SOFLO Heads Field For FGC Age Group Championships That Begin Thursday; Daylight Saving Time Begins Sunday Morning

By Sharon Robb
CORAL SPRINGS, March 8, 2023—Like all championship meets, every point will matter for swimmers looking to lead their team to victory at the Florida Gold Coast Age Group Championships that begin Thursday at Coral Springs Aquatic Complex.

It won’t just be about winning races, but scoring at least one point and getting a second swim in finals to contribute to an overall team effort.

Formerly known as FGC Junior Olympics, the short course yards meet features swimmers ages 14-and-under who have met the qualifying standards for their events.

Former champion South Florida Aquatic Club is looking to regain its throne against top teams St. Andrew’s Aquatics and Metro Aquatics.

In last year’s March JOs, St. Andrew’s won the combined and girls title. Metro Aquatics won the boys team title. SOFLO was third among combined and girls and second among boys teams.

In last year’s July JOs, St. Andrew’s swept the combined, girls and boys team titles. SOFLO was second in combined and boys and third among girls.

This year SOFLO has the potential to take it all with depth and talent among its 53-swimmer contingent competing in 273 individual events and 20 relays. The meet has attracted 530 swimmers from throughout the Florida Gold Coast from the Keys to Palm Beach.

SOFLO top individual seeds are:
Didia Miccolis, 12, 1,650-yard freestyle.
Juan Vallmitjana, 14, 500-yard freestyle.
Jianna Amores, 12, 100-yard butterfly.

In addition to SOFLO, St. Andrew’s and Metro Aquatics, among other FGC clubs competing are Jupiter Dragons, Eagle Aquatics, Midtown Weston Aquatics, Pompano Piranhas, Lake Lytal Lightning, Swim Fort Lauderdale, Pine Crest, North Palm Beach, FAST, Sunrise Swimming, Wahoos of Wellington, SwimFast, Azura, Heritage Aquatics and host Coral Springs Swim Club.

IF YOU GO
What: Florida Gold Coast Age Group Championships

When: Thursday-Sunday

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

Timelines: Thursday, Girls, 5:30-7:11 p.m. and Boys 5:30 p.m.-6:55 p.m.; Friday, Girls & Boys prelims, 8:30-11:01. a.m. and finals, 5:30-8:15 p.m.; Saturday, Girls & Boys prelims, 8:30-11:23 a.m. and finals, 5:30-8:29 p.m.; Sunday, Girls & Boys prelims, 8:30 a.m.-11:59 a.m. and finals 5:30-7:04 p.m.

Admission: $5 per person, cash only. Heat sheets are free and can be found at http://www.swimcssc.com or Meet Mobile. A concession stand will be available.

Please Note: Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday morning so move your clocks ahead one hour Saturday night before you go to bed or you’re going to miss your first morning prelim race!

Ledecky, Fratus Win; Golding, Podkoscielny Win B Finals On Day Two Of Toyota U.S. Open

By Sharon Robb
GREENSBORO, N.C., December 2, 2021–It was a great night for Florida Gold Coast swimmers at the Toyota U.S. Open Championships Thursday at Greensboro Aquatic Center.

Brazilian Olympic bronze medalist Bruno Fratus, 32, of Coral Springs Swim Club, swimming in Lane 6, won the 50-meter freestyle in 22.36. It was his first meet since the Tokyo Olympics. He was fourth fastest in prelims in 22.58. His entry time was 21.57.

World record holder Katie Ledecky, 24, swimming unattached for Florida, broke her own U.S. Open record for the second consecutive night.

Ledecky won the 400-meter freestyle in 4:00.51, breaking her record of 4:00.81 set in 2019. She was fastest off the block and by the halfway mark had a two-body length lead with a 1:59.92 split. She won the race by 15 meters.

Two Florida Gold Coast swimmers won consolation finals.

University of Florida’s Kathleen Golding, 21, of SOFLO, won the B final of the 400-meter freestyle in a best time 4:13.76. She won by a body length dropping 1.49 seconds. Her previous best was 4:15.25. She was 12th fastest in morning prelims in 4:17.56.

Florida commit Julia Podkoscielny, 17, of Pine Crest Swimming, competing in her first U.S. Open, won the B final in the 200-meter individual medley in 2:16.48, just off her best 2:16.36. She was second after the opening butterfly leg (29.37) and then moved into the lead in the backstroke (33.59) and maintained the lead in the breaststroke (41.09) and freestyle (32.43). She was ninth fastest in morning prelims in 2:17.77. Leah Smith, 26, of Texas won the event in 2:11.67.

Podkoscielny also finished 15th in the morning prelims of the 400-meter freestyle in a best time 4:20.46, dropping 26.39 seconds. She scratched from consolations to focus on the 200 IM.

With two Top 16 finishes, it was the first time she earned second swims on the national stage.

South Florida Aquatic Club’s Julio Horrego was 22nd in the 200-meter individual medley in 2:09.18. He competes in the 100-meter breaststroke on Friday. SOFLO teammate Juan Mora scratched from the meet to take SATs on Saturday.

Top-seed Trey Freeman of Florida, won the men’s 400-meter freestyle in 3:49.06. Two-time Olympic champion and Florida teammate Bobby Finke was third in 3:51.44.

Other notables and local swimmers in action were:

Blair Stoneburg, 17, Treasure Coast, was 16th in the 400-meter freestyle in 4:20.56 and disqualified in consos. She was 27th in the 50-meter freestyle in 26.95.

The meet is being live streamed at usaswimming.org. Results can be found on Meet Mobile

WOMEN
400-meter freestyle: 1. Katie Ledecky, Unattached-Florida 4:00.51, 2. Erin Gemmell, Nation’s Capital 4:10.12, 3. Sierra Schmidt, Scottsdale Aquatic Club 4:12.53; 9. Kathleen Golding, Florida 4:13.76.

200-meter individual medley: 1. Leah Smith, Texas Longhorns 2:11.67, 2. Summer Smith, Tennessee 2:15.02, 3. Abby Hay, Louisville 2:15.45; 9. Julia Podkoscielny, Pine Crest Swimming 2:16.48.

50-meter freestyle: 1. Mallory Comerford, Cardinals 25.24, 2. Arina Openysheva, Louisville 25.33, 3. Camille Spink, Nation’s Capital 25.36.

MEN
400-meter freestyle: 1. Trey Freeman, Florida 3:49.06, 2. Hoe Yean Khiew, Malaysia 3:50.52, 3. Bobby Finke, Florida 3:51.44.

200-meter individual medley: 1. Baylor Nelson, SwimMAC 1:59.86, 2. Collyn Gagne, Simon Fraser 2:02.59, 3. Joaquin Gonzalez Pinero, Florida 2:04.49, Argentine national record.

50-meter freestyle: 1. Bruno Fratus, Coral Springs Swim Club 22.36, 2. Adam Chaney, Florida 22.37, 3. Andrej Barna, Cardinals 22.43, 20. Josiah Morales, PAQ 23.94.

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

Ethan McPeek, Hashan Ekanayake, Boys Relay Lead SOFLO On Final Day Of Sunrise Holiday Champs

By Sharon Robb

SUNRISE, December 16, 2019—South Florida Aquatic Club turned in some outstanding swims on the third and final day of the Sunrise Swimming Holiday Champs Sunday at Sunrise Civic Center Pool.

Ethan McPeek, 13, led the boys’ team as a double winner in the 11-and-over category and earned 24 points in high point.

McPeek won the 50-yard backstroke in a best time 30.19 with a time drop of 0.90. He was the fastest qualifier in morning prelims.

McPeek won the 200-yard backstroke in 2:17.05, another best time with a time drop of 2.99. He was second fastest qualifier in prelims. McPeek was also third in the 200-yard individual medley in a best time 2:20.43.

Hashan Ekanayake, 13, won the 1,650-yard freestyle in a best time 18:07.81, shaving 51.59 off his previous best. He was also fourth in the 100-yard freestyle in a best time 56.02.

The boys 11-12 200-yard freestyle relay of Mason Jimenez, Matthew Jimenez, Jordan Le-Vega and Matt McVeigh won in 2:02.31.

Other SOFLO top three finishers were:

Girls 7-10 200-yard freestyle relay, third, 2:17.06, Juliana Cavalcanti, Aanya Robinson, Cherill Royalty, Jordan Evans.

Girls 11-12 200-yard freestyle relay, third, 2:04.45, Sophia Avila, Cali Harries, Alexandra Strong, Roshini Shivakumar.

Calista Harries, 12, 200-yard breaststroke, third, 2:53.64, time drop.

Jordan Evans, 8, 50-yard breaststroke, third, 44.35, time drop.

Mason Jimenez, 11, 200-yard individual medley, third, 2:39.18.

Ethan Hall, 9, 50-yard backstroke, third, 37.28, time drop.

Luca Hincapie, 13, 50-yard backstroke, second, 31.13; 100-yard butterfly, third, 1:02.86.

