Team USA Shines; Bastian, Vale, Banks Finish Among Top 61 On Day Four Of The 7th FINA World Junior Championships

By Sharon Robb

BUDAPEST, Hungary, August 23, 2019—Team USA collected 10 more medals including four gold) and broke another World Junior Relay Record and two Championships Records on Day Four of the 7th FINA World Junior Championships Friday at state-of-the-art Duna Arena.

The day started with a thrilling final in the men’s 200-meter breaststroke. Japan’s Shoma Sato, the top seed in the semifinals, controlled the race until the last few meters when American Josh Matheny took the lead to win the gold medal in 2:09.40, a new Championship Record, and only 0.01 slower than the Junior WR). Sato settled for second in 2:09.56.

In the women’s 50-meter butterfly, American Torri Huske won in 25.70 ahead of top semifinal seed Anastasiya Shkurdai of Belarus in 25.77. It was the first medal in the meet for the small country. It was Huske’s third medal after winning a relay gold and silver in the 100-meter freestyle.

Czech swimmer Jan Cejka (CZE) won the men’s 50-meter backstroke in 25.08. After narrowly missing the final of the 100-meter backstroke he gave his country its first medal in the competition.

Russian Evgeniia Chikunova came from behind to win the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:06.93 for her third gold medal.

After winning the 800-meter freestyle Aussie Lani Pallister had no problem winning the 400-meter freestyle final in 4:05.42, a new Championships Record.

In the men’s 50-meter freestyle, Vladyslav Bukhov gave Ukraine its first gold and medal in 22.13, slightly better than the fastest of the heats.

The third U.S. title of the day went to Justina Kozan in the women’s 200-meter individual medley. The 15-year-old won in 2:11.55, slightly slower than the Championship Record of 2:11.03, dating back to 2015. It was the first individual title for the U.S. swimmer.

The fourth day in Budapest concluded with the men’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay, and another (the fourth) victory for the U.S. delegation. Relay members were Jake Magahey, Luca Urlando, Jake Mitchell and Carson Foster, broke the junior world and championship record in 7:08.37.

Florida Gold Coast past and present swimmers:

29. Izaak Bastian, Bahamas, St. Andrew’s, Florida State, 200-meter breaststroke, 2:18.92.

46. Nicolas Vale, Jamaica, Pine Crest, 50-meter butterfly, 25.83.

61. Gaby Banks, Jamaica, SOFLO, Cypress Bay, 200-meter individual medley, 2:40.05; DQed in 50-meter backstroke.

Around 800 young promising swimmers ages between 15-17 (women) 14-18 (men) are competing in the six-day competition, which has produced many of today’s swimming stars.

A total of 125 National Federations are represented at Duna Arena, the venue that staged the 17th FINA World Championships in July 2017 and has been the background to many FINA high-profile competitions since then such as the FINA Champions Swim Series and Swimming World Cup.

Daily heat sessions are at 9:30 a.m while semifinals and finals are at 5:30 p.m. The championships end on Sunday.

All sessions are being live streamed on FINAtv and daily news reports will be available on FINA website. Results are available immediately after each event on FINA website and on FINA mobile app.

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

Florida State-Bound Izaak Bastian Wins Gold Medal On Day Two Of UANA Swimming Cup

By Sharon Robb

CORAL SPRINGS, January 20, 2018—Bahamian national team member Izaak Bastian won the 50-meter breaststroke in 29.23 to highlight action on Day Two of the UANA Swimming Cup at Coral Springs Aquatic Complex.

The Florida State-bound sprinter has trained with St. Andrew’s Swimming since his freshman year. He has represented the Bahamas since he was 11 at CARIFTA, CCCAN, Commonwealth Youth Games, Junior Pan Pacs and FINA Junior World Championships.

The Florida Gold Coast’s top finisher won the 100-yard breaststroke title in 54.54 in his final high school state meet appearance. He set county and school records in the 200-yard individual medley in 1:53.19, second-fastest in state history. He was state runner-up in the 50-yard freestyle in 20.50.

Bastian has his sights set on the 2020 Summer Olympics.

“It’s the pinnacle, a great opportunity to show what the Bahamas has to offer,” Bastian said. “We’re not just a small group of islands, we can produce world-class athletes. To make it would just mean the world.”

Bastian has two events remaining on the third and final day of the UANA Swimming Cup, the 50-meter backstroke and 100-meter breaststroke.

