Panam Aquatics Age Group Swimming Championships Begin Thursday; Azura’s Yeziel Morales Heads Field

By Sharon Robb
BALMAIN COUVA, Trinidad & Tobago, May 31, 2022–Teams started arriving Tuesday for the much-anticipated Panam Aquatics Age Group Swimming Championships at National Aquatic Centre Thursday through Sunday.

The meet has attracted 230 athletes from 17 countries and is serving as a qualification meet for the 2023 Santiago Pan American Games.

The four-day tournament, formally called the UANA Cup, is an elite championship for age groupers. Azura’s Yeziel Morales will represent Puerto Rico.

The meet is recognized as the premier age group competition in the Americas. The event has athletes from South America, Central America, Canada, British Commonwealth, Caribbean and U.S.

Giants Aquatics swimmer Inald Fernandes Perna is a member of the Aruba team. Perna will swim the 50, 100, and 200 freestyle and 50 and 100 breaststroke.

Luis-Mario Arends, who also qualified, will not compete because of an injury. Both swimmers are coached by Jordy Groters, former Nova University School, Pine Crest Swim Club and Missouri swimmer.

The event will be live streamed on the Panam Sports app. Streaming website: http://www.panamsportschannel.org…

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

SOFLO’s Horrego, Roche Compete This Week At TYR Pro Swim Series

By Sharon Robb
MISSION VIEJO, Calif., May 31, 2022–The fourth and final TYR Pro Swim Series meet of the 2022 season begins Wednesday at the newly-renovated Marguerite Aquatic Center.

South Florida Aquatic Club’s Julio Horrego and Ricardo Roche will compete in the four-day meet that ends Saturday.

Horrego, 23, a 2020 Honduran Olympian, will compete in the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke. He is seeded third in the 100 in 1:01.18 and fourth in the 200 in 2:17.35. It is his last tuneup meet before the 19th FINA World Championships, June 18-July 3 in Budapest, Hungary.

Roche, 22, will compete in the 200-meter backstroke and is seeded 21st in his yards time of 1:48.24.

The field also features U.S. Olympians, U.S. National Team members and U.S. National Junior Team members. The final day of the meet overlaps with the day that Team USA’s world championship team departs for Croatia for a training camp.

The meet will be televised on the Olympic Channel Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday it will be televised on CNBC taped-delay at 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. respectively. In addition to Olympic Channel and CNBC’s coverage from Mission Viejo, daily prelims (Wednesday-Saturday at noon ET) as well as Wednesday and Saturday’s live finals can be streamed on http://www.usaswimming.org/watch.

The meet was capped at 500 swimmers. Mask mandates will follow local guidelines. Everyone attending the event as a participant, coach, staff, or contractor must take a COVID test within 72 hours prior to arriving at the venue. Anyone testing positive should not enter the venue. Anyone representing USA Swimming (i.e. staff, contractors, and officials) must be vaccinated).

FLORIDA SWIMMERS HEAD MEET

Eagle Aquatics’ Erika Pelaez, a member of the USA Swimming junior national team, will compete in the 57th Mel Zajac Junior International Swim Meet Friday through Sunday at the UBC Aquatic Centre in Vancouver, Canada. She will swim the 100-meter backstroke.

Pelaez is one of 19 U.S. swimmers who qualified. Sarasota Sharks’ Addison Sauickie will compete in the 200-meter freestyle. Treasure Coast Aquatics Blair Stoneburg will swim the 800- and 1500-meter freestyles and club teammate Mitchell Ledford will swim the 100-meter butterfly.

SOFLO is sponsored by TYR, a USA manufacturer of recreational and competitive swimwear, caps, goggles, triathlon gear and accessories. One of the nation’s top companies, TYR was created by athletes and named for the Norse god of warriors in Germanic mythology.

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

TYR APRIL GIRL SWIMMER OF THE MONTH: Sally Golding

By Sharon Robb
PEMBROKE PINES, May 25, 2022–Sally Golding has been a great role model and motivator for swimmers of all ages at South Florida Aquatic Club.

When she’s not working with novice swimmers during swim lessons on the weekend, she is thinking of ways to make swimming fun for her teammates.

There was plenty of fun at last month’s SOFLO White & Blue Intrasquad Meet thanks to Sally and her twin brother Alex.

During the intrasquad meet the team leaders (Alex of Team Blue) and (Sally of Team White) had their swimmers cheering for each other and showing what team spirit and camaraderie is all about.

In a spirited competition, SOFLO Blue led combined, 723-719, after opening day but SOFLO White prevailed on the second and final day to win the intraquad meet including combined 1,355-1,320; boys 598-591; and girls, 609-581, earning Sally Golding bragging rights over her brother.

The siblings were a unanimous choice by the SOFLO coaching staff for TYR Swimmers of the Month for April.

“They were named not only for in-water performance, but for their displays of leadership, service and team spirit around the Intrasquad,” said SOFLO coach Jack Davies. “We wanted to reward them for both going above and beyond and helping make the meet a truly special experience.”

Nearly 180 swimmers (100 boys and 74 girls) competed in 650 events including relays in a spirited atmosphere at Academic Village Pool.

Like her brother Alex, Golding, 18, followed in the footsteps of her older sisters Kathleen and Molly in swimming. She started in swim lessons when she was five and just kept getting better.

“I love the sport and wanted to follow Kathleen and Molly and be like them, that’s why I continued,” Golding said. “I’ve always loved racing and competing.

“I really love the connection I made with the coaches, inside and outside of the pool. They really pushed me to do my best. They really helped me.”

When she was young, she competed in track in middle school and ran cross country. She also did aerial silks, which is a type of performance where the artist performs aerial acrobatics while hanging from a special fabric.

“I liked swimming better,” said Golding, who still runs during dryland training. She may do more running when she gets to college. After graduating from Cooper City High School where she swam for the girls’ team, Golding will follow her sisters this fall to University of Florida where she may join the club team. “I’m excited about my sisters showing me around Gainesville,” she said.

During the intrasquad meet, Alex (of Team Blue) and Sally (of Team White) made up the relays to make it fun for swimmers. For example, on the medley relays swimmers had to swim their worst stroke. She also made a huge impact on the younger swimmers.

