SOFLO Sweeps Combined, Men, Women Team Titles To Capture Ninth Title At FGC Short Course Swimming Senior Championships

By Sharon Robb
PEMBROKE PINES, March 19, 2023—South Florida Aquatic Club rose to the occasion on the fourth and final day of the Florida Gold Coast Short Course Swimming Senior Championships Sunday at Academic Village Pool.

SOFLO swept the combined, men and women’s team titles and captured its ninth combined team title in the team’s history.

Already leading the combined and women’s categories after three days, the men’s team overtook early leader Azura Florida Aquatics on the final day to make it a clean sweep.

SOFLO, with talent and depth, won the combined with 1,981 points. Azura was second with 1,033. They were the only teams to crack the 1,000-point barrier.

SOFLO women won with 1,101, the only team to break 1,000 points. FAST was runnerup with 721.

In the closest team competition, SOFLO men came up big to win with 880 points ahead of Azura with 862.

Among SOFLO top finishers on Sunday were:

Maddie Smutny won the 200-yard butterfly in 2:02.85. Elena Dinehart was third in 2:04.61.

Olivia Dinehart won the 100-yard freestyle in 50.87 and 200-yard breaststroke in 2:13.94. She was also second in the 100-yard individual medley in 51.03.

Elena Dinehart was second in the 200-yard backstroke in 2:02.36.

Honduran Olympian Julio Horrego won the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:00.26 just ahead of Giulian Martin of Hurricanes Swimming in 2:00.95. Javier Colmenares was third in 2:02.91. Horrego was also second in the 100 IM in 50.20.

Ricardo Roche was third in the 200-yard backstroke in 1:49.14. Austin Nelson was fourth in 1:52.46.

There were several other standout swims by top Florida Gold Coast swimmers.

Dylan Smiley of Miami Country Day was a double winner in the 200-yard buttrfly in 1:46.25 and 100-yard IM in 49.56.

Julia Podkoscielny of Pine Crest won the 200-yard backstroke in 1:55.97.

Ekaterina Malyshev of Wahoos of Wellington won the 100-yard individual medley in 50.87.

Kaii Winkler of Eagle Aquatics won the 100-yard freestyle in a 15-16 national age group record 41.96.

Yeziel Morales of Azura won the 200-yard backstroke in 1:44.13.

SOFLO was among 33 teams from Broward, Palm Beach and Metro-Dade competing over four days. In addition to host SOFLO, FGC teams competing are: Azura, Blue Marlins, Boca Raton, Bravo, Coral Springs, Eagle Aquatics, FAST, Gulliver, Heritage Aquatic Team, Hialeah, Hurricane Aquatics, Jupiter Dragons, Lake Lytal Lightning, Martin County, Metro Aquatics, Miami Country Day, Miami Swimming, Midtown Weston, North Miami, North Palm Beach, Olympus, PAQ, Pine Crest, Plantation, Pompano Beach Piranhas, Ransom Everglades, St. Andrew’s Aquatics, Sunrise Swimming, Swim Fort Lauderdale, TS Aquatics and Wellington.

SUNDAY RESULTS
COMBINED: 1. South Florida Aquatic Club 1,981, 2. Azura Florida Aquatics 1,033, 3. FAST 922, 4. Pine Crest 728.5, 5. Eagle Aquatics 710, 6. TS Aquatics 696.5, 7. Plantation 478.5, 8. Ransom Everglades 424, 9. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 353, 10. Wellington 331.

MEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. SOFLO 880, 2. Azura 862, 3. Eagle Aquatics 539.5, 4. Ransom Everglades 353, 5. Hurricane Aquatics 329.

WOMEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. SOFLO 1,101, 2. FAST 721, 3. Pine Crest 643, 4. TS Aquatics 446.5, 5. Wellington 272.

WOMEN
200-yard butterfly: 1. Maddie Smutny, SOFLO 2:02.85, 2. Emma Herrera, FAST 2:02.98, 3. Elena Dinehart, SOFLO 2:04.61; SOFLO: 5. Michelle Marinheiro 2:08.04, 6. Gabriella DeLuna 2:08.38, 16. Tania Mantilla 2:24.11.

100-yard freestyle: 1. Olivia Dinehart, SOFLO 50.87, 2. Alyssa Bozzuto, FAST 51.03, 3. Erin Miller, PC 52.02; SOFLO: 10. Natalie Gembicki 53.37, 15. Maddie Smutny 53.06, 19. Ana Villamil 54.23.

200-yard breaststroke: 1. Olivia Dinehart, SOFLO 2:13.94, 2. Julia Podkoscielny, PC 2:14.35, 3, Ekaterina Malyshev, WOW 2:16.11; SOFLO: 9. Sophia Grubbs 2:27.94, 11. Ana Villamil 2:24.43, 15. Sabrina Osorio 2:30.63.

200-yard backstroke: 1. Julia Podkoscielny, PC 1:55.97, 2. Elena Dinehart, SOFLO 2:02.36, 3. Erin Miller, PC 2:07.01; SOFLO: 8. Gabriella DeLuna 2:09.42, 9. Izzy Wilson 2:11.59.

100-yard individual medley: 1. Ekaterina Malyshev, WOW 50.87, 2. Olivia Dinehart, SOFLO 51.03, 3. Alyssa Bozzuto, FAST 52.02; SOFLO: 7. Gabriella DeLuna 52.86, 8. Natalie Gembicki 52.87, 14. Sophia Grubbs 1:01.74, 16. Valerie Vank 1:02.02, 24. Izzy Wilson 1:04.05.

MEN
200-yard butterfly: 1. Dylan Smiley, MCD 1:46.25, 2. Yeziel Morales, AZ 1:47.23, 3. Davidson Vincent, AZ 1:48.82; SOFLO: 9. Alejandro Mateus 1:56.84, 12. Wisthon Rendon 1:55.34, 14. Enrique Rodriguez 1:56.87.

100-yard freestyle: 1. Kaii Winkler, EA 41.96, 2. Leif Bouwman, JDST 44.64, 3. Marcoaurelio Lopez-Casula, EA 45.89.

200-yard breaststroke: 1. Julio Horrego, SOFLO 2:00.26, 2. Giulian Martin, CANE 2:00.95, 3. Javier Colmenares, SOFLO 2:02.91; SOFLO: 7. Manny Melendez 2:06.53, 19. Stephen Kim 2:14.39, 23. Derek Hau 2:16.13, 25. Abraham Penaloza 2:18.20.

200-yard backstroke: 1. Yeziel Morales, AZ 1:44.13, 2. Kaii Winkler, EA 1:45.91, 3. Ricardo Roche, SOFLO 1:49.14; SOFLO: 4. Austin Nelson 1:52.46, 9. Wisthon Rendon 1:55.19, 10. Jaden Amores 1:57.99, 18. Alejandro Mateus 2:01.55, 25. Nicholas Pelaez 2:01.52.

100-yard individual medley: 1. Dylan Smiley, MCD 49.56, 2. Julio Horrego, SOFLO 50.20, 3. Finn Winkler, EA 50.63; SOFLO: 6. Luciano Gonzalez 52.62, 10. Ricardo Roche 53.24, 14. Javier Colmenares 52.91, 18. Manny Melendez 53.79, 22. Derek Hau 55.71.

