SOFLO Ends Successful Road Trip At Speedo Winter Junior East Championships

By Sharon Robb

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., December 9, 2017—On a snowy night, South Florida Aquatic Club ended a successful road trip at the Speedo Winter Junior East Championships Saturday at University of Tennessee’s Allan Jones Aquatic Center.

SOFLO’s five swimmers Kathleen Golding, Kelley Heron, Luke Lezotte, Ricardo Roche and Rafael Rodriguez competed against some of the nation’s top east region swimmers.

On the fourth and final day, Golding was SOFLO’s top finisher. The 17-year-old placed fifth in the 100-yard freestyle in a best time 49.43, bettering her previous best of 49.55. She qualified eighth in 50.07 in prelims.

Rafael Rodriguez turned in a best time of 15:55.40 in the 1,650 yard freestyle.

Mason Manta Rays won the boys team title with 346 points ahead of SwimMAC with 327.5. Metro Aquatic Club of Miami was the top Florida Gold Coast finisher placing tenth with 103 points.

SwimMAC, with two 4×100 freestyle relay teams among the top three finishers for 66 points, captured the girls team title with 514 points. Early leader Nashville Aquatic Club was second with 440.

AquaKids Sharks was the top FGC team placing 16th with 43 points, all from Mary Smutny, followed by Pine Crest with 41 and South Florida Aquatic Club with 40 points, all from Golding.

SATURDAY RESULTS

BOYS TEAM TOTALS: 1. Mason Manta Rays 346, 2. SwimMAC 327.5, 3. Carmel 311, 4. Dayton Raiders 245, 5. SwimAtlanta 235, 10. Metro Aquatics 103, 31. St. Andrew’s 23, 49. Pine Crest, 52. Gulliver 5.

GIRLS TEAM TOTALS: 1. SwimMAC 514, 2. Nashville Aquatic Club 440, 3. Marlins of Raleigh 257, 4. Carmel Swim Club 238, 5. Gator Swim Club 197, 16. AquaKids Sharks 43, 17. Pine Crest 41, 18. South Florida Aquatic Club 40, 52. East Coast Aquatic Club 9, 53. St. Andrew’s 7.

GIRLS
200-yard backstroke: 1. Alexandra Walsh, Nashville Aquatics 1:51.42; SOFLO: 106. Kelley Heron 2:05.19; FGC: 105. Gabriella Antonini, Gulliver 2:04.85.

100-yard freestyle: 1. Kelly Pash, Carmel Swim Club 48.55; SOFLO: 5. Kathleen Golding 49.43, 8. 50.07, prelims.

FGC: 18. Mary Smutny, AquaKids Sharks, 49.48, 17. 50.51, prelims, 29. Chade Nersicio, East Coast Aquatics 50.76, 33. Andrea Santander, Pine Crest 50.82, 46. Jennifer Secrest, NPB 51.34, 64. Emily Cordovi, Gulliver 51.73, 67. Lauren Hew 51.80, 68. Eriana Temperino, East Coast Aquatics 51.87, 87. Jessica Nava, Pine Crest 52.18, 116. Sloan Sizemore, Martin County 52.78, 120. Catharine Cooper, Swim Fort Lauderdale 52.86.

200-yard breaststroke: 1. Ashley McCauley, Marlins of Raleigh 2:09.54.

FGC: 10. Shayna Fetes, SAS 2:15.65, 33. Hannah Virgin, Pine Crest 2:18.45, 74. Anna Auld, East Coast Aquatics 2:22.34, 80. Victoria Miyamoto, Pine Crest 2:23.91.

200-yard butterfly: 1. Olivia Carter, Enfinity Aquatics 1:53.49, meet record.

FGC: 14. Mary Smutny, AquaKids Sharks, 1:58.92, 9. 1:59.97, 24. Alessandra Baldari, NPB, 2:02.38, 22. 2:01.07, prelims, 27. Emily Cordovi, Gulliver 2:01.64, 29. Jennifer Secrest, NPB 2:01.91, 68. Eriana Temperino, East Coast Aquatic 2:04.61, 81. Alexandra Meszaros, Pine Crest 2:05.80, 99. Marcella Ruppert-Gomez, Gulliver 2:08.35.

1,650-yard freestyle: 1. Madison Homovic, Marlins of Raleigh 16:10.30.

FGC: 14. Anna Auld, East Coast 16:40.40, 28. Marcella Ruppert-Gomez, Gulliver 16:58.86.

4×100-yard freestyle relay: 1. Nashville Aquatic Club 3:17.32, 2. SwimMAC A 3:18.45, 3. SwimMAC B 3:20.86, 10. Pine Crest 3:24.45, 14. East Coast Aquatics 3:26.55

BOYS

200-yard backstroke: 1. Carson Foster, Mason Manta Rays 1:41.66; SOFLO: 95. Ricardo Roche 1:53.16.

FGC: 11. Patrick Groters, Pine Crest 1:46.57, 35. Miguel Cancel, Gulliver 1:49.50, 49. Trahern Gribble, Gulliver 1:50.10

100-yard freestyle: 1. Drew Kibler, Carmel 42.90.

FGC: 23. Kyle Dimattero, Lake Lytal Lightning, 45.46, 21. 45.18, prelims, 28. Cason Wilburn, East Coast Aquatic 45.32, 29. Jorge Depassier, Azura 45.34, 32. Nico Ferrara, Pine Crest 45.52, 58. Aitor Fungairino, Metro Aquatics 45.94, 69. Irvin Hoost, Metro Aquatics 46.26, 88. Steven Aimable, Azura 46.70, 105. Adrian Aguilar, Metro Aquatics 47.72.

