By Daniela Kapser on SwimSwam

Deutsche Jahrgangsmeisterschaften 2018

• 29.05. bis 2.6.
• Berlin, Schwimm- und Sprunghalle im Europasportpark (SSE)
• 50m
• Veranstaltungsseite
• Zeitplan
• Ergebnisse
• Live Timing
• Live Stream
• Zusammenfassung Tag 1 

Lucie Mosdzien (Jg. 2005) überzeugte in den Vorläufen über 200 m Rücken in einer neuen persönlichen Bestzeit von 2:18,22 Minuten (vorher: 2:20,79). Diese Zeit ist nicht weit weg vom deutschen Jahrgangsrekord von Sonnele Öztürk (Jg. 1998), der Rekord steht bei 2:17,30 Minuten. Lucie Mosdzien ist aber noch zu jung, um bei den Europameisterschaften 2018 an den Start zu gehen, dort sind nur die jungen Damen der Jahrgänge 2001 bis 2004 startberechtigt.

Die Junioren EM findet vom 4. bis 8. Juli statt. Nominiert sind:

Die 23 Schwimmer für die JEM in Helsinki: 

Mädchen (13): Alexandra Arlt, Anna Elendt, Mareike Ehring, Giulia Goerigk , Isabel Gose, Malin Grosse, Yara Hierath, Hannah Küchler, Lucie Kühn, Lena Riedemann, Celine Rieder, Barbara Schaal, Maya Tobehn

Jungen (10, Jahrgänge 2000 bis 2003): Sebastian Beck, Maurice Ingerieth, Lucas Matzerath, Lukas Märtens, Rafael Miroslaw, Fleming Redemann, Paul Reither, Michael Schäffner, Danny Schmidt, Peter Varjasi

Aus dem Junioren Team war heute Giulia Goerigküber 400 m Lagen in einer Zeit von 4:51,71 im Jahrgang 2002 siegreich, sie war die Schnellste der Youngsters über diese Strecke. Schnellster Mann war der im Jahrgang 2001 geborene Nikita Rodenko (4:28,22), dies ist eine neue persönliche Bestzeit, eine Verbesserung um 5,5 Sekunden. Sebastian Beck, nominiert für Helsinki, siegte im Jahrgang 2000 in einer Zeit von 4:30,71 Minuten.

Einmal mehr schnell unterwegs war Maya Tobehn, die im Jahrgang 2002 die 50 m Schmetterling in 27,00 Sekunden gewinnen konnte (PB 26,74). Die weiteren Siegerinnen -siehe auch Auflistungen unten- waren: Mareike Ehring, Sirintana Beune, Amelie Zachenhuber, Katharina Zwing. Luca Armbruster ist nicht nur der Deutsche Jahrgangsmeister im Jahrgang 2001, er war auch der Schnellste aller Finalstarter heute Abend in 24,35 Sekunden.

Ihren zweiten Titel konnte Maya Tobehn heute Abend einfahren, über 200 m Rücken siegte sie in 2:15,24 Minuten. 2:02,18 Minuten war die schnellste Zeit bei den Herren, geschwommen von Lukas Märtens, der auch für Helsinki nominiert ist.

Nachfolgend alle bisherigen deutschen Jahrgangsmeister 2018:

(die 800 m Freistil werden nachgereicht)

Die deutschen Jahrgangsmeisterinnen und Jahrgangsmeister 2018

(Quelle: schwimmdjm.de)

100 m Brust, Frauen

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Deutsche Jahrgangsmeisterschaften 2018: Ergebnisse Tag 2

By SwimSwam on SwimSwam

Courtesy: Karl Hamouche

1. Status Quo
There you are, just a regular kid… a land dweller. You probably did “team sports” and things with a ball. The only time you ever hit the water was at the Rec or for a shower. This is your world, the ordinary world and you have never known any different.

2. Call to Adventure
You ask your friend to come over and stay the night to play video games, but they reply with “Can’t, I got swim practice.” They’ve said that before, but this time it’s different because they follow up with “Wanna join me at practice?”

3. Refusal of the Call
Practice? At six in the morning? ON A SATURDAY!? Yeah right… maybe next time. I like my sleep, my time, and my land activities. Why would I ever give that up to jump into freezing water two hours before the sun comes up and force myself to hold my breath constantly while I use every muscle in my body… no thanks.

4. Meeting the Mentor
For some reason PE class is at the pool and you have to go back and forth… back and forth. Boring, but easy enough. After class on the way to the locker the teacher, who is also the swim team coach, stops you and says “You have some good feel for the water (whatever that means) and a lot of potential. If you want that potential to mean something you need a teacher… a team. Practice, tomorrow, be there.”

5. Crossing the Threshold
You never refuse a dare or a challenge, so you are here at the pool for your first practice. Everyone seems to have a lot of stuff with them: goggles, caps, fins… You didn’t bring any of that. But the team hands you what you need, teaches you how to read a clock and swim in a circle. And for the first time you jump into the pool as a swimmer, into the special world of clocks and water.

