Florida Gold Coast Junior Olympic Championships – South Florida Aquatic Club's Blog

Christie Ann Lumsden, Guillermo Mantilla Lead SOFLO On Day Two Of Junior Olympics

By Sharon Robb
CORAL SPRINGS, March 11, 2022—Guillermo Mantilla and Christie Ann Lumsden came up big for South Florida Aquatic Club on Day Two of the Florida Gold Coast 14-and-Under Junior Olympics Championships Friday at Coral Springs Aquatic Complex.

Mantilla, 10, was a double winner. He won the 10-and-under 100-yard backstroke in a best time 1:08.56 with a time drop of 6.29 and 200-yard individual medley in 2:29.92. Mantilla leads the 10-and-under high point standings with 38 points.

Lumsden, 10, won the 100-yard breaststroke in a best time 1:18.43, dropping 3.26 off her previous best. She was also fourth in the 200 IM in 2:40.68, also a best time with a time drop of 6.83. She also anchored SOFLO’s seventh place 200-yard freestyle relay. She was ninth in the 50-yard freestyle in a best time 29.59 with a time drop 1.18. Lumsden is third among high point scorers with 20 points.

SOFLO’s 13-14 girls 400-yard freestyle relay was third in 3:43.03 with Amanda Grubbs, Jenesys Amores, Elise Dinehart and Katelyn Gembicki.

SOFLO’s 10-and-under boys were fourth in the 200-yard freestyle relay in 2:05.02 with Zachary Snigur, Toma Petkov, Ethan Phan and Mantilla.

SOFLO’s 11-12 400-yard freestyle was fourth in 3:53.97 with Connor Jimenez, Ryan Harries, Ethan Hall and Maximiliano Remmele.

The race for team titles is going to be a close one over the next two days. South Florida Aquatic Club is second in the combined (284) and girls team standings (127) behind St. Andrew’s Aquatics and is tied with St. Andrew’s for the lead in the boys team standings(157).

SOFLO qualified 59 swimmers for the second consecutive year. Thirty-one boys and 28 girls are competing in 285 individual events and relays.

SOFLO’s 14-year-olds making their final JO short course appearance are Jaden Amores, Amelie Bicerne, Genesis Escobar, Katelyn Gembicki, Andres Gonzalez, Mia Guerrero, Derek Hau, Benjamin Kim, Tania Mantilla, Isabella Montes, Abraham Penaloza, Mariana Pinto, Carlos Rincon, Felipe Rodriguez and Sarah Vasquez.

The top six finishers in each JO event qualify for the Florida Gold Coast All-Star team.

FRIDAY RESULTS
COMBINED TEAM TOTALS: 1. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 329, 2. South Florida Aquatic Club 284, 3. Metro Aquatics 280, 4. Jupiter Dragons 182.50, 5. Wahoos of Wellington 164.50, 6. Coral Springs 151, 7. Midtown Weston 144, 8. North Palm Beach 87, 9. Gulliver 78, 10. Blue Marlins of Hialeah Garden 76.

GIRLS TEAM TOTALS: 1. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 172, 2. SOFLO 127, 3. Metro Aquatics 125, 4. Wahoos of Wellington 114.5, 5. Jupiter Dragons 111.5.

BOYS TEAM TOTALS: 1. tie, SOFLO, St. Andrew’s Aquatics 157, 3. Metro Aquatics 155, 4. tie, Midtown Weston Aquatics, Jupiter Dragons 71.

GIRLS
100-yard backstroke:
10-and-under, 1. Penelope Lopez-Casula, EA 1:06.60, 2. Gia Euseppi, NPB 1:07.99, 3. Jilliam Henriques, PST 1:09.59.
11-12, 1. Allison Kelly, JDST 1:03.96, 2. Ava Wolfe, MWA 1:03.96, 3. Madison Abinuman, WOW 1:06.13; SOFLO: 7. Sofia Gomez 1:07.15, 12. Laila Harran 1:06.62, time drop 2.70, 16. Rose Seniuk 1:09.22, time drop 2.97.
13-14, 1. Gioia Balzano, EA 56.28, 2. Samantha Schoenborn, SAS 57.52, 3. Allyson Lake, TSA 59.18; SOFLO: 10. Jenesys Amores 1:02.19, 15. Mia Guerrero 1:02.75, 19. Lydia Smutny 1:03.88.

100-yard breaststroke:
10-and-under, 1. Christie Ann Lumsden, SOFLO 1:18.43, time drop 3.26, 2. Nikolina Dengerud, WOW 1:23.94, 3. Eva Milevska, MWA 1:24.55; SOFLO: 8. Valentina Remmele 1:34.89.
11-12, 1. Tessa Broedell JDST 1:10.65, 2. Layla Bleakley, NPB 1:11.34, 3. Manuella Lima, CSSC 1:12.09; SOFLO: 17. Gianna Martin 1:19.79.
13-14, 1. Sofia Jorge, MAC 1:06.31, 2. Elyse Wood, GRSC 1:06.35, 3. Isabel Viera, MAC 1:06.65; SOFLO: 10. Elise Dinehart 1:11.06, time drop 2.52, 19. Ainsley Miller 1:14.31.

50-yard freestyle:
10-and-under, 1. Penelope Lopez-Casula, EA 25.62, 2. Kira Perry, SUN 26.42, 3. Thereza Milano, GRSC 27.88; SOFLO: 9. Christie Ann Lumsden 29.59, time drop 1.18.
11-12, 1. Allison Kelly, JDST 25.05, 2. Veronica Metz, WOW 25.19, 3. Ava Wolfe, MWA 25.52; SOFLO: 7. Laila Harran 26.56.
13-14, 1. Sofia Jorge, MAC 23.72, 2. Gioia Balzano, EA 23.75, 3. Anais Gedeon, SFTL 23.98; SOFLO: 7. Katelyn Gembicki 25.05, 20. Amanda Grubbs 26.17.

200-yard individual medley:
10-and-under, 1. Gia Euseppi, NPB 2:32.32, 2. Wendy La Pietra, SAS 2:33.17, 3. Camila Correa, MAC 2:34.73; SOFLO: 4. Christie Ann Lumsden 2:40.68, time drop 6.83.
11-12, 1. Zoe Schnoeller, SFTL 2:15.84, 2. Manuella Lima, CSSC 2:21.59, 3. Alexandria Cogle, JDST 2:21.87; SOFLO: 8. Mackenzie McPherson 2:26.72, 11. Jemma Baldwin 2:26.57, time drop 1.84, 15. Saree Young 2:31.11.

400-yard individual medley:
13-14, 1. Samantha Schoenborn, SAS 4:32.86, 2. Isabel Viera 4:38.72, 3. Paola Negrin, MAC 4:41.36; SOFLO: 6. Elise Dinehart 4:45.47, time drop 3.13, 9. Sarah Vasquez 4:49.80, time drop 7.45, 10. Lydia Smutny 4:50.61, time drop 3.39, 16. Amanda Grubbs 4:56.36.

200-yard freestyle relay:
10-and-under, 1. Sunrise Swimming 2:00.49, 2. St. Andrew’s 2:02.94, 3. Coral Springs 2:03.06, 7. SOFLO 2:07.32 (Valentina Remmele, Sophia Rodriguez, Joanna Valdiviezo, Christie Ann Lumsden).

400-yard freestyle relay:
11-12, 1. Wahoos of Wellington, 3:49.64, 2. Jupiter Dragons 3:49.73, 3. Ransom Everglades 3:57.46, 7. SOFLO 4:02.36 (Laila Harran, Mackenzie McPherson, Sofia Gomez, Jemma Baldwin).
13-14, 1. Metro Aquatics 3:35.00, 2. St. Andrew’s 3:36.61, 3. SOFLO A 3:43.03 (Amanda Grubbs, Jenesys Amores, Elise Dinehart, Katelyn Gembicki), 9. SOFLO B 3:52.17 (Mia Guerrero, Amelia Bicerne, Sarah Vasquez, Lydia Smutny).

BOYS
100-yard backstroke:
10-and-under, 1. Guillermo Mantilla, SOFLO 1:08.56, time drop 6.29, 2. Jeancarlos Vasquez, CM 1:09.40, 3. Luke Reid, SAS 1:11.06.
11-12, 1. Duy Vuong, JDST 1:00.68, 2. Aaron McQueeney, FAST 1:01.87, 3. Maximiliano Remmele, SOFLO 1:02.39, time drop 0.31; SOFLO: 4. Connor Jimenez 1:02.43, time drop 1.64, 13. Ethan Hall 1:07.60, time drop 0.98, 17. Noah Mejias 1:08.31, time drop 1.24, 20. David Valdiviezo 1:10.07.
13-14, 1. Anthony Pineiro, MAC 51.61, 2. Andy Serrano-Pena, RANS 53.29, 3. Lucas Young, CANE 54.61; SOFLO: 4. Jaden Amores 55.37, time drop 2.05, 11. Derek Hau 55.10, time drop 3.36.

100-yard breaststroke:
10-and-under, 1. Jayden Park, MWA 1:13.63, 2. Eric Macedo, GRSC 1:20.71, 3. Luke Reid, SAS 1:21.70; SOFLO: 8. Toma Petkov 1:28.05, time drop 2.92.
11-12, 1. Bradley Dipaolo, UN 1:09.32, 2. Jesus Linares, MAC 1:09.57, 3. Brandon Park, MWA 1:11.27; SOFLO: 6. Joseph Blake-Natino 1:12.70, time drop 3.34, 13. Martin Petkov 1:16.69, time drop 4.89, 15. Noah Mejias 1:17.04, time drop 1.85.
13-14, 1. George Gonzalez, MAC 58.08, 2. Lucas Young, CANE 59.71, 3. Lucas Franchak, CANE 59.94; SOFLO: 5. Derek Hau 1:00.77, time drop 2.25, 12. Felipe Rodriguez 1:04.16.

50-yard freestyle:
10-and-under, 1. Christopher Chaison, MWA 26.86, 2. Jayden Park, MWA 27.15, 3. Guillermo Mantilla, SOFLO 27.24.
11-12, 1. Brian Hamilton, CSSC 23.49, 2. Roger Moscote, MWA 23.99, 3. Aaron McQueeney, FAST 24.28; SOFLO: 10. Ethan Hall 26.64.
13-14, 1. George Gonzalez, MAC 21.65, 2. Miles Green, TSA 21.88, 3. Alfredo Dominguez, BMHG 22.01.

200-yard individual medley:
10-and-under, 1. Guillermo Mantilla, SOFLO 2:29.92, 2. Rainier Leyva Riestra, BMHG 2:31.11, 3. Luke Reid, SAS 2:32.69.

11-12, 1. Becket Menacho, PB 2:14.35, 2. Caleb Caponera, SAS 2:15.65, 3. Frank Vincze, SF 2:15.96; SOFLO: 4. Connor Jimenez 2:18.14, time drop 1.05, 7. Maximiliano Remmele 2:19.62, 11. Ryan Harries 2:22.66, time drop 5.46, 13. Ethan Hall 2:24.63, 18. David Valdiviezo 2:30.55.