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

Klein, Paccot Win Distance Events; Amelie Bicerne Top SOFLO Finisher At Piranhas Senior Invite

By Sharon Robb
PLANTATION, March 2, 2023—Neala Klein of Bolles Sharks and Maximiliano Paccot of Azura Florida Aquatics won opening day distance events Thursday at the Piranhas Senior Invite at Plantation Aquatic Complex.

Klein, 15, won the 800-meter freestyle in a best time 9:06.38, with a time drop of 3.51.

Paccot, 26, of Uruguay, won the 1500-meter freestyle in 16:44.36 ahead of Azura teammate Daniel Gonzalez-Jimenez, 16, in 16:47.32.

Amelie Bicerne, 15, of South Florida Aquatic Club was seventh in the 800-meter freestyle in 9:52.90. Bicerne is one of 25 SOFLO swimmers competing in the four-day meet.

The meet continues through Sunday with prelims at 8:30 a.m. and finals at 5 p.m.

THURSDAY RESULTS
WOMEN
800-meter freestyle: 1. Neala Klein, Bolles 9:06.38, 2. Brittany Corbett, EAST 9:10.18, 3. Fatima Portillo, Azura 9:21.60; SOFLO: 7. Amelie Bicerne 9:52.90.

800-meter freestyle relay: 1. Plantation Swim Team 9:45.11 (Sidney Anton, Anastasia Lutz, Georgina Henriquez, Paola Escobar).

MEN
1500-meter freestyle: 1. Maximilian Paccot, Azura 16:44.36, 2. Daniel Gonzalez Jimenez, Azura 16:47.32, 3. Nicholas Kwan, Bolles 16:51.40.

800-meter freestyle relay: 1. Azura 7:56.43 (Davidson Vincent, Leon Seaton, Justin Pale, Diego Dulieu), 2. Plantation Swim Team 8:12.12.

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

Three More World Records Broken; SOFLO’s Julio Horrego Swims Final Event; Azura Swimmers Break National Records At FINA Short Course World Championships

By Sharon Robb
MELBOURNE, Australia, December 16, 2022—Three world records fell and Aussie Lani Pallister and Americans Ryan Murphy and Kate Douglass won gold medals Friday at the 16th FINA Short Course World Championships at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatics Centre.

France won its first gold medal at worlds when it dominated its mixed freestyle relay broke the world record in 1:27.33, breaking the previous mark of 1:27.89 set by the U.S. in 2018.

The foursome of Maxime Grousset (20.92), Florent Manaudou (20.26), Beryl Gastaldello (23.00), and Melanie Henique (23.15) won by 7/10ths of a second over the Aussies.

“I haven’t been at the top of the podium since 2015,” said Manaudou. “I had 19 major medals and now I have 20. I like the number 20 more. I appreciate all those earlier medals even more today than I did before.

“At the end of the race, I understood that we were going to win, but I was not yet thinking about the world record. When I saw that we were breaking the world record, I exploded with joy.”

Douglass won the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:15.77 ahead of U.S. teammate Lilly King in 2:17.13.

Japan’s Daiya Seto won the men’s 200-meter breaststroke in an Asian record 2:00.35. Defending champion Nic Fink took silver in 2:01.60.

Canadian Maggie MacNeil broke her own world record in the 50-meter backstroke with strong underwater kicks in 25.25, lowering her previous record of 25.27.

“I’m ecstatic, I knew it would be hard to swim a best time,” MacNeil said. “I just really wanted to see the improvement, even just a couple of hundredths. Swimming Canada has definitely risen over the past few years and to see this tonight is amazing. It’s great to bring this medal back to Canada.”

Bolles alum Ryan Murphy won the 50-meter backstroke in 22.64 in a bizarre situation. Initially, it was Australia’s Isaac Cooper who touched the wall first, but due to the sound error, the race had to be re-swum an hour later in the session. Cooper finished second to Murphy in 22.73.

“It was definitely an interesting last hour,” Murphy said. “On the first start, we all heard the double beep and you know you just have to go if you are swimming in a world championship final…you just have to finish that race. But after the turn, I hit the wall and I felt that the wedge was still in. I thought “Oh shoot, we have to do that one again.”

Marrit Steenbergen of the Netherlands won the 100-meter individual medley in 57.53 to carry on the rich tradition of the Dutch in the event. Italy’s Thomas Ceccon won the 100 IM in 50.97.

Aussie Lani Pallister won her third gold medal in the 1500 freestyle in 15:21.43. Legendary Dawn Fraser, a three-time Olympic champion in the 100 freestyle, presented Pallister with her gold medal.

The U.S. men’s 4×200-meter freestyle finished the day’s schedule with a world record in 6:44.12. The foursome of Kieran Smith (1:41.04), Carson Foster (1:40.48), Trenton Julian (1:41.44) and Drew Kibler (1:41.16) took nearly three seconds off the world record that Brazil set in 2018 at 6:46.81.

South Florida Aquatic Club’s 2020 Honduran Olympian Julio Horrego swims his second and final event Saturday in the 50-meter breaststroke. He competed in the 100 breaststroke earlier in the week.

Two-time Olympian Dylan Carter of Trinidad and Tobago made it through the semifinal round of the 50-meter freestyle and missed out on a medal in the 50-meter backstroke. The Plantation American Heritage alum finished seventh in the sprint backstroke in 23.12. He was fifth fastest qualifier in the 50-meter freestyle in 20.94 for Saturday’s final. Jordan Crooks of the Cayman Islands was top qualifier in 20.31.

Azura Florida Aquatics had three swimmers set national records. Steven Aimable of Senegal swam 22.42 in the 50 freestyle. Leon Seaton of Guyana swam 26.65 in the 50 freestyle. Nicole Frank of Uruguay swam 2:26.44 in the 200 breaststroke.

The meet, which ends Sunday, is being live streamed on FINA’s YouTube channel. Meet prelims are 7 p.m. EST. Finals each day are 3:30 a.m. EST. Melbourne is 16 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.

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

Dinehart, Smutny Lead SOFLO On Day Three Of USA Swimming Futures Championship

By Sharon Robb
CARY, N.C., July 29, 2022—Olivia Dinehart and Maddie Smutny were top finishers for South Florida Aquatic Club at the USA Swimming Futures Championship Friday at Triangle Aquatic Center.

Olivia Dinehart, 17, was ninth in the 200-meter breaststroke in a best time 2:34.53, shaving 1.45 seconds off her previous best of 2:35.98.

Maddie Smutny, 17, was ninth in the 400-meter freestyle in a best time 4:21.40, dropping 2.58 seconds. She was ninth fastest qualifier in prelims in 4:26.62. Her previous best time was 4:23.98.

SOFLO’s girls team is 13th among 45 teams with 33 points.