“I’m a lessons instructor for SOFLO,” Golding said. “I think it really helps when I teach them. I try to motivate them to enjoy the sport. It helps me personally in connecting with the kids, motivating them and showing them what team support is.

“I loved going to the 12-and-under sessions and getting to know the younger kids, watching them compete and cheering for them. I think they enjoyed it, too.”

When Golding started setting goals in swimming she said she “mainly wanted to improve my times and get to the highest level that I can. Seeing what Kathleen and Molly accomplished really pushed me.”

It was bittersweet when she celebrated with her senior teammates during the recent Senior Night.

“I am going to miss all the friends that I have made on the team,” Golding said. “I love practicing, seeing them and racing against them in practice. I’m going to miss them.”

Each TYR Swimmer of the Month receives a free TYR backpack. Golding joins SOFLO teammates Natalie Gembicki (March), Sofia Lugo (February) and Valentina Remmele (January) as 2022 Swimmers of the Month.

SOFLO sponsor TYR is a USA manufacturer of recreational and competitive swimwear, caps, goggles, triathlon gear and accessories and one of the nation’s top companies.

TYR, created by athletes, is named for the Norse god of warriors in Germanic mythology. Among its female-sponsored athletes are 2020 Olympians Simone Manuel, Katie Ledecky, Lilly King, Annie Lazor, Ashley Twichell and other elite swimmers Melanie Margalis, Molly Hannis and Kelsi Dahlia.

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

SOFLO’s Christie Ann Lumsden Triple Winner In Final Session Of FIU Spring LCM Invite

By Sharon Robb
NORTH MIAMI, May 22, 2022–South Florida Aquatic Club swimmers turned in another outstanding day of swimming at the FIU Spring Invite Sunday at the Biscayne Bay campus pool.

Christie Ann Lumsden, 10, won three events. She won the 50-meter backstroke in a best time 42.23, dropping 3.07; 100-meter freestyle in a best time 1:10.42, dropping 1.49; and 50-meter butterfly in a best time 40.24, dropping 2.63.

Saree Young, 12, won two events in the 50-meter backstroke in 35.54 and 50-meter butterfly in a best time 34.41, dropping 2.44.

Other SOFLO girls winners are:
Valentina Remmele, 200 IM, 3:19.04, time drop 5.44.
Mackenzie McPherson, 200 IM, 2:46.81, time drop 1.18.
Rose Seniuk, 100-meter freestyle, 1:08.47, time drop 0.52.

Noah Mejias and David Valdiviezo led the SOFLO boys, each winning two events.

Mejias won the 200 IM in a best time 2:43.20 with a time drop of 3.20 and 100-meter freestyle in a best time 1:10.69 dropping 1.60.

Valdiviezo won the 50-meter backstroke in 37.76 and 50-meter butterfly in 34.79.

SOFLO teammate Eric Ferrer won the 100-meter breaststroke in a best time 1:34.46 with a time drop of 1.17.

SOFLO had 59 swimmers (31 boys and 28 girls) entered in 308 individual events in the two 12-and-under sessions.

In addition to SOFLO and host Golden Panther Aquatics, other Florida Gold Coast teams that competed were Eagle Aquatics, Hialeah Swim Club, Metro Aquatics, Miami Country Day Aquatics and Olympus Swim Club.

SOFLO also had 99 other swimmers compete in the Canes Long Course Invite at University of Miami but official results have not posted.

SESSION FOUR RESULTS
GIRLS
200-meter individual medley:
10-and-under, 1. Valentina Remmele, SOFLO 3:19.04, time drop 5.44, 2. Luna Varela, MAC 3:22.29, 3. Joanna Valdiviezo, SOFLO 3:28.55, time drop 16.25; SOFLO: 5. Savanna Alonso 3:58.28, time drop 16.41.
11-12, 1. Mackenzie McPherson, SOFLO 2:46.81, time drop 1.18, 2. Rose Seniuk, SOFLO 2:512.27, time drop 6.09, 3. Laila Harran, SOFLO 2:56.92; SOFLO: 4. Marlena Groves 3:21.73.

50-meter backstroke:
10-and-under, 1. Christie-Ann Lumsden, SOFLO 42.23, time drop 3.07, 2. Anastasia Morales, EA 45.18, 3. Joanna Valdiviezo, SOFLO 45.34, time drop 0.77; SOFLO: 5. Paige Fleming 49.23, time drop 2.53, 6. Eva Ortiz 49.56, time drop 2.87, 9. Karen Lino 51.34, time drop 4.30, 10. Ellie Phan 52.16, 11. Stephanie Dmitrova 54.64, 14. Savanna Alonso 56.64.
11-12, 1. Saree Young, SOFLO 35.54, 2. Sofia Gomez, SOFLO 37.15, 3. Mackenzie McPherson, SOFLO 38.20, time drop 8.18; SOFLO: 14. Sofia Martinez 46.21, 15. Danielle Brancati 46.24, 16. Gabriella Ordonez 47.53, 18. Constanza De La Sotta 49.76, time drop 6.40, 19. Isabella Callaway Coy 51.35, 20. Finley Mercier 53.59, time drop 3.91.

100-meter freestyle:
10-and-under, 1. Christie Ann Lumsden, SOFLO 1:10.42, time drop 1.49, 2. Valentina Remmele, SOFLO 1:19.06, time drop 2.67, 3. Anastasia Morales, EA 1:19.44; SOFLO: 7. Eva Ortiz 1:36.80, 8. Paige Fleming 1:37.94, time drop 0.32, 9. Stephanie Dmitrova 1:37.95, 11. Karen Lino 1:38.75, time drop 3.70, 12. Gabriela Ekht 1:39.41.
11-12, 1. Rose Seniuk, SOFLO 1:08.47, time drop 0.52, 2. Mely Ramos, HSC 1:09.89, 3. Saree Young, SOFLO 1:10.14, time drop 4.76; SOFLO: 10. Marlena Groves 1:19.43, 11. Sophia Rodriguez 1:20.34, 13. Gabriella Ordonez 1:26.01, 15. Sofia Martinez 1:31.15, 16. Daniella Brancati 1:31.73, 17. Isabella Callaway Coy 1:31.96, 18. Devy Otero 1:32.16, 19. Constanza De La Sotta 1:34.23, time drop 3.60, 25. Finley Mercier 1:46.52.