400-yard individual medley:
13-14, 1. Anthony Pineiro, MAC 4:08.21, 2. Sebastian Guio, HAT 4:16.57, 3. Gabriel Navarro, NMST 4:17.87.

200-yard freestyle relay:
10-and-under, 1. Blue Marlins 1:58.64, 2. St. Andrew’s 2:00.25, 3. Metro Aquatics 2:00.99, 4. SOFLO A 2:05.02 (Zachary Snigur, Toma Petkov, Ethan Phan, Guillermo Mantilla).

400-yard freestyle relay:
11-12, 1. St. Andrew’s 3:51.37, 2. Coral Springs 3:51.94, 3. Jupiter 3:53.79, 4. SOFLO A 3:53.97 (Connor Jimenez, Ryan Harries, Ethan Hall, Maximiliano Remmele), 10. SOFLO B 4:07.79 (Joseph Blake-Natino, Noah Mejias, Martin Petkov, Eric Ferrer).
13-14, 1. Metro Aquatics 3:16.37, 2. Ransom Everglades 3:19.41, 3. Wahoos of Wellington 3:19.42, 7. SOFLO A 3:27.58 (Jaden Amores, Carlos Rincon, Felipe Rodriguez, Derek Hau), 12. SOFLO B 3:34.60 (Tristan Dons, Mason Jimenez, Andres Gonzalez, Juan Vallmitjana).

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

South Florida Aquatic Club Defends Florida Gold Coast Junior Olympics Team Title For Fourth Year

By Sharon Robb

March 9, 2014

It takes a village to build swim champions, in and out of the pool, from the coaches, swim office staff, parents and booster club.

So it was no surprise when South Florida Aquatic Club won the combined team title at the Florida Gold Coast 14&Under Junior Olympics for the fourth time on Sunday, SOFLO head coach Chris Anderson made it a point to praise the entire SOFLO family.

“It’s something I don’t think people understand what it takes and how many people it takes to accomplish what we do,” the veteran coach said.

“It’s not just coaching in a kid-driven sport that leads to our success,” Anderson said. “It’s the behind-the-scenes people that help prepare our athletes to perform on a daily level at practice. As long as we keep that up we will be successful. We really provide a total package which is why we come out winners and champions at the end of these meets.”

SOFLO was very successful dominating the three-day meet at the Michael Lohberg Pool of Champions in Coral Springs with 1,165.50 points.

SOFLO was the only team to break the 1,000-point barrier. Their closest rival was Metro Aquatics, runner-up with 617.50 points.

SOFLO relied on its depth and talent to add another chapter in their history book.

Anderson stressed SOFLO’s total team effort from each and every swimmer.

“It was a great overall team experience,” Anderson said. “The bottom half of our age groups swam up to be successful. I can’t stress enough that the sixth, seventh and eighth place swimmers swam up to their potential. What our “B” relays did for this meet definitely put us over the top.”

As three-time defending champions, SOFLO swimmers and coaches knew there was a target on their backs before the meet even started.

“It’s a lot more difficult to duplicate when people are gunning for us,” Anderson said. “We still find a way to rise to the challenge due to the excellence of our coaching staff. They get kids to perform when they are under pressure.

“We had some great swims individually like the Goldings, Rafael and C.J., but we also had at least 50 to 100 great swims individually in their own right. The tradition we are instilling in these athletes that they need to step up and do the right things is what they are doing and what they did in this meet. It was such a great combined effort.”

The team spirit was at an all-time high, cheering every day for teammates. SOFLO swimmers wore new white and light blue caps with Junior Olympic Team inscribed on them.

“They definitely were very social about the meet and enjoyed it,” Anderson said. “They loved accepting the awards.”

Molly Golding, 10, was third among high point girls rankings in her age group.

“I am really happy, it was really fun, every single day we did cheers,” said Golding, who made her JO debut. “Just seeing all these kids and swimming against them made it fun. I was happiest with my 100 breaststroke, that was my best race. The competition was pretty hard but I definitely worked really hard. I am tired but I can’t wait to get back in the pool.”

Big sister Kathleen Golding, 13, won the 13-14 high point age group award. Golding won the 200-yard individual medley in a best time 2:05.43 and 100-yard freestyle in a best time 51.73.

While the older SOFLO swimmers are training for Senior Championships, the JO kids will get Monday afternoon off, Anderson said.

Workhorse Rafael Rodriguez, 12, won his age group high point award. Rodriguez finished well by winning the 1,650-yard freestyle in a best time 16:57.13 and 200-yard individual medley in 2:07.79, another best time.

“I am really happy with my meet,” Rodriguez said. “I dropped time and I felt good in the water. This is my best JOs, I lowered all my times. All our relays did pretty good. It feels really cool to be on SOFLO. We have a lot of team spirit and we all support each other.”

C.J. Kopecki, 14, competing in his final JO short course meet, was third in high point. He finished with a second place in the 1,650-yard freestyle in a best time 16:27.93 and won the 200-yard butterfly in a best time 1:57.15. It was his best JO meet of his career that started in the lessons program with the SOFLO/Comets.

“This is our first generation of champions that have come up through our lessons program,” Anderson said. “It’s nice to see our kids grow from grass roots to high point swimmers. That is quite a feat for our entire staff.”

SOFLO’s “A” relay of C.J. Kopecki, Kevin Porto, Esteban Diaz-Velasco and Ervin Marin, all 14-year-olds competing in their final JO short course meet, won the 400-yard freestyle relay in 3:23.40.

DAY THREE SUNDAY RESULTS

COMBINED TEAM TOTALS: 1. South Florida Aquatic Club 1,165.50, 2. Metro Aquatics 617.50, 3. Pine Crest Swimming 608.50, 4. Azura Florida Aquatic 584.50, 5. North Palm Beach 439, 6. City of Hialeah 337, 7. Jupiter Dragons 332, 8. Coral Springs Swim Club 324, 9. Lake Lytal Lightning 311.50, 10. East Coast Aquatic Club 284, 11. St. Andrew’s Swimming 238, 12. Miami-Dade County Aquatic Club 235.50, 13. Pompano Beach 216, 14. Blue Marlins 198, 15. Swim Fort Lauderdale 195, 16. Gulliver Swim Club 168, 17. Wahoos of Wellington 152.50, 18. FLA Aquatics 117.50, 19. Rockway 113, 20. Miami Swimming 98.

SOFLO HIGH POINT FINISHERS

GIRLS

10-and-under, 3. Molly Golding 67, 15. Sara Quintero 16, 17. Kayla Cunningham 13; 11-12, 8. Vanessa Mesa 39, 13. Annita Huang 24, 15. Marianna Serrao 23; 13-14, 1. Kathleen Golding 75, 7. Kelley Heron 40, 16. Delanie Perez 22.

BOYS

10-and-under, 5. Nicolas Rossi 45.50; 11-12, 1. Rafael Rodriguez 75, 9. Gabriel Segui 41, 11. Leonardo Mateus 39, 17. Brandon Moran 25; 13-14, 3. C.J. Kopecki 68, 7. Ervin Marin 40, 13. Kevin Porto 23.

TEAM AGE GROUP RANKINGS

GIRLS

10-and-under, 1. East Coast Aquatic Club 134, 2. SOFLO 96, 3. Jupiter 90; 11-12, 1. Pine Crest 149.50, 2. Metro Aquatics 132.50, 3. SOFLO 124; 13-14, 1. Pine Crest 145, 2. SOFLO 139, 3. Lake Lytal 92.

BOYS

10-and-under, 1. Jupiter 94, 2. Gulliver 79, 3. Hialeah 51.50, 4. SOFLO 45.50; 11-12, 1. SOFLO 183, 2. Azura 174, 3. Hialeah 105; 13-14, 1. SOFLO 160, 2. Azura 124, 3. Miami Dade 119.50.

GIRLS

200-yard freestyle relay:

11-12, 1. Pine Crest 1:44.43, 2. SOFLO “A” 1:45.04 (Annita Huang, Marianna Serrao, Elise Larin, Vanessa Mesa), 9. SOFLO “B” 1:52.34 (Kyana Castro, Anabel Vazquez, Katrina Del Vecchio, Isabella Si Salvo).

400-yard freestyle relay:

13-14, 1. Pine Crest Swimming 3:38.29; 2. SOFLO “A” 3:42.72 (Kelley Heron, Andrea Pereira, Liz Travieso, Kathleen Golding), 15. SOFLO “B” 3:58.89 (Abolade Oyetunji, Jennifer Rodriguez, Katherine DeBarros, Delanie Perez).

1,650-yard freestyle:

11-12, 1. Violeta Tumolo, Swim Fort Lauderdale 18:44.51; SOFLO: 5. Kyana Castro 19:03.85, 6. Marianna Serrao 19:06.97, 8. Annita Huang 19:17.35, 10. Michelle Marinheiro 19:41.32, 15. Elise Larin 20:43.94; 13-14, 1. Jenna Pisani, Lake Lytal Lightning 17:39.91.

200-yard individual medley:

10-and-under, 1. Madelyn Hebert, East Coast Aquatics 2:25.65; SOFLO: 2. Molly Golding 2:28.79; 11-12, 1. Andrea Santander, Unattached 2:09.99; SOFLO: 5. Vanessa Mesa 2:18.91; 13-14, 1. Kathleen Golding, SOFLO 2:05.43; SOFLO: 3. Kelley Heron 2:12.53, 10. Delanie Perez 2:18.42.

50-yard backstroke:

10-and-under, 1. Ana Kondratovitch, Unattached 31.50; SOFLO: 7. Kayla Cunningham 33.70; 11-12, 1. Sarah Abril, Metro Aquatics 29.15; 13-14, 1. Melannie Vargas, Miami-Dade County 27.60; SOFLO: 5. Kelley Heron 29.07, 10. Liz Travieso 29.72.

50-yard breaststroke:

10-and-under, 1. Madelyn Hebert, East Coast Aquatics 34.55; SOFLO: 2. Molly Golding 36.71; 11-12, 1. Savannah Yates, Pine Crest Swimming 32.29; SOFLO: 4. Elise Larin 33.12; 13-14, 1. Tiffany Korb, St. Andrew’s Swimming 31.92; SOFLO: 5. Kelley Heron 32.70, 7. Delanie Perez 32.86.

200-yard butterfly:

11-12, 1. Alexandra Meszaros, Pine Crest 2:13.99; 13-14, 1. Jessica Nava, Pine Crest Swimming 2:05.26; SOFLO: 8. Delanie Perez 2:15.54.

100-yard freestyle:

10-and-under, 1. Megan Murphy, East Coast Aquatics 1:00.14; SOFLO: 3. Molly Golding 1:01.87; 11-12, 1. Andrea Santander, Unattached 52.48; SOFLO; 4. Vanessa Mesa 55.37, 7. Marianna Serrao 56.95; 13-14, 1. Kathleen Golding, SOFLO 51.73.