Other Friday SOFLO results:
Javier Colmenares, 16, 200 breaststroke, 44. 2:29.20.
Elena Dinehart, 17, 100 butterfly, 75. 1:05.15.
Olivia Dinehart, 17, 200 breaststroke, 11. 2:38.63 prelims, 9. 2:34.53, time drop 1.45, final.
Natalie Gembicki, 17, 100 butterfly time trial, 3. 1:06.28.
Alex Golding, 18, 200 breaststroke, 55. 2:30.48.
Sophia Grubbs, 17, 200 breaststroke, 86. 2:55.25.
Austin Nelson, 16, 400 freestyle, 74. 4:19.74.
Ricardo Roche, 22, 100 backstroke time trial, 1. 58.99.
Wisthon Rendon, 18, 100 butterfly, 110. 59.30.
Rafael Rodriguez, 20, 100 butterfly, 37. 57.30.
Mallory Schleicher, 18, 100 breaststroke time trial, 3. 1:19.06.
Maddie Smutny, 17, 400 freestyle, 9. 4:26.62 prelims, 4:21.40, final, 2.58 time drop; 100 butterfly, 113. 1:06.48.
Izzy Wilson, 15, 400 freestyle, 52. 4:35.51.

SOFLO has thirteen swimmers (seven girls and six boys) competing in 48 individual events and one relay.

Among Florida Gold Coast swimmer highlights:

Haitian Olympian Davidson Vincent, 20, of Azura was second in the 100-meter butterfly in a best time 54.35, dropping 0.39.

U.S. junior national team member Julia Podkoscielny, 17, was third in the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:34.32. Pine Crest Swimming is seventh among girls teams with 72 points of which 53 have been scored by Podkoscielny.

Dario Martin, 17, of Olympus Swimming Club was third in the 200-meter breaststroke in a best time 2:18.22, dropping 0.45 seconds.

The Futures Championship, which ends Saturday night, is designed as an intermediate step between Sectional Championships and Junior Nationals or National Championships, and open to swimmers of all ages who have time standards. The seventh edition of Futures is one of five around the nation.

Swimmers from the following LSCs are eligible to compete including Florida Gold Coast, Florida Swimming, Southeastern, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Michigan, Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Indiana.

FRIDAY RESULTS
COMBINED TEAM TOTALS: 1. TAC Titans 918, 2. Sarasota Sharks 563, 3. Club Wolverine 448, 4. Bolles 447.5, 5. Chattahoochee Gold 196, 11. Pine Crest Swimming 72, 18. TS Aquatics 53, 25. Miami Country Day 38, 27. South Florida Aquatic Club 33, 30. Eagle Aquatics 28, 37. Azura 17, 39. Midtown Weston 15, 41. Treasure Coast Aquatics 12, 44. Metro Aquatics 7.

MEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. TAC Titans 512, 2. Bolles 393.5, 3. Club Wolverine 155.5, 4. Sarasota Sharks 150, 5. Michigan Lakeshore 90, 13. Miami Country Day 38, 14. TS Aquatics 36, 19. Eagle Aquatics 28, 22. Olympus 21, 28. Azura 17.

WOMEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. Sarasota Sharks 413, 2. TAC Titans 406, 3. Club Wolverine 292.5, 4. Chattahoochee Gold 184, 5. Blue Dolfins 100.5, 7. Pine Crest Swimming 72, 13. SOFLO 33, 20. TS Aquatics 17, 22. Midtown Weston 15, 26. Treasure Coast 12, 30. Metro Aquatics 7

WOMEN
400-meter freestyle: 1. Hannah Bellard, CW 4:11.30, 2. Addison Sauickie, SYS 4:14.23, 3. Summer Cardwell, TBAC 4:16.79; SOFLO: 9. Maddie Smutny 4:21.40, time drop 2.58; FGC: 8. Erin Miller, PCS 4:27.84, 16. Brynn Stoneburg, TCA 4:30.22 (4:28.09 prelims).

100-meter butterfly: 1. Charlotte Hook, TAC 59.04, 2. Elizabeth Tilt, GOLD 59.55, 3. Susan Lagrand, OLY 1:00.74; FGC: 19. Sofia Jorge, MAC 1:02.02, 23. Sophia Diaz 1:02.76.

200-meter breaststroke: 1. Gracie Weyant, SYS 2:31.38, 2. Edwina Jalet, CW 2:34.15, 3. Julia Podkoscielny, PCS 2:34.32; SOFLO: 9. Olivia Dinehart 2:34.53, time drop 1.45; FGC: 24. Riley Botting, PCS 2:42.63

400-meter freestyle relay: 1. Sarasota Sharks 3:46.80, 2. Club Wolverine 3:49.27, 3. TAC Titans 3:49.72, 13. Pine Crest 3:59.18, 20. SOFLO A 4:00.74 (Mallory Schleicher, Elena Dinehart, Olivia Dinehart, Natalie Gembicki).

MEN
400-meter freestyle: 1. Lance Norris, TAC 3:53.31, 2. Michael Cotter, TAC 3:54.59, 3. Jonas Cantrell, SCS 3:57.50.

100-meter butterfly: 1. Derek Maas, MLA 53.88, 2. Davidson Vincent, Azura 54.35, 3. Michael Mullen, Bolles 54.53; FGC: 6. Dylan Smiley, MCD 54.80, 13. Carlos Vasquez 55.49, 24. Dario Martin, OSC 58.21.

200-meter breaststroke: 1. Jorge Murillo, TAC 2:12.74, 2. Grayson Nye, TAC 2:15.53, 3. Dario Martin, OSC 2:18.22; FGC: 5. Dylan Smiley, MCD 2:20.03, 30. Lucas Young, CANE 2:28.21.

400-meter freestyle relay: 1. TAC Titans 3:21.87, 2. Bolles A 3:22.96, 3. Bolles B 3:25.85, 14. TS Aquatics 3:33.26, 18. SOFLO A 3:36.06 (Ricardo Roche, Rafael Rodriguez, Javier Colmenares, Alex Golding), 22. T2 Aquatics 3:37.20.

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

Aussies Dominate; Dylan Carter Qualifies For Sprint Butterfly Final On Day One Of Commonwealth Games

By Sharon Robb
BIRMINGHAM, England—Reigning world champion Elijah Winnington led an Australian sweep in the 400 freestyle on opening day of the Commonwealth Games Friday at Sandwell Aquatic Center.

Winnington, 22, led from start to finish to win the 400-meter distance event in 3:43.06, slower than his world championship time and lifetime-best of 3:41.22. Aussie teammates Sam Short was second in 3:45.07 and Mack Horton was third in 3:46.49.

In other final events:
Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh, 15, broke her own Games and national record to win the 400-meter individual medley in 4:29.01. Her previous best time was 4:29.12.

Aussie Ariarne Titmus won the 200-meter freestyle in a Games record 1:53.89. It was another Aussie sweep with Mollie O’Callaghan (1:54.01) and Madi Wilson (1:56.17).

In an exciting men’s 200-meter breaststroke final, Aussie Olympic champion and world record holder Zac Stubblety-Cook overtook early leader Brit James Wilby down the stretch for the gold, 2:08.07-2:08.59.

Australia (William Yang, Kyle Chalmers, Mollie O’Callaghan, Emma McKeon) finished with a gold in the first-ever 4×100-meter mixed freestyle relay in 3:21.18 ahead of England in 3:22.45 and Canada in 3:24.86.

Two-time Olympian and national record holder Dylan Carter of Trinidad and Tobago, a Plantation American Heritage alum, was top local finisher qualifying for the final in the 50-meter butterfly. Carter qualified third fastest in semis in 23.41 behind Brit Ben Proud in 23.06 and Singapore’s Tzen Wei Teong. Carter went 23.59 in his opening heat.