100-meter breaststroke:
10-and-under, 1. Daira Vazquez, MCDA 1:53.37, 2. Luna Varela, MAC 1:54.18, 3. Eva Ortiz, SOFLO 1:54.20; SOFLO: 4. Gabriela Ekht 2:02.75, time drop 0.09, 5. Savanna Alonso 2:03.77, time drop 4.99, 6. Paige Fleming 2:18.14.
11-12, 1. Alejandra Perez, MAC 1:30.90, 2. Sofia Gomez, SOFLO 1:34.56, time drop 3.04, 3. Mackenzie McPherson, SOFLO 1:34.58, time drop 0.99; SOFLO: 5. Laila Harran 1:37.34, 7. Sophia Rodriguez 1:49.40, time drop 2.06, 8. Isabella Callaway Coy 1:51.22, 9. Daniella Brancati 1:55.60, time drop 2.47, 10. Devy Otero 1:56.41, time drop 2.14, 11. Sofia Martinez 1:56.46, time drop 8.38, 13. Constanz De La Sotta 2:08.84, time drop 2.95.

50-meter butterfly:
10-and-under, 1. Christie-Ann Lumsden, SOFLO 40.24, time drop 2.63, 2. Anastasia Morales, EA 41.51, 3. Valentina Remmele, SOFLO 43.36; SOFLO: 6. Joanna Valdiviezo 48.34, time drop 0.61, 7. Karen Lino 49.58, time drop 3.52, 8. Ellie Phan 49.71, 11. Stephanie Dmitrova 53.34, 13. Gabriela Ekht 1:01.42.
11-12, 1. Saree Young, SOFLO 34.41, time drop 2.44, 2. Rose Seniuk, SOFLO 34.75, time drop 0.46, 3. Karly Quiroz, MAC 36.29; SOFLO: 6. Laila Harran 37.38, 8. Sophia Rodriguez 38.23, 9. Sofia Gomez 38.42, time drop 2.59, 13. Gabriella Ordonez 42.86, time drop 2.21, 14. Marlena Groves 43.74, 19. Devy Otero 52.46, 22. Finley Mercier 1:06.18.

BOYS
200-meter individual medley:
10-and-under, 1. Lester Perez, MAC 2:56.85, 2. Toma Petkov, SOFLO 3:05.04, 3. Ethan Phan, SOFLO 3:09.05, time drop 5.32; SOFLO: 4. Ale Suarez Cabrera 3:14.27, time drop 14.69.
11-12, 1. Noah Mejias, SOFLO 2:43.20, time drop 3.20, 2. David Valdiviezo, SOFLO 2:49.19, time drop 0.31, 3. Eric Ferrer, SOFLO 2:52.69, time drop 3.50; SOFLO: 4. Guillermo Mantilla 2:53.01, time drop 16.06, 5. Atharv Agashe 3:05.40, time drop 8.25.

50-meter backstroke:
10-and-under, 1. Javier Massot, MAC 38.64, 2. Rafael Cancio Jorge, MAC 40.16, 3. Reynaldo Manzanrez, UN 44.21; SOFLO: 5. Gabriel Ferrer 45.39, time drop 1.37, 6. Ethan Phan 46.11, 8. Michael Barber 48.39, time drop 7.41, 11. Leonardo Zuluaga 49.70, time drop 0.46, 13. Santiago Zuluaga 54.04, time drop 5.91, 16. Terrence Cheung 59.95.
11-12, 1. David Valdiviezo, SOFLO 37.76, 2. Braison Vega, MAC 41.24, 3. Marcel Cowley, MAC 42.07; SOFLO: 7. Dylan McVeigh 43.99, time drop 0.88, 8. Antonio Rico 44.25, 9. Samuel Rico 44.48, 12. David Gonzalez 46.20, time drop 0.21, 16. Adrian Plotnikov 52.02, time drop 4.68, 17. Pedro Di Napoli 59.69, time drop 4.65.

100-meter freestyle:
10-and-under, 1. Lester Perez, MAC 1:10.94, 2. Javier Massot, MAC 1:12.57, 3. Ale Suarez Cabrera, SOFLO 1:15.99, time drop 8.17; SOFLO: 4. Zachary Snigur 1:16.33, time drop 2.63, 7. Toma Petkov 1:23.31, 8. Michael Barber 1:25.01, time drop 3.31, 12. Gabriel Ferrer 1:30.89, time drop 0.28, 15. Sean Tee 1:37.31, time drop 12.56, 16. Terrnce Cheung 1:54.81.
11-12, 1. Noah Mejias, SOFLO 1:10.69, time drop 1.60, 2. Adrian Sanchez, MCDA 1:16.25, 3. Braison Vega, MAC 1:16.31; SOFLO: 8. Rafael Naranjo 1:19.18, 10. Dylan McVeigh 1:20.54, time drop 2.36, 11. Antonio Rico 1:21.22, time drop 0.28, 14. David Gonzalez 1:26.47, time drop 9.76, 15. Adrian Plotnikov 1:33.19, time drop 6.80, 17. Pedro Di Napoli 1:38.24, time drop 0.62.

100-meter breaststroke:
10-and-under, 1. Zachary Snigur, SOFLO 1:40.47, time drop 3.25, 2. Rafael Cancio Jorge, MAC 1:41.67, 3. Lester Perez, MAC 1:41.95; SOFLO: 4. Toma Petkov 1:44.45, 5. Ale Suarez Cabrera 1:47.17, time drop 6.56, 6. Leonardo Zuluaga 1:50.73, time drop 2.65, 10. Terrence Cheung 2:05.43, 11. Sean Tee 2:05.54, time drop 11.06, 12. Santiago Zuluaga 2:17.91.
11-12, 1. Eric Ferrer, SOFLO 1:34.46, time drop 1.17, 2. Guillermo Mantilla, SOFLO 1:34.77, 3. Braison Vega, MAC 1:36.35; SOFLO: 8. Kenneth Solia 1:58.34, time drop 10.92, 9. Adrian Plotnikov 2:18.34, time drop 12.95.

