Florida State – South Florida Aquatic Club's Blog

Five South Florida, Florida Gold Coast Swimmers Will Compete At Commonwealth Games

By Sharon Robb
BIRMINGHAM, England, July 26, 2022–Five swimmers with South Florida and Florida Gold Coast connections will compete in the XXII Commonwealth Games at Sandwell Aquatic Center.

The meet begins Friday and ends Wednesday, August 3.

Azura Florida Aquatics is sending three swimmers: St. Andrew’s School alum Sidrell Williams of Jamaica, Kito Campbell of Jamaica and Jayhan Odlum-Smith of St. Lucia.

Two-time Olympian Dylan Carter of Trinidad and Tobago and Plantation American Heritage alum and St. Andrew’s School alum and Florida State’s Izaak Bastian of the Bahamas will also compete.

Seven reigning world champions will compete including Ben Proud, Elijah Winnington, Zac Stubblety-Cook, Mollie O’Callaghan, Kylie Masse, Kaylee McKeown and Summer McIntosh.

Other notables competing are Adam Peaty, Ariarne Titmus, Emma McKeon, Tatjana Schoenmaker, Duncan Scott and Maggie MacNeil.

The Opening Ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games will take place at Alexander Stadium on Thursday with all 72 countries within the Commonwealth. While the Closing Ceremony is scheduled to take place on 8 August 2022, with all 72 countries returning to Alexander Stadium.

Commonwealth Games Federation’s Executive Board has included 3 new sports namely Women’s T20 cricket, beach volleyball, and Para table tennis for the 2022 edition of the Commonwealth Games.

ESPN, BBC and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation will live stream the events on their platforms. Prelims are 10:30 a.m. local time (5:30 a.m. EST) and finals 7 p.m. (2 p.m. EST).

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

Florida Gators Third After Day Three Of NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming And Diving Championship

By Sharon Robb
ATLANTA, March 25, 2022—University of Florida dropped to third place after Friday’s action at the NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Georgia Tech’s McAuley Aquatic Center.

The Gators, buoyed by their relay performances, are third with 272 points. California moved into is first from third with 320.5 followed closely by early leader Texas with 313.

Florida was third behind California and Indiana in the 400-yard medley relay in 3:01.00 with Adam Cheney, Dillon Hillis, Eric Friese and Kieran Smith.

Cal senior Hugo Gonzalez won the 400-yard individual medley in 3:32.88, an NCAA record, meet record, U.S. Open and pool records. Arizona State freshman sensation Leon Marchand was second in 3:34.08 after winning the 200 IM in the fastest time ever.

Stanford freshman Andrei Minakov, fastest swimmer in the morning, won the 100-yard butterfly in a pool record 43.71.

Texas senior and top seed Drew Kibler came on in the second half of the 200-yard freestyle to win in a pool record 1:30.68. Defending champion Kieran Smith faltered to fifth in 1:31.27.

Minnesota senior Max McHugh won the 100-yard breaststroke in a pool record 49.90. He was the only swimmer to dip under 50 seconds.

After finishing second last year, N.C. State junior Kacper Stokowski rallied late in the race to stun the field and win the 100-yard backstroke in a best time 44.04. Indiana’s Brendan Burns, top seed after morning prelims, was second in 44.15.

Texas A&M senior Kurtis Mathews won the 3-meter springboard diving title with 466.85 points.

Individual event competition concludes on Saturday. The top 16 advance from morning prelims to finals at 6 p.m. and relays will be included at the end of each finals session.

ESPN3 is providing digital broadcast coverage for preliminary and finals sessions. Additionally, ESPNU will air a two-hour show at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 5. Links can be found on WatchESPN or at the Championship Central webpage.

The official website for the men’s championship is http://www.ncaa.com/championships/swimming-men/d1. As the host institution, Georgia Tech’s website also has Championship Central, where heat sheets and results will be updated each day.

The DI Men’s Swimming & Diving Program can be viewed at http://www.NCAA.com/gameprograms. The program is free to view and can be downloaded and printed.

THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE
All prelims, 10 a.m., all finals 6 p.m.

Day 4, Saturday, 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, platform diving, 1,650 free (4:05 p.m. start), 400 free relay (finals only).

FRIDAY RESULTS
TEAM TOTALS: 1. California 320.5, 2. Texas 313, 3. Florida 272, 4. N.C. State 214, 5. Indiana 183, 6. Arizona State 167, 7. Stanford 159, 8. Georgiua 150, 9. tie, Louisville, Ohio State 108.
400-yard individual medley: 1. Hugo Gonalez, CAL 3:32.88, 2. Leon Marchand, ASU 3:34.08, 3. Carson Foster, TEX 3:35.09, 4. Bobby Finke, UF 3:36.83.

100-yard butterfly: 1. Andrei Minakov, STAN 43.71, 2. Luca Urlando, UGA 43.80,3. Youssef Ramadan, VT-VA 43.90.

200-yard freestyle: 1. Drew Kiblar, TEX 1:30.28, 2. Grant House, ASU 1:30.68, 3. Matthew Sates, UGA 1:30.72, 5. Kieran Smith, UF 1:31.27.

100-yard breaststroke: 1. Max McHugh, MINN 49.90, 2. Caspar Corbeau, TEX 50.49, 3. Liam Bell, CAL 50.50. 6. Dillon Hillis, UF 51.24.