Marvan Ekanayake, 13, 50-yard backstroke, third, 31.58.

Matt McVeigh, 12, 200-yard breaststroke, third, 3:04.98.

Noah Mejias, 8, 100-yard butterfly, second, 1:18.89, time drop.

Felipe Rodriguez, 12, 50-yard breaststroke, second, 36.07, time drop.

Coral Springs Swim Club swept the combined, boys and girls team titles. SOFLO, third among the boys and fifth among the girls teams, was one of 13 teams, mostly Florida Gold Coast teams with 44 swimmers (27 boys and 17 girls) in 215 individual events and 10 relay events.

SUNDAY RESULTS
GIRLS
COMBINED TEAM TOTALS: 1. Coral Springs 872, 2. Sunrise Swimming 519, 3. Lake Lytal Lightning 437, 4. South Florida Aquatic Club 289, 5. SwimFast 194.

BOYS TEAM TOTALS: 1. Coral Springs 356, 2. Sunrise Swimming 293, 3. South Florida Aquatic Club 201, 4. Lake Lytal Lightning 176, 5. Hurricane Aquatics 115.

GIRLS TEAM TOTALS: 1. Coral Springs 516, 2. Lake Lytal Lightning 261, 3. Sunrise Swimming 226, 4. SwimFast 106, 5. South Florida Aquatic Club 88.

1,650-yard freestyle:
11-12, 1. Cecilia Poll, MILEN 18:12.30; 13-14, 1. Kaitlyn Bonasera, CSSC 18:31.76; 15-and-over, 1. Amber Candido, CSSC 18:14.43; SOFLO: 4. Olivia Ware 21:24.31, time drop.

200-yard freestyle relay:
7-10, 1. Coral Springs 2:12.32, 3. SOFLO A 2:17.06 (Juliana Cavalcanti, Aanya Robinson, Cherill Royalty, Jordan Evans); 11-12, 1. Coral Springs 1:50.26, 3. SOFLO A 2:04.45 (Sophia Avila, Cali Harries, Alexandra Strong, Roshini Shivakumar); 13-and-over, 1. Coral Springs 1:41.93.

200-yard individual medley:
7-10, 1. Braeylyn Thorpe, CSSC 2:33.31; SOFLO: 5. Juliana Cavalcanti 3:01.59, time drop; 11-12, 1. Sammy Schoenborn, CSSC 2:19.36; 13-14, 1. Kaitlyn Jorgensen, SUN 2:16.11; 15-and-over, 1. Samantha Trodick, SUN 2:14.42.

100-yard freestyle:
7-10, 1. Zoe Schnoeller, SFTL 1:03.55; SOFLO: 6. Juliana Cavalcanti 1:14.82, 8. Cherill Royalty 1:17.33; 11-12, 1. Katelyn Gembicki, AJSC 59.06; SOFLO: 8. Roshini Shivakumar 1:06.89; 13-14, 1. Cassia Flynn, CSSC 55.07; 15-and-over, 1. Riley McCormick, CSSC 55.06.

50-yard backstroke:
7-10, 1. Braelyn Thorpe, CSSC 33.07; SOFLO: 6. Jordan Evans 41.11; 11-12, 1. Carolyn Powell, CSSC 29.68; 13-14, 1. Nicole Creed, CSSC 28.25; 15-and-over, 1. Amber Candido, CSSC 29.29.

200-yard breaststroke:
11-12, 1. Sammy Schoenborn, CSSC 2:33.74; SOFLO: 3. Cali Harries 2:53.64, time drop; 13-14, 1. Jade Renaud, SF 2:35.92; 15-and-over, 1. Valery Ramirez, MILEN 2:27.55.

100-yard butterfly:
7-10, 1. Zoe Schnoeller, SFTL 1:15.11; 11-12, 1. Carolyn Powell, CSSC 1:03.57; 13-14, 1. Teresa Landron, SUN 1:01.97; 15-and-over, 1. Riley McCormick, CSSC 59.01.

50-yard breaststroke:
7-10, 1. Braelyn Thorpe, CSSC 37.43; SOFLO: 3. Jordan Evans 44.35, time drop; 11-12, 1. Sammy Schoenborn, CSSC 34.51; SOFLO: 5. Cali Harries 39.38; 13-14, 1. Jade Renaud, SF 32.71; 15-and-over, 1. Emily Rosa, SUN 32.17.

200-yard backstroke:
11-12, 1. Carolyn Powell, CSSC 2:16.38; 13-14, 1. Nicole Creed, CSSC 2:11.10; 15-and-over, 1. Valery Ramirez, MILEN 2:13.28.

BOYS

1,650-yard freestyle:
11-12, 1. Jeremiah Paiz, SUN 18:59.92; 13-14, 1. Hashan Ekanayake, SOFLO 18:07.81, drop time; 15-and-over, 1. Brian Gonzalez, CSSC 16:44.09.

200-yard freestyle relay:
7-10, 1. Coral Springs 2:05.73; 11-12, 1. SOFLO A 2:02.31 (Mason Jimenez, Matthew Jimenez, Jordan Le-Vega, Matt McVeigh); 13-and-over, 1. Coral Springs 1:29.06, 4. SOFLO A 1:46.66 (Alexander Miller, Hashan Ekanayake, Luca Hincapie).

200-yard individual medley:
7-10, 1. Oliver Cummings, AJSC 2:35.56; 11-12, 1. Rafael Landron, SUN 2:24.14; SOFLO: 3. Mason Jimenez 2:39.18, 8. Matthew Jimenez 2:49.34; 13-14, 1. Riley Brisco, LLL 2:13.09; SOFLO: 3. Ethan McPeek 2:20.43, time drop, 4. Luca Hincapie 2:21.56, 5. Alexander Miller 2:24.71, time drop; 15-and-over, 1. Jason Bonasera, CSSC 2:00.55.

100-yard freestyle:
7-10, 1. Oliver Cannings, AJSC 1:04.31; SOFLO: 6. Ethan Hall 1:11.34, 8. Ian Barrios 1:13.47; 11-12, 1. Antoine Sharp, LLL 58.08; 13-14, 1. Riley Brisco, LLL 51.49; SOFLO: 4. Hashan Ekanayake 56.02, time drop, 6. Alexander Miller 58.09, 7. Marvan Ekanayake 58.51, time drop; 15-and-over, 1. Patrick Doyle, SUN 49.08.

50-yard backstroke:
7-10, 1. Frank Vincze, SF 35.74; SOFLO: 3. Ethan Hall 37.28, time drop, 8. Ian Barrios 45.73; 11-12, 1. Lucas Franchak, CANE 29.77; SOFLO: 4. Jordan Le-Vega 34.65, time drop, 7. Matthew Jimenez 36.16; 13-14, 1. Ethan McPeek, SOFLO 30.19, time drop; SOFLO: 2. Luca Hincapie 31.13, 3. Marvan Ekanayake 31.58; 15-and-over, 1. Grant Arna, CSSC 26.58.

200-yard breaststroke:
11-12, 1. Rafael Landron, SUN 2:51.81, SOFLO: 3. Matt McVeigh 3:04.98; 13-14, 1. Giulian Martin, CANE 2:21.15; 15-and-over, 1. Juan Domecq, CSSC 2:22.87.

100-yard butterfly:
7-10, 1. Daniel Ella, SUN 1:12.68; SOFLO: 2. Noah Mejias 1:18.89, time drop; 11-12, 1. Antoine Sharp, LLL 1:03.14; SOFLO: 4. Mason Jimenez 1:16.81, time drop; 13-14, 1. Riley Brisco, LLL 58.28; SOFLO: 3. Luca Hincapie 1:02.86, 4. Hashan Ekanayake 1:03.30, time drop, 5. Marvan Ekanayake; 15-and-over, 1. Mateo Valdivieso, SUN 55.00.

50-yard breaststroke:
7-10, 1. Oliver Cannings, AJSC 36.53; SOFLO: 4. Ethan Hall 42.70; 11-12, 1. Lucas Franchak, CANE 33.98; SOFLO: 2. Felipe Rodriguez 36.07, time drop, 5. Jordan Le-Vega 38.01, time drop; 13-14, 1. Giulian Martin, CANE 30.00; SOFLO: 4. Alexander Miller 35.51; 15-and-over, 1. Juan Domecq, CSSC 28.94.

200-yard backstroke:
11-12, 1. Jeremiah Paiz, SUN 2:25.60; 13-14, 1. Ethan McPeek, SOFLO 2:17.05, time drop; 15-and-over, 1. Patrick Doyle, SUN 1:55.71.

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

Florida Gold Coast Swimmers, Bolles Coach Ready For Junior Pan Pacs

By Sharon Robb

August 26, 2014—Before leaving for their first year of college, breaststrokers Emily Kopas of Swim Fort Lauderdale and Alex Evdokimov of Coral Springs Swim Club will represent the United States at the Junior Pac Pacific Championships.