Another top FGC finisher was Jamaica’s Nicholas Vale of Pine Crest Swimming who took a bronze medal in the 400-meter individual medley in 4:56.85. He has the 50-meter backstroke and 100-meter freestyle left to swim. Vale was also seventh in the 100-meter butterfly in 57.91, ninth in the 100-meter backstroke in 1:01.20 and 13th in the 200-meter freestyle in 1:59.49.

Other Florida Gold Coast finishers were:

Adriana Gooding, Trinidad & Tobago, Azura, sixth, 400-meter individual medley, 5:27.73; 19th, 200-meter freestyle, 2:19.73; 10th, 100-meter backstroke, 1:11.49. Gooding was a member of the eight place 4-x100 meter freestyle relay that finished in 4:34.58 with teammates Regan Allen, Brianna Bocage and DeNicha Lewis.

Ireyra Tamayo, Panama, Azura, sixth, 100-meter butterfly, 1:05.44; eighth, 100-meter backstroke, 1:07.93, time drop of 1.10.

Chade Nersicio, Curacao, East Coast Aquatic Club, eighth, 100-meter butterfly, 1:05.97; fifth, 50-meter breaststrke, 35.37.

Annabella Lyn, Jamaica, Pine Crest Swimming, 10th, 100-meter butterfly, 1:7.50; 11th, 200-meter freestyle, 2:14.69.

Racine Ross, Trinidad & Tobago, Pine Crest Swimming, 13th, 400-meter individual medley, 5:47.59; 11th, 100-meter butterfly, 1:07.98; 30th, 100-meter backstroke 1:17.61.

Gaby Banks, Jamaica, South Florida Aquatic Club, 17th, 100-meter butterfly, 1:11.34, time drop of 0.12; 13th, 50-meter breaststroke, 37.68.

Simone Vale, Jamaica, Pine Crest Swimming, 18th, 100-meter butterfly, 1:11.51; 25th, 200-meter freestyle, 2:24.55; 11th, 100-meter backstroke, 1:12.84.

Victoria Abad Wood, Ecuador, Plantation Swim Team, 22nd, 200-meter freestyle, 2:20.72, time drop of 1.48; 19th, 100-meter backstroke, 1:12.76.

Sebastian Lares, Panama, South Florida Aquatic Club, ninth, 400-meter individual medley, 5:14.78; 17th, 100-meter backstroke, 1:09.82.

Luis Bucaro, Guatemala, TS Aquatics, ninth, 200-meter freestyle, 1:58.70, time drop of 0.05; 20th, 100-meter backstoke, 1:05.70.

Daniel Jacobs, Aruba, Pine Crest Swimming, 15th, 200-meter freestyle, 2:01.16.

Annabella Lyn and Gaby Banks were teammates on Jamaica’s fourth-place 4×100-meter freestyle relay that finished in 4:07.34 along with Britney Williams and Shaun Jackson.

Ireyra Tamayo led off Panama’s fifth-place 4×100-meter freestyle relay in 4:08.62 with teammates Larissa Bueno, Marialuisa Avila and Mariana Navarrete.

Racine Ross was a member of Trinidad & Tobago’s eighth-place 4×100-meter freestyle relay in 4:21.87 with teammates Jada Chatoor, Deshor Edwards and Danielle Williams.

Mexico and Brazil remain in the top two spots after two days of competition. Mexico leads with 278 points followed by Brazil with 173. Argentina is third with 154.

The inaugural Union Americana de Natacion (UANA) meet is an international age group meet featuring swimmers competing in 2,325 individual events and 140 relays. The format is a dual meet between Central America, South America and Caribbean. Neither North Americans or Canadians are allowed to compete.

Each country is limited to a maximum of six girl and six boy swimmers per age group. Swimmers have no limit in event entries but only two swimmers from each country can score.

Swimmers are competing in 11-12, 13-14 and 15-17 boys and girls age group categories.

The meet is also serving as one of the qualifiers for the Youth Olympic Games, Pan American Games and FINA World Championships. UANA is the regional governing body for aquatic sports in the Americas and has been in existence since 1948.

The countries participating are Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Turks and Caicos, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and St. Vincent.

The three-day meet concludes Sunday with timed finals beginning at 10:20 a.m. followed by time trials at 3:30 p.m.

SATURDAY RESULTS

COMBINED TOP 10 TEAM TOTALS: 1. Mexico 278, 2. Brazil 173, 3. Argentina 154, 4. Colombia 53.50, 5. Peru 53, 6. Barbados 51.50, 7. Trinidad & Tobago 43, 8. Honduras 38, 9. Bahamas 31, 10. Caman Islands 30.