100-yard backstroke: 1. Kacper Stokowski, NCS 44.04, 2. Brendan Burns, IU 44.15, 3. Adam Chaney, UF 44.35.

3-meter diving: 1. Kurtis Mathews, TAM 466.85, 2. Andrew Capobianco, IU 462.10, 3. Juan Hernandez, LSU 459.20

400-yard medley relay: 1. California 3:00.36,2. Indiana 3:00.76, 3. Florida 3:01.00 (Adam Chaney, Dillon Hillis, Eric Friese, Kieran Smith), 27. Florida State 3:07.63 (Mason Hebert, Izaak Bastian, Max McCusker, Peter Varjasi).

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

Florida Wins Opening Event, Second On Day One Of NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming And Diving Championship

By Sharon Robb
ATLANTA, March 24, 2022—Texas and University of Florida took turns flexing their relay muscles on opening day of the NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships Wednesday at Georgia Tech’s McAuley Aquatic Center.

Florida won the 200-yard medley relay in 1:21.13, faster than its’ qualifying time of 1:22.06. It was an NCAA record, meet record, U.S. Open record and pool record.

Adam Chaney led off with a 20.19 split followed by Dillon Hillis at 23.20, Eric Friese at 19.36 and Will Davis at 18.38 picking up 40 first place relay points. Friese’s split tied him with Joseph Schooling for fastest butterfly split of all time.

Texas was second in 1:21.36, also under the former NCAA and U.S. Open record. Cal and N.C. State tied for third in 1:21.69. Four of the fastest five 200 medley relays in history were produced by the field.

Florida State, with St. Andrew’s alum and Florida Gold Coast swimmer Izaak Bastian of the Bahamas, was 20th in 1:23.84, slower than its qualifying time of 1:23.15. Bastian’s split was 23.78. He was joined on the relay by Mason Herbet (20.88), Max McCusker (20.25) and Peter Varjasi (18.93). Top seed Louisville was seventh in 1:22.29.

In the 800-yard freestyle relay, Texas broke the American record, NCAA record, meet record, U.S. Open record of 6:05.08 and pool record of 6:08.03 winning in 6:30.89. Georgia was second in 6:05.59 and Stanford third in 6:06.90.

Florida was seventh in 6:09.01 with Olympian Kieran Smith, Trey Freeman, Oskar Lindholm and Alfonso Mestre. Smith’s split was 1:30.66.

Florida State finished 25th in 6:23.93 with Yordan Yanchev, Peter Varjasi, Jakub Ksiazek and Max McCusker.

After opening night action, Texas leads the team standings with 74 points, 10 points ahead of Florida with 64.

Individual event competition gets under way Thursday morning. The top 16 advance to finals at 6 p.m. and relays will be included at the end of each finals session.

ESPN3 will provide digital broadcast coverage for preliminary and finals sessions. Additionally, ESPNU will air a two-hour show at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 5. Links can be found on WatchESPN or at the Championship Central webpage.

The DI Men’s Swimming & Diving Program can be viewed at http://www.NCAA.com/gameprograms. The program is free to view and can be downloaded and printed.

THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE
All prelims, 10 a.m., all finals 6 p.m.
Day 2, Thursday, 500 freestyle, 200 IM, 50 freestyle, 1-meter diving, 200 freestyle relay (finals only).

Day 3, Friday, 400 IM, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke, 3-meter diving, 400 medley relay (finals only).

Day 4, Saturday, 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, platform diving, 1650 free (4:05 p.m. start), 400 free relay (finals only).

THURSDAY RESULTS
TEAM TOTALS: 1. Texas 74, 2. Florida 64, 3. California 61, 4. N.C. State 57, 5. tie, Arizona State, Stanford 54, 7. Louisville 46, 8. Georgia 34, 9. Alabama 30, 10. Virginia Tech 28.

200-yard medley relay: 1. Florida 1:21.13 (Adam Chaney, Dillon Hillis, Eric Friese, Will Davis), 2. Texas 1:21.36, 3. California 1:21.69, 20. Florida State 1:23.84 (Mason Hebert, Izaak Bastian, Max McCusker, Peter Varjasi).

800-yard freestyle relay: 1. Texas 6:03.89, 2. Georgia 6:05.59, 3. Stanford 6:06.83, 7. Florida 6:09.01, 25. Florida State 6:23.93.

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

NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming And Diving Begins Wednesday; St. Andrew’s Alum, FGC Swimmer Izaak Bastian Makes Third NCAA Appearance

By Sharon Robb
ATLANTA, March 23, 2022—University of Florida is among favorites to dominate the NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships Wednesday through Saturday at Georgia Tech’s McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta.

Seventeen Gator swimmers and divers are competing in the four-day meet. Adam Chaney, Jace Crawford, Will Davis, Bobby Finke, Trey Freeman, Nicholas Hernandez-Tome, Dillon Hillis, Mason Laur, Oskar Lindholm, Macguire McDuff, Alfonso Mestre, Kieran Smith, Kevin Vargas and Tyler Watson advanced to the national championships based on their season-best times in 12 different events.

Leonardo Garcia and Anton Svirskyi joined the group after qualifying at NCAA Diving Zones the first week of March. Garcia will compete in all three events. Svirskyi qualified on both the 3-meter springboard and platform.

All five relays also qualified for the NCAA Championships: 200 free relay (1:15.18), 400 free relay (2:46.91), 800 free relay (6:08.00), 200 medley relay (1:22.06) and 400 medley relay (3:02.61).