200-yard breaststroke: 1. Jacob Foster, Mason Manta Rays 1:55.54.

FGC: 9. Izaak Bastian, SAS 159.22, 16. 2:00.72, prelims, 48. Guillemo Perez, Azura 2:04.74, 76. Teolio Darias, Gulliver 2:06.89, 99. Kevin Degrijze, East Coast Aquatics 2:09.71.

200-yard butterfly: 1. Zachary Brown, Marlins of Raleigh 1:44.11.

FGC: 18. Miguel Cancel, Gulliver 20. 1:47.97, prelims, 22. Brandon Vives, Metro Aquatics 1:49.17, 82.David Farinang, Metro Aquatics 1:53.57.

1,650-yard freestyle: 1. Jacob Magahey, SwimAtlanta 14:52.85; SOFLO: 40. Rafael Rodriguez 15:55.40, 46. Ricardo Roche 16:10.90; FGC: 45. David Farinang, Metro Aquatics 16:09.32.

4×100-yard freestyle relay: 1. SwimMAC 2:57.74, 2. Carmel Swim Club 2:58.12, 3. Mason Manta Rays 2:59.37, 6. Metro Aquatics 3:00.79

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

SOFLO’s Fab Five Head To Speedo Winter Junior East Championships That Begin Wednesday

By Sharon Robb

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., December 5, 2017—South Florida Aquatic Club will have one of its largest contingents at this week’s Speedo Winter Junior East Championships at University of Tennessee’s Allan Jones Aquatic Center.

The four-day meet begins Wednesday with the men’s and women’s 200 medley and 800 freestyle relays. SOFLO swimmers begin competing on Thursday.

SOFLO’s contingent includes Kathleen Golding, Kelley Heron, Luke Lezotte, Ricardo Roche and Rafael Rodriguez.

Golding is qualified in five events. She will compete in the 200- and 400-yard individual medleys and 50-, 100- and 200-yard freestyles.

Heron will compete in the 200-yard individual medley and 100- and 200-yard backstroke.

Lezotte qualified in the 50-yard freestyle.

Roche will swim five events, 500-yard freestyle, 200- and 400-yard individual medleys, 1,650-yard freestyle and 200-yard backstroke.

Rodriguez will swim the 500-yard freestyle, 400-yard individual medley and 1,650-yard freestyle.

The East field features swimmers from SwimMAC Carolina, Gator Swim Club, Marlins of Raleigh, Carmel, Mason Manta Rays, Swim Atlanta, Dynamo, Bolles and Pine Crest.

In addition to Pine Crest and SOFLO swimmers, other Florida Gold Coast teams entered are Boca Raton Swim Team, AquaKids Sharks, Gulliver Swim Club, Metro Aquatics, North Palm Beach, St. Andrew’s Swimming, Azura Florida Aquatics and Lake Lytal Lightning.

The star-studded girls field is led by Alex Walsh who is seeded first in four events, the 100- and 200-yard backstroke, 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard individual medley. She also qualified in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle.

Other top girls competing are Junior World medalists Emily Weiss and Ella Nelson, Morgan Tankersley and Madison Homovich.

The boys field is led by Trey Freeman, Carson Foster, Cody Bybee and Drew Kibler.

The Speedo Winter Junior West Championships are also being held Wednesday through Saturday at the University of Iowa Recreation Center in Iowa City.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

http://www.swim4soflo.co.

SOFLO Sends Record Fourteen Swimmers To USA Swimming Futures Championships That Begin Wednesday

By Sharon Robb

August 2, 2017—South Florida Aquatic Club will have a record fourteen swimmers competing when the USA Swimming Futures Championships begin Wednesday in Nashville, Tenn.

It is one of four Futures meets held across the country. The other three are in Santa Clara, Calif., Lewisville, Tex. and Geneva, Ohio.

The meet will begin with timed finals on Wednesday at 4 p.m. The remainder of the meet through Sunday will feature prelims at 9 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m.

The championships are open to swimmers who are USA Swimming members and have achieved the time standards in one or more events. The summer meet provides swimmers with a new stepping stone between Sectionals and Junior Nationals. Some call the Futures meet a “junior” Junior Nationals.

Several Florida teams are competing including Gator Swim Club, Pine Crest Swimming, Tampa Bay Aquatics, Highlander, Area Tallahassee, AquaKids Sharks, East Coast Aquatics, Boca Raton Swim Team, South Florida Aquatic Club and Blue Wave Swimming.

SOFLO’s qualifiers are Max Asnis (3 events), Juan Diaz (3 events), Kelley Heron (four events), CJ Kopecki (3 events), Luke Lezotte (3 events), Melissa Marinheiro (4 events), Kevin Porto (3 events), Samuel Quintero (3 events), Ricardo Roche (five events), Jennifer Rodriguez (3 events), Jessica Rodriguez (3 events), Rafael Rodriguez (6 events), Juan Serna (3 events) and Luis Villanueva (events).

SOFLO swimmers will also compete on eight A and B relays.

Among SOFLO’s top seeds are:

Luke Lezotte, 16, 50-meter freestyle, 24.10, third.

Melissa Marinheiro, 20, 1500-meter freestyle, 9:10.70, third.

SOFLO women’s 800-meter freestyle relay, 8:26.12, third.

SOFLO women’s 400-meter medley relay, 4:20.14, third.

