SOFLO’s Lesage Swims Best Time At USA Swimming Speedo Junior National Championships

By Sharon Robb

PALO ALTO, Calif., August 7, 2019—On a national platform, Lance Lesage of South Florida Aquatic Club swam a best time in his debut at the USA Swimming Speedo Junior National Championships Wednesday at Stanford’s Avery Aquatic Center.

Lesage, 16, swam his first event, the 200-meter backstroke. Seeded 41st in 2:06.42, he swam a lifetime-best 2:06.36, dropped 0.06 seconds and finished 33rd.

Lesage wraps up his meet on Friday with the 100-meter backstroke where he is seeded 62nd in 58.60.

During morning prelims SOFLO teammate Rafael Rodriguez, 17, went 4:39.99 in the 400-meter individual medley and placed 76th. He has the 100-meter butterfly on Thursday.

Other Florida Gold Coast results:

Julia Podkoscielny, 14, swam a best time in the 200-meter backstroke in 2:19.98 to place 57th and dropped 0.34. She has the 100-meter backstroke on Friday.

Paige Maceachern, 16, of Pine Crest Swimming was 53rd in the 400-meter individual medly in 5:04.37.

Other individual winners were:

Samantha Tadder, 16, got her Olympic Trials cut in the 400-meter individual medley in 4:48.52 during morning prelims. She came back at night to win the race and better her time in 4:46.96.

Ian Grum of Dynamo Swim Club won the men’s 400-meter individual medley in 4:23.84 edging Jack Vandeusen of Bolles in 4:24.02. Grum also won the 200-meter backstroke in 1:58.49.

Miranda Heckman of Pleasanton Seahawks won the 100-meter freestyle in 55.98.

Hunter Armstrong of Canton City Schools won the 100-meter freestyle in 49.80.

Felicia Pasadyn of Swim Strongsville won the 200-meter backstroke in 2:12.90.

USA Swimming is live streaming all sessions of junior nationals, unlike the senior national meet, which had sessions split between USA Swimming and NBC Sports. All 10 sessions of the meet will come through live on USASwimming.org. Prelims are 9 a.m. local time and finals at 5 PM. The meet continues through Saturday.

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

Patrick Groters Makes History For Aruba, Several Local Swimmers Shine On Day Two Of XVIII Pan American Games

By Sharon Robb

LIMA, Peru, August 7, 2019—Former NSU University School and Pine Crest Swimming’s Patrick Groters made history Wednesday at the XVIII Pan American Games at Villa Deportiva Nacional.

Groters became the first swimmer from his country to make an “A” final in a Pan American Games competition.

Groters was eighth in the 200-meter backstroke in 2:03.65. He qualified eighth in morning prelims in 2:02.32, fourth in his heat. It was a national record and lifetime-best time.

In the finals, Groters went out fast and had the early lead at 50 meters with a 27.68 split. Groters faded on the back half.

Aruba teammate Mikel Schreuders, also shared the historical moment with Groters. He was third in the 200-meter freestyle heat in 1:49.48, just missing the national record and was seventh in the final in 1:49.92.

There were several familiar faces competing on Wednesday.

Azura Florida Aquatics’ Celina Marquez of El Salvador won the “B” final of the 200-meter backstroke with more than a three-second drop in 2.14.76 and setting a new national record.

American Heritage alum Dylan Carter of Trinidad and Tobago won his heat in the 200-meter freestyle morning prelims in 1:49.08. He came back at night to finish fourth in a national record 1:47.78.

Isabella Paez of Venezuela was third in her 100-meter butterfly heat in 1:01.44 and was fourth in the “B” final in 1:01.85.

St. Andrew’s alum Lauren Hew of the Cayman Islands was seventh in her heat of the 200-meter freestyle in 2:14.50.

TS Aquatics alum and Penn State swimmer Carlos Vasquez, representing Honduras, was a “B” finalist in the 200-meter butterfly and swam a best time 2:02.74. He also swam a best time in the 100-meter butterfly in 56.01.

Individual winners on Wednesday night:

Americans Claire Rasmus and Meaghan Raab finished one-two in the 200-meter freestyle in 1:58.64 and 1:58.70.

Brazilians Fernando Muhlenberg Scheffer and Breno Martins Correia were one-two in the 200-meter freestyle in 1:46.68 and 1:47.78.

American Kendyl Stewart won the 100-meter butterfly in 58.49.

American Tom Shields bounced back to win the 100-meter butterfly in 51.59 just ahead of Guatemala’s Luiz Martinez in 51.63.

American Alex Walsh won the women’s 200-meter backstroke in 2:08.30.

American Daniel Carr won the men’s 200-meter backstroke in 1:58.13.

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