The Gators have NCAA experience to the meet, with Chaney, Davis, Finke, Freeman, Friese, Hillis, Mestre, Smith, Vargas and Watson all having competed at the championships in their careers.

FLORIDA STATE
Florida Gold Coast swimmer and St. Andrew’s alum Izaak Bastian, a national record holder for the Bahamas, will make his third NCAA appearance.

Bastian, a team captain, will compete on the medley relays.

He helped secure bronze at ACCs behind a school record and he was also a part of the 200 medley relay in 2019 that placed seventh at the NCAA Championships. Bastian placed 10th in the 100 breaststroke (52.38) and was 17th in the 200 breaststroke (1:55.36) at ACCs.

The No. 23rd-ranked Seminoles will compete in the 200 medley relay followed by the 800 free relay on Wednesday.

“We are excited for the men’s meet this week,” FSU head coach Neal Studd said. “We have all five relays going with a shot at scoring, so that is a little extra special. It should be a great week for us.”

Prelims will start on Thursday at 10 a.m. with FSU’s three individual qualifiers, Max McCusker, Yordan Yanchev and Mason Herbet competing. The top 16 advance to finals at 6 p.m. and relays will be included at the end of each finals session.

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
Hurricanes platform diver Zach Cooper is among favorites. Cooper will be joined Max Flory, who won the platform event and also qualified in both springboard events at the NCAA qualifier. Cooper is a three-time NCAA All-America and two-time ACC gold medalist.

The DI Men’s Swimming & Diving Program can be viewed at http://www.NCAA.com/gameprograms. The program is free to view and can be downloaded and printed.

THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE
All prelims, 10 a.m., all finals 6 p.m.
Day 1, Wednesday, 200 medley relay (Finals only); 800 free relay (Finals only).

Day 2, Thursday, 500 freestyle, 200 IM, 50 freestyle, 1-meter diving, 200 freestyle relay (finals only).

Day 3, Friday, 400 IM, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke, 3-meter diving, 400 medley relay (finals only).

Day 4, Saturday, 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, platform diving, 1650 free (4:05 p.m. start), 400 free relay (finals only).

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

Florida State Women Top University Of Miami In ACC Dual Meet

By Sharon Robb
CORAL GABLES, January 22, 2022–The Florida State Seminoles dominated University of Miami for a 197-103 victory Friday.

The Seminoles, coming off the holiday break, are undefeated in the Atlantic Coast Conference (2-0) and 5-1 overall. UM is 4-2 overall and 1-1 in the conference.

FSU won 12 of the 16 events at the Norman Witten Pool.

“This team is special,” said FSU coach Neal Studd. “It was an awesome performance. We had some NCAA cuts, some best times and some solid stuff all around.

“This was a big win and we put up times that should easily be ranked within the Top 20 in the country. We’re excited to fine-tune some things and be great in the post season. I’m really proud of the ladies today.”

FSU has a 31-15 advantage over the Hurricanes and have won 19 of their last meets against UM. The teams have been competing since 1971.

FSU’s Nina Kucheran won the 100 breaststroke in a career-best at 59.46, an NCAA B standard. The performance ranks third in FSU history.

FSU hosts Tampa on Friday.

FSU 193, UM 107
200-yard medley relay: 1. FSU A 1:37.55, 2. FSU B 1:39.42, 3. UM 1:39.97.

1,000-yard freestyle: 1. Aino Otava, UM 9:58.89, 2. Adrianna Cera, UM 10:02.38, 3. Sydney Cole, FSU 10:05.39.

200-yard freestyle: 1. Carmen San Nicolas Martinez, UM 1:47.99, 2. Emily Trieschmann, FSU 1:48.98, 3. Sydney Knapp, UM 1:49.70.

100-yard baskstroke: 1. Tania Quaglieri, FSU 53.85, 2. Maddie McDonald, FSU 53.96, 3. Pia Murray, FSU 53.97.

100-yard breaststroke: 1. Nina Kucheran, FSU 59.46, 2. Maddy Higgins, FSU 1:02.06, 3. Emma Sundstrand, UM 1:02.12.

200-yard butterfly: 1. Hannah Womer, FSU 1:57.74, 2. Aryanna Fernandes, FSU 1:58.10, 3. Isabel Trava, UM 1:59.84.

50-yard freestyle: 1. Rebecca Moynihan, FSU 22.77, 2. Jenny Halden, FSU 23.15, 3. Jaceu Hinton, UM 23.18.

1-meter diving: 1. Mia Vallee, UM 317.18, 2. Emma Gullstrand, UM 308.93, 3. Millie Haffety, UM 290.48.

100-yard freestyle: 1. Rebecca Moynihan, FSU 49.74, 2. Zsofia Kurdi, FSU 50.03, 3. Carmen San Nicolas Martinez, UM 50.47.

200-yard backstroke: 1. Pia Murray, FSU 1:56.93, 2. Maddie McDonald, FSU 1:58.19, 3. Sydney Cole, FSU 1:59.33.

200-yard breaststroke: 1. Nina Kucheran, FSU 2:10.90, 2. Maddy Huggins, FSU 2:14.71, 3. Giulia Carvalho, UM 2:15.69.

500-yard freestyle: 1. Emily Trieschmann, FSU 4:50.91, 2. Aino Otava, UM 4:52.60, 3. Adrianna Cera, UM 4:53.85.