Ricardo Roche, 17, 800-meter freestyle, 8:29.01, fourth; 200-meter backstroke, 2:09.44, 11th.

SOFLO’s men’s 800-meter freestyle relay, 7:53.96, sixth.

Rafael Rodriguez, 15, 1500-meter freestyle 16:22.06, seventh; 800-meter freestyle, 8:33.58, eighth.

Kelley Heron, 17, 100-meter backstroke, 1:05.33, seventh; 200-meter backstroke, 2:21.72, ninth.

Max Asnis, 17, 200-meter butterfly, 2:07.90, tenth.

Jessica Rodriguez, 18, 200-meter breaststroke, 2:42.45, 12th.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO’s Luke Lezotte Double Winner On Final Day Of FGC Senior Championships

By Sharon Robb

July 31, 2017—Luke Lezotte won two events on the final day of the Florida Gold Coast LCM Senior Championships Sunday at Michael Lohberg Pool of Champions at Coral Springs Aquatic Complex.

Lezotte, 16, won the 15-16 50-meter butterfly in 25.30 with a time drop of 1.13 and 50-meter freestyle in 23.88 with a time drop of 0.22.

Also during Senior Champs, SOFLO’s Kevin Porto and Juan Diaz made their first cuts for this week’s USA Swimming Futures Championships and are on their way to Nashville.

Porto, 17, made it in the 100-meter freestyle off his 50 freestyle relay leadoff leg and Diaz, 17, made it in the 200-meter backstroke.

Other Top 8 SOFLO finishes:

Leonardo Mateus, 15, second, 1500-meter freestyle, 16:54.58, time drop of 16.63, breaking 17 minutes for the first time.

Samuel Quintero, 16, fourth, 100-meter breaststroke, 1:09.40, time drop of 0.06.

Kylie Herman, eighth, 200-meter individual medley, 2:37.44.

Jonathan Farah, eighth, 100-meter backstroke, 1:01.71.

With 37 swimmers competing in 125 individual events and 14 relays, South Florida Aquatic Club finished seventh with 540 points.

Azura Florida Aquatics won the combined team title with 1,295.50 points. Defending champion Swim Fort Lauderdale finished sixth with 586.

Several SOFLO swimmers did not compete because of this week’s Southern Zones (Aug. 1-5) in Tupelo, Miss., USA Futures Championships (Aug. 3-5) in Nashville, Tenn., and Junior Nationals (Aug. 8-12) in Long Island, N.Y.

SUNDAY RESULTS

COMBINED TEAM TOTALS: 1. Azura Florida Aquatics 1,295.50, 2. Gulliver Swim Club 1,245, 3. Metro Aquatics 930, 4. Miami Swimming 760, 5. Westminster Academy 638.50, 6. Swim Fort Lauderdale 586, 7. South Florida Aquatic Club 540, 8. North Palm Beach 467, 9. Pine Crest Swimming 423.50, 10. Jupiter Dragons 393.50.

HIGH POINT TOTALS: GIRLS: 15-16, 1. Amanda Kopas, Swim Fort Lauderdale 113, 2. Solana Capalbo, Azura 94, 3. Olivia Hernandez, Gulliver 84, 30. Isabella Di Salvo, SOFLO 32, 69. Elise Larin, SOFLO 4; Open, 1. Brooke Ellis, Gulliver 105, 2. Elizabeth Zubero, SFTL 101, 3. Kyla Valls, Miami Swimming 91; 22. Daniela Curbelo, SOFLO 42, 24. Alia Atkinson, SOFLO 40, 27. Kylie Herman, SOFLO 35, 86. Katrina Del Vecchio, SOFLO 2.

BOYS: 15-16, 1. Mattheus Santos, PB 110, 2. John Torres, FFSC 108.50, 3. Alexander Gardner, Sarasota 104.50; 16. Luke Lezotte, SOFLO 49, 19. Leonardo Mateus, SOFLO 45, 35. Samuel Quintero, SOFLO 30, 47. David Avalos Aday, SOFLO 13; Open, 1. Tyler Zuyus, PB 102.50, 2. Miguel Cancel, Gulliver 89, 3. David Lambert, Westminster Academy 80, 24. Jonathan Farah, SOFLO 42, 36. Juan Diaz, SOFLO 30, 37. Ryan Capote, SOFLO 29.50, 53. Leonardo Mateus, SOFLO 12, 81. Heath Brames, SOFLO 4, 85. Kevin Porto, SOFLO 3.

GIRLS

200-meter medley relay: 1. Gulliver 2:02.28, 2. Miami Swimming 2:03.00, 3. Azura 2:03.53, 16. SOFLO A 2:13.93 (Isabella Di Salvo, Kellie Wilcox, Daniela Curbelo,. Kylie Herman).

100-meter backstroke: 15-16, 1. Gabriella Antonini, Gulliver 1:05.64, 2. Kayla Kraft, Gulliver 1:07.13, 3. Allora Williams. SwimFast 1:09.26; SOFLO: 15. Isabella Di Salvo 1:12.18, time drop, 1:12.90, time drop, prelims, 28. Kellie Wilcox 1:16.34, 30. Maya Coffey 1:16.53, 33. Rebekah Ling 1:16.76, time drop, 44. Alana Acevedo 1:20.12; Open, 1. Andrea Sansores de la Fuente, QROO 1:05.47, 2. Roxanne Yu, Hurricanes 1:05.58, 3. Suzanne Afchain, WA 1:07.38; SOFLO: 29. Daniela Curbelo 1:15.32, time drop.