BOYS

200-yard freestyle relay:

11-12, 1. Metro Aquatics 1:42.36, 2. SOFLO “A” 1:43.64 (Gabriel Segui, Michael Arias, Leonardo Mateus, Rafael Rodriguez), 15. SOFLO “B” 1:55.02 (Sebastian Sevilla, Sebastian Sierra, Derek Tom, Brandon Moran).

400-yard freestyle relay:

13-14, 1. SOFLO “A” 3:23.40 (C.J. Kopecki, Kevin Porto, Esteban Diaz-Velasco, Ervin Marin), 7. SOFLO “B” 3:35.01 (Bruno Berti, Tyler Gibson, Juan Osorio, Matthew Menocal).

1,650-yard freestyle:

11-12, 1. Rafael Rodriguez, SOFLO 16:57.13; SOFLO: 3. Leonardo Mateus 17:45.41, 15. Sebastian Sierra 20:15.78; 13-14, 1. Nicholas Sharp, St. Andrew’s 16:15.88; SOFLO: 2. C.J. Kopecki 16:27.93, 3. Ricardo Roche 17:02.69, 5. Kevin Porto 17:10.25, 12. Matthew Menocal 17:47.18.

200-yard individual medley:

10-and-under, 1. Josh Zuchowski, Jupiter 2:25.53; SOFLO: 5. Nicolas Rossi 2:32.66; 11-12, 1. Rafael Rodriguez, SOFLO 2:07.79; SOFLO: 6. Leonardo Mateus 2:15.96; 13-14, 1. Alberto Gomez, Miami-Dade 1:56.84; SOFLO: 4. Ervin Marin 2:02.14.

50-yard backstroke:

10-and-under, 1. Josh Zuchowski, Jupiter 31.37; 11-12, 1. Aaron Rodriguez, Hialeah 27.63; SOFLO: 9. Leonardo Mateus 30.72; 13-14, 1. Nicholas Sharp, St. Andrew’s Swimming 24.54; SOFLO: 6. Esteban Diaz-Velasco 27.01, 9. Kevin Porto 27.49.

50-yard breaststroke:

10-and-under, 1. Victor Valdes, Hialeah 34.43; 11-12, 1. Matthew Petreski, Pine Crest Swimming 30.26; SOFLO: 7. Brandon Moran 33.64; 13-14, 1. Francisco Cantu, Azura 29.07.

200-yard butterfly:

11-12, 1. John Torres, Rockway 2:09.00; SOFLO: 3. Gabriel Segui 2:18.54, 5. Brandon Moran 2:25.30, 8. Sebastian Sierra 2:33.28; 13-14, 1. C.J. Kopecki, SOFLO 1:57.15; SOFLO: 3. Ervin Marin 2:01.71.

100-yard freestyle:

10-and-under, 1. Max Cope, Gulliver 58.87; SOFLO: 4. Nicolas Rossi 1:00.13; 11-12, 1. Mattheus Santos, Pompano Beach 52.35; 13-14, 1. Philip Marcoux, Swim Fort Lauderdale 48.70; SOFLO: 3. C.J. Kopecki 49.35.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Meet organizers did not post boys and girls team totals.

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

Kopecki, SOFLO Teammates Shine On Day One Of Florida Gold Coast Junior Olympics

By Sharon Robb

March 7, 2014

Three-time defending champion South Florida Aquatic Club turned in some outstanding swims on the opening day of the Florida Gold Coast 14&Under Short Course Junior Olympics at the Michael Lohberg Pool of Champions in Coral Springs.

No one was more impressive than C.J. Kopecki, 14, making his final appearance in the short course meet.

Kopecki, hoping to leave a lasting impression before he ages-up, did just that on a chilly Friday night, particularly in the 500-yard freestyle.

Kopecki won the distance event in a career-best time 4:41.91, dropping from 4:48.06 and knocking off rival Alberto Gomez, 14, of Miami-Dade, who finished in 4:42.35.

Kopecki led a SOFLO boys sweep in the 500. Nicolas Rossi, 10, won the 10-and-under title in 5:41.73. Rafael Rodriguez, 12, won the 11-12 race in a best time 5:00.26, dropping from 5:07.13.

“I am really happy,” Kopecki said. “I didn’t think I would go that fast. The amount of time I dropped was crazy. I felt great in the water.

“Our team being defending champion does motivate me a lot,” Kopecki said. “I love competition especially when someone is next to me, it makes me go faster. I was swimming next to Alberto the whole time. It made me go a lot faster. I always wanted to beat him.”

Kopecki said he and his SOFLO teammates have been training hard and working on technique.

“I thought about this being my last JOs coming into the meet and I really wanted to do well,” Kopecki said. “The team is really psyched about this meet.”

Kopecki had several other good swims. He anchored the second place 200-yard freestyle relay; won the 100-yard butterfly in 54.35 after qualifying in 54.01; and anchored the winning 800-yard freestyle relay.

“My confidence is high but it’s always high,” Kopecki said. “I believe I can do great things. My confidence is higher now because I just had an amazing first day. I hope to carry this momentum into the second and third day.

“All the training is worth it…all the countless hours in the pool, this is what it’s all about, nights like this. I had random people coming up to me I didn’t know congratulating me after the 500. It was just a great feeling.”

Also in the 500 freestyle, SOFLO’s Leonardo Mateus moved from ninth to fourth place in the finals to finish in 5:11.52 and qualify for the All-Star team.

It was a total team effort on opening night for SOFLO, showing off its depth and talent, from individual champions to and “B” relay swimmers scoring points.

SOFLO individual champions were:

Molly Golding, 10, 100-yard breaststroke, 1:16.29 and 500-yard freestyle, 5:48.10.

Kathleen Golding, 13, 100-yard breaststroke, 1:07.16 and 500-yard freestyle, 4:58.17.

Rafael Rodriguez, 12, 100-yard butterfly, 58.75 and 100-yard individual medley, 1:00.47.

SOFLO swept the 13-14 girls and boys 800-yard freestyle relay events. The girls team of Kelley Heron, Andrea Pereira, Kathleen Golding and Delanie Perez won in 7:59.94. The boys team of Ervin Marin, Kevin Porto, Esteban Diaz-Velasco and CJ Kopecki won in 7:20.57.

SOFLO head coach Chris Anderson said the middle distance and distance swimmers “did a heck of a job tonight. To win nearly all of the 500s is phenomenal.

“We anticipated those time drops,” Anderson said. “It looks like our boys are starting to come together as one and that’s promising. They are beginning to realize that the “B” relay is just as important as the “A” relay and moving up from tenth to seventh is important, too. Every point counts especially in a championship meet.

“We are where we want to be,” Anderson said. “We are an age group developmental program and we have depth and I think it shows.

“This is one of the better JOS. It looks like a lot of teams have prepared themselves for this meet. I hope we are strong enough to continue this. It will be interesting how it plays out on Sunday.”

The top six swimmers in each individual event automatically qualify for the FGC All-Stars team that will compete in a dual meet against Florida Swimming All-Stars on April 5-6 at Indian River State College.

The three-day meet continues on Saturday with prelims and finals.

DAY ONE FRIDAY RESULTS

GIRLS

200-yard freestyle relay:

13-14, 1. Pine Crest 1:41.02, 2. SOFLO “A” 1:42.24 (Kelley Heron, Liz Travieso, Kathleen Golding, Andrea Pereira), 17. SOFLO “B” 1:51.30 (Jennifer Rodriguez, Katherine DeBarros, Delanie Perez, Abolade Oyetunji).

200-yard backstroke:

11-12, 1. Madison Cummings, East Coast Aquatics 2:15.35; SOFLO: 4. Annita Huang 2:20.51, 5. Isabella DiSalvo 2:22.02, 9. Kyana Castro 2:26.58; 13-14, 1. Jessica Nava, PC 2:05.63; SOFLO: 4. Kelley Heron 2:10.06.

50-yard freestyle:

10-and-under, 1. Madelyn Hebert, East Coast Aquatics 27.32; 11-12, 1. Andrea Santander, Unattached 23.95; SOFLO: 4. Vanessa Mesa 25.88; 13-14, 1. Jenna Pisani, Lake Lytal Lightning 24.44.

100-yard breaststroke:

10-and-under, 1. Molly Golding, SOFLO 1:16.29; 11-12, 1. Savannah Yates, PC 1:10.24; SOFLO: 2. Elise Larin 1:11.55, 10. Mariann Serrao 1:14.85; 13-14, 1. Kathleen Golding, SOFLO 1:07.16; SOFLO: 4. Kelley Heron 1:10.01, 7. Delanie Perez 1:11.17.

100-yard butterfly:

10-and-under, 1. A. Kondratovitch, Unattached 1:05.68; SOFLO: 4. Sara Quintero 1:11.17, 9. Kayla Cunningham 1:15.61; 11-12, 1. Alex Meszaros, PC 59.16; SOFLO: 8. Vanessa Mesa 1:05.42; 13-14, 1. Jessica Nava, PC 56.71; SOFLO: 2. Kathleen Golding 56.86.

100-yard individual medley:

10-and-under, 1. Madelyn Hebert, East Coast Aquatics 1:08.39; SOFLO: 3. Molly Golding 1:10.31; 11-12, 1. Andrea Santander, Unattached 1:00.95; SOFLO: 7. Mariann Serrao 1:07.03, 10. Elise Larin 1:08.42.

500-yard freestyle:

10-and-under, 1. Molly Golding, SOFLO 5:48.10; SOFLO: 6. Sara Quintero 6:02.25, 14. Sally Golding 6:31.44; 11-12, 1. Juliana Talamo, MAC 5:18.11; SOFLO: 2. Vanessa Mesa 5:21.60, 7. Marianna Serrao, 5:30.29, 9. Annita Huang 5:30.90, 14. Michelle Marinheiro 5:47.24; 13-14, 1. Kathleen Golding, SOFLO 4:58.17.

400-yard freestyle relay:

11-12, 1. Pine Crest 3:46.82, 2. SOFLO “A” (Annita Huang, Marianna Serrao, Isabella Di Salvo, Vanessa Mesa), 3:50.61, 7. SOFLO “B” (Elise Larin, Anabel Vazquez, Michelle Marinheiro, Kyana Castro) 4:00.88.

800-yard freestyle relay:

13-14, 1. SOFLO “A” 7:59.54 (Kelley Heron, Andrea Pereira, Kathleen Golding, Delanie Perez), 12. SOFLO “B” 8:42.23 (Katherine DeBarros, Alexandra Crespo, Jennifer Rodriguez, Abolade Oyetunji).

BOYS

200-yard freestyle relay:

13-14, 1. St. Andrew’s Swimming 1:33.19, 2. SOFLO “A” 1:33.56 (Bruno Berti, Kevin Porto, Ervin Marin, CJ Kopecki), 13. SOFLO “B” 1:40.06 (Matthew Menocal, Christopher Sanchez, Juan Osorio, Esteban Diaz-Velasco).