100-yard butterfly: 1. Jenny Halden, FSU 52.77, 2. Aryanna Fernandes, FSU 53.04, 3. Edith Jernstedt. FSU 53.29.

3-meter diving: 1. Emma Gullstrand, UM 362.93, 2. Mia Vallee, UM 347.18, 3. Millie Haffety, UM 334.20.

200-yard individual medley: 1. Nina Kucheran, FSU 1:59.33, 2. Edith Jernstedt, FSU 2:00.00, 3. Hannah Womer, FSU 2:00.90.

400-yard freestyle relay: 1. FSU A 3:18.39, 2. UM A 3:20.23, 3. FSU B 3:23.85.

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

Northern Michigan Sweeps Team Titles At Orange Bowl Swim Classic

By Sharon Robb
KEY LARGO, January 4, 2022—Northern Michigan University dominated the annual Orange Bowl Swim Classic Monday at Jacobs Aquatic Center.

The Wildcats won all 24 events to sweep the combined, women’s and men’s team titles.

The meet is held annually and is an integral part of the month-long Orange Bowl festivities, highlighted by the nationally-televised Orange Bowl Football Classic.

The teams entered in the day-long meet are winter training in Key Largo.

The women’s team finished in commanding fashion, grabbing first with 273 points ahead of Valparaiso with 97.

Northern Michigan men’s team finished with 263 points. Valparaiso was a distant second with 58.

NMU finished with a combined score of 536 ahead of Valparaiso University (155), Colby-Sawyer College (63), and The College of the Florida Keys (31).

ELSEWHERE
Florida State cancelled its’ Thursday home swimming and diving meet against Texas A&M because of the recent spike in COVID-19.

“We’re disappointed Texas A&M won’t be traveling,” FSU head coach Neal Studd said. “It would have been a great match-up, but traveling safely is so tough right now. Hopefully, we can schedule a dual next year.”

The No. 18-ranked Seminoles will travel to Baton Rouge, La., to face LSU on Jan. 15 at 11 a.m. (ET).

Also cancelled due to COVID-related reasons was the Jan. 12-15 TYR Pro Swim Series event in Knoxville, Tenn.

It was USA Swimming’s decision to cancel its first major meet of 2022. The Colorado-based national governing body said Monday it wanted to prioritize the health and safety of its athletes, staff and event volunteers.

The next scheduled stop in the Pro Swim Series is Des Moines, Iowa, March 2-5. Last year, USA Swimming was forced to cancel three of the Pro Swim Series meets because of the coronavirus pandemic.

ORANGE BOWL SWIM CLASSIC RESULTS

COMBINED TEAM TOTALS: 1. Northern Michigan 536, 2. Valparaiso 155, 3. Colby-Sawyer 63, 4. College of the Florida Keys 31.

WOMEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. Northern Michigan 273, 2. Valparaiso 97, 3. Colby-Sawyer 63, 4. College of the Florida Keys 12.

MEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. Northern Michigan 263, 2. Valparaiso 58, 3. College of the Florida Keys 19.

WOMEN
200-meter medley relay: 1. Northern Michigan A 2:00.66, 2. Northern Michigan B 2:07.78, 3. Valparaiso 2:13.49.

400-meter freestyle: 1. Maria Arakelian, NMU 4:46.23, 2. Erin VanderSchaaf, NMU 4:47.55, 3. Keleigh Hoffer, NMU 4:47.93.

50-meter butterfly: 1. Heidi Billings, NMU 29.85, 2. Donna Hannig, NMU 30.27, 3. Mallory Irelan, NMU 30.65.

100-meter backstroke: 1. Camilla Carbone, NMU 1:05.79, 2. Faith Sill, NMU 1:08.02, 3. Jenna Joerger, NMU 1:08.89.

50-meter breaststroke: 1.Zoe DeKievit, NMU 34.95, 2. Briana Arnold, NMU 36.55, 3. Sara Strauss, VAL 37.55.

100-meter freestyle: 1. Donna Hannig, NMU 59.88, 2. Paige Whaley, NMU 1:06.76, 3. Kenzie Conn, VAL 1:08.67.

100-yard butterfly: 1. Michaela Nelson, NMU 1:06.48, 2. Faith Sill, NMU 1:09.91, 3. Kelsey Brown, Colby-Sawyer 1:10.05.

50-meter backstroke: 1. Camilla Carbone, NMU 29.86, 2. Mia Strazny, NMU 31.74, 3. Jules Engesser, NMU 33.52.

100-meter breaststroke: 1. Zoe DeKievit, NMU 1:15.19, 2. Briana Arnold, NMU 1:21.89, 3. Franny Gastrow, NMU 1:23.68.

50-meter freestyle: 1. Becca Burrows, NMU 27.56, 2. Jasper Bunker, NMU 28.55, 3. Sara Strauss, VAL 29.34.

200-meter individual medley: 1. Heidi Billings, NMU 2:25.74, 2. Ella Houwers, NMU 2:26.22, 3. Jenna Joerger, NMU 2:4.50.

200-meter freestyle relay: 1. Northern Michigan A 1:50.57, 2. Northern Michigan B 2:01.55, 3. Valparaiso 2:07.34.

MEN
200-meter medley relay: 1. Northern Michigan A 1:45.14, 2. Northern Michigan B 1:52.34, 3. Valparaiso 1:59.36.

400-meter freestyle: 1. Patrick Andrews, NMU 4:21.02, 2. Grant Combs, NMU 4:25.96, 3. Jackson Cotter, NMU 4:28.28.