Other Florida Gold Coast/South Florida swimmers results:
50 butterfly: Sidrell Williams, Jamaica, Azura, eighth in heat, 25.32.
200 breaststroke: Kito Campbell, Jamaica, Azura, sixth in heat, 2:29.95.

The meet continues Saturday with prelims at 5:30 a.m. EST and finals 2 p.m. EST.

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

SOFLO’s Ana Villamil Makes First Futures Cut; SOFLO Finishes Third, Azura Wins Combined At FGC Senior Championships

By Sharon Robb
CORAL SPRINGS, July 24, 2022–South Florida Aquatic Club had another swimmer make her USA Swimming Futures cut at the Florida Gold Coast Senior Championships Sunday at Coral Springs Aquatic Complex.

Ana Villamil, 15, got her first Futures cut in the 100-meter breaststroke with a best time of 1:15.70, dropping 0.40 off her previous best.

South Florida Aquatic Club finished third in combined (1,179), men’s (556) and women’s (623) team standings. Azura won the combined (2,042) and men’s titles (1,181). FAST won the girls team title (927).

University of Georgia’s Connor Haigh, 20, swimming unattached and training at SOFLO, won the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:04.40. Haigh swept the breaststroke events.

Michelle Marinheiro, 19, was ninth in the 1500-meter freestyle in a best time 18:28.02, dropping 13.09 seconds. Felix Gonzalez, 15, was also ninth in a best time 17:07.96, dropping 1:12.52. Hashan Ekanayake dropped 29.43 off his time to finish 12th in 17:16.58.

Aldo Zepeda, 17, won the B final of the 100-meter backstroke in 1:01.22. Enrique Rodriguez, 17, was fourth in the B final in 1:02.51.

Enrique Rodriguez, 17, was also second in the B final of the 200 IM in 2:15.09 and tenth overall. Adrian Hernandez, 16, was third in the C final in 2:19.13.

Gabriella DeLuna, 15, won the C final in the 100-meter backstroke in 1:10.03. DeLuna was sixth in the 200 IM in 2:29.44. DeLuna finished third in high point with 104 points.

Mariann Catalasan, 16, won the C final in the 100-meter breaststroke in a best time 1:19.82, dropping 0.58.

High point winners were: (15-16), Paola Gonzalez, 16, Unattached, 177 and Landon Kyser, 16, of Heritage Aquatics, 157; (17-and-over) Heidi Smithwick, Jupiter Dragons, 115 and Dylan Felt, Swim Fort Lauderdale, 158.

SOFLO had 29 swimmers (19 boys and 10 girls) entered in 131 individual events and 16 relays in eight relay events. After senior champs, SOFLO swimmers have Zones and Futures remaining to end the summer.

SUNDAY RESULTS
COMBINED TEAM TOTALS: 1. Azura Florida Aquatics 2,042, 2. Flood Aquatics 1,853, 3. South Florida Aquatic Club 1,179.

WOMEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. Flood Aquatics 927, 2. Azura 861, 3. SOFLO 623.

MEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. Azura 1,181, 2. Flood Aquatics 926, 3. SOFLO 556.

WOMEN
1500-meter freestyle: 1. Fatima Portillo, Azura 17:42.23, 2. Jessica Smith, WOW 17:45.94, 3. Gabriela Robles Cortes, Azura 18:07.50; SOFLO: 9. Michelle Marinheiro 18:28.02, time drop 13.09.

100-meter backstroke: 1. Ava Fasano, FAST 1:06.72, 2. Anelis Roque, GPA 1:07.21, 3. Riley Macvane, NPB 1:07.88; SOFLO: 8. Nicole Sowell 1:10.17, 17. Gabriella DeLuna 1:10.03.

100-meter breaststroke: 1. Elizabeth Maradyn, GPA 1:15.24, 2. Alyssa Bozzuto, FAST 1:15.35, 3. Ana Villamil, SOFLO 1:15.70, time drop 0.40; SOFLO: 11. Gabriella DeLuna 1:18.86, time drop 0.82, 17. Mariann Catalasan 1:19.82, time drop 0.58, 21. Sabrina Osorio 1:21.03.

50-meter freestyle: 1. Lismar Lyon, MWA 25.87, 2. Sirena Rowe, Azura 25.93, 3. Heidi Smithwick, JUP 26.39; SOFLO: 16. Ana Villamil 28.51, 26. Gabriela Avila 28.66, time drop 0.36.

200-meter individual medley: 1. Giulianna Garcia, TSA 2:26.64, 2. Eriana Temperino, GPA 2:27.23, 3. Lilia Blanco, PB 2:28.68; SOFLO: 6. Gabriella DeLuna 2:29.44, 27. Mariann Catalasan 2:41.44

400-meter medley relay: 1. Azura A 4:23.30 (Solana Capalbo, Nicole Frank Rodriguez, Julima Avila, Sirena Rowe), 2. FAST 4:30.49, 3. Azura B 4:31.97, 6. SOFLO A 4:39.49 (Sara Quintero, Ana Villamil, Gabriella DeLuna, Michelle Marinheiro), 7. SOFLO B 4:46.98 (Sofia Osorio, Mariann Catalasan, Gabriela Avila, Sally Golding).

MEN

1500-meter freestyle: 1. Dylan Felt, SFTL 15:45.51, 2. Philip Moldovanu, WOW 15:56.69, 3. Matheus Siniscalchi, Unattached 16:16.92; SOFLO: 9. Felix Gonzalez 17:07.96, 12. Hashan Ekanayake 1716.58, time drop 29.43, 18. Dominic Bono 17:26.55, 28. Nicholas Pelaez 18:06.80, time drop 10.56.

100-meter backstroke: 1. Noah Smith, FAST 57.88, 2. Landon Kyser, HAT 59.21, 3. Mariano Sosa, Azura 59.61; SOFLO: 9. Aldo Zepeda 1:01.22, 12. Enrique Rodriguez 1:02.51, 15. Jaden Amores 1:03.59, 19. Adrian Hernandez 1:04.25.

100-meter breaststroke: 1. Connor Haigh, Unattached/Georgia/SOFLO, 1:04.40, 2. Giulian Martin, HA 1:04.57, 3. Noah Sipowski, FAST 1:06.14; SOFLO: 10. Manuel Melendez 1:08.79, 30. Alexander Miller 1:14.10.

50-meter freestyle: 1. Steven Aimable, Azura 23.22, 2. Varis Monroe, FAST 23.30, 3. Daniel Ramirez, WA 23.41.

200-meter individual medley: 1. Josh Zuchowski, FAST 2:05.37, 2. Landon Kyser, HAT 2:06.95, 3. Esteban Nunez Del Prado, Azura 2:08.37; SOFLO: 10. Enrique Rodriguez 2:15.09, time drop 4.40, 18. Adrian Hernandez 2:19.13, time drop 1.70, 20. Jaden Amores 2:20.91, 29. Nicholas Pelaez 2:22.88, time drop 4.10, 30. Felix Gonzalez 2:22.91, time drop 1.86.

400-meter medley relay: 1. Azura A 3:48.73 (Mariano Sosa, Brandon Moran, Davidson Vincent, Steven Aimable), 2. FAST 3:49.15, 3. Azura B 3:59.30, 7. SOFLO A 4:06.61 (Aldo Zepeda, Manuel Melendez, Agustin Rodriguez, Enrique Rodriguez), 11. SOFLO B 4:12.26 (Dominic Bono, Alexander Miller, Jaden Amores, Hashan Ekanayake).