50-meter butterfly: 15-16, 1. Sydney Torres, SAS 29.62, 2. Victoria Holcomb, SRQ 29.78, 3. Daniela Salcedo, LLL 29.84; SOFLO: 10. Isabella Di Salvo 30.88, time drop, 31.61, time drop prelims, 18. Maya Coffey 31.87, 62. Rebekah Ling 35.01, 65. Alexandra Crespo 35.41; 54. Shelley Sikes 34.44; Open, 1. Kyla Valls, Miami Swimming 27.89, 2. Fabiana Pesce, Unattached 28.23, 3. Victoria Fonville, WA 28.43; SOFLO: 21. Kylie Herman 31.74, time drop, 37. Michelle Marinheiro 33.16.

100-meter breaststroke: 15-16, 1. Hannah Virgin, PC 1:15.16, 2. Madison Lichtig, NPB 1:18.17, 3. Stephanie Suarez, MAC 1:18.54; SOFLO: 13. Elise Larin 1:21.95, time drop, 33. Katherine DeBarros 1:27.22, 44. Valentina Carrion; Open, 1. Nicole Hunnewell, FIU 1:13.58, 2. Elizabeth Zubero, SFTL 1:13.67, 3. Patricia Casellas, Azura 1:14.52; SOFLO: 35. Daniela Curbelo 1:28.53.

50-meter freestyle: 15-16, 1. Solana Capalbo, Azura 26.99, 2. Allora Williams, SF 27.29, 3. Sydney Torres, SAS 27.64; SOFLO: 42. Maya Coffey 29.83, 61. Kellie Wilcox 30.79, time drop, 66. Sophia Bedoya 30.95, time drop, 73. Alana Acevedo 31.25, 75. Rebekah Ling 31.32, 78. Valentina Carrion 31.47; Open, 1. Victoria Fonville, WA 25.36, 2. Kyla Valls, Miami Swimming 26.10, 3. Iliana Oikonomou, Hurricanes 26.57; SOFLO: 45. Abby Oyetunji 29.89, 60. Michelle Marinheiro 30.50.

200-meter individual medley: 15-16, 1. Emily Cordovi, Gulliver 2:22.91, 2. Hannah Virgin, PC 2:26.26, 3. Victoria Holcomb, SRQ 2:29.55; Open, 1. Elizabeth Zubero, PC 2:21.73, 2. Brooke Ellis, Gulliver 2:28.86, 3. Andrea Kyriakidis, Hurricanes 2:29.77; SOFLO: 8. Kylie Herman 2:37.44.

1500-meter freestyle: 14-and-under, 1. Caroline Pennington, Unattached 18:08.88, 2. Lucia Miller, SAS 18:46.20; 15-16, 1. Sidney Starman, Gulliver 18:22.33, 2. Adrianna Barone, PC 18:40.84, 3. Taylor Spillman, Unattached 18:50.17; 17-and-over, 1. Catalina Galea Berraud, SFTL 17:53.42, 2. Avery Sanquist, JDST 18:12.08, 3. Lacy Phillips, ECAC 18:46.75.

BOYS

200-meter medley relay: 1. Westminster Academy 1:46.08, 2. Azura 1:46.37, 3. Metro Aquatics 1:46.56, 7. SOFLO A 1:50.23 (Jonathan Farah, Samuel Quintero, Luke Lezotte, Kevin Porto), 14. SOFLO B 1:58.08 (Leonardo Mateus, Michael Arias, Juan Diaz, Heath Brames).

100-meter backstroke: 15-16, 1. tie, John Torres, FFSC and Joshua Balbi, SAS 1:00.70, 3. Gavin Smith, NPB 1:02.20; SOFLO: 10. Leonardo Mateus 1:04.24, time drop; Open, 1. Nikita Tretyakov, SFTL 57.50, 2. Edson Lima, Azura 57.90, 3. Patrick Groters, PC 58.32; SOFLO: 8. Jonathan Farah 1:01.71, 9. Juan Diaz 1:02.30, time drop 1:02.30, 10. Ryan Capote 1:02.83; SOFLO: 21. Wyatt Jennessee 1:08.78, 25. Ty Lezotte 1:10.90.

50-meter butterfly: 15-16, 1. Luke Lezotte, SOFLO 25.30, time drop, 2. Adrian Aguilar, MAC 25.41, 3. Diego Machado, TSA 26.42; SOFLO: 18. David Avalos Aday 28.54, 39. Sebastian Sevilla 29.78, 44. Eiza Gantus 29.90, time drop; Open, 1. David Lambert, WA 24.34, 2. Raphael Marcoux, SFTL 24.82, 3. Edison Lima, Azura 25.12; SOFLO: 25. Juan Diaz 27.33, time drop, 26. Heath Brames 27.36, time drop, 53. Wyatt Jennessee 28.87, time drop.

100-meter breaststroke: 15-16, 1. Diego Duarte Sulvaran, QROO 1:07.88, 2. Brandon Moran, Azura 1:08.58, 3. Alexander Gardner, SRQ 1:08.58; SOFLO: 4. Samuel Quintero 1:09.40, time drop, 10. David Avalos Aday 1:12.58, time drop; Open, 1. Adan Diaz, Azura 1:05.11, 2. Marco Guarente, Azura 1:05.20, 3. Marcelo Lauzurique, Gulliver 1:05.95; SOFLO: 33. Jonathan Strod 1:19.10.