GIRLS

400-meter individual medley:
13-14, 1. Selene Alborzen, Argentina 5:00.86, 2. Ana Hussman, Argentina 5:04.83, 3. Paulina Sansores Vega, Mexico 5:16.68; FGC: 6. Adriana Gooding, Trinidad & Tobago 5:27.73; 15-17, 1. Marie Ximena Conde Merlos, Mexico 5:00.79, 2. Andrea Marcel Hurtado, Peru 5:02.89, 3. Delfina Dini, Argentina 5:10.60; FGC: 13. Racine Ross, Trinidad & Tobago 5:47.59.

100-meter butterfly:
11-12, 1. Sofia Desiree Laureano Perez, Mexico 1:06,76, 2. Dahlia Divana Jimenez Saldana, Mexico 1:09.19, 3. Ariana Martins, Brazil 1:09.48; 13-14, 1. Athena Meneses Kovacs, Mexico 1:02.65, 2. Celia Del Rocio Pulido Ortiz, Mexico 1:04.73, 3. Emily MacDonald, Jamaica 1:05.86; FGC: 18. Simone Vale, Jamaica 1:11.51; 15-17, 1. Valentina Becerra Quintanilla, Colombia 1:01.82, 2. Lyon Lismar, Venezuela 1:01.85, 3. Karen Durango Restrepo, Colombia 1:05.04; FGC: 6. Ireyra Tamayo, Panama 1:05.44, 8. Chade Nersicio, Curacao 1:05.97, 10. Annabella Lyn, Jamaica 1:07.50, 11. Racine Ross, Trinidad & Tobago 1:07.98, 17. Gaby Banks, Jamaica 1:11.34, time drop.

200-meter freestyle:
11-12, 1. Luiza Lima, Brazil 2:15.27, 2. Tania Jaqueline Naranjo Carballeda, Mexico 2:15.38, 3. Belem Santaolaya Tivera, Mexico 2:16.87; 13-14, 1. Athena Meneses Kovacs, Mexico 2:08.70, 2. Ana Hussman, Argentina 2:08.93, 3. Daniela Arely Flores Bautista, Mexico 2:09.34; FGC: 19. Adriana Gooding, Trinidad & Tobago 2:19.73, 25. Simone Vale, Jamaica 2:24.55; 15-17, 1. Delfina Pignatiello, Argentina 2:06.86, 2. Delfina Dini, Argentina 2:07.94, 3. Delahi Meza Coronado, Mexico 2:08.30; FGC: 11. Annabella Lyn, Jamaica 2:14.69, 22. Victoria Abad Wood, Ecuador 2:20.72, time drop.

50-meter breaststroke:
11-12, 1. Emily Santos, Panama 35.15, 2. Astrid Caballero, Paraguay 35.44, 3. Perola Santos, Brazil 35.47; 13-14, 1. Selene Alborzen, Argentina 34.03, 2. Orenella Copes, Argentina 35.53, 3. Jamilah Hepburn, Bahamas 35.65; 15-17, 1. Maria Fernanda Jimenez Peon, Mexico 32.90, 2. Valenina Marcantonio, Argentina 32.92, 3. Julieta Lema, Argentina 33.82; FGC: 5. Chade Nersicio, Curacao 35.37, 13. Gaby Banks, Jamaica 37.68.

100-meter backstroke:
11-12, 1. Luna Torre Ayala, Mexico 1:11.38, 2. Emilia Julieta Gutierrez Merino, Mexico 1:11.62, 3. Keianna Moss, Bahamas 1:12.50; 13-14, 1. Celia Del Rocio Pulido Ortiz, Mexico 1:06.07, 2. Athena Meneses Kovacs, Mexico 1:06.23, 3. Nicole Ximena Casariego, Peru 1:08.27; FGC: 10. Adriana Gooding, Trinidad & Tobago 1:11.49, 11. Simone Vale, Jamaica 1:12.84; 15-17, 1. Andea Marcel Hurtado, Peru 1:05.10, 2. Valentina Arce Paez, Argentina 1:05.12, 3. Laura Melo Barrera, Colombia 1:05.31l FGC: 8.Ireyra Tamayo, Panama 1:07.93, time drop, 19. Victoria Abad Wood, Ecuador 1:12.76, 30. Racine Ross, Trinidad & Tobago 1:17.61.