PLEASE NOTE: After receiving them the first two days, final full team results were not provided by meet organizers.

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

SOFLO’s DeLuna Wins Senior Title, Rodriguez Makes Futures Cut; Azura Leads On Day Two Of FGC Senior Championships

By Sharon Robb
CORAL SPRINGS, July 23, 2022–It was a night of first-time accomplishments for SOFLO swimmers Gabriella DeLuna and Enrique Rodriguez at the Florida Gold Coast Senior Championships Saturday at Coral Springs Aquatic Complex.

DeLuna, 15, won her first senior title in the 400-meter individual medley in a best time 5:11.04, shaving 1.43 seconds off her previous best of 5:12.47. Her splits were 1:08.96 butterfly, 1:22.66 backstroke, 1:29.20 breaststroke and 1:10.22 freestyle. She was the fastest qualifier in morning prelims in 5:13.03.

Rodriguez, 17, made his first USA Swimming Futures cut in the 200-meter freestyle, winning the C final in a best time 1:57.72, dropping 0.59 off his previous best of 1:58.31.

University of Georgia’s Connor Haigh, 20, who has been training at SOFLO and swimming unattached in the meet, won the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:19.56. SOFLO’s Manuel Melendez, 18, was sixth in a best time 2:33.71, dropping 0.15.

Dominic Bono, 19, was third in the 400-meter individual medley in 4:42.19.

SOFLO’s 400-meter freestyle relay team of Aldo Zepeda, Enrique Rodriguez, Manuel Melendez and Agustin Rodriguez pulled off a sixth place in 3:39.48, also a Futures cut time.

Michelle Marinheiro, 19, was fourth in the C final of the 200-meter freestyle in a best time 2:12.77, dropping 1.37 seconds off her previous best. She was also eighth in the B final in a best time 1:07.17, dropping 0.74.

Sabrina Osorio, 17, was third in the B final of the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:53.11 and Mariann Catalasan, 16, was fifth in the B final in a best time 2:53.69, dropping 1.60.

Ana Villamil, 17, was second in the C final of the 100-meter butterfly in a best time 1:06.18, dropping 0.19. Gabriela Avila, 15, was sixth in the 100 butterfly in 1:07.59. Villamil was also seventh in the 400 IM in a best time 5:37.14, dropping 6.76.

Hashan Ekanayake, 15, won the D final in the 200-meter freestyle in a best time 2:02.10 with a time drop of 0.35.

Alexander Miller, 15, was third in the B final of the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:37.39.

Adrian Hernandez, 16, was fourth in the D final of the 100-meter butterfly in 1:01.22 and Jaden Amores, 15, was fifth in a best time 1:01.31, dropping 0.08.

In a close battle for combined, Azura leads Flood Aquatics, 1,277-1,240. Flood Aquatics leads the women’s with 585 and Azura leads the men’s with 754. SOFLO is third among women’s teams and fourth in the combined and men’s team standings.

The three-day meet concludes Sunday with prelims at 8:30 a.m. and finals at 5 p.m.

St. Andrew’s Aquatics is defending long course champions after winning its first-ever title last August.

SOFLO has 29 swimmers (19 boys and 10 girls) entered in 131 individual events and 16 relays in eight relay events. After senior champs, SOFLO swimmers have Zones and Futures remaining to end the summer.

SATURDAY RESULTS
COMBINED TEAM TOTALS: 1. Azura Florida Aquatics 1,277, 2. Flood Aquatics 1,240, 3. TS Aquatics 803, 4. South Florida Aquatic Club 746, 5. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 481, 6. Pompano Beach 476.50, 7. Plantation Swim Team 367, 8. T2 Aquatics 359, 9. Wahoos of Wellington 356, 10. Swim Fort Lauderdale 343.

WOMEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. Flood Aquatics 585, 2. Azura 523, 3. SOFLO 409, 4. TS Aquatics 352, 5. Midtown Weston 306.

MEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. Azura 754, 2. Flood Aquatics 655, 3. TS Aquatics 451, 4. SOFLO 337, 5. Swim Fort Lauderdale 328.

WOMEN
200-meter freestyle: 1. Emily Trieschmann, NSU 2:04.49, 2. Heidi Smithwick, JUP 2:05.70, 3. Eriana Temperino, GPA 2:08.28; SOFLO: 20. Michelle Marinheiro 2:12.77, time drop 1.37.

200-meter breaststroke: 1. Elizabeth Maradyn, GPA 2:39.37, 2. Paola Gonzalez, UN 2:42.00, 3. Madison Sipowski, FAST 2:44.09; SOFLO: 11. Sabrina Osorio 2:53.11, 13. Mariann Catalasan 2:53.69, time drop 1.60.

100-meter butterfly: 1. Lismar Lyon, MWA 1:01.67, 2. Heidi Smithwick, JUP 1:02.55, 3. Nicole Aguilar, WOW 1:02.80; SOFLO: 16. Michelle Marinheiro 1:07.17, time drop 0.74, 18. Ana Villamil 1:06.18, time drop 0.19, 22. Gabriela Avila 1:07.59.

400-meter individual medley: 1. Gabriella DeLuna, SOFLO 5:11.04, time drop 1.43, 2. Lilia Blanco, PB 5:13.63, 3. Paola Gonzalez, UN 5:15.19; SOFLO: 7. Ana Villamil 5:37.14, time drop 6.76.

400-meter freestyle relay: 1. Azura A 3:54.67 (Julimar Avila, Sirena Rowe, Lucia Miller, Nicole Frank Rodriguez), 2. TS Aquatics 3:58.94. 3. FAST 4:00.46, 11. SOFLO A 4:11.87 (Michelle Marinheiro, Gabriela Avila, Ana Villamil, Sara Quintero), 18. SOFLO B 4:28.74 (Gabriella DeLuna, Mariann Catalasan, Sabrina Osorio, Sofia Osorio).

MEN
200-meter freestyle: 1. Dylan Felt, SFTL 1:52.58, 2. Thomas Flower, NSU 1:52.73, 3. Varis Monroe, FAST 1:53.42; SOFLO: 17. Enrique Rodriguez 1:57.72, time drop 0.59, 25. Hashan Ekanayake 2:02.10, time drop 0.35.

200-meter breaststroke: 1. Connor Haigh, UN/Georgia/SOFLO 2:19.56, 2. Jacques Sonnier, BR 2:24.92, 3. Noah Sipowski, FAST 2:26.47; SOFLO: 6. Manuel Melendez 2:33.71, time drop 0.15, 11. Alexander Miller 2:37.39.

100-meter butterfly: 1. Steven Aimable, Azura 54.47, 2. Josh Zuchowski, FAST 54.69, 3. Esteban Nunez Del Prado, Azura 55.98; SOFLO: 28. Adrian Hernandez 1:01.22, 29. Jaden Amores 1:01.31, time drop 0.08.

400-meter individual medley: 1. Matheo Mateos, Azura 4:32.22, 2. Mariano Sosa, Azura 4:39.62, 3. Dominic Bono, SOFLO 4:42.19.