50-meter freestyle: 15-16, 1. Luke Lezotte, SOFLO 23.88, time drop, 2. Mattheus Santos, PB 24.13, 3. Massimo Ogliari, Unattached 24.43; SOFLO: 28. David Avalos Aday 26.48, time drop, 54. Eiza Gantus 27,22, time drop; Open, 1. David Lambert, WA 22.35, 2. Raphael Marcoux, SFTL 23.01, 3. Daniel Torres, Azura 23.38; SOFLO: 15. Ryan Capote 24.47, 25. Heath Brames 25.03, time drop, 39. Casey Moya 25.82, time drop, 44. Michael Arias 25.89, time drop, 65. Wyatt Jennessee 26.98.

200-meter individual medley: 15-16, 1. Juan Zapata, TSA 2:11.31, 2. Alexander Gardner, SRQ 2:12.69, 3. Jose Ochoa, MAC 2:14.79; SOFLO: 21. Sebastian Sevilla 2:26.93; Open 1. Adan Diaz, Azura 2:09.24, 2. Sean Arrington, Miami Swimming 2:12.74, 3. Patrick Groters, PC 2:13.78; SOFLO: 10. Jonathan Farah 2:17.12, 29. Jonathan Strod 2:33.49.

1500-meter freestyle: 15-16, 1. Mattheus Santos, PB 16:41.78, 2. Leonardo Mateus, SOFLO 16:54.58, time drop, 3. Sebastian Silva, Unattached 16:57.73; 17-and-over, 1. Franco Lupoli, Azura 16:24.90, 2. Bernardo Abascal, Azura 16:27. 91, 3. Andres Lares, Azura 16:30.39.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO Boys Shine On Day One Of Mesa Arena Pro Swim Series

By Sharon Robb

April 13, 2017—Luke Lezotte, Max Asnis and Rafael Rodriguez led South Florida Aquatic Club on opening day of the Arena Pro Swim Series on Thursday at Skyline Aquatic Center in Mesa, Arizona.

Lezotte swam a best time in the 100-meter freestyle in 55.16, lowering his previous best of 56.28. His splits were 25.45 and 29.71.

“It was great to swim a best time, I had fun,” Lezotte said. “I felt pretty good. I definitely think being at a big meet played a big part in dropping that second.

“I felt pretty good, definitely better than normal. It was definitely my underwater dolphin kick that helped me swim faster.”

Lezotte, who competed in the USA Swimming Junior Nationals, said the Mesa meet is the biggest meet he has competed in since he gets the chance to swim against the nation’s best.

“I am happy to be here to watch them and learn from them,” Lezotte said. “I definitely think it will benefit.”

Lezotte has one event left, the 50-meter freestyle on Friday.

Rodriguez turned in a solid swim in the 400-meter freestyle with his first “D” final appearance to finish 29th in 4:14.66. He swam faster in the morning. Ricardo Roche finished the 400-meter freestyle in 4:21.01.

Asnis swam well in the 100-meter butterfly in 59.48. His splits were 28.40 and 31.08.

In early tuneup races, Kathleen Golding swam the 100-meter freestyle in 59.32 and 100-meter butterfly in 1:04.52.

Kelley Heron swam 1:01.41 in the 100-meter freestyle.

SOFLO girls will get their chance to shine in Day Two action in Friday.

In Thursday night’s finals:

Women’s 100-meter freestyle: Olympic champion Simone Manuel, racing in her first long course meet since the 2016 Rio Olympics, won in 53.66, seventh fastest time in the world this year. Manuel was coming off her American record performance at the NCAA Championships.

Men’s 100-meter freestyle: Nathan Adrian won in 48.18 ahead of Joao De Lucca in 49.67.

Women’s 200-meter breaststroke: Katie Meili won in 2:25.67 ahead of St. Petersburg’s Melanie Margalis in 2:25.71.

Men’s 200-meter breaststroke: Olympian Josh Prenot won in 2:10.47, nearly a second ahead of top seed Chase Kalisz.

Women’s 100-meter butterfly: First-year pro Kelsi Worrell won in 58.60.

Men’s 100-meter butterfly: The top seven in finals all went under 54 seconds with Tom Shields winning in 52.42.

Women’s 400-meter freestyle: Olympic gold medalist and world record holder Katie Ledecky, coming off her freshman season at Stanford, won in a world-leading time of 4:01.01.

Men’s 400-meter freestyle: Louisville freshman Marcelo Acosta of El Salvador and Azura won in 3:53.38.

Friday’s events are: 200-meter butterfly, 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter backstroke, 200-meter breaststroke and 400-meter freestyle.

In the 50-meter freestyle, Olympian and expectant mother Dana Vollmer will compete while she is 26 weeks pregnant. The 29-year-old is due to give birth to her second child in July. “I thought it would be fun,” she said.

The meet features 500 swimmers including Olympic, national and collegiate champions. Prize money is being awarded. First place will earn $500, second place $300 and third place $100.

Prelims are 9 a.m. and finals at 5 p.m. MST. The meet, both prelims and finals, will be live streamed at usaswimming.org.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO’s Super Six Ready For Arena Pro Swim Series Meet At Mesa That Begins Thursday

By Sharon Robb
April 11, 2017—South Florida Aquatic Club will be well-represented at the Arena Pro Swim Series At Mesa that begins Thursday at Skyline Aquatic Center in Arizona.

SOFLO has six swimmers competing in the three-day, long course meters meet.
2016 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier Kathleen Golding heads the contingent.

Golding is entered in six events: 100-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, 400-meter individual medley, 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter breaststroke and 200-meter individual medley.