200-yard backstroke:

11-12, 1. Elvis Kotikovski, Azura 2:06.04; SOFLO: 4. Leonardo Mateus 2:14.74, 6. Gabriel Segui 2:17.48; 13-14, 1. Nicholas Sharp, SAS 1:54.57; SOFLO: 4. Kevin Porto 2:02.13, 5. E. Diaz-Velasco 2:02.76, 7. Ricardo Roche 2:05.83.

50-yard freestyle:

10-and-under, 1. Varis Monroe, NPB 26.84; SOFLO: 4. Nicolas Rossi 28.72; 11-12, 1. Mattheus Santos, PB 24.30; 13-14, 1. Adrian Aguilar, MAC 22.93.

100-yard breaststroke:

10-and-under, 1. Victor Valdes, Hialeah 1:15.32; 11-12, 1. Matthew Petreski, PC 1:05.07; SOFLO: 3. Gabriel Segui 1:11.13, 6. Brandon Moran 1:13.20; 13-14, 1. Alberto Gomez, Miami Dade 1:02.25; SOFLO: 7. Ervin Marin 1:05.20.

100-yard butterfly:

10-and-under, 1. Max Cope, Gulliver 1:06.33; 11-12, 1. Rafael Rodriguez, SOFLO 58.75; SOFLO: 7. Gabriel Segui 1:02.28; 13-14, 1. CJ Kopecki, SOFLO 54.35; SOFLO: 3. Ervin Marin 55.85.

100-yard individual medley:

10-and-under, 1. Josh Zuchowski, Jupiter 1:09.67; 11-12, 1. Rafael Rodriguez, SOFLO 1:00.47; SOFLO: 10. Brandon Moran 1:09.48.

500-yard freestyle:

10-and-under, 1. Nicolas Rossi, SOFLO 5:41.73; SOFLO: 17. Alex Golding 6:43.02; 11-12, 1. Rafael Rodriguez, SOFLO 5:00.26; SOFLO: 4. Leonardo Mateus 5:11.52; 13-14, 1. CJ Kopecki, SOFLO 4:41.92; SOFLO: 8. Kevin Porto 4:56.12.

400-yard freestyle relay:

11-12, 1. Azura 3:40.90; 4. SOFLO “A” 3:47.82 (Leonardo Mateus, Gabriel Segui, Brandon Moran, Rafael Rodriguez); 9. SOFLO “B” 4:05.62 (Michael Arias, Sebastian Sevilla, Sebastian Sierra, John Paul Handal).

800-yard freestyle relay:

13-14, 1. SOFLO “A” 7:20.57 (Ervin Marin, Kevin Porto, Esteban Diaz-Velasco, CJ Kopecki), 7. SOFLO “B” 7:57.69 (Ricardo Roche, Matthew Menocal, Juan Osorio, Andres Arias).

IF YOU GO

What: Florida Gold Coast 14&Under Junior Olympics

When: Saturday-Sunday, prelims 9 a.m., finals 5 p.m.

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

Defending champions: South Florida Aquatic Club.

Admission: $3 per session, heat sheets $3 per session. For questions call 954-345-2121. Parking is free. Traffic is expected to be heavy each night because of the Our Town event being held simultaneously during the meet.

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

SOFLO Ready To Defend Its Title At This Weekend’s FGC Junior Olympics

By Sharon Robb

March 5, 2014

It’s show time.

Three-time defending champion South Florida Aquatic Club is ready for the championship season that begins Friday with the Florida Gold Coast 14&Under Junior Olympics at the Michael Lohberg Pool of Champions at the Coral Springs Aquatic Complex.

SOFLO, buoyed by depth and talent, are among the favorites going into the three-day meet.

Last year SOFLO made history by winning the combined team title for the first time in the club’s 14-year history.

SOFLO was the 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 after severing ties with Coral Springs.

“I was really excited for the coaches and office staff,” SOFLO head coach Chris Anderson said. “It showed that the SOFLO and Comets staff can produce a really good product. It was about a team coming together and working for a common goal.”

SOFLO swept through the FGC JO and Senior meets last year during the short course and long course seasons and hope to duplicate their efforts this year.

Other top FGC teams competing are Metro Aquatics, St. Andrew’s Swimming, Hialeah, Pine Crest Swimming and Azura.

Among SOFLO’s top seeds are:

Molly Golding, 10, 100-yard breaststroke, 1:20.06; 200-yard freestyle, 2:13.87.

Ervin Marin, 14, 100-yard breaststroke, 1:02.52.

CJ Kopecki, 14, 100-yard butterfly, 54.77.

Rafael Rodriguez, 12, 100-yard individual medley, 1:01.53; 200-yard individual medley, 2:09.68.

Kathleen Golding, 13, 200-yard breaststroke, 2:26.34; 200-yard individual medley, 2:07.83.

Nicolas Rossi, 10, 200-yard freestyle, 2:10.44.

The top six swimmers in each event will automatically qualify for the Florida Gold Coast All-Star team. The All-Star meet is April 5-6 at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce.

IF YOU GO

What: Florida Gold Coast 14&Under Junior Olympics

When: Friday-Sunday, prelims 9 a.m., finals 5 p.m.

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

Defending champions: South Florida Aquatic Club.

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

South Florida Aquatic Club Enjoys Another Great Year, Future Looks Bright

By Sharon Robb

December 31, 2013

After an outstanding year in 2012, South Florida Aquatic Club raised the bar even higher in 2013.

From the complete team effort SOFLO got at Winter Championships to three-time Olympian Alia Atkinson taking another huge step in the international spotlight, SOFLO earned well-deserved respect.

Buoyed by depth, talent and good coaching, SOFLO swimmers broke records, won races and dropped time throughout the short course and long course seasons.

As we ring in the New Year on Wednesday, let’s reflect on some of the highlights.

SOFLO’s top ten for 2013 were:

1.SOFLO sweeps the combined, girls and boys team titles at the 23rd annual Florida Gold Coast Speedo Winter Championships for the first time in the club’s history.

2.SOFLO is named Nike Swim Team of the Month in December.

3.SOFLO coach Chris Anderson is named Nike Swim Coach of the Month in December.

4.SOFLO’s three-time Jamaican Olympian Alia Atkinson has breakthrough international season on the FINA World Cup circuit and cashes in on her biggest payday ($136,000) winning gold, silver and bronze medals and breaking her own national records.

5.SOFLO makes history by winning Senior Championships and Junior Olympics in the same season.

6.Longtime SOFLO swimmer Marc Rojas makes first senior national cut and signs with the Florida State Seminoles.

7.SOFLO’s Tiffany Oliver wins first ACC title, makes Florida State history with a school record in the 50-yard freestyle (22.17) and two gold medals and goes on to compete at NCAA Championships.

8.SOFLO’s Julien Pinon heads overseas to compete in several international meets and training camps for France to pick up valuable international experience for the future. The American Heritage sophomore then returned in the fall to help his high school team win its first boys’ state team title.

9.SOFLO’s Melissa Marinheiro pulls off a hat trick and a half, competing at the state high school meet, junior nationals, Winter Championships and senior nationals in six weeks.

10.SOFLO defends its title at the FLA International Invitational for its first major long course season win.

Now entering its 14th year, the first ten as Comets Swim Team and fourth year as SOFLO, swimmers, coaches, Booster Club, parents and volunteers pat yourself on the back for a job well-done.

The year 2013 was an outstanding year and 2014 will shine even brighter.

Happy New Year!!!

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

SOFLO’s Melissa Marinheiro Takes Second On Opening Day Of Sectionals

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

July 18, 2013

Melissa Marinheiro of South Florida Aquatic Club swam a lifetime-best and took a silver medal Thursday night at the Speedo Champion Series Southern Zone South Sectional Championship in Orlando.

Marinheiro, 16, finished second in the 1500-meter freestyle in a lifetime-best 17:04.87 at the YMCA Aquatic Center’s indoor facility.

Her previous best was 17:10.20. SOFLO teammate Kylie Herman, 16, also swam a lifetime-best 18:22.41 dropping from 18:26.81.

“It was a good showing the first night,” SOFLO head coach Chris Anderson said. “There are a lot of good people here”

Bolles’ Ashley Neidigh won the 1500 in 17:00.59.

St. Andrew’s Swimming won the girls 200-meter medley relay in 1:58.52 with Texas-bound Tasija Karosas, Rachael Bradford-Feldman, Megan Moroney and Caroline Nava.

St. Andrew’s was also second in the 200-meter freestyle relay in 1:47.10 with Brenna Ruth, Tasija Karosas, Caroline Nava and Megan Moroney.

Westminster Academy swept the boys 200-yard medley and 200-yard freestyle relays.

The four-day meet, featuring 64 teams and 629 swimmers, continues Friday with prelims and finals.

THURSDAY RESULTS

GIRLS

1500-meter freestyle:

1.Ashley Neidigh, Bolles 17:00.59; SOFLO: 2. Melissa Marinheiro 17:04.87, best time, 19. Kelley Heron 18:17.07, 21. Kylie Herman 18:22.41, best time.

200-meter medley relay:

1.St. Andrew’s Swimming 1:58.52 (Tasija, Karosas, Rachael Bradford-Feldman, Megan Moroney, Caroline Nava); 19. SOFLO “A” 2:07.83 (Marcella Marinheiro, Jessica Rodriguez, Maria Lopez, Melissa Marinheiro), 24. SOFLO “B” 2:10.52 (Kelley Heron, Bianca Muniz, Amber Hunter, Kylie Herman).

200-meter freestyle relay:

1.T2 Aquatics 1:45.53 (Justine Mueller, Elise Haan, Ksenia Golovkina, Erika Erndl), 20. SOFLO “A” 1:54.87 (Maria Lopez, Marcella Marinheiro, Amber Hunter, Melissa Marinheiro), 29. SOFLO “B” 1:58.43 (Kelley Heron, Kylie Herman, Delanie Perez, Bianca Muniz).

BOYS

800-meter freestyle:

1.Arthur Frayler, GAAC 8:16.80; SOFLO: 32. Marc Rojas 8:43.85.

200-meter medley relay:

1.Westminster Academy 1:42.42 (Daniel Ramirez, Gregory Penny, Garland Sullivan, Anthony Barbar), 9. SOFLO “A” 1:50.11 (Carlo Morante, Alex Rodriguez, Ivan Parada, Xavier Brown), 13. SOFLO “B” 1:52.38 (Juan Lucas, Marc Rojas, Matthew Gonzalez, Ryan Capote).

200-meter freestyle relay:

1.Westminster Academy 1:32.87 (Daniel Ramirez, Daniel Robbins, Garland Sullivan, Anthony Barbar), 11. SOFLO “A” 1:40.52 (Alex Rodriguez, Ivan Parada, Endi Babi, Marc Rojas), 18. SOFLO “B” 1:44.26 (Matthew Gonzalez, Alexander Monti, Gustavo Valery, Ryan Capote).