400-meter freestyle relay: 1. Azura A 3:28.49 (Davidson Vincent, Gabriel Araya, Matheo Mateos, Steven Aimable), 2. FAST 3:28.86, 3. TS Aquatics 3:34.92, 6. SOFLO A 3:39.48 (Aldo Zepeda, Enrique Rodriguez, Manuel Melendez, Agustin Rodriguez), 17. SOFLO B 3:48.03 (Alexander Miller, Nathaniel Garrick, Marvan Ekanayake, Adrian Hernandez).

IF YOU GO
WHAT: Florida Gold Coast LCM Senior Championships.

WHEN: Friday-Sunday.

WHERE: Michael Lohberg Pool of Champions, Coral Springs Aquatic Complex, 12441 Royal Palm Blvd.

TIMELINES: Sunday, 8:30 a.m.-12:32 p.m., 5-7:29 p.m.

ADMISSION: $5 per sessions for prelims and finals. There will be a concession stand available. Heat sheets are available at http://www.swimcssc.com or Meet Mobile. For more information call swim office 954-340-5032.

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

Marinheiro Leads SOFLO; Smithwick, Zuchowski Win; Azura Dominates Day One Of FGC Senior Championships

By Sharon Robb
CORAL SPRINGS, July 22, 2022–Michelle Marinheiro was South Florida Aquatic Club’s top finisher at the Florida Gold Coast Senior Championships Friday at Coral Springs Aquatic Complex.

Marinheiro, 19, was fourth in the 200-meter butterfly in a best time 2:25.12, shaving 1.54 seconds off her previous best of 2:26.66. She also dropped 1.90 seconds off her 400-meter freestyle time in 4:40.81.

Wisthon Rendon, 18, was SOFLO’s top boys finishing placing ninth in the 200-meter backstroke in 2:11.83.

SOFLO women’s team is third with 252, men’s team is fourth with 195 and fourth in combined with 447 points. Azura Florida Aquatics lead all three team categories, as expected.

In two exciting men’s relays, Azura won the 200-meter freestyle relay in 1:34.80 with Steven Aimable, Davidson Vincent, Matheo Mateos and Gabriel Araya edging out FAST in 1:34.88 with Noah Sipowski, Noah Smith, Josh Zuchowski and Varis Monroe.

FAST (Josh Zuchowski, Noah Sipowski, Nicolas Gallego and Varis Monroe) came back to win the 200-meter medley relay in 1:44.08 just ahead of Azura in 1:44.35 with Steven Aimable, Brandon Moran, Davidson Vincent and Gabriel Araya.

Stanford-bound Zuchowski, 19, won his first individual event of the meet in the 200-meter backstroke in 2:01.13. He was also fastest qualifier in the 200 butterfly in 2:03.41 but scratched from the final.

The U.S. junior national team swimmer is swimming through the meet since he has senior nationals, junior nationals and Junior Pan Pacs coming up before leaving for college.

Smithwick, 18, of Jupiter Dragons took up where she left off at last year’s meet winning the 100-meter freestyle in 57.50. She was second fastest qualifier in the 200-meter butterfly in 2:25.75 but scratched from finals.

In the men’s 400-meter freestyle Dylan Felt of Swim Fort Lauderdale won in 3:58.45 finishing ahead of rival Philip Moldovanu of Wahoos of Wellington in 4:01.53. Felt was also third in the 200-meter butterfly in 2:07.38.

Azura wins included both women’s relays, Gabriel Araya in the 200-meter butterfly in 2:05.51 and men’s 200 free relay.

University of Florida commit Julia Podkoscielny of Pine Crest Swimming, top qualifier in the morning 200-meter backstroke in 2:15.86, scratched from finals along with her teammates who are competing at Futures next week.

Pine Crest coach Mariusz Podkoscielny wanted his swimmers to race one event before practice sessions on Friday night and Saturday morning. The team’s Futures qualifiers leave for North Carolina on Tuesday.

The three-day meet continues Saturday with prelims at 8:30 a.m. and finals at 5 p.m.

St. Andrew’s Aquatics is defending long course champions after winning its first-ever title last August.

SOFLO has 29 swimmers (19 boys and 10 girls) in 131 individual events and 16 relays in eight relay events. After senior champs, SOFLO swimmers have Zones and Futures remaining to end the summer.

FRIDAY RESULTS

COMBINED TEAM TOTALS: 1. Azura 753, 2. FAST 715, 3. TS Aquatics 522, 4. SOFLO 447, 5. Pompano Beach 292.50.

WOMEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. Azura 326, 2. FAST 323, 3. SOFLO 252, 4. TS Aquatics 212, 5. Midtown Weston 206.

MEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. Azura 427, 2. FAST 392, 3. TS Aquatics 310, 4. SOFLO 195, 5. Swim Fort Lauderdale 191.

WOMEN
200-meter backstroke: 1. Lilia Blanco, PB 2:24.56, 2. Anelis Roque, GPA 2:25.81, 3. Amanda Loomis, FAST 2:26.75; SOFLO: 13. Mariann Catalasan 2:35.76, 17. Sara Quintero 2:34.58.

100-meter freestyle: 1. Heidi Smithwick, JUP 57.50, 2. Emma Herrera, FAST 59.01, 3. Nicole Frank Rodriguez, Azura 59.07.

200-meter butterfly: 1. Mia Zahab, GPA 2:20.44, 2. Gabriela Robles Cortes, Azura 2:20.88, 3. Giulianna Garcia, TSA 2:24.77; SOFLO: 4. Michelle Marinheiro 2:25.12, time drop 1.54, 7. Gabriella DeLuna 2:26.57, time drop 0.18, 14. Gabriela Avila 2:37.81.

400-meter freestyle: 1. Emily Trieschmann, NSU 4:20.88, 2. Corina Wong, MWA 4:33.05, 3. Ryan Flynn, GPA 4:33.82; SOFLO: 17. Michelle Marinheiro 4:40.81, time drop 1.90.

200-meter freestyle relay: 1. Azura 1:47.02 (Sirena Rowe, Julimar Avila, Lucia Miller, Solana Capalbo), 2. Midtown Weston 1:48.85, 3. TS Aquatics 1:49.14, 6. SOFLO A 1:52.01 (Natalie Gembicki, Ana Villamil, Elena Dinehart, Maddie Smutny), 12. SOFLO B 1:57.35 (Olivia Dinehart, Sophia Grubbs, Gabriela Avila, Isabelle Wilson).

200-meter medley relay: 1. Azura 1:58.48 (Sirena Rowe, Nicole Frank Rodriguez, Julimar Avila, Solana Capalbo), 2. FAST 2:02.06, 3. TS Aquatics 2:02.59, 6. SOFLO A 2:03.93 (Elena Dinehart, Olivia Dinehart, Ana Villamil, Natalie Gembicki), 11. SOFLO B 2:10.51 (Isabelle Wilson, Sophia Grubbs, Sara Quintero, Maddie Smutny).

MEN
200-meter backstroke: 1. Josh Zuchowski, FAST 2:01.13, 2. Mariano Sosa, Azura 2:06.72, 3. Landon Kyser, HAT 2:07.52; SOFLO: 9. Wisthon Rendon 2:11.83, 17. Aldo Zepeda 2:14.90, time drop 1.84, 20. Nicholas Pelaez 2:21.17, time drop 7.60, 25. Adrian Hernandez 2:18.68, 26. Hashan Ekanayake 2:20.51, time drop 3.85.