4×50-meter freestyle relay:
11-12, 1. Brazil 1:55.90, 2. Mexico 1:57.68, 3. Virgin Islands 2:05.25.

4×100-meter freestyle relay:
13-14, 1. Mexico 4:04.94, 2. Argentina 4:11.25, 3. Peru 4:18.66; 15-17, 1. Argentina 4:00.63, 2. Mexico 4:03.74, 3. Colombia 4:04.91.

BOYS
400-meter individual medley:

13-14, 1. Maximiliano Vega Cuevas, Mexico 4:46.10, 2. Roan Baker, Barbados 4:56.55, 3. Manolo Rodriguez, Argentina 4:58.47; FGV: 9. Sebastian Lares, Panama 5:14.78; 15-17, 1. Jose David Solis, Costa Rica 4:36.22, 2. Nicolas Weigandt, Argentina 4:37.32, 3. Nicholas Vale, Jamaica 4:56.85.

100-meter butterfly:

11-12, 1. Joao Pierre Campos, Brazil 1:02.02, 2. Nigel Forbes, Bahamas 1:03.34, 3. Zarek Wilson, Trinidad & Tobago 1:03.48; 13-14, 1. Gustavo Saldo, Brazil 57.61, 2. Gabriel Dias, Brazil 58.09, 3. Manuel Carrasco, Argentina 59.32; 15-17, 1. Guillermo Ruben Cruz Zuniga, Mexico 56.01, 2. Alvaro Octavio Ibarra Reyes, Mexico 56.21, 3. Kael Yoke, Trinidad & Tobago 56.53; FGC: 7. Nicholas Vale, Jamaica 57.91.

200-meter freestyle:

11-12, 1. Joao Pierre Campos, Brazil 2:04.05, 2. Emiliano Moreno Viera, Mexico 2:07.13, 3. Zarek Wilson, Trinidad & Tobago 2:09.05; 13-14, 1. Gustavo Saldo, Brazil 1:58.56, 2. Maximiliano Vega Cuevas, Mexico 2:01.13, 3. Jesus Antonio Del Rosal Marquez, Mexico 2:02.10; 15-17, 1. Juan Morales Restrepo, Colombia 1:52.43, 2. Joaquin Daniel Vargas, Peru 1:55.22, 3. Lucas Alba, Argentina 1:55.69; FGC: 9 Luis Bucaro, Guatemala 1:58.70, time drop, 13. Nicholas Vale, Jamaica 1:59.49, 15. Daniel Jacobs, Aruba 2:01.16.

50-meter breaststroke:
11-12, 1. Nigel Forbes, Bahamas 34.20, 2. Juan David Valverde Sanchez, Mexico 35.56, 3. Nathaniel Ochoa Neuroth, Mexico 35.70; 13-14, 1. Juan Bautista Carroccia, Argentina 30.74, 2. Rafael Rached, Brazil 30.85, 3. McCallum Clarke, Barbados 31.74; 15-17, 1. Izaak Bastian, Bahamas 29.23, 2. Guillermo Ruben Cruz Zuniga, Mexico 29.33, 3. Andres Martijena Diaz, Dominican Republic 30.19.

100-meter backstroke
11-12, 1. Zarek Wilson, Trinidad & Tobago 1:07.63, 2. Jose Miguel Nangullasmu Arellane, Mexico 1:08.80, 3. Simon Bermudez, Colombia 1:11.08; 13-14, 1. Gabriel Nascimento, Brazil 1:02.12, 2. Tristan Pragnell, Barbados 1:02.23, 3. Ramiro Faya, Argentina 1:02.38; FGC: 17. Sebastian Lares 1:09.82; 15-17, 1. Jack Kirby, Barbados 56.34, 2. Guillermo Ruben Cruz Zuniga, Mexico 58.80, 3. Anthony Rincon Velasco, Colombia 59.25; FGC: 9. Nicholas Vale, Jamaica 1:01.20, 20. Luis Bucaro, Guatemala 1:05.70.

4×50-meter freestyle relay:
11-12, 1. Brazil 1:48.13, 2. Mexico 1:54.80, 3. Honduras 1:58.26.

4×100-meter freestyle relay:
13-14, 1. Brazil 3:43.29, 2. Mexico 3:45.65, 3. Argentina 3:49.10.

IF YOU GO

What: UANA Swimming Cup.

When: Sunday, 10:20 am timed finals. Warm-ups 8:30 a.m.