Joining Golding are:

Max Asnis, 100-meter butterfly bonus, 200-meter freestyle and 200-meter butterfly.

Kelley Heron, 100-meter freestyle bonus, 200-meter backstroke bonus and 100-meter backstroke.

Luke Lezotte, 100-meter freestyle bonus and 50-meter freestyle.

Ricardo Roche, 400-meter freestyle bonus, 400-meter individual medley and 1,500-meter freestyle.

Rafael Rodriguez, 400-meter freestyle bonus, 400-meter individual bonus and 1,500-meter freestyle.

Day One events feature the 100-meter freestyle, 200-meter breaststroke, 100-meter butterfly and 400-meter freestyle.

The meet features 500 swimmers including Olympic, national and collegiate champions.
With the 2017 World Championships in Hungary right around the corner, and the rest of the world in the midst of hosting world trials meets, U.S. swimmers are looking to get in some good racing. The field is heavily American since most foreign countries are in the midst of world trials.

Olympic gold medalist and world record holder Katie Ledecky, coming off an outstanding freshman year at Stanford, has entered six events including the 200- and 400-meter individual medleys and 100-yard freestyle.

Ledecky was recently named the Honda Sport Award winner for swimming and diving announced by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards. Ledecky will be joined by Stanford teammate Simone Manuel.

College swimmers are competing just three weeks after swimming short course at NCAAs.

Other veteran swimmers entered are Anthony Ervin, Nathan Adrian, Cullen Jones, Josh Schneider, Conor Dwyer, Matt Grevers, Tom Shields, Madison Kennedy, Amanda Weir and former SOFLO swimmer Claire Donahue.

Prize money will be awarded. First place will earn $500, second place $300 and third place $100. Japan’s Daiya Seto and St. Petersburg’s Melanie Margalis are the leaders in the series. Seto will not be competing in Mesa but Margolis has entered five events.

Prelims are 9 a.m. and finals at 5 p.m. MST. The meet, both prelims and finals, will be live streamed at usaswimming.org.

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

Golding, Lezotte Lead SOFLO, Team Third At Southern Zone South Sectionals

By Sharon Robb

PLANTATION—Kathleen Golding of South Florida Aquatic Club posted two best time swims on Day Three of the USA Swimming Speedo Championship Series Southern Zone South Sectional Championship Saturday at Plantation Aquatic Complex.

SOFLO is third among combined teams with 1,233.5 points behind Azura Florida Aquatic (1,572) and Kamehameha Swim Club of Hawaii (1,361.5).

SOFLO’s men’s team is second with 683.5 points and the women’s team is seventh with 418 points.

Golding, 16, finished second in the 200-meter individual medley in 2:17.69, shaving 0.72 seconds off her previous best of 2:18.41. Isabel Ivey, 16, won in 2:16.92 to sweep the IM events.

After a quick turnaround, Golding came back to knock off sprinter Talia Bates, 16, of Gator Swim Club to win the 50-meter freestyle in a best time 26.24, a time drop of 0.21 off her previous best of 26.45. Bates was second in 26.34.

Both times are expected to qualify Golding, a 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier, for the World Trials in Indianapolis.

Golding was also a member of the 400-meter medley relay team that finished fourth in 4:28.06 along with Kelley Heron, Jennifer Rodriguez and Melissa Marinheiro.

“That was the fastest she has been in a while,” said SOFLO coach Chris Anderson. “We are working on small technique things. We are tweaking her freestyle. Her 200 IM was far better than the 400 IM as far as strategy.”

At 15, Luke Lezotte was the youngest SOFLO swimmer to qualify for finals, placing fifth in the 50-meter freestyle in 24.13. He also finished second in consos and tenth overall in the 50-meter butterfly in a best time 26.43. His previous best was 26.75. Lezotte has 48.5 high points.

Marc Rojas, in the midst of heavy training in the weight room, was fifth in the 50-meter breaststroke in 30.80.

“I thought Luke being the youngest guy in the finals of the 50 free did a good job,” Anderson said.

“Our team is swimming very well,” Anderson said. “I am proud of what they are doing. We have a young team and they are producing very well. Our relays are being very competitive.”

SOFLO has 28 swimmers entered in the four-day meet.

A field of 614 swimmers from 60 teams and 14 unattached teams are competing in the four-day meet, one of four designated USA Swimming zones. The others are Eastern, Central and Western Zone Sectionals.

Among Florida Gold Coast teams entered are Azura Florida Aquatic, East Coast Aquatic Club, Hialeah, Boca Raton Swim Team, St. Andrew’s, Pine Crest Swimming, Metro Aquatics, North Palm Beach, Martin County, Hurricane Swimming, TS Aquatics, YMCA of South Florida and host Plantation Swim Team.

SATURDAY RESULTS

COMBINED TEAM TOTALS: 1. Azura Florida Aquatic 1,572, 2. Kamehameha Swim Club 1,361.5, 3. South Florida Aquatic Club 1,233.5, 4. Pine Crest Swimming 1,190, 5. Bolles 1,184.5, 6. East Coast 1,172.5, 7. Gator Swim Club 1,113, 8. St. Andrew’s 1,000, 9. City of Lafayette 494.5, 10. Metro Aquatics 468, 19. Boca Raton Swim Team 146.5.

MEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. Azura 911.5, 2. SOFLO 683.5, 3. Gator Swim Club 653, 4. Bolles 605.5, 5. Kamehameha Swim Club 531.5.

WOMEN TEAM TOTALS: 1. Pine Crest 683, 2. Kamehameha 658, 3. East Coast 652.5, 4. Bolles 579, 5. Gator Swim Club 460, 7. SOFLO 418.