50-meter butterfly:
10-and-under, 1. Javier Massot, MAC 35.25, 2. Ethan Phan, SOFLO 39.18, 3. Rafael Cancio Jorge, MAC 41.62; SOFLO: 7. Gabriel Ferrer 46.63, time drop 0.38, 11. Michael Barber 55.52, 12. Sean Tee 58.72, 13. Santiago Zuluaga 1:12.30.
11-12, 1. David Valdiviezo, SOFLO 34.79, 2. Eric Ferrer 37.10, 3. Matteo Castelli, SOFLO 37.84; SOFLO: 4. Guillermo Mantilla 37.99, 9. Atharv Agashe 42.68, time drop 0.42, 14. Rafael Naranjo 45.06, time drop 0.70, 15. Antonio Rico 48.43, 19. David Gonzalez 50.17, time drop 2.82, 21. Samuel Rico 54.20.

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

Martin, Pelaez Double Winners Again In Third Session Of FIU Spring LCM Invite

By Sharon Robb
NORTH MIAMI, May 22, 2022–For the second day in a row, Erika Pelaez and Dario Martin each won two events at the FIU Spring Invite Sunday at the Biscayne Bay campus pool.

Pelaez, 15, of Eagle Aquatics won the 200-meter individual medley in a best time 2:22.86, dropping 0.01 and 200-meter breaststroke in a best time 2:45.86, dropping 8.27.

On Saturday, she won the 100 breaststroke (1:16.54) and 200 butterfly (2:20.85). She scratched from the 400 IM and 400 freestyle.

Martin, 17, of Olympus Swim Club won the 100-meter backstroke in a best time 1:04.01, dropping 3.34 and 200-meter breaststroke in 2:25.70.

On Saturday, Martin won the 200 butterfly (2:07.15) and 400 IM (4:40.19).

SOFLO had 59 swimmers (31 boys and 28 girls) entered in 308 individual events in the two 12-and-under sessions.

In addition to SOFLO and host Golden Panther Aquatics, other Florida Gold Coast teams that competed were Eagle Aquatics, Hialeah Swim Club, Metro Aquatics, Miami Country Day Aquatics and Olympus Swim Club.

SOFLO also had 99 other swimmers compete in the Canes Long Course Invite at University of Miami but official results have not posted.

SESSION THREE RESULTS
GIRLS
200-meter individual medley: 1. Erika Pelaez, EA 2:22.86, 2. Mia Zahab, GPA 2:26.12, 3. Eriana Temperino, GPA 2:29.05.

100-meter backstroke: 1. Gioia Balzano, EA 1:10.66, 2. Paola Negrin, MAC 1:11.88, 3. Hannah Webb, MCDA 1:16.82.

100-meter freestyle: 1. Kelsie Campbell, GPA 58.48, 2. Eriana Temperino, GPA 1:00.03, 3. Sofia Jorge, MAC 1:00.15.

200-meter breaststroke: 1. Erika Pelaez, EA 2:45.86, 2. Isabel Viera, MAC 2:46.68, 3. Annamarie Munroe, UN 2:59.91.

100-meter butterfly: 1. Sofia Jorge, MAC 1:04.24, 2. Mia Zahab, GPA 1:04.38, 3. Anelis Roque, GPA 1:04.78.

400-meter freestyle: 1. Ryan Flynn, GPA 4:44.20, 2. Sophie Hampson, GPA 4:44.89, 3. Fiorella DiSalvo, EA 5:05.00.

BOYS
200-meter individual medley: 1. Nikita Efimov, OSC 2:14.16, 2. Dylan Smiley, MCDA 2:16.28, 3. Juan Abella, MAC 2:22.09.

100-meter backstroke: 1. Dario Martin, OSC 1:04.01, 2. Richard Navarro, MAC 1:06.25, 3. Carlos Viada-Coroba, MAC 1:06.57.

100-meter freestyle: 1. Ricardo Alvarez, MAC 54.51, 2. Dylan Smiley, MCDA 56.30, 3. Marco Aurelio Lopez-Casula, EA 57.79.

200-meter breaststroke: 1. Dario Martin, OSC 2:25.70, 2. Nikita Efimov, OSC 2:32.09, 3. Dylan Smiley, MCDA 2:32.49.

100-meter butterfly: 1. Ricardo Alvarez, MAC 1:00.90, 2. Luis Salazar, HSC 1:03.35, 3. Dylan Ferguson, UN 1:03.65.

400-meter freestyle: 1. Lucas Fernandez-Chung, MAC 4:29.42, 2. Robert Alvarez, MAC 4:29.49, 3. Liam Lesentier, EA 4:37.41.

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

SOFLO Swimmers Shine In Second Session Of FIU Spring LCM Invite; Lumsden, McPherson, Mejias Triple Winners; Action Continues Sunday

By Sharon Robb
NORTH MIAMI, May 21, 2022–South Florida Aquatic Club swimmers dominated the second session of the FIU Spring Invite Saturday at the Biscayne Bay campus pool.

SOFLO won ten girls while posting eight best times and seven boys individual events with two best times.

Among SOFLO winners were:
Christie-Ann Lumsden, 10, 200-meter freestyle, 2:35.53, 6.95 time drop; 50-meter breaststroke, 42.27, time drop 0.06; 100-meter backstroke, 100-meter backstroke 1:31.43.

Mackenzie McPherson, 12, 100-meter butterfly, 1:14.66, time drop 2.13; 50-meter freestyle, 31.18, time drop 0.39; 400-meter freestyle 5:17.55.

Jemma Baldwin, 11, 200-meter freestyle, 2:28.56, time drop 4.45.

Gianna Martin, 11, 50-meter breaststroke, 41.58, 0.49 time drop.

Valentina Remmele, 10, 50-meter freestyle, 35.68.

Saree Young, 12, 100-meter backstroke 1:16.32, time drop 0.88.

Zachary Snigur, 10, 200-meter freestyle, 2:48.26, time drop 1.60.