IF YOU GO

What: Speedo Champions Series Southern Zone South Sectional Championships

When: Friday-Sunday.

Schedule: Friday, prelims 9 a.m., finals 5 p.m.; Saturday, prelims 9 a.m., finals 5 p.m.; Sunday, prelims 9 a.m., finals 4 p.m.

Where: YMCA Aquatic Center, 8422 International Drive, Orlando

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO Rules Pool, Defends Title, Wins Florida Gold Coast Junior Olympics

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

July 14, 2013

South Florida Aquatic Club head coach Chris Anderson was in the parking lot of the Plantation Aquatic Complex and could still hear the “SOFLO, SOFLO, SOFLO” winning chants after the meet.

It was music to his ears after watching his team overcome bad weather, long days and cancelled events to show its age group champion form.

On Sunday night, SOFLO captured the Florida Gold Coast 14-and-Under Long Course Junior Olympics combined team title with a record 563.50 points ahead of runner-up Davie Nadadores with 372.

SOFLO also won the boys team title with 388.50 points ahead of runner-up Metro Aquatics with 254.50 points. SOFLO girls were fourth with 175.

It was a total team effort on the part of SOFLO boys and girls swimmers, Anderson said. The consistency and camaraderie the swimmers and coaching staff has shown since the club began on May 1, 2010 is never more evident, he emphasized.

It was SOFLO’s fourth JO long course title and eighth JO title overall.

“They swam well,” Anderson said. “Our championship team is getting a lot more consistent and mature. They are doing a lot better job of training and taking ownership of what they need to do. They are starting to get battle-tested.

“It is a good feeling to see how good our age group program is,” Anderson said. “I can’t stress enough about the staff and consistency and we happen to have a really great combination of that.”

SOFLO, with a roster of 56 qualifiers, led from opening day.

“They were ready for this meet,” Anderson said. “They didn’t feel they had to prove themselves. They were seeded well in their events but knew they had to move up. They think they are the best and they were trying every race to show that.

“Our parents seem to be getting really motivated as well and that’s a positive thing. This is special. It’s nice to get it done on our own.

“This is one of our best-ever wins. We have the camaraderie, staff and tradition. We just have real confident, fast age group swimmers.”

Among SOFLO top performers on Sunday was Michael Arias, who won the 10-and-under high point award with 53 points.

Arias was second in the 200-meter individual medley in a best time 2:50.14. SOFLO dominated the event with John Paul Handal, Nicolas Rossi and Jie Hoon Lee also in the top five. Arias was second in the 100-meter freestyle in 1:07.46.

Rafael Rodriguez won the 1500-meter freestyle in 18:05.28. Rodriguez was also second in the 200-meter individual medley in 2:30.43 and third in the 200-meter butterfly in 2:38.02.

Other SOFLO top eight finishers were:

Kyana Castro, second, 200-meter individual medley, 2:55.18; third, 100-meter freestyle, 1:10.96.
Anabel Vazquez, third, 400-meter individual medley, 5:51.92.
Jessica Rodriguez, eighth, 400-meter individual medley, 5:31.47.
Kelley Heron, second, 1500-meter freestyle, 18:13.11; eighth, 50-meter backstroke, 34.29; eighth, 100-meter freestyle, 1:02.76.
Katrina Del Vecchio, seventh, 50-meter breaststroke, 46.18.
Jennifer Rodriguez, fifth, 50-meter breaststroke, 39.72.
Elise Larin, seventh, 50-meter breaststroke, 41.54.
Michelle Marinheiro, eighth, 100-meter freestyle, 1:12.99.
Vanessa Mesa, second, 100-meter freestyle, 1:03.97.
Annita Huang, second, 1500-meter freestyle, 20:01.57.
Katherine DeBarros, fifth, 1500-meter freestyle, 20:19.55.
Leonardo Mateus, sixth, 1500-meter freestyle, 19:14.16; seventh, 200-meter individual medley, 2:43.01.
CJ Kopecki, second, 200-meter butterfly, 2:17.94; fourth, 1500-meter freestyle, 17:38.33; sixth, 400-meter individual medley, 5:05.07.
Jonathan Strod, seventh, 400-meter individual medley, 5:10.76.
Jie Hoon Lee, fourth, 50-meter backstroke, 39.43.
Juan Lucas, fourth, 50-meter backstroke, 30.85.
Esteban Diaz-Velasco, sixth, 50-meter backstroke, 31.36.
John Paul Handal, fourth, 100-meter freestyle 1:09.69; sixth, 50-meter breaststroke, 46.08.
Nicolas Rossi, seventh, 50-meter breaststroke, 47.48; seventh, 100-meter freestyle, 1:12.09.
Samuel Quintero, fifth, 1500-meter freestyle, 18:57.48; sixth, 50-meter breaststroke, 39.03.
Brandon Moran, seventh, 50-meter breaststroke, 39.08.
Gabriel Segui, sixth, 200-meter butterfly, 2:45.95
Marcus Franco, sixth, 100-meter freestyle, 1:11.22.

SUNDAY RESULTS
TEAM TOTALS
COMBINED: 1. South Florida Aquatic Club 563.50, 2. Davie Nadadores 372, 3. Metro Aquatics 354.50, 4. Pine Crest Swimming 313, 5. FLA 286, 6. Blue Marlins 258, 7. Jupiter 252, 8. Hialeah 188, 9. Miami-Dade 165, 10. Lake Lytal Lightning 142, 11. Miami Swimming 128, 12. Coral Springs Swim Club 124.

BOYS: 1. South Florida Aquatic Club 388.50, 2. Metro Aquatics 254.50, 3. Davie Nadadores 250, 4. Blue Marlins 145, 5. Hialeah 141, 6. Pine Crest Swimming 110, 7.Miami-Dade 92, 8. Lake Lytal Lightning 59, 9. Miami Swimming 57, FLA 57, 11. Coral Springs Swim Club 53, 12. Jupiter 51.

GIRLS: 1. FLA 229, 2. Pine Crest 203, 3. Jupiter 201, 4. South Florida Aquatic Club 175, 5. Davie Nadadores 122, 6. Blue Marlins 113, 7. Metro Aquatics 100, 8. Lake Lytal Lightning 83, 9. Miami-Dade 73, 10.AK Sharks 73, 11. Coral Springs Swim Club 71, Miami Swimming 71.

HIGH POINT AWARDS
GIRLS: 10-and-under, 1. Claudia Acosta, Hialeah 45; SOFLO: 5. Kyana Castro, 10. Michelle Marinheiro 18, 14. Sara Quintero 6, 20. Katrina Del Vecchio 2; 11-12, 1. Andrea Santander, FLA 52; SOFLO: 15. Annita Huang 15, 15. Vanessa Mesa 12, 19. Jennifer Rodriguez 11, 19. Marianna Serrao 11; 13-14, 1. Rose Smiddy, AK Sharks 58; SOFLO: 12. Kelley Heron 22, 17. Jessica Rodriguez 14.

BOYS: 10-and-under, 1. Michael Arias, SOFLO 53; SOFLO: 5. John Paul Handal 32, 6. Jie Hoon Lee 29, 8. Nicolas Rossi 21, 15. Marcus Franco 8; 11-12, 1. Adrian Aguilar, Metro Aquatics 61; SOFLO: 2. Rafael Rodriguez 53, 7. Samuel Quintero 35, 11. Leonardo Mateus 19, 18. Brandon Moran 10.50, 25. Gabriel Segui 4; 13-14, 1. Julio Horrego, Hialeah 60; SOFLO: 9. CJ Kopecki 20.50, 10. Juan Lucas 19.50, 19. Esteban Diaz-Velasco 10, 23. Jonathan Strod 7.

GIRLS
200-meter individual medley:
10-and-under, 1. Mattie Barfield, FLA 2:51.82; SOFLO: 2. Kyana Castro 2:55.18, 10. Sara Quintero 3:05.23, best time, 11. Michelle Marinheiro 3:05.54, best time; 11-12, 1. Alexandra Meszaros, FLA 2:32.98; SOFLO: 12. Annita Huang 2:46.62, 15. Anabel Vazquez 2:46.94, 16. Katherine DeBarros 2:47.25, 25. Marianna Serrao 2:49.68, 38. Jennifer Rodriguez 2:55.00, 41. Alexandra Crespo 2:55.76, 51. Elise Larin 3:01.61; 13-14, 1. Rose Smiddy, AK Sharks 2:27.27; SOFLO: 10. Jessica Rodriguez 2:37.74.

400-meter individual medley:
11-12, 1. Tiffany Seto, SwimFast 5:45.15; SOFLO: 3. Anabel Vazquez 5:51.92, best time; 13-14, 1. Rose Smiddy, AK Sharks 5:11.80; SOFLO: 8. Jessica Rodriguez 5:31.47, 19. Stephanie Mlujeak 6:04.25.

50-meter backstroke:
10-and-under, 1. Jocelyn Ruiz, Blue Marlins 36.19; SOFLO: 10. Katrina Del Vecchio 41.36, best time, 24. Jena Legaspi 44.77; 11-12, 1. Gabriella Antonini, FLA 32.95; SOFLO: 17. Anabel Vazquez 37.82, bestt ime, 18. Kellie Wilcox 37.95, best time, 26. Isabella DiSalvo 39.03, best time, 27. Vanessa Mesa 39.22; 13-14, 1. Samantha Stinemire, Davie 32.34; SOFLO: 8. Kelley Heron 34.29; 14. Star Fassler 36.09.

50-meter breaststroke:
10-and-under, 1. Michaela Avedisian, Jupiter 41.67; SOFLO: 7. Katrina Del Vecchio 46.18, 19. Kyana Castro 47.69; 11-12, 1. Thea McKenna, HAT 36.43; SOFLO: 5. Jennifer Rodriguez 39.72, 7. Elise Larin 41.54, 13. Marianna Serrao 40.49; 13-14, 1. Cybele Jung, Jupiter 36.33; SOFLO: 10. Jessica Rodriguez 38.93, 35. Natasha Testa 42.05, 39. Star Fassler 42.67.

200-meter butterfly:
11-12, 1. Alexandra Meszaros, FLA 2:32.57; SOFLO: 9. Alexandra Crespo 2:58.05, best time; 13-14, 1. Allison Kopas, Unattached 2:20.87; SOFLO: 15. Natasha Testa 2:48.50.

100-meter freestyle:
10-and-under, 1. Claudia Acosta, Hialeah 1:08.09; SOFLO: 3. Kyana Castro 1:10.96. 7. Michelle Marinheiro 1:12.99, 12. Sara Quintero 1:15.22, best time, 47. Katrina Del Vecchio 1:22.90; 11-12, 1. Andrea Santander, FLA 1:01.47; SOFLO: 2. Vanessa Mesa 1:03.97, 10. Annita Huang 1:05.93, best time, 27. Marianna Serrao 1:08.75, best time, 35. Isabella Di Salvo 1:09.58, best time, 42. Anabel Vazquez 1:10.07, 55. Elise Larin 1:11.36, best time, 71. Alexandra Crespo 1:13.93, best time, 83. Kellie Wilcox 1:15.46, 84. Camila Alvarez 1:15.49; 13-14, 1. Rose Smiddy, AK Sharks 59.50; SOFLO: 8. Kelley Heron 1:02.76, 28. Natasha Testa 1:05.86, 31. Bianca Monti 1:06.06.