6. Trials
At first, you were at the end of the lane behind all the other swimmers. But you didn’t quit because every day you got better (and the friends weren’t so bad either). Soon, you were leading your lane. Soon after you were leading your heat. And after a season of training, racing and making friends and enemies… the time had come to face your biggest challenge.

7. The Approach
The big meet was just a few weeks away and taper had begun. Throughout the season you had never felt so tired and hungry so constantly. But now that the resting had begun, you can feel your body and mind get sharper… it’s time to race!

8. The Ordeal
Four days of prelims and finals, what kind of swim meet is this!? It is the most grueling event you have ever done, but your body is staying strong and performing beyond your expectations. The coach, your team and your self are beyond impressed with the results and everyone is killing it!

9. The Reward
After the meet, you discover this was just a stepping stone swim meet and that you actually made cut times for the next level! On top of that, you get some mail from college programs around the country asking you to swim for them. Coach is proud and says “I saw all this from the beginning of course.”

10. The Return
You return to the pool, except this time it’s a new team and a new season. By now, the season is familiar to you: Train, taper, race, win. But this season is different. Injury plagues you, school is overwhelming and even though you did everything right and tried your best, the end of the season results in you losing. Not only losing, but you don’t even go a best time!

11. Resurrection
You never quit though, you’ve learned that much from the water. You slug out a few more years training, a couple best times here and there, but for the most part your swimming career is over and it’s time to become a swammer, to return to the ordinary world of land dwellers.

12. Resolution
Years later you have a successful career based on the lessons you learned from the pool: dedication, toughness, even ingenuity. All of a sudden, your local club has a vacancy and they need a coach. They need you and your experience.

Adapted from Christopher Vogler’s 12 stages of a Hero’s Journey who adapted it from Joseph Campbell’s 17 stages who wrote about it in The Hero with a Thousand Faces which is a theory about how all mythology and hero’s journeys are based on this sequence, called the Monomyth… aka the story of humans.

About Karl Hamouche
Karl Hamouche is Founder of Swim Smart, co-inventor of the Squeezline, author of The Biology of Swimming, coach with Ames Cyclone Aquatics Club and recent graduate from medical school at the University of Iowa.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 12 Stages of a Hero’s (Swimmer’s) Journey

By SwimSwam on SwimSwam

Courtesy: Virginia Tech Athletics

BLACKSBURG, Virginia–Virginia Tech announces the addition of four new Hokies, who join 17 previously announced commitments, set to hit the pool for the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs in the fall of 2018. The class is comprised of 16 swimmers and five divers.

Multiple athletes in the class bring a wealth of international experience to the program and many are represented within college swimming’s top 100 prospects list. Recruiting coordinator Josh Huger considers the class to be one of the most talented in the history of the program, is expecting many of the athlete’s to make a major impact.

“This is a class that we have put a lot of time and energy into forming,” said Huger. “This group features national team members, European Championship qualifiers, US Olympic trial qualifiers, 18 & Under U.S. national champions, national finalists, junior national finalists and state champions. The energy surrounding our program right now is being seen directly in the level of our recruiting and it is exciting to see the direction that this team is heading.”

“As we welcome Coach Lopez Miro to Hokie Nation, this group of athletes coupled with the expertise and leadership that he brings, will help change Virginia Tech Swimming and Diving forever.”

Coach Lopez Miro who has trained 18 Olympians, including six medalists during his distinguished career is extremely excited to welcome the new additions to the program.

“I am very lucky to inherit such a talented recruiting class, who alongside our current team members will build upon the strong foundation of Virginia Tech Swimming and Diving,” said Miro. “I can’t wait to have everyone on campus so we can start working as a team to develop a mind set and skill set where anything is possible.”

SPRING ADDITIONS

Annalee Johnson
Stafford, Va.

Events: 100 Breaststroke – 1:02.68 | 200 Breaststroke – 2:13.67 | 200 IM – 2:04.55

Prior to Virginia Tech: Transfer from Penn State… Saw action in e14 meets including the Big Ten Championships at Penn State… 2016 US Olympic Trial Qualifier… Team MVP… Three-time Academic All-American… Junior National finalist

Huger on Johnson: “I have had the privilege of knowing the Johnson family for the better part of a decade and have been able to watch Annalee grow up into a fantastic young woman. I’m excited for her to be joining Hokie Nation and can’t wait to see what the future holds for her here in Blacksburg.”

Jen Hauser
Bloomingdale Ill.

Events: 50 Free – 23.33 | 100 Free – 52.20 | 100 Breaststroke – 1:05.19

Prior to Virginia Tech: NCSA Finalist… IHSA qualifier… Illinois Swimming Senior Championship qualifier

Huger on Hauser: “Jen made it clear from the very beginning of the recruiting process that she was meant to be a Hokie. Her spirit and energy embodies what the Hokie Nation stands for and we look forward to all that she will contribute to our program both in and out of the pool.”

Maya Atkins
Richmond, Va.