Noah Mejias, 11, 200-meter freestyle, 2:34.00; 100-meter butterfly, 1:14.77. Also won the 400 IM in the first session in 5:53.09.

Guillermo Mantilla, 11, 50-meter breaststroke, 44.00.

Lance Bergeron-Menard, 11, 50-meter freestyle, 33.60.

David Valdiviezo, 12, 100-meter backstroke, 1:21.18; 400-meter freestyle, 5:17.55, 35.61 time drop.

Action continues Sunday with two sessions at 8:30 a.m. for 13-and-over and noon for 12-and-under swimmers.

SOFLO has 59 swimmers (31 boys and 28 girls) entered in 308 individual events in four sessions.

In addition to SOFLO and host Golden Panther Aquatics, other Florida Gold Coast teams entered are Eagle Aquatics, Hialeah Swim Club, Metro Aquatics, Miami Country Day Aquatics and Olympus Swim Club.

Admission is $5 per session. Heat sheets are available on Meet Mobile.

SOFLO also has 99 other swimmers competing in the Canes Long Course Invite at University of Miami but official results were not posted on Friday. The meet was also lightning-delayed.

SESSION TWO RESULTS
GIRLS
200-meter freestyle:
10-and-under, 1. Christie-Ann Lumsden, SOFLO 2:35.53, time drop 6.95, 2. Luna Varela MAC 2:57.50, 3. Jacee Gormley, EA 3:07.44; SOFLO: 6. Gabriela Ekht 3:31.11.
11-12, 1. Jemma Baldwin, SOFLO 2:28.56, time drop 4.45, 2. Laila Harran, SOFLO 2:28.82, time drop 1.43, 3. Sofia Gomez, SOFLO 2:32.71; SOFLO: 7. Gianna Martin 2:38.90, time drop 26.14, 11. Marlena Groves 2:50.33, 15. Isabella Callaway Coy 3:16.47, time drop 14.99.

50-meter breaststroke:
10-and-under, 1. Christie Ann Lumsden, SOFLO 42.27, time drop 0.06, 2. Valentina Remmele, SOFLO 49.61, time drop 1.13, 3. Anastasia Morales, EA 50.80; SOFLO: 7. Stephanie Dmitrova 55.56, 8. Savanna Alonso 58.21, time drop 5.60, 9. Ellie Phan 58.59, 10. Gabriela Ekht 59.15, time drop 0.19, 11. Paige Fleming 1:00.05, 12. Karen Lino 1:02.68, time drop 2.58.
11-12, 1. Gianna Martin, SOFLO 41.58, time drop 0.49, 2. Alma Cancio Jorge, MAC 42.26, 3. Rose Seniuk, SOFLO 43.50; SOFLO: 5. Laila Harran 44.82, 7. Saree Young 45.67, time drop 6.07, 8. Jemma Baldwin 46.12, 13. Sophia Rodriguez 49.39, time drop 0.32, 19. Constanza De La Sotta 57.80, time drop 3.13.

100-meter butterfly:
10-and-under, 1. Luna Varela, MAC 1:32.19, 2. Valentina Remmele, SOFLO 1:41.15, 3. Varvara Dmitrova, UN 1:44.26.
11-12, 1. Mackenzie McPherson, SOFLO 1:14.66, time drop 2.13, 2. Laila Harran, SOFLO 1:24.24, 3. Alma Cancio Jorge, MAC 1:30.17; SOFLO: 4. Marlena Groves 1:41.28.

50-meter freestyle:
10-and-under, 1. Valentina Remmele, SOFLO 35.68, 2. Anastasia Morales, EA 35.80, 3. Jacee Gormley, EA 38.1; SOFLO: 7. Stephania Dmitrova 41.83, time drop 0.77, 8. Gabriela Ekht 42.15, time drop 0.41, 9. Paige Fleming 42.28, time drop 0.95, 11. Karen Lino 45.37, time drop 0.04, 12. Savanna Alonso 47.88, time drop 0.99.
11-12, 1. Mackenzie McPherson, SOFLO 31.18, time drop 0.39, 2. Jemma Baldwin, SOFLO 32.22, 3. Gianna Martin, SOFLO 32.36, time drop 0.69; SOFLO: 6. Saree Young 33.10, 14. Sophia Rodriguez 35.82, 20. Constanza De La Sotta 42.33, 21. Isabella van Vredendaal 47.42.

100-meter backstroke:
10-and-under, 1. Christie Ann Lumsden, SOFLO 1:31.43, 2. Anastasia Morales, EA 1:37.37, 3. Luna Varela, MAC 1:40.39; SOFLO: 5. Stephanie Dmitrova 1:46.07, 7. Paige Fleming 1:53.10, time drop 2.07, 8. Karen Lino 1:55.52, 9. Savanna Alonso 2:08.90.
11-12, 1. Saree Young, SOFLO 1:16.32, time drop 0.88, 2. Sofia Gomez, SOFLO 1:19.74, time drop 1.45, 3. Rose Seniuk, SOFLO 1:21.62; SOFLO: 10. Marlena Groves 1:36.67, 12. Isabella Callaway Coy 1:50.82, 13. Constanza de La Sotta 1:55.86, time drop 8.79.

400-meter freestyle:
12-and-under, 1. Mackenzie McPherson, SOFLO 5:17.55, 2. Sofia Gomez, SOFLO 5:19.47.

BOYS
200-meter freestyle:
10-and-under, 1. Zachary Snigur, SOFLO 2:48.26, time drop 1.60, 2. Ale Suarez-Cabrera, SOFLO 2:52.62, time drop 9.02, 3. Ethan Phan, SOFLO 2:53.29; SOFLO: 5. Michael Barber 2:56.72, time drop 18.36, 9. Gabriel Ferrer 3:08.75, time drop 0.98, 10. Leonardo Zuluaga 3:24.94, 11. Sean Tee 3:28.19, time drop 15.27.
11-12, 1. Noah Mejias, SOFLO 2:34.00, 2. Atharv Agashe, SOFLO 2:42.32, time drop 5.16, 3. Kenneth Solis, UN 2:42.45, 8. Matteo Castelli 2:47.81, time drop 7.52, 14. Antonio Rico 2:57.92, time drop 5.12, 15. David Gonzalez 2:58.84, time drop 13.52, 17. Samuel Rico 3:04.98.