200-meter freestyle relay:
11-12, 1. FLA 2:00.98, 5. SOFLO A 2:03.86 (Annita Huang, Isabella Di Salvo, Anabel Vazquez, Vanessa Mesa), 19. SOFLO B 2:12.81 (Elise Larin, Jennifer Rodriguez, Katherine DeBarros, Alexandra Crespo).

400-meter freestyle:
13-14, 1. Pine Crest 4:11.83, 7. SOFLO A 4:34.67 (Kelley Heron, Bianca Monti, Natasha Testa, Jessica Rodriguez), 13. SOFLO B 4:33.80 (Star Fassler, Stephanie Mlujeak, Anna Montgomery, Abolade Oyetunji).

1500-meter freestyle:
11-12, 1. Verania Andrade, Wellington 19:46.68; SOFLO: 2. Annita Huang 20:01.57, 5. Katherine DeBarros 20:19.55; 13-14, 1. Jenna Pisani, Lake Lytal 17:57.13; SOFLO: 2. Kelley Heron 18:13.11.

BOYS
200-meter individual medley:
10-and-under, 1. Joshua Zuchowski, Jupiter 2:48.55; SOFLO: 2. Michel Arias 2:50.14, best time, 3. John Paul Handal 2:51.74, best time, 4. Nicolas Rossi 2:54.86, best time, 5. Jie Hoon Lee 2:55.45; 11-12, 1. Adrian Aguilar, MAC 2:26.12; SOFLO: 2. Rafael Rodriguez 2:30.43, 7. Leonardo Mateus 2:43.01, 9. Brandon Moran 2:44.83.

400-meter individual medley:
13-14, 1. Julio Horrego, Hialeah 4:47.09; SOFLO: 6. CJ Kopecki 5:05.07, 7. Jonathan Strod 5:10.76, 18. Ricardo Roche 5:27.80, best time.

50-meter backstroke:
10-and-under, 1. Joshua Zuchowski, Jupiter 37.42; SOFLO: 4. Jie Hoon Lee 39.43, 19. Marcus Franco 41.78, 22. Akira Huang 42.43, best time, 42. Marcos Vazquez 46.25; 11-12, 1. Elvis Kotikovski, Davie 32.66; 13-14, 1. Grigorii Kalminski, Unattached 29.16; SOFLO: 4. Juan Lucas 30.85, 6. Esteban Diaz-Velasco 31.36.

50-meter breaststroke:
10-and-under, 1. Joshua Zuchowski, Jupiter 42.25; SOFLO: 6. John Paul Handal 46.08, 7. Nicolas Rossi 47.48, 15. Marcus Franco 47.54, 34. Akira Huang 52.20; 11-12, 1. Adrian Aguilar, MAC 36.19; SOFLO: 6. Samuel Quintero 39.03, 7. Brandon Moran 39.08; 13-14, 1. Julio Horrego, Hialeah 33.56; SOFLO: 16. Cristian Rossi 36.97, best time, 21. Tyler Gibson 37.73.

200-meter butterfly:
11-12, 1. Drake Gil, FLA 2:30.59; SOFLO: 3. Rafael Rodriguez 2:38.02, 6. Gabriel Segui 2:45.95, 9. Brandon Moran 2:50.75; 13-14, 1. Alejandro Carriazo, MAC 2:17.22; SOFLO: 2. CJ Kopecki 2:17.94.

100-meter freestyle:
10-and-under, 1. Reese Branzell, Lake Lytal 1;06.42; SOFLO: 2. Michael Arias 1:07.46, 4. John Paul Handal 1:09.69, 6. Marcus Franco 1:11.22, 7. Nicolas Rossi 1:12.09, 47. Akira Huang 1:21.67, best time; 11-12, 1. Joaquin Riojas, Davie 1:01.81; 13-14, 1. Sebastian Vargas, CSSC 55.98; SOFLO: 13. Juan Lucas 59.00, 15. Alfredo Mesa 59.04, 19. Cristian Rossi 59.76, 35. Esteban Diaz-Velasco 1:01.51, 68, Juan Osorio 1:04.80.

200-meter freestyle relay:
11-12, 1. MAC 1:57.65, 3. SOFLO A 2:02.34 (Leonardo Mateus, Samuel Quintero, Gabriel Segui, Rafael Rodriguez).

400-meter freestyle relay:
13-14, 1. MAC 3:56.63, 6. SOFLO B 4:06.98 (CJ Kopecki, Kevin Porto, Juan Osorio, Esteban Diaz-Velasco).

1500-meter freestyle:
11-12, 1. Rafael Rodriguez, SOFLO 18:05.28; SOFLO: 5. Samuel Quintero 18:57.48, 6. Leonardo Mateus 19:14.16; 13-14, 1. Nicholas Sharp, Unattached 17:1.45; SOFLO: 4. CJ Kopecki 17:38.33, 10. Kevin Porto 18:24.67, 11. Ricardo Roche 18:25.90, 12. Jonathan Strod 18:51.63.

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

Michael Arias Leads SOFLO, Rain Dampens FGC Junior Olympics On Day Two

Written by Sharon Robb

July 13, 2013

Michael Arias of South Florida Aquatic Club and his teammates didn’t let rain, lightning and thunder ruin their day at the Florida Gold Coast 14-and-Under Long Course Junior Olympic Championships.

Arias and SOFLO continued their dominance of the three-day meet Saturday at Plantation Aquatic Complex.

Arias, 10, won the 10-and-under 200-meter freestyle in 2:28.27 and was second in the 100-meter backstroke in 1:22.59.

It was a frustrating day for swimmers, coaches, parents and meet organizers because of the inclement weather during the championship meet. Still, the defending champions performed well despite the adversity.

Other Top 8 JO individual SOFLO finishers were:

Jessica Rodriguez, 14, second, 200-meter breaststroke, 2:51.18.

Kyana Castro, 10, second, 200-meter freestyle, 2:30.72, best time; fifth, 50-meter butterfly, 35.26.

Rafael Rodriguez, 11, second, 200-meter freestyle, 2:13.28, best time.

Samuel Quintero, 12, second, 200-meter breaststroke, 2:55.99, best time; fourth, 100-meter backstroke, 1:14.05.

Michelle Marinheiro, 10, third, 200-meter freestyle. 2:34.35, best time, dropping from 2:39.28; eighth, 100-meter backstroke, 1:29.29, best time.

Nicolas Rossi, 10, third, 200-meter freestyle, 2:30.08.

John Paul Handal, 10, fourth, 200-meter freestyle, 2:30.90, best time, dropping from 2:38.58.

Marianna Serrao, 11, fourth, 200-meter breaststroke, 3:02.74, best time.

Juan Lucas, 14, fourth, 100-meter backstroke, 1:04.73, best time.

Jie Hoon Lee, 10, fifth, 200-meter freestyle, 2:31.21, best time; third, 100-meter backstroke, 1:23.39.

Brandon Moran, 12, fifth, 200-meter breaststroke, 3:03.60.

Annita Huang, 12, sixth, 200-meter freestyle, 2:23.51, best time.

Kelley Heron, 13, sixth, 200-meter freestyle, 2:14.00, best time.

CJ Kopecki, 13, sixth, 200-meter freestyle, 2:06.03, best time.

Marcus Franco, 10, sixth, 50-meter butterfly, 36.13, best time, dropping from 42.39; eighth, 100-meter backstroke, 1:26.57.

Esteban Diaz-Velasco, 14, 100-meter backstroke, 1:06.03.

Vanessa Mesa, 11, seventh, 200-meter freestyle 2:24.04, best time.

Leonardo Mateus, 11, eighth, 200-meter freestyle, 2:22.31, best time; eighth, 100-meter backstroke, 1:17.72.

Alfredo Mesa, 14, eighth, 200-meter freestyle, 2:06.51, best time.

SOFLO was dealt a blow to its title quest when meet officials cancelled all of Saturday’s relay competition. All 200 and 400 medley and 200 freestyle relays will not be made up.

The three-day meet, the highlight of the long course season for swimmers, concludes on Sunday, weather permitting. Sunday prelim warm-up is 6:45 a.m. followed by the remainder of the 400-meter individual medleys at 8:15 a.m. followed by the full morning of prelims.

A total of 754 swimmers qualified for the meet.

Due to the size of the meet, chase starts are being used during morning prelims each day in both pools. Chase starts are a procedure where both ends of the pool are used for starting events. It saves time during the meet.

SATURDAY TIMED FINALS RESULTS
GIRLS

200-meter freestyle:
10-and-under, 1. Claudia Acosta, Hialeah 2:28.24; SOFLO: 2. Kyana Castro 2:30.72, best time, 3. Michelle Marinheiro 2:34.35, best time, 12. Sara Quintero 2:43.43, best time; 11-12, 1. Andrea Santander, FLA 2:15.84; SOFLO: 6. Annita Huang 2:23.51, best time, 7. Vanessa Mesa 2:24.04, best time, 17. Katherine De Barros 2:28.13, best time, 25. Marianna Serrao 2:30.56, 37. Isabella DiSalvo 2:34.13, best time, 44. Alexandra Crespo 2:36.37, 49. Elise Larin 2:38.43, best time, 58. Kellie Wilcox 2:39.85; 13-14, 1. Rose Smiddy, AK Sharks 2:08.61; SOFLO: 6. Kelley Heron 2:14.00, best time, 33. Bianca Monti 2:30.25.

50-meter butterfly:
10-and-under, 1. Ana Kondratovitch, Miami Dade 34.40; SOFLO: 5. Kyana Castro 35.26, 15. Sara Quintero 39.37, best time; 11-12, 1. Emily Cordovi, Blue Marlins, SOFLO: 11. Isabella DiSalvo 34.15, best time, 14. Vanessa Mesa 34.40, best time; 13-14, 1. Jessica Nava, Pine Crest 29.53; SOFLO: 22. Natasha Testa 32.52, 28. Star Fassler 33.07, 34. Bianca Monti 33.42, 66. Stephanie Mlujeak 35.41.

200-meter breaststroke:
11-12, 1. Thea McKenna, HAT 2:59.67; SOFLO: 4. Marianna Serrao 3:02.74, best time, 12. Elise Larin 3:09.98, best time, 14. Katherine DeBarros 3:10.81, best time; 13-14, 1. Victoria Miyamoto, Pompano Beach 2:50.35; SOFLO: 2. Jessica Rodriguez 2:51.18.