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

Of note: Swimmers from the Central American & Caribbean (CCCAN) and South American Swimming Confederations (CONSANAT) will compete and try to qualify for various major meets including the Pan American Games. For more information, call 954-340-5032.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

http://www.swim4soflo.com

Hosszu, Vanderpool-Wallace Double Winners At Charlotte Arena Grand Prix

By Sharon Robb

May 17, 2014

Hungarian Olympian Katinka Hosszu, top qualifier in three events on Day Three of the Charlotte Arena Grand Prix, showed why her nickname is the Iron Lady.

After winning the 200-meter freestyle and 400-meter individual medley on Friday night at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center, Hosszu, 25, won the 200-meter butterfly in 2:09.66 and 100-meter backstroke in 59.64 and finished eighth in the 400-meter freestyle in 4:12.86.

Hosszu now has four wins over two days.

Bahamian two-time Olympian and national record holder Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace of SwimMAC won both the sprint events, the 50-meter freestyle and 50-meter butterfly.

After missing her heat in the morning, she qualified from the B flight during prelims and won the 50 freestyle in 24.65. She came back to win the 50-meter butterfly against an impressive field in 26.28.

Olympic superstar Michael Phelps, who won his first race Friday since coming out of retirement 18 months ago, made it back to Baltimore on Saturday in time to watch California Chrome win the Preakness.

Phelps made it to the winners’ circle again winning a trifecta during the day of racing. Phelps and his longtime coach Bob Bowman own race horses together.

In other championship finals Saturday night:

Women’s 200-meter butterfly: Hungarian Katinka Hosszu, 25, swimming the first of three events she qualified for Saturday night, won by a body length in 2:09.66. Clearwater’s Becca Mann of North Baltimore was second in 2:11.61, a two-second margin of victory. Andreina Pinto of Gainesville Swim Club was fifth in 2:13.05. Canadian Katarine Savard won the “B” final in 2:10.91, that would have placed her second in the “A” final. “I was trying to take it one at a time, I wasn’t thinking about the next race,” Hosszu said. “We’ll see what happens.”

Men’s 200-meter butterfly: In a close race, 17-year-old Andrew Seliskar of Nation’s Capital turned it on in the last 50 (30.5 split) to win his first Grand Prix race in 1:57.40. Former NCAA champion Dylan Bosch was second in 1:58.34. Bolles’ Joseph Schooling, 18, was eighth in 2:03.06. “I felt pretty strong at the last turn, I pushed it under water at the last wall,” Seliskar said. “It’s really cool. You never get used to it, you come to this meet a little star struck.”

Women’s 50-meter freestyle: Bahamian Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, 24, of SwimMAC won in 24.65, seventh fastest in the world this year and only 1/100th of a second off her best time. Training mate Madison Kennedy, 26, of SwimMAC was second in a best time 24.78 and Olympian Jessica Hardy was third in 26.46. “I didn’t feel that kind of swim coming on, I was just excited to race last night,” she said. “I just gave it all I had in my heart. I am very happy with that time.”

Men’s 50-meter freestyle: In an amazing race, Josh Schneider, buoyed by a great start, won the splash-and-dash and knocked off No. 2 world ranked Brazilian Bruno Fratus by 1/100th of a second in 22.17. Anthony Ervin was fourth in 22.49 and Cullen Jones was fifth in 22.81. “I have been working on my start with the weight coaches, trying to do a lot more outside of the pool,” Schneider said. “I was glad to see that come together. I just wanted to get a win after coming in second and third lots of times. I wanted to get the element of racing back and get the W.”

Women’s 100-meter backstroke: Trailing going into the turn, Katinka Hosszu came off the wall hard, took the lead and built on it to win her second event of the night in a season-best 59.64, fourth fastest time in the world this year. It was just 30 minutes after her opening race. It was her fourth individual win of the meet.

Men’s 100-meter backstroke: Arkady Vyatchanin, 30, of the New York Athletic Club just out-touched training mate David Plummer, 28, to win in 53.81 to Plummer’s 53.86. Florida State alum Pavel Sankovich was eighth in 56.12.

Women’s 400-meter freestyle: Allison Schmitt, 23, of North Baltimore won in 4:08.65 ahead of training mate Gillian Ryan in 4:09.10. Becca Mann was sixth in 4:10.82. “I just wanted to see where I was in my racing,” Schmitt said. “I am really motivated and ready to train for the next two years.” Hosszu competed just 17 minutes after winning the backstroke and finished eighth in 4:12.86. Five of the eight swimmers in the final train at North Baltimore Aquatic Club.