50-meter breaststroke:
10-and-under, 1. Lester Perez, MAC 44.44, 2. Toma Petkov, SOFLO 45.93, time drop 1.32, 3. Rafael Cancio Jorge, MAC 46.18; SOFLO: 4. Ethan Phan 47.80, time drop 4.24, 5. Zachary Snigur 48.29, 10. Leonardo Zuluaga 53.62, 13. Gabriel Ferrer 57.10, 14. Sean Tee 57.34, 16. Terrence Cheung 58.76, 17. Santiago Zuluaga 1:00.62.
11-12, 1. Guillermo Mantilla, SOFLO 44.00, 2. Eric Ferrer, SOFLO 44.08, time drop 6.14, 3. Braison Vega, MAC 45.34, SOFLO: 4. Lance Bergeron-Menard, SOFLO 46.66, time drop 1.49; 6. Dylan McVeigh 47.66, time drop 1.59, 9. Benjamin Liss 50.10, time drop 9.00, 16. Matheus Rodriguez 58.10, 17. Pedro Di Napoli 1:00.20, time drop 2.02, 19. Adrian Plotnikov 1:08.13.

100-meter butterfly:
10-and-under, 1. Javier Massot, MAC 1:20.13, 2. Lester Perez, MAC 1:26.84, 3. Toma Petkov, SOFLO 1:31.13; SOFLO: 5. Leonardo Zuluaga 1:51.34.

11-12, 1. Noah Mejias, SOFLO 1:14.77, 2. David Valdiviezo, SOFLO 1:16.95, time drop 1.04, 3. Eric Ferrer, SOFLO 1:22.28, time drop 9.02; SOFLO: 4. Guillermo Mantilla 1:26.05, 7. Benjamin Liss 1:42.99.

50-meter freestyle:
10-and-under, 1. Lester Perez, MAC 32.75, 2. Javier Massot, MAC 34.10, 3. tie, Rafael Cancio Jorge, MAC 35.58 and Zachary Snigur, SOFLO 35.58; SOFLO: 5. Toma Petkov 36.54, 7. Ethan Phan 37.47, 10. Michael Barber 38.34, time drop 0.87, 16. Gabriel Ferrer 41.80, 18. Terrence Cheung 46.31, time drop 1.22, 19. Sean Tee 46.86, time drop 0.86, 22. Santiago Zuluaga 51.93.
11-12, 1. Lance Bergeron-Menard, SOFLO 33.60, 2. Jayden Sarmiento, HSC 33.71, 3. Braison Vega, MAC 33.97; SOFLO: 6. Benjamin Liss 35.37, time drop 0.95, 10. Rafael Naramjo 36.18, 11. Dylan McVeigh 36.57, time drop 0.54, 12. Antonio Rico 36.99, time drop 1.04, 17. David Gonzalez 38.70, time drop 3.07, 19. Samuel Rico 39.26, 22. Adrian Plotnikov 43.15, time drop 0.76, 24. Matheus Rodriguez 46.73, time drop 10.63, 25. Pedro Di Napoli 58.00.

100-meter backstroke:
10-and-under, 1. Javier Massot, MAC 1:24.90, 2. Rafael Cancio Jorge, MAC 1:27.45, 3. Reynaldo Manzanarez, UN 1:37.53; SOFLO: 4. Ale Suarez Cabrera 1:38.86, 5. Michael Barber 1:42.08, time drop 2.00, 10. Santiago Zuluaga 1:57.86, time drop 1.10.
11-12, 1. David Valdiviezo, SOFLO 1:21.18, 2. Eric Ferrer, SOFLO 1:27.04, time drop 2.34, 3. Atharv Agashe, SOFLO 1:29.32, time drop 0.57; SOFLO: 5. Dylan McVeigh 1:34.2, 6. David Gonzalez 1:34.46, time drop 10.42, 8. Samuel Rico 1:36.17, time drop 3.21, 9. Antonio Rico 1:45.33, 12. Adrian Plotnikov 1:59.89, time drop 3.01.

400-meter freestyle:
12-and-under, 1. David Valdiviezo, SOFLO 5:17.55, time drop 35.61, 2. Guillermo Mantilla, SOFLO 5:19.47, time drop 18.77, 3. Ian Estrada, UN 5:47.12.

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

Erika Pelaez, Dario Martin Double Winners In Opening Session Of FIU Spring LCM Invite; Second Session Begins At Noon

By Sharon Robb
NORTH MIAMI, May 21, 2022–Erika Pelaez and Dario Martin were double winners in the opening session of the FIU Spring Invite Saturday at the Biscayne Bay campus pool.

Pelaez, 15, of Eagle Aquatics, won the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:16.54 and 200-meter butterfly in 2:20.85. Both were best times. She dropped 2.82 in the breaststroke and 2.29 in the fly. She has four events left to swim.

At 13, Pelaez was the youngest swimmer to qualify for the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials. Her 100 freestyle time of 56.03 was the youngest for any U.S. 13-year-old and faster than Missy Franklin’s 56.14 at the 2008 Trials. She is a member of USA Swimming junior national team.

Martin, 17, of Miami Beach and Olympus Swim Club, won the 200-meter butterfly in 2:07.15 and 400-meter IM in 4:40.19. He has the backstroke events left to swim. Both Pelaez and Martin are home schoolers and compete for South Florida Heat during the high school season.

SOFLO’s Noah Mejias, 11, the youngest in the boys’ 400-meter individual medley field, finished in 5:53.09 in his long course event debut. He is also entered in four events in the 11-12 competition.

Action continues in the well-organzed meet with the 12-and-under session at noon. Two sessions are Sunday at 8:30 a.m. for for 13-and-over and noon for 12-and-under swimmers.

SOFLO has 59 swimmers (31 boys and 28 girls) entered in 308 individual events in four sessions.

In addition to SOFLO and host Golden Panther Aquatics, other Florida Gold Coast teams entered are Eagle Aquatics, Hialeah Swim Club, Metro Aquatics, Miami Country Day Aquatics and Olympus Swim Club.