50-meter butterfly: 1. Ryan Lund, NMU 26.21, 2. Felipe Lemos, NMU 27.28, 3. Spencer Adamson, NMU 27.80.

100-meter backstroke: 1. Thibault Auger, NMU 1:00.17, 2. Erikas Kapocius, NMU 1:02.75, 3. Graham Murza, CFK 1:03.88.

50-meter breaststroke: 1. Freddie DeWeesem NMU 30.79, 2. Nathan True, NMU 33.95.

100-meter freestyle: 1. Ivan Amillo-Escobedo, NMU 53.86, 2. Conor Graydon, NMU 55.98, 3. Grant Combs, NMU 56.81.

100-meter butterfly: 1. Ryan Lund, NMU 59.83, 2. Luke Pettinger, NMU 1:00.86, 3. Spencer Adamson, NMU 1:01.54.

50-meter backstroke: 1. Thibault Auger, NMU 27.81, 2. Levi Lewis, NMU 30.03, 3. Logan Boynton, NMU 32.30.

100-meter breaststroke: 1. Freddie Weese, NMU 1:08.03, 2. Andrew Berzai, VAL 1:12.63, 3. Nathan True, NMU 1:15.37.

50-meter freestyle: 1. Ezra Billings, NMU 23.51, 2. Marty Wolmarans, NMU 23.96, 3. Ivan Amillo-Escobedo, NMU 24.54.

200-meter individual medley: 1. Erikas Kapocius, NMU 2:16.01, 2. Patrick Andrews, NMU 2:19.75, 3. Levi Lewis, NMU 2:22.51.

200-meter freestyle relay: 1. Northern Michigan A 1:37.33, 2. Valparaiso 1:40.42, 3. Northern Michigan B 1:46.97.

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

SOFLO’s Gaby Banks Closes Out Junior Pan American Games

By Sharon Robb
CALI, Colombia, November 29, 2021–South Florida Aquatic Club’s Gaby Banks competed in her final event in her first Junior Pan American Games Monday at Hernando Botero O’Byrne Swimming Pool.

The 18-year-old Florida State swimmer who represents Jamaica internationally, finished 14th in the 50-meter freestyle in 26.90. Banks was 16th in prelims in 27.04. It was her fifth and final event.

Aruba’s Patrick Groters, 22, entered in the 400-meter individual event, did not compete. The former NSU University School and Pine Crest Swim Club swimmer, who has already won gold and silver medals, has the 200 IM left to swim on Tuesday.

Nicole Frank, 17, of Uruguay and Azura, was eighth in the 400-meter individual medley prelims in 5:09.55. She did not compete in finals.

South Florida Heat’s Micaela Sierra, 17, of Uruguay and Azura will compete in the 200-meter individual medley on Tuesday.

Brazil leads the men’s and women’s team standings. The swimming competition ends Tuesday night.

Cali, the capital of Valle del Cauca, is hosting the first-ever edition of the Junior Pan American Games.

It is a key event in the lead-up to the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games and Paris 2024 Olympics, allowing up-and-coming athletes a new level of competition they didn’t have in past years.

Approximately 3,000 volunteers, 1,400 technical officials and 1,142 other officials are participating along with 4,806 athletes from 41 countries and territories affiliated with Panam Sports in 39 sports. The meet is for ages up to 22.

Neither the U.S. or Canada, the region’s most successful countries, sent swim teams to the event although they are competing in other sports. Brazil (25), Colombia (25), and Mexico (26) have the largest delegations of swimmers.

The Games were initially scheduled to begin on June 5 but were postponed to September 9 to 19. It was further delayed because of COVID-19 before moving to late November and early December.

WOMEN
50-meter freestyle:

Stephanie Balduccini, Brazil 25.47, 2. Deyse Goncalves Pereira Ba, Brazil 25.74, 3. Anicka Delgado, Ecuador 25.74, 14. Gaby Banks, Jamaica 26.90.

400-meter individual medley:

Maria Selene Alborzen, Argentina 4:52.22, 2. Fernanda De Groeij, Brazil 4:55.13, 3. Alondra Ortiz, Costa Rica 4:57.14.

MEN
50-meter freestyle:

Victor Alcara Guimaraes, Brazil 22.08, 2. Lucas Peixoto, Brazil 22.34, 3. Camilo-Andres Marrugo Montano, Colombia 22.92

400-meter individual medley:

Erick Gordillo, Guatemala, 4:22.09, 2. Stephan Steverink, Brazil 4:24.35, 3. Roberto Bonilla Flores, Guatemala 4:26.08.

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

Aruba’s Patrick Groters Wins, Breaks First Record At Junior Pan American Games Twice; SOFLO’s Gaby Banks Swims Best Time

By Sharon Robb
CALI, Colombia, November 27, 2021–Patrick Groters of Aruba made history at the inaugural Junior Pan American Games Saturday at Hernando Botero O’Byrne Swimming Pool.

Groters, 22, broke the first Pan American junior record in the 200-meter backstroke prelims in 2:03.55, the fastest morning qualifier. He came back at night to break it again and win the event in a best time 2:01.78, a 0.54 drop.

Groters, now at University of South Carolina, swam at NSU University School and Pine Crest Swim Club. He is a member of Aruba’s national team and 2024 Olympic hopeful. He has the 100 backstroke, 400 IM and 200 IM left to swim.