The five-day meet begins Wednesday at the Kihei Aquatic Center in Maui, Hawaii.

Team USA leads a field of eight countries that includes Australia, Canada, China, Fiji, Japan, Mexico and New Zealand. The charter nations are the U.S., Australia, Japan and Canada.

The meet is for swimmers age 13-18 from non-European federations.

Like last week’s Pan Pacific Championships in Australia, Team USA is expected to dominate the medal count based on the psych sheet.

The rules mirror the Pan Pacs with only two swimmers from each country allowed to advance into the championship final and three for the “B” finals.

Team USA has 23 men and 23 women. They gathered in Los Angeles before leaving for Hawaii.

Bolles coach and Olympian Sergio Lopez is coaching the women’s team. Jaime Lewis of Gator Swim Club is an assistant coach.

Kopas and Evdokimov are the only Florida swimmers on the team.

Kopas, 18, a University School of Nova alum, headed for the University of Michigan, is the fifth seed (1:09.94) in the 100-meter breaststroke on Thursday. U.S. teammate Lilly King of Newburgh Sea Creatures is top seed in 1:08.12.

Kopas is seeded fourth in the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:29.53 on Saturday. Japan’s Runa Imai, only 13, is seeded first in 2:24.00. Last year as a 12-year-old she swam 2:25.14. She is one of the youngest swimmers in the meet.

Kopas recently won her first major national title at the USA Swimming Speedo Junior National Championships in the 200-meter breaststroke in a lifetime-best 2:29.53. It was the first time the junior national team member, high school state champion and All-American cracked the 2:30 barrier.

Cornell-bound Evdokimov, 18, a Taravella graduate, is seeded 12th in the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:03.34. American Connor Hoppe, 17, of Clovis Swim Club is seeded first in 1:01.84. Evdokimov is seeded 14th in 2:21.77. U.S. teammate Cody Taylor, 18, of Donner Swim Club is seeded first in 2:12.73.

At senior nationals, Evdokimov was 24th in 1:04.17 in the final after going a best time 1:03.34 in morning prelims. He was disqualified in the 200 breaststroke and was 67th in the 50 breaststroke in 30.02.

Lopez is one of the nation’s top USA Swimming club and high school coaches. He joined the Bolles staff in 2007. He had 17 swimmers with Bolles ties at the 2012 London Olympics and has coached the high school teams to national and high school titles.

The Pan Pacs 10K, postponed in Southport, Australia because of high levels of E.coli in the water, will be held on the final day of the meet along with the Jr. Pan Pacs events on Sunday at 2 p.m. east coast time. Clearwater’s Becca Mann will compete in the rescheduled Pan Pac women’s race and is a medal favorite after an extra week’s rest.

Wednesday’s events are 200-meter freestyle, 100-meter backstroke, 200-meter butterfly, 800-meter freestyle and 1500-meter freestyle.

For those swim fans who wish to remain sleep-deprived after watching last week’s Pan Pacs live-streamed from Australia, the Jr. Pan Pacs will also be live-streamed at usaswimming.org. Results can also be found on Meet Mobile.

Prelims are 3 p.m. and finals are 11 p.m. east coast time.

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

Florida Gold Coast Swimposium Smashing Success

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

August 17, 2013

Jason Allen listened intently as Olympian Clark Burckle shared his knowledge of the sport during the inaugural Florida Gold Coast Swimposium.

The energetic 11-year-old was among more than 100 age group swimmers, officials and coaches participating in the day-long Swimposium at Coral Springs Aquatic Complex.

Before the afternoon session got under way, Burckle spent time with Allen working on his start. “I think I made a friend for life,” Burckle said with a smile.

“I like to have fun with the kids so that they can see that I am enjoying swimming still at this point. I want to inspire them to keep swimming and let them realize that it is a good sport.”

The free Swimposium, sponsored by USA Swimming, was not only well-organized and informative but fun and entertaining. One of the highlights was when officials got to interact with 13-and-older swimmers for a starter practice session during fun relays.

“I think this is beneficial,” Burckle said. “When you get to do a clinic with an elite level athlete, you get to see a lot of their secrets, what makes them tick and what made them faster. You can have the opportunity to ask questions about obscure things maybe their coach doesn’t know the answer to or might not have the time to talk to every individual swimmer.

“This gives them a little bit more of a personal experience and it’s just fun. They get to come out, they don’t have to do an entire practice. Hopefully, it inspires them.”

Burckle, 25, a finalist in the 200-meter breaststroke at last year’s Olympic Games in London, worked with two large groups of age group swimmers who came from as far away as Martin County and North Palm Beach in split sessions for ages 12-and-under and 13-and-over poolside at the Michael Lohberg Pool of Champions.

Burckle was impressed with the swimmers during both sessions.

“They all listened really well,” Burckle said. “They were excited the whole time. They loved doing the relays. They listened to all my little tricks, my quirky little things that sometimes people don’t understand, but they really did a good job with that. They all just seemed like they loved swimming. That, coupled with the atmosphere here is pretty hard to beat.

“I have done quite a few clinics and this is definitely up there at the top. It definitely helps that I am an Olympian and they listen. But part of it for me is even before I was an Olympian, I always really loved swimming. I remember the people who helped me growing up and I consider them mentors. I wasn’t always an amazing swimmer so I can relate to more of the regular kids.”

Burckle returned to South Florida for the first time since 2009. He attended University of Florida for three years and finished at Arizona in 2010. He plans on entering the Stanford School of Business this fall.

“Swimming took me a long way,” Burckle said. “I know I didn’t win an Olympic medal but I had a great career and I am so happy with it. I am glad I have more of a story that people can relate to because so many times you get these Olympians who have been to four Games and won all these gold medals. It’s not realistic for every kid to think especially with how competitive things have gotten in youth sports.

“The team atmosphere is one of the coolest things I have ever been a part of,” Burckle said. “I’ve done well with swimming but now it’s time to focus on my studies. Remember, it’s student-athlete not athlete-student.”

Burckle said for now, he is hanging up his suit after swimming in last week’s masters nationals, and plans to focus on his studies.

“I accomplished my main goal and I am moving on with my life,” he said.

However, Burckle said he hopes to continue giving clinics and working with kids. He added he will continue to train to stay in shape and doing masters meets.

“I really enjoy this,” Burckle said. “I would love if they would keep offering me opportunities to do this. I really wanted to do this one. I love South Florida. Swimming in South Florida is one of the most fun things there is.”

The symposium also featured Pat Lunsford with informative officials’ sessions and Randy Julian with a coaches and club board members session.

“I am really pleased with how it went,” said Florida Gold Coast secretary Lori Bosco. “Our first session we had 46 athletes and our second session 25 athletes. We had 45 officials that wanted to take the various clinics and 11 coaches or club members who wanted to do the club leadership.

“It’s a start and it’s just going to grow,” Bosco said. “I am very encouraged. We would like to do it every two years to try and get more people to come out and get more education. We can just build on what we did today and maybe offer more in the future. You never stop learning.”

Bosco thanked Coral Springs for donating its facility for the Swimposium and USA Swimming for sponsoring the event.

FGC officials hope to hold a USA Swimming Swimposium every two years in South Florida.

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

Olympian Burckle Heads FGC Swimposium At Coral Springs Aquatic Complex

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

August 6, 2013

2012 U.S. Olympian Clark Burckle will talk about his journey from age group swimmer to national team member during a first-of-its-kind Florida Gold Coast Swimposium on Saturday, August 17 at Coral Springs Aquatic Complex.

The free swimposium, sponsored by USA Swimming, the sport’s governing body, will feature informative sessions for athletes, officials, coaches and swim club board members to help kick off the fall age group, high school and college seasons.

Burckle was a finalist in the 200-meter breaststroke at last year’s Olympic Games in London where he placed sixth. He just missed making the world championship team, finishing fourth at trials.

Burckle has wanted to be a competitive swimmer ever since he took his first lesson and watched the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Burckle, 25, is scheduled to compete in the 50-, 100- and 200-meter breaststroke events at the Aug. 7-11 U.S. Masters Swimming Long Course Nationals at Mission Viejo, Calif. with an eye on breaking masters world records.

During the FGC symposium, Burckle will talk with 12-and-under swimmers from 9-11:30 a.m. and 13-and-over swimmers 12:30-3 p.m. poolside at the Michael Lohberg Pool of Champions.

The swimposium will not only feature a headline Olympian talking with athletes, but also Pat Lunsford with an informative officials daylong session and Randy Julian with a coaches and club board members session.

Julian, a former head coach at Bowling Green State University at Dads Club Swim Team in Houston, is a USA Swimming Sport Development consultant. He has been with USA Swimming since May 2002. His focus is on coaches and teams. He is also a staff liason with the USA Swimming Disability Committee.

Lunsford, vice president of program operations, works with officials at all levels.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for the Florida Gold Coast to help further educate our swimmers and officials and help make them better,” said Florida Gold Coast secretary Lori Bosco. “Everyone is welcome.”