Admission is $5 per session. Heat sheets are available on Meet Mobile.

SOFLO also has 99 other swimmers competing in the Canes Long Course Invite at University of Miami but official results were not posted on Friday. The meet was also lightning-delayed.

SESSION ONE RESULTS
GIRLS
200-meter freestyle: 1. Sofia Jorge, MAC 2:10.05, 2. Eriana Temperino, GPA 2:12.09, 3. Gioia Balzano, EA 2:12.41.

100-meter breaststroke: 1. Erika Pelaez, EA 1:16.54, 2. Kiera Rampersad, EA 1:17.86, 3. Isabel Viera, MAC 1:19.75.

200-meter butterfly: 1. Erika Pelaez, EA 2:20.85, 2. Sofia Jorge, MAC 2:21.93, 3. Sophia Diaz, MAC 2:25.06.

50-meter freestyle: 1. Kelsie Campbell, GPA 26.96, 2. Sofia Jorge, MAC 27.35, 3. Paola Negrin, MAC 28.37.

200-meter backstroke: 1. Sophia Diaz, MAC 2:43.06, 2. Penelope Lopez-Casula, EA 2:47.97, 3. Melanie Palmira, HSC 2:51.74.

400-meter individual medley: 1. Mia Zahab, GPA 5:11.28, 2. Isabel Viera, MAC 5:22.22, 3. Gioia Balzano, EA 5:32.03.

BOYS
200-meter freestyle: 1. Ricardo Alvarez, MAC 1:57.45, 2. Dylan Smiley, MCDA 2:02.99, 3. Juan Abella, MAC 2:03.31.

100-meter breaststroke: 1. Dylan Smiley, MCDA 1:08.68, 2. Nikita Efimov, OSC 1:09.78, 3. Robert Alvarez, MAC 1:10.81.

200-meter butterfly: 1. Dario Martin, OSC 2:07.15, 2. Lucas Fernandez-Chung, MAC 2:14.85, 3. Dylan Ferguson, UN 2:19.80.

50-meter freestyle: 1. Marco Aurelio Lopez-Casula, EA 25.63, 2. Ricardo Alvarez, MAC 25.93, 3. Michael Quintana. MAC 26.01.

200-meter backstroke: 1. Richard Navarro, MAC 2:23.93, 2. Juan Abella, MAC 2:25.75, 3. Lucas Fernandez-Chung, MAC 2:31.52.

400-meter individual medley: 1. Dario Martin, OSC 4:40.19, 2. Nikita Efimov, OSC 4:46.92, 3. Dylan Smiley, MCDA 4:59.31; SOFLO: 11. Noah Mejias 5:53.09.

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

SOFLO Swimmers Split Squad Compete This Weekend At FIU Spring LCM Invite

By Sharon Robb
NORTH MIAMI, May 20, 2022–South Florida Aquatic Club, with split squads competing in two meets, will compete Saturday and Sunday in the FIU Spring LCM Invite at FIU’s Biscayne Bay campus pool.

SOFLO has 59 swimmers (31 boys and 28 girls) entered in 308 individual events in four sessions. Two sessions will be held each day at 8:30 a.m. for 13-and-over and noon for 12-and-under swimmers.

Among SOFLO’s top-seeded swimmers are:

Christie-Ann Lumsden, 10, 200-meter freestyle, 2:42.48; 50-meter breaststroke, 42.33, 50-meter backstroke, 45.30, 100-meter freestyle, 1:11.91, 10-and-under.

Noah Mejias, 11, 200-meter freestyle, 2:32.94; 100-meter butterfly, 1:13.54, 200-meter IM, 2:46.40, 100-meter freestyle, 1:12.29, 11-12.

Zachary Snigur, 10, 200-meter freestyle, 2:49.86, 10-and-under.

Gianna Martin, 11, 50-meter breaststroke, 42.07, 11-12.

Laila Harran, 12, 200-meter freestyle, 2:30.25, 11-12.

Mackenzie McPherson, 12, 200-meter butterfly 1:16.79, 200-meter IM, 2:47.99, 100-meter breaststroke, 1:35.57, 11-12.

Valentina Remmele, 10, 50-meter freestyle, 37.19, 200-meter IM, 3:24.48, 50-meter butterfly, 40.79, 10-and-under.

Jemma Baldwin, 11, 50-meter freestyle, 31.35, 50-meter butterfly, 34.71, 11-12.

Leonardo Zuluaga, 9, 100-meter butterfly, 1:47.95, 10-and-under.

Lance Bergeron-Menard, 11, 50-meter freestyle, 32.57, 11-12.

Sofia Gomez, 12, 400-meter freestyle, 5:09.25, 12-and-under.

Guillermo Mantilla, 11, 400-meter freestyle, 5:38.24, 12-and-under.

Saree Young, 12, 100-meter backstroke, 1:17.20, 50-meter backstroke, 35.49, 11-12.

David Valdiviezo, 12, 100-meter backstroke, 1:20.21, 50-meter backstroke, 37.51, 50-meter butterfly, 35.37, 11-12.

Joanna Valdiviezo, 10, 100-meter backstroke, 1:33.27, 10-and-under.

Toma Petkov, 10, 200-meter IM 3:04.39, 100-meter breaststroke, 1:38.87, 10-and-under.

Eric Ferrer, 11, 100-meter breaststroke, 1:35.63, 11-12.

Rose Seniuk, 12, 100-meter freestyle, 1:08.99, 11-12.

Gabriela Ekht, 10, 100-meter breaststroke, 2:02.84, 10-and-under.

In addition to SOFLO and host Golden Panther Aquatics, other Florida Gold Coast teams entered are Eagle Aquatics, Hialeah Swim Club, Metro Aquatics, Miami Country Day Aquatics and Olympus Swim Club.

SOFLO’s youngest swimmers are Ellie Phan, 7, entered in four events: 10-and-under 50 breaststroke, 50 freestyle, 50 backstroke and 50 butterfly and Santiago Zuluaga, 7, in six events: 50 breaststroke, 50 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 50 backstroke, 100 breaststroke and 50 butterfly.