South Florida Aquatic Club’s Gaby Banks, 18, of Florida State who represents Jamaica internationally, was 22nd in 200-meter freestyle in a best time 2:13.26, dropping 0.04.

Uruguay’s Nicole Frank, 17, who trains with Azura Florida Aquatics, was seventh in the 200-meter freestyle in a best time 2:05.90, a 0.57 drop. She qualified seventh in 2:06.77.

In the men’s 200 freestyle, Joaquin Vargas of Peru was fifth fastest qualifier in 1:53.92; Gabriel Araya of Chile was seventh fastest in 1:54.82; and Miami’s Brandon Vives of the Dominican Republic was 18th in 200 freestyle in 1:58.02. Vargas came back in finals to place fourth in 1:50.86; Araya finished seventh in 1:53.64; and Vives was 12th in 1:56.64. Vives was also 26th in the 100 butterfly in 59.21.

Maria Munoz, 22, of Peru and Azura, was 13th in the 100 butterfly prelims in 1:03.95 and 12th in finals in 1:03.42.

Cali, the capital of Valle del Cauca, is hosting the first-ever edition of the Junior Pan American Games.

It is a key event in the lead-up to the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games and Paris 2024 Olympics, allowing up-and-coming athletes a new level of competition they didn’t have in past years.

The Games were initially scheduled to begin on June 5 but were postponed to September 9 to 19. It was further delayed because of COVID-19 before moving to late November and early December.

WOMEN
200-meter freestyle:

Ana Carolina Vieira, Brazil 2:02.15, 2. Maria Yegres Cottin, Venezuela 2:02.16, 3. Karen Durango Restrepo, Colombia 2:03.09.

100-meter butterfly:

Clarissa Maria Rodrigues, Brazil 1:00.19, 2. Luana Alonso, Paraguay 1:00.30, 3. Valentina Becerra, Colombia 1:00.82.

200-meter backstroke:

Athena Meneses Kovacs, Mexico 2:15.64, 2. Jimena Leguizamon Leal, Colombia 2:16.85, 3. Fernando De Goeji, Brazil 2:17.94.

MEN
200-meter freestyle:

Breno Martins Correia, Brazil 1:47.46, 2. Juan Manuel Morales Restrepo, Colombia 1:49.70, 3. Santi Corredor, Colombia 1:49.80.

100-meter butterfly:

Kayky Marquart Mota, Brazil 52.81, 2. Matheus Ferreira De Moraes Gonche, Brazil 52.83, 3. Jorge Eliezer Otaiza Hernandez, Venezuela 53.76.

200-meter backstroke:

Patrick Groters, Aruba 2:01.78, 2. Diego Salgado, Mexico 2:02.29, 3. Erick Oswaldo Gordillo Guzman, Guatemala 2:03.00.

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

FSU Seminoles Win Quad Meet; Izaak Bastian, SOFLO’s Gaby Banks Top Three Finishers

By Sharon Robb
TALLAHASSEE, October 30, 2021—Florida State swept North Florida, West Florida and Florida Southern Saturday in its annual “Paint It Pink” Meet.

Sponsored by Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, the meet supports the fight against breast cancer.

“This meet is always a lot of fun,” FSU head coach Neal Studd said. “It’s great to get some other Florida teams here for us and to mix it up a little. It’s a great opportunity for the athletes that did not travel last week to show us what they have.”

The No. 15 Seminoles picked up a combined four wins at Morcom Aquatics Center.

The 15th-ranked men’s team (3-0, 1-0 ACC) defeated Florida Southern 196.50-65.50.

The women’s team (4-1, 1-0 ACC) picked up three victories, defeating UWF 240-59, North Florida 248-45 and the Mocs 244-49.

“It was good to see some different events out of people today,” Studd said. “We saw some people step up and help us in areas where we go against SEC and ACC teams.”

The Seminoles won a combined 26 events, with 19 sweeps including the both the men’s and women’s 200 medley relay.

South Florida Aquatic Club’s Gaby Banks, a sophomore who competes for Jamaica internationally, was third in the 50-yard freestyle in 24.40, 11th in the 100-yard freestyle in 54.75 and was a member of the 200-yard medley relay that finished second in 1:47.40.

Senior Izaak Bastian, a St. Andrew’s alum and member of the Bahamian national team, was third in the 100-yard freestyle in 47.18 and was a member of the third place 200-yard freestyle relay that finished in 1:24.73.

In the women’s meet, Nina Kucheran (1:52.35), Ashley Zettle (1:52.97) and Tania Quaglieri (1:55.87) swept the 200 freestyle and Jaden Herbet was first in the 100 backstroke in 57.24.

FSU added another sweep in the 100 breaststroke, led by Maddy Huggins (1:03.04) followed by Hannah Womer (1:03.37) and Nora Woods (1:07.08).

Edith Jernstedt (2:03.75) won the 200 butterfly and Pia Murray (2:08.77) followed was second.

Gloria Muzito won the 50 freestyle in 24.08 followed by Aryanna Fernandes in 24.18.

Herbet won her second event of the day, leading a sweep of the 200 backstroke in 2:05.29, followed by Murray in 2:07.62 and Natalie Peterson in 2:08.53.

Katherine Baker was first in the 200 breaststroke (2:23.51) ahead of Rachel Moran (2:24.20) and Woods (2:24.66).

FSU took the top three places in the 500 freestyle with Phoebe Griffiths (4:59.23), Kucheran (5:03.89) and Zettle (5:08.72).