100-meter backstroke:
10-and-under, 1. Michaela Avedisian, Jupiter 1:20.95; SOFLO: 8. Michelle Marinheiro 1:29.29, best time, 10. Sara Quintero 1:30.51, best time, 15. Kayla Cunningham 1:32.22, 17. Katrina Del Vecchio 1:33.71, 20. Jena Legaspi 1:35.59, 25. Elizabeth Chevaldova 1:39.92; 11-12, 1. Halie Murphy, Pine Crest 1:12.57; SOFLO: 13. Annita Huang 1:19.29, best time, 14. Anabel Vazquez 1:19.46, 25. Isabella Di Salvo 1:21.98, best time, 34. Kellie Wilcox 1:24.30, best time; 13-14, 1. Samantha Stinemire, Davie 1:07.23; SOFLO: 9. Kelley Heron 1:12.40.

BOYS

200-meter freestyle:
10-and-under, 1. Michael Arias, SOFLO 2:28.27; SOFLO: 3. Nicolas Rossi 2:30.08, 4. John Paul Handal 2:30.90, best time, 5. Jie Hoon Lee 2:31.21, best time; 11-12, 1. Adrian Aguilar, MAC 2:13.02; SOFLO: 2. Rafael Rodriguez 2:13.28, best time, 8. Leonardo Mateus 2:22.31, best time; 13-14, 1. Michael Hovart, Pine Crest 2:03.44; SOFLO: 6. CJ Kopecki 2:06.03, best time, 8. Alfredo Mesa 2:06.51, best time, 13. Juan Lucas 2:07.61, best time, 19. Jonathan Strod 2:10.80, 24. Kevin Porto 2:12.21, 38. Ricardo Roche 2:17.14, best time, 40. Cristian Rossi 2:17.99, 58. Tyler Gibson 2:23.65, 61. Juan Osorio 2:25.27.

50-meter butterfly:
10-and-under, 1. Kevin Fanjul, Blue Marlins 33.31; SOFLO: 6. Marcus Franco 36.13, best time, 11. Jie Hoon Lee 37.08, best time; 11-12, 1. Adrian Aguilar, MAC 29.70; SOFLO: 10. Gabriel Seguui 33.43, best time; 13-14, 1. Alejandro Carriazo, MAC 27.19; SOFLO: 14. Cristian Rossi 30.02, best time, 38. Esteban Diaz-Velasco 31.58, 54. Juan Osorio 33.14, 55. Tyler Gibson 33.15.

200-meter breaststroke:
1-12, 1. Matthew Petreski, Pine Crest 2:51.07; SOFLO: 2. Samuel Quintero 2:55.99, best time, 5. Brandon Moran 3:03.60, 10. Gabriel Segui 3:10.32, best time; 13-14, 1. Julio Horrego, Hialeah 2:25.26; SOFLO: 18. Tyler Gibson 3:01.17.

100-meter backstroke:
10-and-under, 1. Joshua Zuchowski, Jupiter 1:20.62; SOFLO: 2. Michael Arias 1:22.59, 3. Jie Hoon Lee 1:23.39, 8. Marcus Franco 1:26.57, 15. Akira Huang 1:30.70, best time; 11-12, 1. Adrian Aguilar, MAC 1:08.20; SOFLO: 4. Samuel Quintero 1:14.05, 8. Leonardo Mateus 1:17.72; 13-14, 1. Grigorii Kalminskii, Pine Crest 1:03.18; SOFLO: 4. Juan Lucas 1:04.73, best time, 6. Esteban Diaz-Velasco 1:06.03, 11. Alfredo Mesa 1:07.80, best time, 28. Kevin Porto 1:15.99.

IF YOU GO

What: Florida Gold Coast 14-and-Under Long Course Junior Olympics

When: Sunday, 8:15 a.m. 400 IMs followed by prelims and finals are 5 p.m.

Schedule: Sunday, 8:15 a.m. 400 IMs, prelims 8:30 a.m.-3:58 p.m. (includes 400s, 1500s), finals 5-5:57 p.m.

Where: Plantation Aquatic Complex, 9151 NW Second St., Plantation.

Of note: Both pools will be used for prelims. Chase starts, where both ends of the pool are used for starting events, will be used to save time during the meet.

Admission: $3 per session, $3 heat sheets per session.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

http://www.swim4soflo.com

Arias Leads Sweep; Marinheiro, Rodriguez Win; SOFLO Boys Lead On Day 1 Of FGC Junior Olympics

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

July 12, 2013

Michael Arias and three of his South Florida Aquatic Club teammates swept the top four places in the 10-and-under 400-meter freestyle Friday to highlight opening day action at the weather-marred Florida Gold Coast 14-and-Under Long Course Junior Olympics.

Arias, 10, won the distance race in 5:07.77. He was followed by Jie Hoon Lee, 10, in 5:09.73, John Paul Handal, 10, in 5:11.34 and Nicolas Rossi, 10, in 5:11.87. All four times were lifetime-best times.

Rafael Rodriguez, 11, won the 11-12 400-meter freestyle in a lifetime-best 4:36.60. Teammate Leonardo Mateus, 11, was fifth in a lifetime-best 4:51.96. It was the first time Mateus broke 5 minutes, bettering his previous best of 5:09.07.

SOFLO’s Michelle Marinheiro, the youngest of three swimming sisters and daughter of a masters swimmer, won her first major title and led the girls’ team.

Marinheiro, 10, won the 400-meter freestyle in a lifetime-best 5:18.90. The impressive drop from her previous best of 5:28.69 was the first time she broke the 5:20 barrier. Nine-year-old teammate Sara Quintero was sixth in 5:34.48, also a personal best dropping from 5:46.95.

Despite Mother Nature playing havoc with the meet at Plantation Aquatic Complex for most of the day and forcing meet officials to go with timed finals instead of prelims and finals, SOFLO swimmers adjusted quickly and made a smooth transition of racing fast .

SOFLO had thirty-nine Top 8 finishers in the individual girls and boys races on the opening day of competition.

SOFLO leads the boys team standings with 64 points followed by Davie Nadadores with 60, Metro Aquatics and Pine Crest tied with 58.

In a close girls team race, SOFLO is tied for second with Davie Nadadores with 50 points. Pine Crest leads with 54.

Other SOFLO top performers were:

Kyana Castro, 10, was second in the 100-meter butterfly in a best time 1:18.20 and fourth in the 50-meter freestyle in 32.27, another best time dropping from 32.65.

SOFLO’s Juan Lucas, 14, was edged out for first in the 200-meter backstroke by Pine Crest’s Grigorii Kalminskii, 2:18.03-2:18.25.

Arias was also second in the 50-meter freestyle in a lifetime-best 31.33, bettering his previous best of 32.09 and second in the 100-meter butterfly in 1:17.47, another best time dropping from 1:19.74.

Other SOFLO Top 8 JO finishers were:

Juan Lucas, 14, second, 200-meter backstroke, 2:18.25, best time.

Kelley Heron, 13, third, 200-meter backstroke, 2:30.19, best time; fifth, 100-meter breaststroke, 1:21.51, best time.

Marianna Serrao, 11, third, 100-meter breaststroke, 1:23.74, best time.

Rafael Rodriguez, 11, third, 100-meter butterfly, 1:08.40, best time.

Jessica Rodriguez, 14, third, 100-meter breaststroke, 1:20.40.

Samuel Quintero, 12, third, 100-meter breaststroke, 1:22.27 and fourth, 200-meter backstroke, 2:37.67, best time.

John Paul Handal, 10, fourth, 100-meter breaststroke, 1:35.48, best time and seventh, 100-meter butterfly, 1:23.30, best time.

Jonathan Strod, 14, fourth, 100-meter breaststroke, 1:16.20.

Leonardo Mateus, 11, fifth, 200-meter backstroke, 2:38.37, best time.

Esteban Diaz-Velasco, 14, fifth, 200-meter backstroke, 2:21.34.

Jennifer Rodriguez, 12, fifth, 100-meter breaststroke, 1:25.42, best time.

Vanessa Mesa, 11, sixth, 50-meter freestyle, 30.41, best time.

Sara Quintero, 9, sixth, 100-meter butterfly, 1:25.87, best time.

Jie Hoon Lee, 10, sixth, 100-meter butterfly, 1:20.47, best time.

Alfredo Mesa, 14, seventh, 50-meter freestyle, 26.83.

Brandon Moran, 12, seventh, 100-meter breaststroke, 1:25.60, best time.

Gabriel Segui, 12, eighth, 200-meter backstroke, 2:44.98, best time.

Anabel Vazquez, 11, eighth, 200-meter backstroke, 2:47.53, best time.

Marcus Franco, 10, eighth, 50-meter freestyle, 32.71, best time.

Nicolas Rossi, 10, eighth, 100-meter breaststroke, 1:40.47.

A field of 754 swimmers is competing in the three-day meet, the highlight of the long course season for young swimmers throughout the Florida Gold Coast.

Weather permitting, the meet continues on Saturday with prelims and finals.

FRIDAY TIMED FINALS

GIRLS

200-meter backstroke:

11-12, 1. Gabriella Antonini, FLA 2:35.92; SOFLO: 8. Anabel Vazquez 2:47.53, best time, 11. Katherine DeBarros 2:49.26, best time, 12. Annita Huang 2:49.51, 22. Kellie Wilcox 2:59.17, best time; 13-14, 1. Alessandra Baldari, North Palm Beach 2:29.28; SOFLO: 3. Kelley Heron 2:30.19, best time, 13. Jessica Rodriguez 2:38.77, 16. Bella Pittinger 2:39.90, 21. Stephanie Mlujeak 2:45.13.

50-meter freestyle:

10-and-under, 1. Claudia Acosta, Hialeah 31.08; SOFLO: 4. Kyana Castro 32.27, best time, 9. Michelle Marinheiro 33.99, best time, 35. Katrina Del Vecchio 36.25, best time; 11-12, 1. Andrea Santander, FLA 28.50; SOFLO: 6. Vanessa Mesa 30.41, best time, 17. Isabella Di Salvo 31.39, best time, 24. Marianna Serrao 31.77, best time, 50. Alexandra Crespo 33.31, best time, 70. Kellie Wilcox 34.19, best time, 83. Camila Alvarez 35.02; 13-14, 1. Marta Ciesla, Pine Crest 27.06; SOFLO: 24. Natasha Testa 30.43, 28. Bianca Monti 30.66, 39. Abolada Oyetunji 31.48.

100-meter breaststroke:

10-and-under, 1. Michaela Avedisian, Jupiter 1:31.95; SOFLO: 15. Katrina Del Vecchio 1:41.99, best time; 11-12, 1. Thea McKenna, HAT 1:18.82; SOFLO: 3. Marianna Serrao 1:23.74, best time, 5. Jennifer Rodriguez 1:25.42, best time, 11. Elise Larin 1:27.01, 25. Anabel Vazaquez 1:31.95, 29. Katherine DeBarros 1:32.90, 34. Alexandra Crespo 1:34.02, best time; 13-14, 1. Cybele Jung, Jupiter 1:18.41; SOFLO: 3. Jessica Rodriguez 1:20.40, 5. Kelley Heron 1:21.51, best time, 16. Maya Ginzburg 1:26.45, 28. Bianca Monti 1:33.67.