Admission is $5 per session. Heat sheets are available on Meet Mobile now.

SOFLO also has 99 swimmers competing in the Canes Long Course Invite at University of Miami.

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

SOFLO Heads Field For Canes Spring Long Course Invitational That Begins Friday

By Sharon Robb
CORAL GABLES, May 19, 2022—South Florida Aquatic Club swimmers will get in some long course racing at the Canes Spring Long Course Invitational at University of Miami.

The three-day meet begins Friday at 5:30 p.m. with the 50s events and 800-meter freestyles. The timed final event is expected to end at 9 p.m.

The three-day meet continues on Saturday 9 a.m.-1:47 p.m. and concludes Sunday 9 a.m.-12:35 p.m. All events are timed finals.

Other Florida Gold Coast teams competing are Coral Springs Swim Club, Midtown Weston and host Hurricane Aquatics.

SOFLO has the largest contingent with 99 swimmers (60 boys and 39 girls) in 666 individual events.

SOFLO’s top seeds include:
Ricardo Roche, 22, 50-meter backstroke 27.82; 100-meter backstroke 59.66.
Julio Horrego, 23, 50-meter breaststroke 28.35.
Agustin Rodriguez, 17, 200 IM 2:16.35; 400-meter freestyle 4:13.99.
Enrique Rodriguez, 17, 200-meter butterfly 2:11.99; 400 IM 4:46.53.
Wisthon Rendon, 17, 200-meter backstroke 2:10.52.

Admission is $4 per session, cash only. Heat sheets will not be sold at the meet and are expected to be posted on Meet Mobile and http://www.teamunify.com/fgha which they were not as of 8 p.m. Thursday night.

Masks are encouraged but not required inside all buildings on the University of Miami campus including walking through the Whitten Center to access the pool. Spectators are allowed at the turn end of the pool deck and not the Fate Bridge to watch the meet.

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

TYR APRIL BOY SWIMMER OF THE MONTH: Alex Golding

By Sharon Robb
PEMBROKE PINES, May 17, 2022–Swimming isn’t always about winning, losing and best times. There’s qualities that can’t be coached: leadership, service and team spirit.

Every now and then a student-athlete at South Florida Aquatic Club goes above and beyond what’s expected. Such is the case with Alex Golding at last month’s SOFLO White & Blue Intrasquad Meet at Academic Village Pool.

For those reasons, the SOFLO coaching staff decided to honor Alex and his sister, Sally, the TYR April Girl Swimmer of the Month.

“We wanted to reward them both going above and beyond and helping make the meet a truly special experience,” said SOFLO age group coach Jack Davies.

Golding, 18, a senior at Cooper City High School will graduate next month. He has been swimming for 13 years, the last nine at SOFLO. He started swimming at age 4 in New Hampshire.

“When I joined SOFLO that’s when it felt like a team,” Golding said. “Going through all the groups and making friends. They say tough experiences bring people together. I think tough practice after tough practice that’s what brings you close together as a team and you progress through the years.”

Golding played in multiple sports including baseball and tennis, but knew by age 13 swimming was going to be his passion. He followed in the footsteps of his older sisters, Kathleen and Molly, both now at University of Florida.

“They are the whole reason I got in the water in the first place,” Golding said. “When I was 13 my sister Kathleen was getting recruited by colleges and I realized that was something I wanted. That’s what made me stick with swimming.”

Golding said there are many things he likes about the sport.

“I realize how much it’s given me and impacted my life in a positive way,” he said. “It’s given me a really good sense of work ethic, dedication and long term perseverance through obstacles. It’s given me great social experiences and the friends that I have. That social bubble has been wonderful.

“It’s just fun to get up and race sometime,” Golding said. “We don’t always enjoy training. I love that feeling when everybody else is upset at practice because it’s hard and I try to motivate them. I love that aspect of getting people to get up and go and race. That’s my favorite part.”

Golding has gone from a back-of-the group swimmer when he was younger to a breakout meet at the post-pandemic Virtual Championships to making his Futures Cut at Senior Championships.

His biggest attribute, however, is his motivational and leadership skills which were front and center during the SOFLO White & Blue Intrasquad Meet.

“Growing up I always liked to be a high-energy, type of motivator in the group even if I wasn’t the fastest,” Golding said. “I have really enjoyed getting into the spirit week and intrasquad meets and trying to bring the team together as much as I can. I really believe team cohesiveness is an important part of our culture.

“I’ve had a great experience in swimming. Throughout my swimming years I had a lot of fun. When I look back it’s the meets and how much fun I had with other people. That’s what makes swimming fun. Training and swimming fast is rewarding but if you’re not happy swimming it’s not going to be fun. You need that team atmosphere to help push you to be better. That’s something I want for everybody.”

During the intrasquad meet Alex (of Team Blue) and Sally (of Team White) made up the relays with an interesting twist.

“We could have looked at the fast people and put them in order but we decided to try and have fun with it and give people a good experience. We wanted to make the meet memorable and do something special.”

So the siblings made it really fun. For instance, the medley relay swimmers had to swim their worst stroke. “That was something that was really fun. People didn’t expect that and it got them more excited. And the energy just built from there. It was something fun to watch.

“Basically, we tried to be a motivator for the older kids as their peers, trying to help them do better,” Golding said. “And then when it came to the little kids trying to coach them and show them what it’s like to be a part of this team. Everybody had a great meet.”

Each TYR Swimmer of the Month receives a free TYR backpack. Golding joins SOFLO swimmers Guillermo Mantilla (March), Tristan Dons (February) and Hashan Ekanayake (January) as 2022 TYR Swimmers of the Month.

SOFLO sponsor TYR is a USA manufacturer of recreational and competitive swimwear, caps, goggles, triathlon gear and accessories and one of the nation’s top companies.

TYR, created by athletes, is named for the Norse god of warriors in Germanic mythology.

Among its male-sponsored athletes are 2020 Olympians Michael Andrew, Tom Shields, Nic Fink, Townley Haas and Jordan Wilimovsky and other elite swimmers Matt Grevers, Maxime Rooney, Jacob Pebley and Ryan Lochte.

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