Athletes must pre-register and space is limited to 100 athletes per clinic. Bosco can be contacted at lori.bosco@fkcc.edu to sign up.

IF YOU GO

What: Florida Gold Coast Swimposium

When: Saturday, August 17

Where: Coral Springs Aquatic Complex, 12441 Royal Palm Blvd., Coral Springs

Check-in time: 8:30 a.m.

Schedule: Athletes/Clark Burckle: 9-11:30 a.m., 12-and-under; 12:30-3 p.m., 13-and-over; Officials/Pat Lunsford: 9-11 a.m., stroke and turn clinic, 12:30-2 p.m., starter clinic; 2:30-5 p.m., open forum; Coaches/Club Board Members/Randy Julian: 9-11:30 a.m., club leadership business management seminar; 12:30-4 p.m., club leadership business management seminar.

Admission: Free. Athletes are limited to 100 per clinic session. Must pre-register with Lori Bosco at lori.bosco@fkcc.edu.

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

South Florida Aquatic Club Wins Junior Olympics Combined Team Title For First Time In Club History

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

March 10, 2013

South Florida Aquatic Club made remarkable history Sunday night at the Florida Gold Coast 14-and-Under Junior Olympics Short Course Championships at the Coral Springs Aquatic Complex.

The team captured the combined team title for the first time in the club’s fourteen-year existence.

SOFLO was two-time defending champion but it was the first time the City of Pembroke Pines only competitive swim team won the title as a stand-alone team with its own homegrown talent.

The past two years SOFLO and Coral Springs Swim Club, after merging, had won the title twice but since its split in July 2012, SOFLO has continued to flourish in the pool.

“Half the team, twice as good; half the size, twice the team,” said SOFLO CEO and head coach Chris Anderson, who praised the efforts of his coaches, swimmers and parents for keeping the vision the original Comets program has always had.

Between the celebration on the pool deck, trophy presentation and cheers, SOFLO swimmers and coaches knew the accomplishment was one of the team’s finest moments over fourteen years.

SOFLO, with talent and depth competing against one of the strongest JO fields ever, won the combined team title with 1,030.50, the only team to break 1,000 points in the 22-team, 836-swimmer field.

All swimmers had to qualify for the three-day meet making it one of the Florida Gold Coast’s most prestigious meets. SOFLO had 51 qualified swimmers.

SOFLO boys team was runner-up behind Metro Aquatic Club of Miami, 683-659.50 points. SOFLO girls were third behind Pine Crest and Davie Nadadores with 371 points, just two points out of second place.

“I am really excited for the coaches and office staff,” an emotional Anderson said. “I really feel as far as the SOFLO and Comets staff it shows we can produce a really good product.

“It’s not about winning individual races, it was about a team coming together and working for a common goal and proving we could do it,” Anderson said. “It’s taken fourteen years to get to this point and we’ve done it with the same staff.

“It’s even sweeter to do it at Coral Springs. We went through a lot of different things after the split. I think people wrote us off. People thought SOFLO would go away. This proves that our staff is extremely dedicated to the team and swimmers and we can be successful at championship meets as well as all meets for that matter.”

The team’s senior swimmers came out to support the younger swimmers, who they share a training pool with at Academic Village Pool.

“It wasn’t just older brothers and sisters, it was their teammates supporting them and leading cheers,” Anderson said. “The kids were so happy. They earned it. They put in the work and training. It’s nice to see it all come together and be crowned overall champion. I think it opened their eyes of what they can do when they put in the training and believe in themselves.

“Our kids and coaches won the respect they so deserve.”

From 8-year-old Zackary Harris of the Comets Swim Team to 14-year-old Julien Pinon, making his final 14-and-Under JO appearance, it was a total SOFLO team effort.

SOFLO had at least one swimmer among the leading high point awards. They were Kyana Castro, 10, 39 points; Michael Arias, 10, 53 points; Nicolas Rossi, 9, 39.50; Delanie Perez, 12, 56 points; Samuel Quintero, 12, 47 points; Brandon Moran, 11, 35 points; Jessica Rodriguez, 14, 42 points; Julien Pinon, 14, 68 points; and Alexander Monti, 14, 31 points.

On the final night of competition, SOFLO continued to pile up the points, with not only first-place finishes but eighths, ninths and tenths. Every point mattered.

The girls 10-and-under 200-yard freestyle relay won in a best time 2:01.78 with Kyana Castro, 10, Trinity Hoyos, 10, Michelle Marinheiro, 10, and Isabella Di Salvo, 10. Splits were 29.10, 32.45, 31.20 and 29.03.

Castro was second in the 10-and-under 200-yard individual medley in a lifetime-best 2:35.76. Michael Arias, Nicolas Rossi, Jie Hoon Lee and John Paul Handal finished in the Top 10 in the 10-and-under 200-yard individual medley. Delanie Perez and Katherine De Barros finished among the Top 10 in the 11-12 200-yard individual medley.

Rafael Rodriguez, 11, was third in the 11-12 200-yard individual medley in a lifetime-best 2:19.12 and was joined by Samuel Quintero in the top five.

Jessica Rodriguez, 14, was fifth in the 13-14 200-yard individual medley in a lifetime-best 2:12.74. Alexander Monti, 14, was seventh in the 13-14 200-yard individual medley in a lifetime-best 2:05.44, dropping from 2:09.44.

Isabella Di Salvo, 10, was tenth in the 10-and-under 50-yard backstroke in 35.83. Jie Hoon Lee and John Paul Handal were among top seven finishers in the 10-and-under 50-yard backstroke.

Gustavo Valery, 14, was second in the 50-yard backstroke in a lifetime-best 26.42 and was joined by Juan Lucas and Esteban Diaz-Velasco joined him in the Top eight.

Delanie Perez, 12, was second in the 50-yard breaststroke in a lifetime-best 33.23, dropping from 34.11. Brandon Moran, 11, was third in the 50-yard breaststroke in a best time 35.07. Jessica Rodriguez, 14, was fourth in the 50-yard breaststroke in a best time 32.75. Alexander Monti, 14, was third in the 50-yard breaststroke in a best time 29.85, breaking 30 seconds for the first time.

Brandon Moran, 11, and Gabriel Segui, 11, finished sixth and seventh in the 200-yard butterfly, both swimming best times. Jonathan Strod, 14, was seventh in the 200-yard butterfly in 2:05.51.

Castro and Di Salvo finished in the top nine in the 100-yard freestyle. Arias and Rossi finished in the top six in the 100-yard freestyle. Rodriguez was eighth in the 100-yard freestyle.

Pinon, who enjoyed a record-breaking weekend, won the 1,650-yard freestyle in 16:18.62 and was second in the 100-yard freestyle in a best time 47.16, dropping from 48.44.

Valery was eighth in the 100-yard freestyle in a lifetime-best 50.89.

Perez was third in the 1,650-yard freestyle in 19:11.69 and De Barros was fifth in 19:27.34, Anna Montgomery was 12th in 20:32.06 and Alexandra Crespo was 14th in 20:47.87. Quintero was fourth in 18:40.57, Moran was ninth in 19:37.28, Sam Walters was 10th in 19:48.91 and Segui was 11th in 19:51.26. CJ Kopecki was seventh in 17:21.30, Kevin Porto was eighth in 17:22.54, Jonathan Strod was 16th in 17:42.92, Ricardo Roche was 19th in 18:09.63.

2013 FGC JUNIOR OLYMPICS RESULTS

TEAM TOTALS

COMBINED: 1. South Florida Aquatic Club 1,030.50, 2. Metro Aquatics 870, 3. Pine Crest Swimming 832, 4. Davie Nadadores 733, 5. Blue Marlins Hialeah Gardens 452.50, 6. FLA Aquatics 413, 7. Lake Lytal Lightning 399, 8. Jupiter Dragons 397, 9. Coral Springs Swim Club 353.50, 10. Miami-Dade Aquatic Club 224.

GIRLS: 1. Pine Crest Swimming 641, 2. Davie Nadadores 373, 3. SOFLO 371, 4. FLA 342, 5. Jupiter 304, 6. CSSC 247.50, 7. Metro Aquatics 187, 8. Lake Lytal Lightning 144, 9. Blue Marlins 141, 10. North Palm Beach 114.

BOYS: 1. Metro Aquatics 683, 2. SOFLO 659.50, 3. Davie 360, 4. Blue Marlins 311.50, 5. Lake Lytal Lightning 198, 6. Miami-Dade 198, 7. Pine Crest 191, 8. City of Hialeah 152, 9. Swim Fort Lauderdale 115, 10. CSSC 106.

HIGH POINT AWARDS

GIRLS

10-and-under, 1. Vanessa Mesa, Unattached 77, 5. Kyana Castro, SOFLO 39; 11-12, 1. Andrea Santander, FLA 77, 6. Delanie Perez, SOFLO 56, 13-14, 1. Allison Kopas, Davie 72, 5. Jessica Rodriguez, SOFLO 42.