GIRLS

100-meter backstroke:

1.Georgia-Mae Hohman, GSC 1:03.59, 2. Mabel Zavaos, OAK 1:04.37, 3. Talia Bates, GSC 1:04.65; SOFLO: 6. Kelley Heron 1:05.56.

50-meter breaststroke:

1.Patricia Casellas, Azura 33.40, 2. Nicole Hunnewell, Unattached 33.86, 3. Chade Nersicio, ECAC 34.43; SOFLO: 15. Jennifer Rodriguez 36.35, 26. Jessica Rodriguez 36.26.

50-meter butterfly:

1.Chade Nersicio, ECAC 28.22, 2. Kennady Kilger, OAK 28.35, 3. Eriana Temperino, ECAC 28.57.

200-meter individual medley:

1.Isabel Ivey, GSC 2:16.92, 2. Kathleen Golding, SOFLO 2:17.69, time drop, 3. Mabel Zavaros, OAK 2:20.34.

50-meter freestyle:

1.Kathleen Golding, SOFLO 26.24, time drop, 2. Talia Bates, GSC 26.34, 3. Margaret Gholston, RACE 26.56.

400-meter freestyle:

1.Isabel Ivey, GSC 4:19.38, 2. Kensey McMahon, BSS 4:20.18; 3. Mary Smutny, AKS 4:20.52.

400-meter medley relay:

1.Gator Swim Club 4:21.63, 2. Pine Crest 4:22.90, 3. North Palm Beach 4:26.40, 4. SOFLO 4:28.06 (Kelley Heron, Jennifer Rodriguez, Kathleen Golding, Melissa Marinheiro).

BOYS

100-meter backstroke:

1.Corey Main, GSC 55.68, 2. Jian Wang, GSC 58.15, 3. Willie Davis, BSS 59.22; BRST: 15. Jose Garcia 1:02.88; SOFLO: 27. Rafael Rodriguez 1:03.71, time drop.

50-meter breaststroke:

1.Rafael Van Leeuwarde, Unattached 29.16, 2. Izaak Bastian, SAS 29.75, 3. Jabari Ramsey, FE 30.09; SOFLO: 5. Marc Rojas 30.80, 10. Jonathan Farah 31.85, 20. Samuel Quintero 32.49, 23. Tyler Bland 32.91.

50-meter butterfly:

1.Runar Borgen, PAQ 24.94, 2. Sean Campsie, GSC 25.06, 3. Marcos Lavado, Azura 25.34; SOFLO: 10. Luke Lezotte 26.43, 18. Juan Serna 26.80, 22. Ervin Marin 27.08; BRST: 23. Jose Garcia 27.43.

200-meter individual medley:

1.Mack Darragh, OAK 2:04.86, 2. Nikita Denisyako, GSC 2:05.11, 3. Julio Horrego, HSC 2:08.38; SOFLO: 8. Ervin Marin 2:15.13, 21. Jonathan Farah 2:16.33.

50-meter freestyle:

1.Corey Main, GSC 23.06, 2. Willie Davis, BSS 23.67, 3. Runar Borgen, PAQ 23.67; SOFLO: 5. Luke Lezotte 24.13, 27. Juan Serna 25.57.

400-meter freestyle:

1.Marcos Lavado, Azura 4:00.45, 2. Michael Petrides, KSC 4:07.04, 3. Coleman Kramer, SEA 4:07.31; SOFLO: 9. Rafael Rodriguez 4:12.76; BRST: 15. Cameron Taddonio 4:18.85, 30. Drake Gil 4:21.49.

400-meter medley relay:

1.Gator Swim Club 3:53.03, 2. Azura 3:54.46, 3. Bolles 3:55.80, 8. SOFLO 4:06.56 (Ricardo Roche, Marc Rojas, Max Asnis, Ervin Marin), 13. SOFLO 4:13.70 (Jonathan Farah, Samuel Quintero, CJ Kopecki, Kevin Porto), 16. BRST 4:15.70 (Jose Garcia, Cameron Taddonio, Matthew Taddonio, Drake Gil).

IF YOU GO

WHAT: USA Swimming Speedo Championship Series Southern Zone South Sectional Championship

WHEN: Sunday

SCHEDULE: Sunday, prelims 9 a.m. 5 p.m. Warm-ups 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

WHERE: Plantation Aquatic Complex, 9151 NW Second Street, Plantation.

OF NOTE: Admission $5 per session, heat sheets $3 per session. For information go to http://www.swimpst.com.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO’s Golding Ends On Winning Note At Futures Championships; SOFLO Women Finish Sixth

By Sharon Robb

August 7, 2016—Kathleen Golding of South Florida Aquatic Club won her second title on the final night of the USA Swimming Futures Championships Sunday at Georgia Tech’s McCauley Aquatic Center in Atlanta.

Golding, 15, won the 100-meter freestyle in a lifetime-best 56.31, shaving 1.24 seconds off her previous best of 57.55.

Golding was seeded third going into the event. She first lowered her seed time in prelims in 57.28, the fastest swim of the morning.

It was the Cooper City High School sophomore’s second win of the meet. The U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier won the 200-meter freestyle in a best time 2:01.99, dropping nearly six seconds after being seeded 34th.

Golding also had one second and two thirds in other events, all in best times. Golding was second in the 400-meter freestyle in 4:19.38.

She was also third in the 50-meter freestyle in 26.45 and 100-meter butterfly in 1:01.74. She also swam on three relays that finished in the Top 10.