Womer added a win in the 100 butterfly (55.15) ahead of Murray (56.64) and Huggins in third (57.97).

The women added another sweep in the 400 individual medley led by Syd VanOvermeiren (4:24.81) followed by Sydney Boals (4:28.22) and Olivia Sapio (4:31.67).

FSU took first in the 200 freestyle relay by Muzito, Zsofia Kurdi, Quaglieri and Womer in 1:36.09.

Samantha Vear (284.18) won the 1-meter diving ahead of teammates Victoria Cervantes (280.65) and Isabel Gregersen (278.40). On 3-meter, Cervantes (314.70) edged Gregersen (302.03) and Vear (281.93) for first-place.

After the sweep of the 200 medley relay in the men’s meet, Nick Mason came back with a win in the 1000 freestyle in 9:26.05 followed by Zach Smith in (9:27.54).

FSU swept the 200 freestyle with Yordan Yanchev (1:39.95), Sam Budd (1:40.52) and David Quirie (1:42.23).

Florida Southern’s Brandon Dyck won the 100 backstroke. FSU’s Peter Varjasi won the 100 breaststroke in 55.08.

FSU had a one-two finish in the 200 butterfly with Brennan Hammond (1:51.97) and Auben Nugent (1:52.27).

Max McCusker (20.48), Jakub Ksiazek (20.71) and Ian Cooper (20.75) combined for the sweep of the 50 freestyle before the break.

Adrian Aguilar won the 100 freestyle in 45.84. Arijus Pavlidi (1:50.16) won the 200 backstroke before FSU swept the 500 freestyle with Yanchev (4:29.89), Aziz Ghaffari (4:31.78) and Jason Brzozowski (4:35.66).

Mason Herbet won the 100 butterfly in 48.56 ahead of Varjasi (49.35) and Budd (49.36).

Nick Mason won the 400 individual medley (4:00.23) five seconds ahead of Brzozowski (4:05.50) and Tanker Speck (4:06.12).

The men finished the meet with a sweep in the 200 freestyle relay led by the ‘A’ team of Blake Moran, Mason Herbet, Varjasi and McCusker.

The Seminoles’ next meet is Friday, Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. against Florida at Morcom Aquatics Center for the Mental Health Awareness meet.

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

Florida State Seminoles Win Season-Opening TYR Fall Classic; Izaak Bastian Picks Up Five Wins

By Sharon Robb
NORTH MIAMI, October 10, 2021—Florida State won the TYR Fall Classic Saturday at FIU Biscayne Bay Campus and extended its’ streak to 13 in season-opening wins.

The Seminoles won the women’s title with 437 points, the men’s title with 517.5 points and combined team title with 954.5 points.

The two-day, eight-team meet featured state schools Florida International, Florida Atlantic, Lynn University and Keiser University.

“We had an awesome day today,” FSU head coach Neal Studd said. “The ladies turned a small lead overnight into a huge win. They were outstanding today [Saturday] and dominated the competition. The men carried the momentum from yesterday [Friday] and had some great performances.”

St. Andrew’s School alum Izaak Bastian, 20, a 2020 Olympian and national record holder on the Bahamas national team won two individual events and was a member of three winning relays.

Bastian won the 100-yard breaststroke in 54.34 and 200-yard breaststroke in 2:01.33. He also swam on the winning 200- and 400-yard medley and 200-yard freestyle relays.

Heading into the second and final day of competition, FSU women’s team (217) had a four-point lead over FIU (213) after Friday’s session.

With two swimmers in each race only allowed to score points in their entered heat, the women won seven of the 16 heats in order to clinch the team title.

The men’s team won seven of the nine events on Saturday, starting with the 200-yard medley relay behind Mason Herbet, Izaak Bastian, Max McCusker, and Blake Moran with a time of 1:38.51. Bastian followed with a win in the 200 breaststroke (2:01.33) and Herbet touched first in the 200 backstroke (1:48.35).

COMBINED TEAM TOTALS

Florida State 954.5, 2. Texas Christian 619.5, 4. Pittsburgh 618, 4. Missouri State 536, 5. Florida Atlantic 524, 6. Florida International 408, 7. Keiser 362.5, 8. Lynn University 357.5.

WOMEN TEAM TOTALS

Florida State 437, 2. Florida International 408, 3. Pittsburgh 306, 4. Texas Christian 298.5, 5. Missouri State 247, 6. Florida Atlantic 246, 7. Lynn 176, 8. Keiser 159.5.

WOMEN RESULTS

400-yard medley relay: 1. FIU 3:42.66, 2. FSU 3:42.74, 3. Pittsburgh 3:48.09.

200-yard freestyle: 1. Emma Hultquist, TCU 1:50.19, 2. Nina Kucheran, FSU 1:51.69, 3. Christie Chue, FIU 1:51.81.

400-yard individual medley: 1. Stephanie Hussey, FIU 4:15.70, 2. Ginevra Molino, FSU 4:22.57, 3. Daisy Anderson, PITT 4:28.22.

100-yard butterfly: 1. Julia Miranda, FIU 55.36, 2. Jenny Halden, FSU 55.74, 3. Sami Roemer, MOST 57.24.

50-yard freestyle: 1. Anna Miller, MOST 23.34, 2. Rebecca Moynihan, FSU 23.35, 3. Elinah Phillip, FIU 23.55.

100-yard breaststroke: 1. Nina Kucheran, FSU 1:01.88, 2. Christie Chue, FIU 1:02.60, 3. Tatum Detwiler, PITT 1:03.68.