Men’s 400-meter freestyle: Connor Jaeger, 23, of Club Wolverine overtook early leader Conor Dwyer, 25, of North Baltimore and pulled away to win by a body length in 3:48.89. Dwyer was second in 3:50.23. “I didn’t see how fast he went out, luckily I didn’t see him, I think I would have freaked out,” Jaeger said. “I couldn’t see anyone, I wore my clear goggles. I am definitely very happy with that time after a few disappointing races.”

Women’s 200-meter breaststroke: In front of her home crowd, Micah Lawrence, 23, of SwimMAC won in a season-best 2:24.68, just missing a Top 10 ranking by 1/10th of a second. Melanie Margalis, 22, of St. Petersburg was second in 2:28.39. “My 100 gave me a lot of confidence coming into the 200 because it felt so smooth,” Lawrence said. “I have been working on getting back my stroke, it hasn’t been easy.”

Men’s 200-meter breaststroke: Iceland’s Anton McKee, 20, of University of Alabama overcame early leader Mike Alexandrov, 29, to win in 2:13.06. Alexandrov was second in 2:13.92 and Chase Kalisz, 20, was third in 2:14.34.

Women’s 50-meter butterfly: Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace of the Bahamas and SwimMAC won her second sprint race of the night in 26.28. Kelsi Worrell, 19, was second in 26.56. Bolles’ Carolina Colorado was eighth in 27.65.

Men’s 50-meter butterfly: Venezuelan two-time Olympian Albert Subirats, 27, of Auburn Aquatics won in 24.00. Singapore Olympian Joseph Schooling of Bolles was second in 24.11.

The meet concludes on Sunday with prelims at 9 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m. Both sessions will be live-streamed at usaswimming.org.

The Arena Grand Prix at Charlotte is the fifth stop on the six-event circuit and is loaded with Olympians and swimmers from 53 countries.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

http://www.swim4soflo.com

Aruba’s Patrick Groters Top Florida Finisher In CARIFTA Open Water, Bahamas Wins Team Title

By Sharon Robb

April 27, 2014

Anthony Rechal of Guadeloupe had the fastest time in the open water competition at Sabana Basora, Aruba Saturday in the 29th CARIFTA Swimming Championships.

Rechal, 17, won the boys 15-17 5K event in 1 hour, 7 minutes and 12 seconds for 3.1 miles. Matthew Lyn, 16, of Jamaica and Pine Crest Swimming was eighth in 1:13:32.

Karl Fabry, 14, of Guadeloupe won the 13-14 5K title in 1:07:51. Patrick Groters, 14, of Aruba and Pine Crest Swimming finished out an outstanding meet just missing another medal placing fourth in 1:12:11.

In the girls 15-17 competition, Joanna Evans, 16, of the Bahamas won in 1:14:34.

Ingrid Champrobert, 14, of Martinique won the 13-14 race in 1:14:51. Annabella Lyn, 13, of Jamaica and Pine Crest Swimming was seventh in 1:23:21.

Bahamas won the team title with 736 points. Aruba finished runner-up with 618 points for the first time in the country’s history. Guadeloupe was third with 540 followed by Martinique, 474, Trinidad and Tobago, 446, Barbados, 437, Jamaica 403, Suriname, 347, Curacao, 193 and Cayman Islands, 170.

Groters older brother Jordy, a member of the Aruba national team since age 11, and Pine Crest Swimming completed his seventh and final CARIFTA meet.

The University of Missouri-bound Groters won four individual gold medals and one silver, another silver with his relay, broke two meet records and posted four career-best times. Groters and Daniella van den Berg of Azura Florida Aquatics were co-captains of Aruba’s team that made history by finishing second.

“Throughout these seven years I have met and raced so many people and I am so grateful for them to have made me a better swimmer and person through the races we’ve swum and the friendships we’ve made,” Groters wrote on his Facebook after the meet.

“Above all, I am thankful to have had this opportunity to represent my home Aruba and I definitely will continue to do so on bigger scales. Aruba Swimming’s future looks great and I can’t wait to hear the success stories that follow.”

The Caribbean Free Trade Association-sponsored meet, which featured most of the top junior age group swimmers in the Caribbean, is a qualifier for both the Youth Olympic Games and Central American and Caribbean Swimming Championships.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

http://www.swim4soflo.com