South Florida Aquatic Club’s women’s team finished sixth with 155 points and tenth in combined with 171. Golding finished with 89 points in high point.

Other SOFLO swimmers turning in best times on the final night were:

Ervin Marin, 200-meter individual medley, back-to-back best times, 2:09.38, 2:10.62.

Luke Lezotte, 100-meter freestyle, 56.28.

Dynamo Swim Club won the combined and men’s team titles. SwimMAC won the women’s title, edging out Dynamo.

SUNDAY’S RESULTS

COMBINED: 1. Dynamo Swim Club 922, 2. SwimMAC 863, 3. Marlins of Raleigh 574, 4. Tennessee Aquatics 350, 5. Stingrays 273.5, 6. Swim Fort Lauderdale 245, 10. South Florida Aquatic Club 171.

MEN: 1. Dynamo 451, 2. SwimMAC 380, 3. Marlins of Raleigh 308, 4. Metro Aquatics 216.5, 5. Swim Fort Lauderdale 205, 13. Pine Crest Swimming 67.5, 19. AquaKids Sharks 49, 30. South Florida Aquatic Club 16.

WOMEN: 1. SwimMAC 483, 2. Dynamo 471, 3. Marlins of Raleigh 266, 4. Tennessee Aquatics 194, 5. Gator Swim Club 192, 6. South Florida Aquatic Club 155, 18. Pine Crest Swimming 46, 23. Swim Fort Lauderdale 40.

WOMEN

100-meter freestyle:

1.Kathleen Golding, SOFLO 56.31, best time; FGC: 21. Cathy Cooper 58.80, 23. Eriana Temperino 58.93, 26. Mary Smutny 59.45, 29. Nicole Gomez 59.49, 32. Jennifer Secrest 59.68, 43. Alexa Rivera 1:00.16, 55. Andrea Santander 1:00.72, 76. Chade Nersicio 1:01.53, 84. Rachel Contich 1:01.85, 87. Savannah Yates 1:02.00.

200-meter backstroke:

1.Evie Bragg, Dynamo 2:15.06; SOFLO: 15. Allison Kopas, SFTL 2:22.09, 23. Kelley Heron 2:23.30; FGC: 13. Allison Kopas 2:21.23, 31. Madison Cummings 2:24.31.

200-meter individual medley:

1.Julia Menkhaus, SwimMAC 2:18.08; SOFLO: 72. Jessica Rodriguez 2:31.38; FGC: 9. Allison Kopas 2:21.96, 18. Jennifer Secrest 2:24.20, 33. Alexa Rivera 2:26.54, 36. Eriana Temperino 2:26.87, 46. Rose Smiddy 2:27.99, 49. Hannah Virgin 2:28.36, 57. Alexandra Meszaros, PC 2:29.04, 58. Victoria Miyamoto 2:29.08, 67. Nicole Gome 2:30.32, 78. Mary Smutny 2:31.94, 81. Andrea Santander 2:32.16.

1500-meter freestyle:

1.Ana Pozder, TAC 16:47.10; SOFLO: 14. Melissa Marinheiro 17:41.02; FGC: 20. Audrey Mason, PC 18:05.30.

400-meter medley relay:

1.Dynamo 4:13.61, 7. Pine Crest 4:27.50, 8. SOFLO 4:27.64 (Kelley Heron, Jessica Rodriguez, Kathleen Golding, Melissa Marinheiro), 13. East Coast 4:30.13.

MEN

100-meter freestyle: Final Not Posted On Meet Mobile.

SOFLO: 51. Ryan Capote 54.81, 76. Luke Lezotte 56.28, best time; FGC: 21. Irvin Hoost, MAC 53.43, 22. Seggio Bernardina, ECAC 53.47, 26. Daniel Jacobs, PCS 53.70, 27. Miguel Madeira, MAC 53.94, 31. Nico Ferrara, PC 54.10, 32. Diego Faucher, MAC 54.13, 34. Alexander Arrieta, MAC 54.18, 36. Nikita Tretyakov, SFTL 54.20, 41. Adrian Moya, MAC 54.41, 67. Ryan Graff, PC 55.36, 69. Parker Bierman 55.65, 72. Christian Soderberg 55.83, 81. Xavier Philips, ECAC 57.01.

200-meter backstroke:

1.Jackson Gunning, RAYS 2:05.81; SOFLO: 29. Ricardo Roche 2:12.46; FGC: 18. Elvis Kotikovski, PC 2:08.80, 38. Philippe Marcoux, SFTL 2:14.69, 40. Carolus Josefina, ECAC 2:14.73, 44. Aitor Fungairino, MAC 2:16.70.

200-meter individual medley:

1.Zachary Hils, LEXKY 2:06.11; SOFLO: 11. Ervin Marin 2:09.38, best time, finals, 2:10.62, best time, prelims; FGC: 2. Nikita Tretyakov, SFTL 2:06.37, 10. Brandon Vives, MAC 2:08.96, 17. Patrick Groters, PC 2:09.07, 43. Joseph Perez, MAC 2:13.58, 53. Adrian Aguilar, MAC 2:15.62, 68. Yona Rubin, SFTL 2:19.80, 70. Kevin Degrijze, Unattached 2:21.20.

800-meter freestyle:

1.Santiago Corredor, Swim Florida 8:17.01; SOFLO: 19. Rafael Rodriguez 8:36.87, best time.

400-meter medley relay: Not Posted On Meet Mobile.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

http://www.swim4soflo.com