BOYS

10-and-under, 1. Andres Wong, MAC 73, 3. Michael Arias, SOFLO 53, 5. Nicolas Rossi 39.50, 8. Connor Marks, CSSC 28; 11-12, 1. Adrian Aguilar, MAC 73, 4. Alexio Musleh, CSSC 57, 7. Sam Quintero 47, 10. Brandon Moran 35; 13-14, 1. Raphael Marcoux, SFTL 75, 2. Julien Pinon, SOFLO 68, 10. Alexander Monti, SOFLO 31.

AGE GROUPS

GIRLS

10-and-under, 1. Jupiter 139, 2. SOFLO 114, 9. CSSC 26; 11-12, 1. FLA 254, 4. SOFLO 124, 7. CSSC 85.50; 13-14, 1. Pine Crest 350, 3. CSSC 136, 4. SOFLO 133.

BOYS

10-and-under, 1. MAC 193, 2. SOFLO 167.50, 5. CSSC 82; 11-12, 1. Davie 257, 3. SOFLO 200; 13-14, 1. SOFLO 292.

GIRLS

100-yard individual medley:

10-and-under, 1. Vanessa Mesa, Unattached 2:31.68; SOFLO: 2. Kyana Castro 2:35.76, 15. Michelle Marinheiro 2:53.69; 11-12, 1. Jessica Nava, Pine Crest 2:12.22; SOFLO: 7. Delanie Perez 2:22.12, 9. Katherine De Barros 2:27.87, 12. Anabel Vazquez 2:31.00, 24. Jennifer Rodriguez 2:34.91, 41. Anna Montgomery 2:39.69, 46. Isabel Shashaty 2:40.42, 47. Elise Larin 2:40.45, 48. Alexandra Crespo 2:40.71; 13-14, 1. Allison Kopas, Davie 2:08.92; SOFLO: 12. Kelley Heron 2:18.67, 29. Bianca Monti 2:23.92.

50-yard backstroke:

10-and-under, 1. Daniel Munoz, Pine Crest 32.71; SOFLO: 10. Isabella Di Salvo 35.83, 17. Katrina Del Vecchio 37.59; 11-12, 1. Gabriella Antonini, FLA 28.65; SOFLO: 20. Annita Huang 33.29, 22. Anna Montgomery 33.44, 28. Kellie Wilcox 34.71; 13-14, 1. Samantha Stinemire, Unattached 27.66.

50-yard breaststroke:

10-and-under, 1. Michaela Avedisian, Jupiter 35.48; SOFLO: 13. Katrina Del Vecchio 42.67; 11-12, 1. Andrea Santander, FLA 32.00; SOFLO: 2. Delanie Perez 33.23, 11. Elise Larin 36.14, 20. Jennifer Rodriguez 36.79; 13-14, 1. Allison Kopas, Davie 31.36; SOFLO: 4. Jessica Rodriguez 32.75, 18. Kelley Heron 34.09, 25. Natasha Testa 35.19.

200-yard butterfly:

11-12, 1. Alexandra Meszaros, FLA 2:16.73; 13-14, 1. Allison Kopas, Davie 2:07.64; SOFLO: 13. Natasha Testa 2:24.49.

100-yard freestyle:

10-and-under, 1. Vanessa Mesa, Unattached 1:00.28; SOFLO: 5. Kyana Castro 1:04.64, 9. Isabella Di Salvo 1:06.23, 12. Michelle Marinheiro 1:07.37; 11-12, 1. Andrea Santander, FLA 54.24; SOFLO: 16. Annita Huang 1:00.73, 32. Anabel Vazquez 1:02.31, 40. Isabel Shashaty 1:03.21, 61. Elise Larin 1:05.84; 13-14, 1. Marta Ciesla, Pine Crest 52.27; SOFLO: 11. Bianca Monti 56.44.

200-yard freestyle relay:

11-12, 1. FLA 1:47.76, 7. SOFLO 1:52.94 (Annita Huang, Isabel Shashaty, Jennifer Rodriguez, Delanie Perez), 17. SOFLO “B” 1:58.16 (Katherine De Barros Elise Larin, Anna Montgomery, Anabel Vazquez).

400-yard freestyle relay:

13-14, 1. Pine Crest 3:40.77, 2. SOFLO 3:49.34 (Natasha Testa, Jessica Rodriguez, Bianca Monti, Kelley Heron).

1,650-yard freestyle:

11-12, 1. Andrea Santander, FLA 18:40.35; SOFLO: 3. Delanie Perez 19:11.69, 5. Katherine De Barros 19:27.34, 12. Anna Montgomery 20:32.06, 14. Alexandra Crespo 20:47.87; 13-14, 1. Camryn Hudson, Lake Lytal 17:55.40.

BOYS

200-yard individual medley:

10-and-under, 1. Andres Wong, MAC 2:24.39; SOFLO: 4. Michael Arias 2:34.68, 5. Nicolas Rossi 2:35.62, 7. Jie Hoon Lee 2:40.14, 9. John Paul Handal 2:43.51; 11-12, 1. Alexio Musleh, CSSC 2:09.96; SOFLO: 3. Rafael Rodriguez 2:19.12, 5. Sam Quintero 2:20.99, 12. Leonardo Mateus 2:27.55, 14. Sam Walters 2:29.05; 13-14, 1. Raphael Marcoux, SFTL 1:56.35; SOFLO: 7. Alex Monti 2:05.44, 16. Juan Lucas 2:10.74, 21. CJ Kopecki 2:11.73, 43. Cristian Rossi 2:18.59, 47. Baldwin Suen 2:22.60.

50-yard backstroke

10-and-under, 1. Connor Marks, CSSC 32.69; CSSC: 2. Andrew McDade 33.63; SOFLO: 5. Jie Hoon Lee 35.31, 7. John Paul Handal 35.48, 18. Akira Huang 37.68, COMETS: 32. Zackary Harris 39.44; 11-12, 1. Adrian Aguilar, MAC 29.02; 13-14, 1. Nicholas Sharp, Lake Lytal Lightning 26.19; SOFLO: 2. Gustavo Valery 26.42, 7. Juan Lucas 27.14, 8. Esteban Diaz-Velasco 28.05, 10. Alfredo Mesa 28.52.

50-yard breaststroke:

10-and-under, 1. David Montana, MAC 35.94; 11-12, 1. Adrian Aguilar, MAC 31.09; SOFLO: 3. Brandon Moran 35.07; 13-14, 1. Julio Horrego, Hialeah 28.66; SOFLO: 3. Alex Monti 29.85, 20. Baldwin Suen 32.43, 23. Brendan Cassie 32.98, 25. Cristian Rossi 33.61.

200-yard butterfly:

11-12, 1. Gabriel Munoz, Davie 2:10.78; SOFLO: 6. Brandon Moran 2:29.99; SOFLO: 7. Gabriel Segui 2:30.56; 13-14, 1. Luke Smutny, AK Sharks 1:59.80; SOFLO: 9. CJ Kopecki 2:06.67.

100-yard freestyle:

10-and-under, 1. Andres Wong, MAC 58.34; SOFLO: 4. Michael Arias 1:01.31, 6. Nicolas Rossi 1:04.30, 11. John Paul Handal 1:05.61, 13. Jie Hoon Lee 1:06.65; COMETS: 50. Zackary Harris 1:14.57; 11-12, 1. Alexio Musleh, CSSC 53.69; SOFLO: 8. Rafael Rodriguez 57.45, 17. Leonardo Mateus 1:00.69; 13-14, 1. Raphael Marcoux, SFTL 47.02; SOFLO: 2. Julien Pinon 47.16, 8. Gustavo Valery 50.89, 13. Alex Monti 51.51, 19. Juan Lucas 52.30, 29. Esteban Diaz-Velasco 53.27, 35. Cristian Rossi 53.76, 68. Baldwin Suen 58.41

200-yard freestyle relay:

11-12, 1. Davie 1:45.57, 4. SOFLO 1:41.12 (Sam Walters, Leonardo Mateus, Sam Quintero, Rafael Rodriguez), 17. CSSC 2:04.28 (Sam McCormick, Brooks Brown, Jean Piero Alvarez, Gregory Trimble).

400-yard freestyle relay:

13-14, 1. SOFLO 3:24.44 (Gustavo Valery, Jonathan Strod, Alex Monti, Julien Pinon), 8. SOFLO 3:37.91 (Cristian Rossi, Esteban Diaz-Velasco, CJ Kopecki, Juan Lucas).