100-meter freestyle: 1. Varis Monroe, FAST 51.40, 2. Daniel Ramirez, WA 51.65, 3. Thomas Flower, NSU 51.70; SOFLO: 32. Alexander Miller 56.50.

200-meter butterfly: 1. Gabriel Araya, Azura 2:05.51, 2. Marcus Szabo, PB 2:07.28, 3. Dylan Felt, SFTL 2:07.38; SOFLO: 13. Jaden Amores 2:16.25, time drop 0.85.

400-meter freestyle: 1. Dylan Felt, SFTL 3:58.45, 2. Philip Moldovanu, WOW 4:01.53, 3. Matheo Mateos, Azura 4:03.56; SOFLO: 10. Enrique Rodriguez 4:12.32, 19. Agustin Rodriguez 4:17.21, time drop 1.21, 20. Hashan Ekanayake 4:20.69, time drop 5.11, 22. Felix Gonzalez 4:22.87, time drop 14.87, 30. Alexander Miller 4:27.23, time drop 10.72.

200-meter freestyle relay: 1. Azura 1:34.80 (Steven Aimable, Davidson Vincent, Matheo Mateos, Gabriel Araya), 2. FAST 1:34.88, 3. TS Aquatics 1:36.93, 9. SOFLO A 1:40.68 (Alex Golding, Agustin Rodriguez, Wisthon Rendon, Enrique Rodriguez), 20. SOFLO B 1:44.00 (Alexander Miller, Aldo Zepeda, Marvan Ekanayake, Dominic Bono).

200-meter medley relay: 1. FAST 1:44.08, 2. Azura A 1:44.35, 3. Azura B 1:48.72, 8. SOFLO A 1:51.88 (Aldo Zepeda, Manuel Melendez, Agustin Rodriguez, Alex Golding), 16. SOFLO B 1:56.47 (Wisthon Rendon, Alexander Miller, Jaden Amores, Austin Nelson).

IF YOU GO
WHAT: Florida Gold Coast LCM Senior Championships.

WHEN: Friday-Sunday.

WHERE: Michael Lohberg Pool of Champions, Coral Springs Aquatic Complex, 12441 Royal Palm Blvd.

TIMELINES: Saturday, 8:30-11:49 a.m., 5-7:31 p.m.; Sunday, 8:30 a.m.-12:32 p.m., 5-7:29 p.m.

ADMISSION: $5 per sessions for prelims and finals. There will be a concession stand available. Heat sheets are available at http://www.swimcssc.com or Meet Mobile. For more information call swim office 954-340-5032.

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

Auld, Campbell Shine; Horrego, Dinehart Sisters, Women’s Relay Top Finishers For Second Place SOFLO At Southern Zone South Sectional Championships

By Sharon Robb
PLANTATION, July 7, 2022—Two swimmers coming off the 19th FINA World Aquatics Championships had plenty left in the tank Thursday at the Southern Zone South Sectional Championships at Plantation Aquatic Complex.

A week after competing in the 25K open water event in Budapest Hungary, Anna Auld, 19, of St. Andrew’s Aquatics won the 800-meter freestyle in 8:51.08, just 0.11 off her entry time.

In Hungary, the University of Florida freshman was the top American finisher in the 25K, placing seventh in 5:25:25.60, just two minutes off the leader. She was also 20th in the 5K in 1:00:57.20.

In the best men’s race of the evening, Jamaican Kito Campbell, 19, of Azura Florida Aquatics out-touched South Florida Aquatic Club’s Julio Horrego, 23, by 1/100ths of a second to win the 50-meter breaststroke 28.65-28.66. They were the only two swimmers to dip below 29 seconds among the 31-swimmer field. In Hungary, Campbell competed in the 50 and 100 breaststrokes.

In the men’s 800 freestyle, Philip Moldovanu, 19, of the Wahoos of Wellington won in 8:26.75 ahead of Swim Fort Lauderdale’s Dylan Felt in 8:29.21. SOFLO’s Enrique Rodriguez, 17, dropped 3.12 seconds off his 800 time in 8:46.77 to finish 13th.

South Florida Aquatic Club had three swimmers among the top three finishers in their events. In addition to Horrego, Elena Dinehart, 17, was third in the 50-meter backstroke in 31.39. Olivia Dinehart, 17, was third in the 50-meter breaststroke in 33.87.

SOFLO’s women’s 800-meter freestyle relay was third in 8:44.81 with Olivia Dinehart, Natalie Gembicki, Mallory Schleicher and Elena Dinehart.

SOFLO women and men’s teams are both second among 50 teams. Azura leads the men’s team standings and Planet Swim Aquatics lead the women’s.

On Friday and Saturday, prelims are 8 a.m. and finals 6 p.m. On Sunday, prelims are 8 a.m., 1500-meter freestyle distance events 3:15 p.m. and finals at 5 p.m.

SOFLO has 29 swimmers (16 girls and 13 boys) qualified in 131 individual events (77 girls and 54 boys) and 10 relays.

Some of the top teams entered are Azura Florida Aquatics, St. Petersburg Swimming, Treasure Coast Swimming, Flood Aquatics, Sarasota Tsunami, Pine Crest Swimming, Eagle Aquatics and Gulliver Swim Club.

THURSDAY RESULTS
WOMEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. Planet Swim Aquatics 125, 2. SOFLO 93, 3. Azura 77, 4. FAST 62, 5. Academy Aquatics 57, 6. Berkeley 48, 7. Golden Panther 38, 8. Pine Crest 36, 9. Hurricane Aquatics 35.5, 10. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 33.
MEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. Azura 145, 2. SOFLO 87.5, 3. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 81, 4. Academy Aquatic 73.5, 5. Plantation Swim Team 49, 6. Planet Swim 43, 7. Metro Aquatics 41, 8. FAST 36, 9. Gulf Coast 31, 10. Eagle Aquatics 21.

WOMEN
800-meter freestyle: 1. Anna Auld, St. Andrew’s Swimming 8:51.08, 2. Riley Botting, PC 9:11.06, 3. Cadence Fort, GCST 9:11.44; SOFLO: 10. Izzy Wilson 9:25.16, 12. Mallory Schleicher 9:25.82.

50-meter butterfly: 1. Kelsie Campbell, GPA 28.73, 2. Mia Zahab, GPA 28.97, 3. Adrianna Cera, CANE 28.97; SOFLO: 25. Natalie Gembicki 30.19, 26. Molly Golding 30.24, 39. Sara Quintero 31.90.

50-meter backstroke: 1. Annie Wohlgemuth, PSA 31.04, 2. Alyssa Bozzuto, FAST 31.15, 3. Elena Dinehart, SOFLO 31.39; SOFLO: 21. Gabriella DeLuna 33.31, 29. Sara Quintero 34.29.

50-meter breaststroke: 1. Alyssa Bozzuto, FAST 33.77, 2. Nicole Frank Rodriguez, Azura 33.80, 3. Olivia Dinehart, SOFLO 33.87; SOFLO: 8. Ana Villamil 34.26, 11. Sophia Grubbs 34.55, 15. Molly Golding 35.01, 37. Mariann Catalasan 37.17, 48. Sally Golding 39.47.