100-yard backstroke: 1. Francesca Pasquino, TCU 56.01, 2. Julia Miranda, FIU 56.17, 3. Daisy Anderson, PITT 56.93.

200-yard freestyle relay: 1. FSU 1:32.72, 2. FIU 1:33.19, 3. TXCU 1:35.59.

3-meter diving: 1. Maha Gouda, FIU 308.70, 2. Kayleigh Clark, FSU 294.00, 3. Alicia Mora Herencia, FAU 285.35.

200-yard medley relay: 1. FSU 1:41.23, 2. FIU 1:42.85, 3. Pittsburgh 1:43.04.

500-yard freestyle: 1. Stephanie Hussey, FIU 4:58.30, 2. Ginevra Molino, FSU 5:03.00, 3. Jill Berger, PITT 5:03.81.

200-yard breaststroke: 1. Nina Kucheran, FSU 2:15.29, 2. Christie Chue, FIU 2:15.30, 3. Alessia Puleo, MOST 2:20.52.

200-yard backstroke: 1. Daisy Anderson, PITT 2:00.89, 2. Maddie McDonald, FSU 2:01.42, 3. Francesca Pasquino, TCU 2:02.73.

1-meter diving: 1. Mandy Song, FIU 323.45, 2. Samantha Vear, FSU 295.50, 3. Amy Read, PITT 285.15.

100-yard freestyle: 1. Rebecca Moynihan, FSU 51.06, 2. Anna Miller, MOST 51.12, 3. Olivia Rhodes, TCU 52.04.

200-yard butterfly: 1. Hannah Womer, FSU 2:01.39, 2. Dolores Margni, FAU 2:03.24, 3. Stephanie Hussey, FIU 2:03.38.

200-yard individual medley: 1. Nina Kucheran, FSU 2:03.94, 2. Daisy Anderson, PITT 2:03.99, 3. Ewa Osiniak, LYNN 2:08.07.

400-yard freestyle relay: 1. FIU 3:24.51, 2. FSU 3:24.54, 3. TCU 2:38.86.

MEN TEAM TOTALS

Florida State 517.5, 2. Texas Christian 321, 3. Pittsburgh 312, 4. Missouri State 289, 5. Florida Atlantic 278, 6. Keiser 203, 7. Lynn 181.5.

MEN’S RESULTS
400-yard medley relay: 1. FSU 3:13.66, 2. TCU 3:20.52, 3. Missouri State 3:21.30.

200-yard freestyle: 1. Peter Varjasi, FSU 1:38.25, 2. Geremia Freri, TCU 1:38.58, 3. Arthur Cury, MOST 1:40.16.

400-yard individual medley: 1. Nick Mason, FSU 3:57.41, 2. Luke Dimiceli, TCU 3:58.76, 3. Dylan Moffatt, MOST 4:04.33.

100-yard butterfly: 1. Max McCusker, FSU 48.11, 2. Serhil Ahadzhanian, PITT 48.71, 3. Piotr Sadlowski, TCU 49.30.

50-yard freestyle: 1. Peter Varjasi, FSU 20.41, 2. Flynn Crisci, PITT 20.86, 3. Raphael Paiva Da, TCU 21.03.

100-yard breaststroke: 1. tie, Izaak Bastian, FSU and Cooper Van Der Laan, PITT 54.34, 3. Vitauts Silins, TCU 55.87.

100-yard backstroke: 1. Mason Hebert, FSU 47.61, 2. Robbie Hill, MOST 50.45, 3. Stefan Vargas, TCU 50.70.

200-yard freestyle relay: 1. FSU 1:21.46, 2. FAU 1:22.48, 3. TCU 1:22.85.

1-meter diving: 1. David Ekdahl, TCU 326.30, 2. Cameron Cash, PITT 304.60, 3. Darwin Nolasco, FSU 303.05.

200-yard medley relay: 1. FSU 1:28.51, 2. TCU 1:30.68, 3. Pittsburgh 1:31.61.

500-yard freestyle: 1. Geremia Freri, TCU 4:29.19, 2. Pawel Krawczyk, MOST 4:31.40, 3. Sam Budd, FSU 4:33.79.

200-yard breaststroke: 1. Izaak Bastian, FSU 2:01.33, 2. Cooper Van Der Laan, PITT 2:03.24, 3. Vitauts Silins, TCU 2:03.80.

200-yard backstroke: 1. Mason Hebert, FSU 1:48.35, 2. Marcin Goraj, PITT 1:49.24, 3. Stefan Varga, TCU 1:50.87.

3-meter diving: 1. Jesco Helling, FSU 343.55, 2. Dylan Reed, PITT 335.30, 3. David Ekdahl, TCU 331.90.

100-yard freestyle: 1. Peter Varjasi, FSU 44.87, 2. Raphael Paiva Da, TCU 45.51, 3. Jackson Kirk, FAU 46.38.

200-yard butterfly: 1. Adam Mahler, PITT 1:48.89, 2. Rateb Hussein, FAU 1:49.31, 3. Pawel Krawczyk, MOST 1:50.51.

200-yard individual medley: 1. Mason Herbert, FSU 1:48.68, 2. Alec Peckmann, FAU 1:51.54, 3. Luke Dimicelli, TCU 1:52.30.

400-yard freestyle relay: 1. FSU 3:00.98, 2. TCU 3:01.18, 3. FAU 3:02.37.

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