1,650-yard freestyle:

11-12, 1. Kyle Dimatteo, Lake Lytal Lightning 17:54.32; SOFLO: 4. Sam Quintero 18:40.57, 9. Brandon Moran 19:37.28, 10. Sam Walters 19:48.91, 11. Gabriel Segui 19:51.26; 13-14, 1. Julien Pinon, SOFLO 16:18.62; SOFLO: 7. CJ Kopecki 17:21.30, 8. Kevin Porto 17:22.54, 16. Jonathan Strod 17:42.92, 19. Ricardo Roche 18:09.63.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO’s Caroline Kuczynski Rocks Pool For Three Wins At FGC Senior Championships

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

July 28, 2012

Caroline Kuczynski, one of the busiest South Florida Aquatic Club swimmers this summer, won two individual events and led off the winning 800-meter freestyle relay to highlight action Saturday night at the Florida Gold Coast Senior Long Course Championships.

The 2016 Canadian Olympic hopeful, competing in her third country this summer, won the 200-meter freestyle in 2:06.89, 100-meter butterfly in 1:01.27, and led off the winning 800-meter freestyle relay that won in 8:45.22 at the Coral Springs Aquatic Complex.

Kuczynski, 21, a junior at Arizona State this fall, is coming off the Canadian Nationals in Edmonton where she won a gold medal and Swedish Nationals where she swam back-to-back best times in the 100-meter freestyle and was named Swimmer of the Day.

Kuczynski was joined on the relay by up-and-coming swimmers Kylie Herman, 15, Maria Lopez, 16, and Melissa Marinheiro, 15.

Melissa Marinheiro won the meet’s opening event knocking off Clara Smiddy, 16, of AK Sharks in the 200-meter freestyle in 2:07.91, just off her best time of 2:07.51. Marinheiro was the fastest morning seed in 2:08.31.

In morning prelims:

Kylie Herman, 15, lowered her best time from 2:17.40 to 2:17.17 in the girls 200-meter freestyle. Also in the event, Haley Wright, 15, dropped from 2:18.89 to 2:18.15. Evelin Jimenez, 17, dropped from 2:19.80 to 2:19.76 and her twin sister Daniela Jimenez, 17, dropped from 2:20.89 to 2:20.64.

In the boys’ 200-meter freestyle, Jacob Walters, 16, dropped from 2:07.68 to 2:07.05. Kyle Desrosiers, 16, swam a best time 2:08.29 lowering his previous best of 2:09.12. David Stoddard, 15, dropped from 2:12.57 to 2:09.23. Bryce Pierce, 15, dropped from 2:11.58 to 2:10.34.

Marc Rojas, 18, broke 2 minutes in the 200-meter freestyle in a best time 1:58.76, lowering his previous best of 2:01.55. Rojas also lowered his 400-meter individual medley time in 4:46.73, dropping from 4:57.39.

Also in the 200 freestyle, Carlo Morante, 19, dropped from 2:04.37 to 2:03.80. Jonathan Strod, 13, one of the youngest swimmers in the meet, dropped from 2:13.46 to 2:10.67.

Emily Jurich, 15, lowered her best time in the 50-meter backstroke in 35.58, dropping from 36.14.

August Charni, 15, swam a best time in the 50-meter backstroke in 31.54, lowering his previous best of 31.94. Also in the event, Fernando Quintero, 15, dropped from 32.35 to 31.76. Bryce Pierce, 15, dropped from 34.00 to 32.77. David Stoddard posted another best time, dropping from 34.19 to 33.14.

Keegan Boisson-Yates, 17, bettered his best time of 29.58 in the 50-meter backstroke in 28.60. Ben Fruitman, 17, dropped from 31.93 to 31.04.

In the girls 200-meter breaststroke, Rebecca Wilkerson, 15, had nice time drop from 3:06.51 to 3:01.58. Lindsey Sauer, 15, dropped from 3:03.10 to 3:01.70. Selina Voelkel, 16, dropped from 3:07.18 to 3:02.52.

In the boys 200-meter breaststroke, Jordan Colon, 15, also had a nice time drop from 2:46.11 to 2:41.66 along with Kyle Desrosiers, 16, who had a huge drop from 2:53.81 to 2:47.68. Roger Capote, 16, swam a best time 2:50.46 dropping from 2:52.87. Edward Kon, 16, dropped from 2:55.19 to 2:52.87.

Brandon Goldman, 17, also turned in an impressive best time in the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:32.39, dropping from 2:39.03.

In the girls 100-meter butterfly, Kristina Brennan, 16, dropped from 1:09.94 to 1:09.52. Kylie Herman, 15, dropped from 1:13.63 to 1:12.30.

Jacob Walters, 16, equaled his best time of 1:01.70 in the 100-meter butterfly. Bryce Pierce, 15, dropped from 1:06.74 to 1:06.06.

In the girls 100-meter butterfly, Evelin Jimenez, 17, dropped from 1:08.61 to 1:08.40.

Carlo Morante, 19, dropped his best time of 1:02.51 to 1:02.03 in the 100-meter butterfly.

In the 400-meter individual medley, Kylie Herman, 15, lowered her best time from 5:39.33 to 5:33.86.

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

SATURDAY RESULTS

GIRLS

200-meter freestyle:

15-16, 1. Melissa Marinheiro, SOFLO 2:07.91; SOFLO: 8. Emma Lincoln 2:13.18, 14. Amber Hunter 2:14.04, 16. Kylie Herman 2:15.07, 22. Haley Wright 2:18.15, 31. Lindsey Sauer 2:19.48, 33. Kristina Brennan 2:20.78, 40. Rebecca Wilkerson 2:23.60; Open, 1. Caroline Kuczynski, SOFLO 2:06.89; SOFLO: 31. Evelin Jimenez 2:19.76, 35. Daniela Jimenez 2:20.64, 46. Rachel Ling 2:22.30.

50-meter backstroke:

15-16, 1. Darby Goodwin, Jupiter 31.06; SOFLO: 11. Maria Lopez 33.12, 26. Emily Jurich 35.58; Open, 1. Jeserik Pinto, Davie 30.14; SOFLO: 5. Marcella Marinheiro 31.82, 9. Rachel Ling 33.86, 25. Danielle Ginzburg 35.93, 26. Evelin Jimenez 35.99, 27. Megan Schimansky 36.38.

200-meter breaststroke:

15-16, 1. Chase Harris, Jupiter 2:42.58; SOFLO: 11. Rebecca Wilkerson 3:00.90, 12. Selina Voelkel 3:02.12, 16. Lindsey Sauer 3:03.41; Open, 1. Emily Kopas, Davie 2:33.80.

100-meter butterfly:

15-16, 1. Isabella Paez, Metro Aquatics 1:02.46; SOFLO: 2. Maria Lopez 1:04.64, 7. Melissa Marinheiro 1:06.72, 12. Amber Hunter 1:07.91, 14. Kristina Brennan 1:08.97, 27. Kylie Herman 1:12.30, 29. Haley Wright 1:12.36; Open, 1. Caroline Kuczynski, SOFLO 1:01.27; SOFLO: 12. Evelin Jimenez 1:08.11, 43. Daniela Jimenez 1:17.57.

400-meter individual medley:

15-16, 1. Isabella Paez, Metro Aquatics 5:13.60; SOFLO: 8. Kylie Herman 5:33.86; Open, 1. Hannah Vandersluis, North Palm Beach 5:12.46.

800-meter freestyle relay:

Open, 1. SOFLO “A” 8:45.22 (Caroline Kuczynski, Kylie Herman, Maria Lopez, Melissa Marinheiro), 13. SOFLO “B” 9:17.34 (Haley Wright, Evelin Jimenez, Daniela Jimenez, Lindsey Sauer).

BOYS

200-meter freestyle:

15-16, 1. Daniel Digiacomo, Dave 1:56.29; SOFLO: 26. Jacob Walters 2:07.05, 31. Kyle Desrosiers 2:08.29, 35. David Stoddard 2:09.23, 36. Bryce Pierce 2:10.34, 47. Roger Capote 2:13.97, 50. August Charni 2:14.27, 52. Edward Kon 2:14.70; Open, 1. Augie Manganiello, AK Sharks 1:55.47; SOFLO: 8. Marc Rojas 2:00.78, 29. Carlo Morante 2:03.80, 30. Keegan Boisson-Yates 2:03.95, 57. Mauricio Hidalgo 2:09.31, 63. Jonathan Strod 2:10.67, 71. Ryan Capote 2:15.72.

50-meter backstroke:

15-16, 1. Chad Moody, Pompano Beach 28.70; SOFLO: 10. August Charni 31.24, 13. Fernando Quintero 31.84, 22. Bryce Pierce 32.77, 28. David Stoddard 33.14, 42. Juan Saldana 35.33; Open, 1. Ramon Walton, St. Andrew’s Swimming 27.41; SOFLO: 3. Keegan Boisson-Yates 27.72, 4. Brandon Goldman 27.76, 13. Carlo Morante 29.87, 20. Ben Fruitman 31.04, 24. Ivan Parada 31.54, 44. Ryan Capote 33.88.

200-meter breaststroke:

15-16, 1. Shane McNamara, Empire Swimming 2:25.33; SOFLO: 11. Jordan Colon 2:39.01, 16. Kyle Desrosiers 2:48.04, 19. Ryan Capote 2:50.46, 23. Edward Kon 2:52.87, 26. Bowie Suen 2:55.80; Open, 1. Leo Martins, Davie 2:20.29; SOFLO: 7. Brandon Goldman 2:34.10.

