Brought to you by Spectrum Aquatics, a SwimSwam partner, our Weekly Wonders of Age Group Swimming series celebrates swimmers of every age and experience level with age group profiles of some recent results.
Sara Young, 13, Rockville Montgomery Swim Club (PV): Competing before her 13th birthday in mid-December, Young set five lifetime bests at the Riley Eaton Holiday Inviational in Boyds, Md., cracking the top 25 in the girls’ 11-12 age group in three of them. Young clocked 1:51.41 in the 200 free, lowering her month-old best time of 1:52.01 to climb to 11th all-time in the 11-12 age group. She also went 56.06 in the 100 fly to rank 18th all-time, while in the 100 free, her PB of 51.78 slots her 22nd all-time. She also ranks 1st this season in the girls’ 11-12 age group in all three events. The Rockville Montgomery Swim Club product also cracked the top 100 all-time in the 50 free, clocking 24.18 to rank 99th, and she added a fifth best time in the 200 IM (2:09.55).
Kate Allen, 13, Carmel Swim Club (IN):Â Representing the Indiana Zone Team at the Mid States All-Star Championships last weekend in Indianapolis, Allen was on fire, collecting three individual victories and a pair of runner-up finishes while contributing to two winning relays. Allen clocked 2:00.24 in the 200 IM to rank 1st this season among 13-year-old girls, while she moves to 2nd in both the 200 free (1:49.47) and 500 free (4:53.37) and 3rd in the 50 free (23.56). In the 13-14 age group, she ranks 4th this season in the 200 IM, 7th in the 200 free, 9th in the 500 free and 16th in the 50 free. She added notable splits of 23.09 on the anchor leg on the 200 free relay and 25.74 swimming fly on the 200 medley relay, both of which were victorious.
Gerhardt Hoover, 17, Commonwealth Swimming (NE): Hoover exploded for six best times at the New England Swimming Senior Championships in Andover the weekend before Christmas, with his most notable swims coming in the 200 back and 200 IM. In the 200 back, he dropped more than a second off his week-old best time of 1:45.06, set at Winter Juniors – East, to clock 1:43.84 and climb to 6th this season among 17-year-old boys and 24th in the 17-18 age group. In the 200 IM, the Virginia commit lowered his 10-day-old best time of 1:46.54 in 1:46.19, ranking him 9th this season among 17-year-old boys and 22nd in the 17-18 age group. He also set best times in the 200 free (1:39.72), 50 back (22.84) and 100 back (48.55).
Sarah Chiang, 11, Pacific Dragons Swim Team (PN):Â Competing at the Pacific Northwest 14 & Under Short Course Championships in early December, Chiang set best times in six events, showing impressive range across freestyle, backstroke and IM. In the 1650 free, Chiang dropped more than 36 seconds from her best time to clock 18:38.64, ranking her 4th this season among 11-year-old girls and 19th in the 11-12 age group. Competing just a month after her 11th birthday, Chiang also set big best times in the 500 free (5:30.36) and 400 IM (4:49.61) at the meet, ranking her 21st and 6th, respectively, among 11-year-old girls this season. She also set PBs in the 200 free (2:05.09), 100 back (1:05.56) and 200 IM (2:18.90). One week later at the Washington State Senior SCY Championships, she set more best times in the 200 back (2:20.68), 50 fly (30.55) and 200 fly (2:28.68).
Jacob Lee, 12, Rose Bowl Aquatics (CA): Lee put up four best times at the SCAT Winter Age Group Invitational Dec. 12-14 in San Clemente, Calif., highlighted by his swim in the 100 breast. After breaking 1:03 for the first time at the beginning of November in 1:02.23, Lee clocked 1:02.01 at the meet in December, ranking him 37th all-time in the boys’ 11-12 age group and 1st this season. The Rose Bowl Aquatics member also set personal bests in the 50 free (24.36), 100 free (55.32) and 100 IM (1:01.16). Back in action in early January at the Pacific Coast All-Stars meet last weekend, Lee won the 11-12 boys 50 breast in 28.49, just shy of his PB set in October (28.30).
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