100-meter butterfly:

10-and-under, 1. Ana Kondratovitch, Miami-Dade 1:15.98; SOFLO: 2. Kyana Castro 1:18.20, best time, 6. Sara Quintero 1:25.87, best time, 13. Michelle Marinheiro 1:33.22, 17. Kayla Cunningham 1:38.77, best time; 11-12, 1. Emily Cordovi, Blue Marins 1:07.91; SOFLO: 11. Isabella DiSalvo 1:16.10, best time, 21. Vanessa Mesa 1:18.60, best time, 26. Jennifer Rodriguez 1:20.56; 13-14, 1. Jessica Nava, Pine Crest 1:03.69; SOFLO: 17. Natasha Testa 1:11.80, 21. Jessica Rodriguez 1:13.58.

400-meter freestyle:

10-and-under, 1. Michelle Marinheiro, SOFLO 5:18.90, best time; SOFLO: 6. Sara Quintero 5:34.48, best time; 11-12, 1. Andrea Santander, FLA 4:40.57; SOFLO: 4. Annita Huang 4:58.40, best time, 9. Vanessa Mesa 5:02.08, best time, 16. Jennifer Rodriguez 5:06.89, 19. Katherine DeBarros 5:09.29, 27. Alexandra Crespo 5:20.64, best time, 40. Elise Larin 5:29.54, best time; 13-14, 1. Rose Smiddy, AK Sharks 4:29.76; SOFLO: 24. Bianca Monti 5:15.57.

800-meter freestyle relay:

13-14, 1. Pine Crest 9:03.03, 6. SOFLO A 9:32.71.

400-meter freestyle relay:

11-12, 1. FLA 4:21.66, 3. SOFLO A 4:32.43, 14. SOFLO B 4:46.35.

200-meter freestyle relay:

13-14, 1. Pine Crest 1:52.88, 10. SOFLO 2:02.64.

BOYS

200-meter backstroke:

11-12, 1. Adrian Aguilar, Metro Aquatics 2:27.46; SOFLO: 4. Samuel Quintero 2:37.67, best time, 5. Leonardo Mateus 2:38.37, best time, 8. Gabriel Segui 2:44.98, best time; 13-14, 1. Grigorii Kalmnski, Pine Crest 2:18.03; SOFLO: 2. Juan Lucas 2:18.25, best time, 5. Esteban Diaz-Velasco 2:21.34, 12. Kevin Porto 2:26.45, best time, 13. Alfredo Mesa 2:26.81, best time, 21. Ricardo Roche 2:34.00, best time.

50-meter freestyle:

10-and-under, 1. Reese Branzell, Lake Lytal 30.94; SOFLO: 2. Michael Arias 31.33, best time, 8. Marcus Franco 32.71, best time, 9. Nicolas Rossi 33.20, 20. Zackary Harris 34.51, best time, 43. Akira Huang 36.10, best time; 11-12, 1. Drake Gil, FLA 29.07; SOFLO: 22. Gabriel Segui 31.47, best time; 13-14, 1. Grigorii Kalminski, Pine Crest 25.76; SOFLO: 7. Alfredo Mesa 26.83, 12. Juan Lucas 27.36, best time, 13. Cristian Rossi 27.37, 63. Esteban Diaz-Velasco 29.55.

100-meter breaststroke:

10-and-under, 1. Victor Valdes, Hialeah 1:33.17; SOFLO: 4. John Paul Handal 1:35.52, best time, 8. Nicolas Rossi 1:40.47; 11-12, 1. Matthew Petreski, Pine Crest 1:19.58; SOFLO: 3. Samuel Quintero 1:22.27, 7. Brandon Moran 1:25.60, best time; 13-14, 1. Julio Horrego, Hialeah 1:08.44; SOFLO: 4. Jonathan Strod 1:16.20.

100-meter butterfly:

10-and-under, 1. Kevin Fanjul, Blue Marlins 1:15.72; SOFLO: 2. Michael Arias 1:17.47, best time, 6. Jie Hoon Lee 1:20.47, best time, 7. John Paul Handal 1:23.30, best time; 11-12, 1. Nicholas Vale, Davie Nadadores 1:08.22; SOFLO: 3. Rafael Rodriguez 1:08.40, best time, 12. Gabriel Segui 1:15.09, best time; 13-14, 1. Grigorii Kalminski, Pine Crest 1:00.93; SOFLO: 9. CJ Kopecki 1:03.20, best time, 16. Jonathan Strod 1:05.19.

400-meter freestyle:

10-and-under, 1. Michael Arias, SOFLO 5:07.77, best time; SOFLO: 2. Jie Hoon Lee 5:09.73, best time, 3. John Paul Handal 5:11.34, best time, 4. Nicholas Rossi 5:11.87, best time, 11-12, 1. Rafael Rodriguez, SOFLO 4:36.60, best time; SOFLO: 5. Leonardo Mateus 4:51.96, best time, 16. Brandon Moran 5:08.62, best time; 13-14, 1. Julio Horrego, Hialeah 4:17.04; SOFLO: tie, 6. Juan Lucas 4:25.90, best time and 6. CJ Kopecki 4:25.90, 12. Alfredo Mesa 4:30.25, 21. Jonathan Strod 4:36.45, best time, 25. Kevin Porto 4:39.81, 28. Ricardo Roche 4:43.19, best time, 37. Cristian Rossi 4:50.50, 45. Andres Arias 4:59.42.

200-meter freestyle relay:

13-14, 1. Metro Aquatics 1:45.93, 2. SOFLO A 1:46.93, 7. SOFLO B 1:51.68.

400-meter freestyle relay:

11-12, 1. Davie Nadadores 4:17.68, 2. SOFLO A 4:27.84.

800-meter freestyle relay:

13-14, 1. Plantation 8:23.25, 2. SOFLO A 8:29.03, 10. SOFLO B 9:12.41.

IF YOU GO

What: Florida Gold Coast 14-and-Under Long Course Junior Olympics

When: Saturday-Sunday, prelims 8:30 a.m., finals 5 p.m.

Schedule: Saturday, prelims 8:30 a.m.-12:47 p.m., finals, 5-8:45 p.m.; Sunday, prelims 8:30 a.m.-3:58 p.m. (includes 400s, 1500s), finals 5-5:57 p.m.

Where: Plantation Aquatic Complex, 9151 NW Second St., Plantation.

Of note: Both pools will be used for prelims. Chase starts, where both ends of the pool are used for starting events, will be used to save time during the meet.

Admission: $3 per session, $3 heat sheets per session.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO Heads Field For Junior Olympics That Begin Friday

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

July 11, 2013

Three-time defending champion South Florida Aquatic Club heads the field in the Florida Gold Coast 14-and-Under Long Course Junior Olympics Championships that get under way Friday at the Plantation Aquatic Complex.

The three-day meet features a field of 754 swimmers from throughout the Florida Gold Coast.

It is the highlight of the long course season for young swimmers ages 14-and-under who qualified for the meet.

SOFLO has qualified 56 swimmers and have 277 individual entries and 42 relay entries.

SOFLO has several swimmers among the top seeds. They are:

Jessica Rodriguez, 14, seeded first in the 13-14 100-meter breaststroke in 1:19.11, the only swimmer under 1:20; first in the 13-14 200-meter breaststroke in 2:47.82; and third in the 400-meter individual medley in 5:16.66.

Kyana Castro, 10, seeded first in the 10-and-under 100-meter butterfly; first in the 200-meter in 200-meter individual medley in 2:49.57; second in the 200-meter freestyle in 2:32.00; second in the 50-meter butterfly in 35.02; and second in the 100-meter freestyle in 1:11.76.

Kelley Heron, 13, seeded second in the 1500-meter freestyle in 18:32.96 and fourth in the 13-14 200-meter backstroke in 2:31.42.

Natasha Testa, 14, second in the 13-14 50-meter freestyle in 27.19.

Michael Arias, 10, seeded first in the 10-and-under 200-meter freestyle in 2:27.65; first in the 200-meter individual medley in 2:50.25; first in the 100-meter freestyle in 1:09.17; second in the 100-meter backstroke in 1:21.50; third in the 50-meter freestyle in 32.09; and third in the 100-meter butterfly in 1:19.74.

Jonathan Strod, 14, seeded second in the 13-4 100-meter breaststroke in 1:15.93.

Rafael Rodriguez, 11, seeded first in the 11-12 200-meter individual medley in 2:33.01; second in 11-12 200-meter freestyle in 2:14.33; second in the 200-meter butterfly in 2:48.73; third in the 100-meter butterfly in 1:10.44; and fourth in the 1500-meter freestyle in 18:15.84.

Esteban Diaz-Velasco, 14, seeded first in the 13-14 50-meter backstroke 29.17; and second in the 200-meter backstroke in 2:18.14.

CJ Kopecki, 14, seeded first in the 200-meter butterfly in 2:18.05; and third in the 1500-meter freestyle in 17:39.91.

Samuel Quintero, 12, seeded second in the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:58.57; second in the 400-meter individual medley in 5:36.29; second in the 200-meter backstroke in 2:37.90; and third in the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:21.70.

Nicolas Rossi, 10, seeded third in the 200-meter freestyle in 2:29.77.

Brandon Moran, 12, seeded third in the 200-meter breaststroke in 3:03.53.

Jie Hoon Lee, 10, seeded third in the 10-and-under 100-meter backstroke.

SOFLO also had several boys and girls relays seeded among the top three teams.

Due to the size of the meet, chase starts will be used during morning prelims each day. Chase starts are a procedure where both ends of the pool are used for starting events. It saves time during the meet.

PINON HEADS TO OLYMPIC FESTIVAL

SOFLO’s Julien Pinon, representing France, will compete in his final swim European meet this week in Utrecht, Netherlands, before returning home.

Pinon, who has been training and competing overseas since June, will compete in the July 14-19 European Youth Olympic Festival.

The Olympic Festival is a bi-annual sports event for talented European athletes, ages 14-18 from 49 European countries competing in nine sports including swimming.

IF YOU GO

What: Florida Gold Coast 14-and-Under Long Course Junior Olympics

When: Friday-Sunday, prelims 8:30 a.m., finals 5 p.m.

Schedule: Friday, prelims 8:30 a.m.-12:56 p.m., finals, 5-7:27 p.m.; Saturday, prelims 8:30 a.m.-12:47 p.m., finals, 5-8:45 p.m.; Sunday, prelims 8:30 a.m.-3:58 p.m. (includes 400s, 1500s), finals 5-5:57 p.m.

Where: Plantation Aquatic Complex, 9151 NW Second St., Plantation.

Of note: Both pools will be used for prelims. Chase starts, where both ends of the pool are used for starting events, will be used to save time during the meet.

Admission: $3 per session, $3 heat sheets per session.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

http://www.swim4soflo.com