100-meter butterfly:

15-16, 1. Zuhayr Pigot, Metro Aquatics 57.14; SOFLO: 4. Jacob Walters 1:00.82, 31. Ilya Evdokimov 1:04.83, 38. Bryce Pierce 1:06.06; Open, 1. Austin Saunders, Westminster Academy 56.81; SOFLO: 6. Keegan Boisson-Yates 58.55, 26. Carlo Morante 1:02.03, 31. Xavier Brown 1:02.62, 49. Mauricio Hidalgo 1:04.16, 70. Jonathan Strod 1:07.13.

400-meter individual medley:

15-16, 1. Shane McNamara, Empire Swimming 4:42.02; SOFLO: 13. Jordan Colon 5:05.03; Open, 1. Samuel Smiddy, AK Sharks 4:36.80; SOFLO: 5. Marc Rojas 4:46.73.

800-meter freestyle relay:

Open, 1. Metro Aquatics and Davie Nadadores, 7:55.79, 9. SOFLO “A” 8:16.89 (Keegan Boisson-Yates, Ivan Parada, Carlo Morante, Marc Rojas), 15. SOFLO “B” 8:35.32 (Jacob Walters, Bryce Pierce, Kyle Desrosiers, David Stoddard). 

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

 http://www.swim4soflo.com

Emma Lincoln Leads SOFLO On Day One Of FGC Senior Championships At Coral Springs

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

July 27, 2012

Emma Lincoln stole the show Friday night at the Florida Gold Coast Senior Championships in her home pool at the Coral Springs Aquatic Complex.

The 16-year-old South Florida Aquatic Club swimmer won the 15-16 100-meter freestyle with a career-best time and anchored the winning 400-meter freestyle relay.

Lincoln won the 100-meter freestyle in 59.57 seconds, lowering her previous best of 59.91. She was the fifth fastest qualifier in morning prelims.

Lincoln joined teammates Caroline Kuczynski, 21, Marcella Marinheiro, 17, and Melissa Marinheiro, 15, to win the relay in 4:02.22, bettering their seed time of 4:06.23.

Kuczynski, a junior at Arizona State, is competing in six events this weekend. The U.S. is the third country the 2016 Canadian Olympic hopeful has competed in this summer. She also competed in meets in Sweden and Canada.

Kuczynski posted a best time 59.90 in the 100-meter freestyle, in the first of the six events. It was the second fastest time in morning prelims. Her previous best was 1:00.24. She finished second in finals in 59.33, lowering her best time again.

Kuczynski was also fourth in the 400-meter freestyle in 4:30.71.

Alex Rodriguez, 21, swam the fastest 50-meter breaststroke prelim time in a career-best 29.81, cracking 30 seconds for the first time and lowering his previous best of 30.26. He finished second in finals in 30.14 behind Davie’s Leonardo Martins (30.09).

Maria Lopez, 16, was second in the 200-meter butterfly in a best time 2:22.01, lowering her previous best of 2:22.21. Amber Hunter, 16, was third in 2:30.53. Lopez also swam a best time in the 400-meter freestyle in 4:40.01, lowering her previous best of 4:52.91.

Other SOFLO “A” finalists:

Brandon Goldman, 17, third in the 200-meter butterfly in a best time 2:08.66, lowering his previous best of 2:22.76 which he lowered first in prelims in 2:12.08.

Kelly Kealty, 15, fourth in the 50-meter breaststroke in a best time of 36.98, bettering her previous best of 37.09.

Ilya Evdokimov, 16, fourth in the 50-meter breaststroke in a best time 32.24, lowering his best time of 32.41.

Marc Rojas, 18, was fifth in the 400-meter freestyle in a best time 4:08.63, lowering his previous best of 4:09.82.

Emily Jurich, 15, fifth in the 50-meter breaststroke in 37.07, also a best time, lowering her previous best of 40.13.

Melissa Marinheiro, 15, fifth in the 100-meter freestyle in 1:00.79 and eighth in the 200-meter butterfly in 2:35.37.

Marcella Marinheiro, 17, sixth in the 200-meter backstroke, 2:31.24.

Carlo Morante, 19, seventh in the 200-meter backstroke, 2:21.39.

Evelin Jimenez, 17, eighth in the 200-meter butterfly in a best time 2:34.90, lowering her previous best of 2:35.20.

In morning prelims:

Melissa Marinheiro, 15, swam a best time 2:29.08 in the 200-meter butterfly, lowering her previous best of 2:30.40 and earning the third seed.

Rachel Ling, 17, lowered her best time in the 200-meter backstroke from 2:44.21 to 2:38.20. She also bettered her time in the 100-meter freestyle in 1:04.88, dropping from 1:06.71. Daniela Jimenez dropped from 1:05.93 to 1:05.03 in the 100 freestyle.

Kylie Herman, 15, bettered her best time in the 100-meter freestyle from 1:04.87 to 1:03.38. Herman dropped her 200-meter butterfly time in 2:36.77 dropping from 2:41.27.

Lindsey Sauer, 15, also bettered her time in the 100-meter freestyle in 1:04.67 dropping from 1:04.73. Also in the event, Haley Wright, 15, dropped from 1:05.92 to 1:05.21. Kaitlin Armstrong, 16, bettered her time from 1:07.79 to 1:06.14. Rebecca Wilkerson swam a best time in 1:06.69, dropping from 1:07.36. Wilkerson also swam a best time in the 50-meter breaststroke in 38.18, dropping from 39.72.

Emily Jurich, 15, swam a best time 37.52 in the 50-meter breaststroke dropping from 40.13. Also in the event, Selina Voelkel, 16, dropped from 39.97 to a best time 38.81.

Brandon Goldman, 17, swam the sixth fastest time in the 200-meter butterfly prelims in a best time 2:12.08, dropping from 2:22.76.

David Stoddard, 15, posted two best times. He dropped from 2:29.08 to 2:28.39 in the 200-meter backstroke. And, in the 100-meter freestyle he swam a lifetime-best 58.13, lowering his previous best of 1:00.17.

Kyle Desrosiers, 16, swam a best time in the 100-meter freestyle in 58.15, dropping from 59.57. Also in the event, Bryce Pierce, 15, dropped from 1:00.36 to 58.21 and Josh Cutter, 16, dropped from 1:00.29 to 58.41. Ilya Evdokimov, 16, dropped from 1:01.73 to 59.92. William Perry swam 1:01.51, dropping 1/100^th off his previous best.

Ben Fruitman, 17, dropped from 2:29.49 to 2:25.05 in the 200-meter backstroke. Fruitman also improved his 100-meter freestyle time in 57.48 dropping from 57.81.

Ryan Capote, 14, swam a career-best time in the 100-meter freestyle in 59.96, dropping from 1:01.08.

Jacob Walters, 16, dropped from 2:20.73 to 2:24.30 in the 200-meter butterfly.

Jonathan Strod, 13, lowered his best time in the 50-meter breaststroke from 37.07 to 35.98. Also in the event, Derek Maguire, 18, swam a best time 36.92 dropping from 36.38.

FRIDAY RESULTS

GIRLS

200-meter freestyle relay:

1.Metro Aquatics 1:51.37, 6. SOFLO “A” 1:54.43 (Emma Lincoln, Maria Lopez, Anne Kuczynski, Melissa Marinheiro), 10. SOFLO “B” 1:55.17 (Kristina Brennan, Amber Hunter, Evelin Jimenez, Kylie Herman).

200-meter backstroke:

15-16, 1. Clara Smiddy, AK Sharks 2:22.14; SOFLO: 13. Maria Lopez 2:32.25, 15. Kristina Brennan 2:37.38; Open, 1. Megan Moroney, St. Andrew’s Swimming 2:19.90; SOFLO: 6. Marcella Marinheiro 2:31.24, 11. Rachel Ling 2:39.72, 12. Megan Schimansky 2:42.13.

100-meter freestyle:

15-16, 1. Emma Lincoln, SOFLO 59.57, best time; SOFLO: 5. Melissa Marinheiro 1:00.79, 20. Kylie Herman 1:03.38, best time, 24. Kristina Brennan 1:03.73, 33. Lindsey Sauer 1:04.67, best time, 34. Amber Hunter 1:04.68, 40. Haley Wright 1:05.21, best time, 49. Kaitlin Armstrong 1:06.14, best time, 56. Rebecca Wilkerson 1:06.69, best time, 72. Kelly Kealty 1:08.47; Open, 1. Katelyn Miller, Unattached 58.06; SOFLO: 2. Caroline Kuczynski 59.33, 16. Marcella Marinheiro 1:02.21, 24. Evelin Jimenez 1:03.03, 35. Rachel Ling 1:04.88, best time, 36. Anne Kuczynski 1:04.90, 37. Daniela Jimenez 1:05.03, best time.