800-meter freestyle relay: 1. Planet Swim Aquatics 8:41.49, 2. Azura 8:44.48, 3. SOFLO A 8:44.81 (Olivia Dinehart, Natalie Gembicki, Mallory Schleicher, Elena Dinehart).

MEN
800-meter freestyle: 1. Philip Moldovanu, WOW 8:26.75, 2. Dylan Felt, SFTL 8:29.21, 3. Cole Firile, SRQ 8:30.98; SOFLO: 13. Enrique Rodriguez 8:46.77, time drop 3.12

50-meter butterfly: 1. Mitchell Ledford, Treasure Coast 24.50, 2. Josiah Morales, PAQ 25.12, 3. Kaii Winkle, EA 25.18; SOFLO: 23. Alejandro Mateus 27.89.

50-meter backstroke: 1. Josh Zuchowski, FAST 27.09, 2. Lance Lesage, PC 27.63, 3. Steven Aimable, Azura 27.97; SOFLO: 6. Ricardo Roche 28.94, 8. Aldo Zepeda 29.04, 12. Alex Golding 29.80, 27. Nathaniel Garrick 32.42.

50-meter breaststroke: 1. Kito Campbell, Azura 28.65, 2. Julio Horrego, SOFLO 28.66, 3. Noah Sipowski, FAST 30.17; SOFLO: 11. Javier Colmenares 31.33, 13. Manuel Melendez 31.49.

800-meter freestyle relay: 1. Azura 7:46.43, 2. Academy Aquatic Club 7:49.81, 3. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 7:58.88, 5. SOFLO A 8:07.41 (Agustin Rodriguez, Ricardo Roche, Wisthon Rendon, Alex Golding).

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

Katie Ledecky Five-Peats At FINA World Aquatics Championships

By Sharon Robb
BUDAPEST, Hungary, June 24, 2022–Katie Ledecky, the greatest woman swimmer of all time, won her fifth consecutive gold medal in the 800 freestyle Friday night at the 19th FINA World Aquatics Championships at Duna Arena.

Ledecky, 25, swimming in her “favorite event” is the first swimmer in history to win five straight world titles in the same event.

Ledecky, a grad assistant coach at University of Florida where she trains with Anthony Nesty, pulled away early in the race to win in 8:08.04, winning by nearly 11 seconds. It was the fifth fastest time in the event.

Aussie Kiah Melverton was second in 8:18.77 and Simona Quadarella of Italy was third in 8:19.00.

It was Ledecky’s 19th gold medal at world championships, moving her ahead of Ryan Lochte just behind leader Michael Phelps with 26 gold medals.

“I’m happy with it, I can’t complain,” Ledecky said. “I thought it was a little faster than that, but that’s the fastest I’ve been in a while, so really thrilled with that and really excited about the future as well.

“Year after year it’s really hard work,” Ledecky said. “In London I won my first gold ten years ago, back then they said I was a one-hit wonder and here we are, ten years later and I have another gold.

“It was a great week, probably the most fun I’ve had in a meet in a long time,” Ledecky said. “And the results showed. It’s just a really special team, and I know we’re not finished.”

There are 23 Florida Gold Coast swimmers wrapping up their swims on one of swimming’s biggest international stages.

Other FGC swimmers who competed on Friday were:

Michaela Sierra, 17, Uruguay, (Azura, South Florida Heat, Auburn), 50 breaststroke, 43rd, 34.25.

Jahir Lopez, 17, Ecuador, (Azura) 1500 freestyle, 23rd, 16:57.92.

Yeziel Morales, 26, Puerto Rico, (Azura), 50 backstroke, 33rd, 26.23.

Jillian Crooks, 15, Cayman Islands (TS Aquatics), 50 freestyle, 41st, 26.75.

No FGC swimmers are scheduled to compete on Saturday.

Four swimmers, including University of Florida’s Anna Auld of West Palm Beach, are entered in open water events which begin on Sunday with the 6K team relay (4×1500) off Lupa Beach. The 5K is Monday, 10K on Wednesday and 25K on Thursday.

In Friday night’s final events:
WOMEN’S 50 BUTTERFLY: Sarah Sjostrum of Sweden won the event for a record fourth consecutive time in 24.95. She also won the 50 fly in 2015, 2017 and 2019. She tied Michael Phelps with a record eight gold medals in butterfly events at worlds. Melanie Henique of France took silver in 25.31 and China’s Zhang Yufeli took bronze in 25.32. Americans Claire Curzan (25.43) and Torri Huske (25.45) were fifth and sixth.

MEN’S 50 FREESTYLE: In a wide open race with Caeleb Dressel and Bruno Fratus out of the field, Brit veteran sprinter Ben Proud, 27, dominated the field to win his first long course world gold medal in 21.32, 9/100ths ahead of Michael Andrew in 21.41, the American’s third individual world and fourth overall medal. Frenchman Maxime Grousset, who knocked Fratus out of a swim-off for the eighth spot in finals, was third in 21.57.

Proud had the best reaction time off the blocks in 0.57. Proud is the first British swimmer to ever win a world title in the event.

“This medal today, gold, silver, bronze, no matter what it was, it was always going to be for my brilliant team around me this year,” Proud said. “So I’m really chuffed to be able to bring something home. Big disappointment after the 50 fly. I really made a big mistake in that, but that fired me up for today and I’m much happier to be leaving a freestyle world champion.”

MEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY: Even though Hungarian Kristof Milak and American Michael Andrew turned together at the 50, it was Milak who turned it on to win his second gold medal of the meet in 50.14. Japan’s Naoki Mizunuma was second in 50.94 and Canadian Josh Liendo was third in 50.97. Andrew faltered to fourth in 51.11.

WOMEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE: In an exciting finish, Aussie Kaylee McKeown won gold in 2:05.08 just out-touching Americans Phoebe Bacon (2:05.12) and Rhyan White (2:06.96). It was the first time the U.S. won two medals in the event.

MIXED 4X100 FREESTYLE RELAY: With Mollie O’Callaghan swimming anchor, Australia broke the world record in 3:19.38 to dethrone the U.S., winners of the past three worlds since 2015. Jack Cartwright, Kyle Chalmers and Madison Wilson joined O’Callaghan on the relay. The Aussies shaved 2/100ths of a second off the 2019 record held by the U.S. Canada was second in 3:20.61 and the U.S. was third in 3:21.09.

Saturday prelim events are women’s 400IM, men’s 4×100 medley relay and women’s 4×100 medley relay. It is the final day of pool swimming.

The U.S. added five more medals to its tally of 15 gold, 8 silver and 14 bronze for 37. Australia is second with 15 total (6 golds, 8 silver, 1 bronze).

The aquatics championships that also feature diving, water polo, high diving, open water swimming and synchronized swimming end July 3.

The Olympic Channel and Peacock, on the NBC platform, is televising the finals at noon each day. A highlights show will be on NBC at noon on June 26.

FINALS SCHEDULE
Saturday, June 25: 50 men’s back, 50 women’s breast, 1500 men’s free, 50 women’s free, 400 women’s IM, 4×100 men’s and women’s medley relay.

Sunday, June 26: Open water, 6K team relay.

Monday, June 27: Open water, men’s and women’s 5K.

Wednesday, June 29: Open water, men’s and women’s 10K.

Thursday, June 30: Open water, men’s and women’s 25K.

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