanda Burke was fifth on 3-meter. The meet concludes on Sunday with the women’s 3-meter synchro, men’s 10-meter synchro, men’s 3-meter and women’s 10-meter.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

Hardy Sweeps Breaststroke, Breaks Meet Record In Charlotte

Written by Sharon Robb

May 11, 2013

Olympian Jessica Hardy won the sprint breaststroke double Friday night at the Arena Grand Prix Charlotte UltraSwim at Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center.

Hardy won the 50-meter breaststroke in a meet record 30.71, just out-touching Tennessee swimmer Molly Hannis in 30.72.

She won the 100-meter breaststroke in another close race against Hannis in 1:07.03 to 1:07.39.

“Breaststroke is fun,” Hardy said. “It definitely takes the pressure off after swimming only freestyle at the Olympics. I know that my fall-back stroke is a solid stroke now.

“I’m having fun with both of them and I am enjoying it again. I am hoping to swim breaststroke at the Olympics next time.”

U.S. national swim team member Mike Alexandrov also swept the 50-meter breaststroke (27.71) and 100-meter breaststroke (1:01.00).

Chase Kalisz won the 400-meter individual medley by seven seconds in 4:15.66. Elizabeth Beisel of Gator Swim Club won the women’s 400 IM by three seconds in 4:41.30.

Olympic gold medalist Allison Schmitt won the 200-meter freestyle in 1:58.76.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Ricky Berens, competing in front of his hometown crowd, was fourth in the 200-meter freestyle in 1:49.50, an event he won last year by beating Michael Phelps.

Berens was reeled in by Matt McLean (1:49.02), Conor Dwyer (1:49.29) and Singapore Olympian Joseph Schooling of Bolles (1:49.47). Schooling won the 100-meter butterfly in 52.33.

Japan’s Junya Koga won the 50-meter backstroke in 25.11. Olivia Smoliga won the 50-meter backstroke in 28.50 and Davie Nadadores Carolina Colorado of Colombia was third in 28.81.

“I would have liked to have been a lot faster than that, but that’s the way it is,” Berens said.

Olympian Ryan Lochte, 28, entered in eight events, finished sixth in the 200-meter freestyle and ninth in the 100-meter butterfly. He told reporters Friday night that his finishes were due to lack of training because of his post-Olympic break that included a reality TV show which continues to dip in the ratings.

“After the Olympics, I needed some time off,” Lochte said. “I was going pretty much twenty years straight without taking a break. I just needed to reboot, to recharge my body. I’ve done that and now I’m back here getting my butt kicked. Hopefully, this is a good wakeup call.”

Olympian Missy Franklin is not competing in the meet this weekend. She is graduating from high school and celebrating her birthday.

The meet concludes on Sunday. Prelims are 9 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m.

DIVING

Olympic bronze medalist Troy Dumais advanced into the 3-meter springboard final of the AT&T Diving Grand Prix at Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Complex. Also, a week after competing in her first senior international meet, U.S. teenager Murphy Samantha Bromberg, 17, advanced into the women’s platform final. Action continues today at the pool.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

Meet Record Falls On Opening Day Of Charlotte Meet

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

May 9, 2013

U.S. Olympians Katie Ledecky, Chloe Sutton and Connor Jaeger showed why they are among the nation’s top swimmers on Thursday, the opening day of the Arena Grand Prix Charlotte UltraSwim at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center.

Ledecky, 16, the teenage distance sensation, opened the meet with a victory and meet record in the 1500-meter freestyle.

Ledecky won the mile in 16:04.58, second fastest swim in the world and huge time drop. Ledecky’s previous best was 16:24.46. She went 4:11.87 in the opening 400 meters.

“I’m training pretty hard right now,” Ledecky said. “The time was a lot faster than I thought it would be.”

U.S. Olympian Chloe Sutton was second in 16:07.83. Three-time Olympian Kristel Kobrich of Chile was third in 16:08.08.

Stephanie Peacock of North Carolina, after missing the ACC and NCAA Championships, was fifth in 16:33.47 in her first big meet of the year.

Connor Jaeger, 22, of Club Wolverine topped an impressive men’s 800-meter freestyle field in a lifetime-best 7:53.33. The University of Michigan senior negative split the race in 3:58.24 and 3:55.11. It was a seven second time drop for Jaeger.

“I felt like we were out pretty fast, me and Michael Klueh,” Jaeger said. “We’ve been training together. We knew the meet record was just under 8 minutes, so we thought we could go for that. It was a pretty decent race.”

Georgia sophomore Matias Koski of Finland was second in 8:03.05 and Zane Grothe of Auburn was third in 8:04.17. Davie Nadadores’ Alejandro Gomez, 28, was sixth in 8:19.34. Another Florida Gold Coast swimmer, Ryan Rosenbaum, 18, was 17th in 8:39.54.

The four-day meet continues Friday with prelims at 9 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m. The meet ends on Sunday.

Miscellaneous

During FINA-sanctioned quality control checks, Arena found that certain Powerskin carbon-pro suits have reduced air permeability making the suits non-compliant with FINA rules. Arena has withdrawn the approval codes of the Powerskin carbon-pro models and replace them with a new version that complies with FINA’s guidelines. As of Tuesday, it became mandatory for all swimmers to use the new carbon-pro Mark 2 swimsuits which carry valid codes according to FINA regulations. Athletes competing in both the Charlotte meet and Masters Spring Nationals in Indianapolis were being allowed to exchange their suits at no costs with Arena reps on site…

Britain’s Olympic bronze medalist Tom Daley was forced to drop out of the AT&T USA Diving Grand Prix diving event in Fort Lauderdale after injuring his elbow while training. The 18-year-old is still expected to compete in this summer’s world championships…In Thursday’s opening action of the Fort Lauderdale diving meet, Olympic gold medalist David Boudia advanced into Saturday’s 10-meter final and U.S. teammate Amanda Burke advanced into the women’s 3-meter final. As expected, China dominated and had all the top qualifying spots. The meet continues Friday with men’s 3-meter and women’s 10-meter events.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com