200-meter butterfly:

15-16, 1. Isabella Paez, Metro Aquatics 2:16.09; SOFLO: 2. Maria Lopez 2:22.01, best time, 3. Amber Hunter 2:30.53, 8. Melissa Marinheiro 2:35.37, 11. Kylie Herman 2:35.44, best time, 15. Haley Wright 2:38.56; Open: 1. Rya Marynowski, Empire Swimming 2:19.43;  SOFLO: 8. Evelin Jimenez 2:34.90.

50-meter breaststroke:

15-16, 1. Anna Valls, Miami Swimming 33.37; SOFLO: 4. Kelly Kealty 36.98, 5. Emily Jurich 37.07, 12. Rebecca Wilkerson 38.18, best time in prelims, 15. Rebecca Wilkerson 38.54, 19. Selina Voelkel 38.81, best time; Open: 1. Hana Vandersluis, North Palm Beach 35.10.

400-meter freestyle:

Open, 1. Megan Moroney, St. Andrew’s swimming 4:225.04; SOFLO: 4. Caroline Kuczynski 4:30.71, 20. Daniela Jimenez 4:50.31, best time.

400-meter freestyle relay:

1.SOFLO “A” 4:02.22 (Caroline Kuczynski, Marcella Marinheiro, Melissa Marinheiro, EmmaLincoln), 14. SOFLO “B” 4:17.24 (Kaitlin Armstrong, Kylie Herman, Amber Hunter, Evelin Jimenez).

BOYS

200-meter freestyle relay:

1.Westminster Academy “A” 1:34.80, 11. SOFLO “A” 1:41.13 (Ben Fruitman, Alex Rodriguez, Austin Pillado, Keegan Boisson-Yates), 21. SOFLO “B” 1:44.78 (Ivan Parada, August Charni, Carlo Morante, Ilya Evdokimov).

200-meter backstroke:

15-16, 1. B. Depawlikowski, Metro Aquatics 2:12.69; SOFLO: 16. David Stoddard 2:29.25, best time, 24. August Charni 2:31.03, 26. Fernando Quintero 2:32.14; Open, 1. Gabriel Pedrao, Unattached 2:12.00; SOFLO: 7. Carlo Morante 2:21.39, 12. Ben Fruitman 2:24.21, best time, 26. Ryan Capote 2:39.00.

100-meter freestyle:

15-16, 1. Zuhayr Pigot, Metro Aquatics 53.99; SOFLO: 24. Jacob Walters 57.99, 27. David Stoddard 58.13, best time, 28. Kyle Desrosiers 58.15, best time, 30. Bryce Pierce 58.21, best time, 34. Josh Cutter 58.41, best time, 48. August Charni 59.34, 53. Ilya Evdokimov 59.92, best time, 67. Jordan Colon 1:01.07, 70. Roger Capote 1:01.31, 74. William Perry 1:01.51, 77. Fernando Quintero 1:01.84, 90. Bowie Suen 1:03.37; Open, 1. Daniel Spas, Heritage Aquatics 52.32; SOFLO: 13. Alex Rodriguez 55.24, 23. Keegan Boisson-Yates 55.42, 46. Carlo Morante 57.16, 55. Ben Fruitman 57.48, best time, 62. Ivan Parada 57.95, 81. Jonathan Strod 59.30, best time, 86. Austin Pillado 59.71, equals best time, 89. Ryan Capote 59.96, best time, 100. Mauricio Hidalgo 1:00.81, 116. Di Sanguinetti 1:50.58.

200-meter butterfly:

15-16, 1. Fernando Bohorquez, Davie Nadadores 2:08.22; SOFLO: 9. Jacob Walters 2:17.70, best time, 28. Joshua Coote 2:34.48; Open, 1. SOFLO: 21. Mauricio Hidalgo 2:21.97.

50-meter breaststroke:

15-16, 1. Jordy Groters, Davie Nadadores 30.67; SOFLO: 4. Ilya Evdokimov 32.24, 31. Kyle Desrosiers 36.34, 33. Josh Cutter 36.39, 36. Bowie Suen 36.62, 38. Edward Kon 36.76, 43. William Perry 38.29; Open, 1. Leonardo Martins, SOFLO 30.09; SOFLO: 2. Alex Rodriguez 30.14, 36. Brandon Goldman 34.26, 44. Jonathan Strod 35.98, best time, 48. Derek Maguire 36.92, best time.

400-meter freestyle:

Open, 1. Samuel Smiddy, AK Sharks 4:05.56; SOFLO: 5. Marc Rojas 4:08.63, 27. Austin Pillado 4:33.51.

400-meter freestyle relay:

1.Miami Swimming 3:37.11, 9. SOFLO “A” 3:43.36 (Alex Rodriguez, Carlo Morante, Marc Rojas, Keegan Boisson-Yates), 20. SOFLO “B” 3:54.61 (Ben Fruitman, Jacob Walters, Ivan Parada, David Stoddard).

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

 http://www.swim4soflo.com

Coral Springs Swim Club Hosts FGC Senior Championships This Weekend

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

July 25, 2012

With the excitement of the London Olympics in the air, the Florida Gold Coast Senior Long Course Championships will have a little extra kick to it.

The three-day meet begins Friday and will be hosted by the Coral Springs Swim Club at Coral Springs Aquatic Complex, training site for SOFLO three-time Olympians Arlene Semeco and Vlad Polyakov who will be competing in London.

The field features some of South Florida’s top age group swimmers.

SOFLO’s Caroline Kuczynski and Melissa Marinheiro head SOFLO’s 58-swimmer contingent.

Marinheiro, 15, is the top seed in the 15-16 200-meter freestyle (2:07.51). Marinheiro recently qualified for next month’s Speedo Junior Nationals in Indianapolis.

Kuczynski, 21, is the top seed in the open 100-meter butterfly (59.65) and seeded second in the 50 butterfly (27.45). Kuczynski, who is entered in seven events, is coming off a gold medal performance at last weekend’s Summer Nationals in Canada.

Among other top SOFLO swimmers entered are:

Marcella Marinheiro, 17, seeded second in the 200 backstroke (2:19.66).

Emma Lincoln, 16, seeded second in the 100-meter freestyle (59.03).

Brandon Goldman, 17, seeded second in the 50-meter backstroke (28.35). Goldman is also preparing for the upcoming junior nationals.

Zuhayr Pigot, 15, of Metro Aquatics and Doral Academy will compete while his sister, Chinyere, 19, and brother Diguan, 18, will swim in London for Suriname. Chinyere was voted to carry the country’s flag in Friday night’s Opening Ceremonies. The family, since moving to South Florida six years ago, trains with Kirk Peppas at Metro Aquatics.

Other SOFLO swimmers qualified for the meet are:

The girls are Kaitlin Armstrong, 16; Kristina Brennan, 16; Leysha Caraballo, 15; Danielle Ginzburg, 14; Kylie Herman, 15; Amber Hunter, 16; Daniela Jimenez, 17; Evelin Jimenez, 17; Emily Jurich, 15; Kelly Kealty, 15; Anne Kuczynski, 17; Rachel Ling, 17; Maria Lopez, 16; Bianca Muniz, 20; Astrid Rigau, 16; Kennedy Sanes, 16; Lindsey Sauer, 15; Selina Voelkel, 16; Rebecca Wilkerson, 15; and Haley Wright, 15.

The boys are Brian Arnaud, 18; Xavier Brown, 17; Roger Capote, 16; Ryan Capote, 14; August Charni, 15; Jordan Colon, 15; Joshua Coote, 16; Joshua Cutter, 16; Kyle Desrosiers, 16; Ilya Evdokimov, 16; Ben Fruitman, 17; Matthew Gonzalez, 17; Mauricio Hidalgo, 18; Edward Kon, 16; Derek Maguire, 18; Carlo Morante, 19; Ivan Parada, 17; William Perry, 16; Bryce Pierce, 16; Austin Pillado, 17; Fernando Quintero, 15; Jonathan Rivas, 15; Marc Rojas, 18; Juan Saldana, 15; Diego Sanguinetti, 21; Julio Simon, 20; David Stoddard, 15; Jonathan Strod, 13; Bowie Suen, 16; Brendan Teeters, 15; and Jacob Walters, 16. 

Other top teams competing are St. Andrew’s Swimming, Pine Crest, Metro Aquatics and Davie Nadadores.

IF YOU GO

What: Florida Gold Coast Senior Long Course Championships

When: Friday-Sunday

Where: Coral Springs Aquatic Complex, 12441 Royal Palm Blvd.

Schedule: Friday, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. prelims, 5-7:47 p.m. finals; Saturday, 8:30 a.m.-noon prelims, 5-8:14 p.m. finals; Sunday, 8:30 a.m.-1:49 p.m. prelims, 5-7:49 p.m. finals.

Admission: $3 per session, $3 heat sheets. For information call 954-345-2121.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

 http://www.swim4soflo.com