Events: 50 Free – 23.68 | 100 Free – 51.89 | 100 Breaststroke – 1:02.33 | 200 Breaststroke – 2:16.62

Prior to Virginia Tech: Junior National qualifier… VHSL finalist… VA Senior Championships finalist… NCSA qualifier

Huger on Atkins: “Maya is another athlete that we are extremely excited to have staying in the great state of Virginia! She saw massive improvements this past season and has established herself as an athlete that will contribute immediately at the ACC level. We’re excited for all that Maya brings to the table!”

Ben Hicks
New Market, Md.

Events: 100 Back – 50.76 | 200 Back – 1:47.57 | 200 IM – 1:50.68 | 400 IM – 3:56.06

Prior to Virginia Tech: Summer juniors qualifier… Winter juniors qualifier… MD Senior Championships finalist

Huger on Hicks: “Ben comes from a long line of Hokies in his family. He has excelled both in the classroom and pool during his club career and we are excited about all that he will bring to the Hokies in the fall!”

FALL SIGNEE UPDATES

Abby Larson
Williamsburg, Va.

Events: 50 Free – 22.88 | 100 Free – 49.53 | 200 Free – 1:49.53

Prior to Virginia Tech: US Open finalist… Junior National finalist… Virginia 4A state record holder… Seven time VHSL 4A State Champion.

Huger on Larson: “We’re extremely excited to welcome Abby to Hokie Nation! She is proving herself to be one of the top sprinters in her class and is coming off a very exciting high school career. We’re excited to watch her continue to emerge as one of the top-sprinters.”

Alex Slayton
Yorktown, Va.

Events: 50 Free – 23.41 | 100 Free – 51.45 | 200 Free – 1:51.76 | 100 Back – 55.28

Prior to Virginia Tech: VHSL 3A State Champion

Huger on Slayton: “Alex is somebody that we are extremely excited to bring to Virginia Tech. Her energy and outlook will take her very far. We are excited to watch her continue progressing at the ACC and NCAA levels.”

Anna Landon
Falls Church, Va.

Events: 50 Free – 22.91 | 100 Free – 50.87 | 100 Breaststroke – 1:03.35

Prior to Virginia Tech: Junior National finalist… VHSL 5A state record holder… NCSA finalist.

Huger on Landon: “We are extremely excited to keep Anna in the state of Virginia. Coming from a swimming family, she has improved at a rapid rate over this past seasons. We expect her to immediately contribute to our sprint program.”

Brooke Leftwich
Roanoke, Va.

Events: Diving

Prior to Virginia Tech: 2018 Gold medalist in the 3A Virginia High School state championships… 2017 Silver medalist in the 3A Virginia High School state championships. Competed in the 2017 USA Diving Zone A Championships on 1 and 3 meter.

Diving Coach Ron Piemonte on Leftwich: “Brooke has only been in the sport of diving for a very short time. She was a runner up in the High School State Championships after diving less than a year. At the time of an injury, Brooke was a very high level gymnast, which led to her switch to diving. She has great physical ability, a model work ethic, and is showing technique and difficulty mainly found in divers with much more experience. I believe that Brooke can turn out to be a very big surprise in the conference, and will continue to become more and more competitive as she gains experience.”

Izzi Mroz
Denver, Colo.

Events: Diving

Prior to Virginia Tech: 2018 & 2017 Colorado 4A State High School Champion… Multiple time national qualifier on 1-meter, 3-meter, and platform.

Piemonte on Mroz: “Izzi brings to the H2Okies a very good background in the sport and possesses the type of athleticism that I really look for in a diver. I feel she can immediately impact the diving squad with her ability and depth, and feel she will be another great addition to our team because of her attitude and dedication.”

Lauren Meeker
Mechanicsville, Va.

Events: 100 Back – 55.92 | 200 Back – 1:57.60 | 200 Fly – 2:03.65 | 200 IM – 2:03.22 | 400 IM – 4:21.03

Prior to Virginia Tech: 2016 US Olympic Trials qualifier… US National qualifier

Huger on Meeker: “Lauren has always been a Hokie. As a 2016 US Olympic Trials qualifier, we knew that she was someone that we needed to have on our roster for next and we look for her to be able to contribute immediately. With the addition of Lauren, it gives us one of the deepest backstroke groups in the NCAA. We look forward to continuing to make our presence felt in these events nationally.”

Loulou Vos
Uxbridge, GBR

Events: 100 Free – 50.53 | 200 Free – 1:45.55 | 500 Free – 4:44.64 | 1,000 Free – 9:53.85

Prior to Virginia Tech: European Championship Qualifier… European Junior Championship qualifier

Huger on Vos: “Loulou was our first commitment in the Class of 2018 – in what is the strongest women’s recruiting class that we have ever brought in to Virginia Tech. Since her commitment she has seen big improvement in her swimming and has really been able to put herself into an elite category. Her background and personality will help our women’s team continue progressing at the rapid rate that we are seeing. We look forward to having her here in the fall.”

Natalia Fryckowska
Szczecin, Poland

Events: 50 Free – 22.48 | 100 Free – 49.78 | 50 Breaststroke – 28.80 | 50 Fly – 25.14

Prior to Virginia Tech: European Championships finalist… European Junior Games finalist

Huger on Fryckowska: “From the start we knew that Natalia was someone who would play a role in taking our women’s sprint program to the next level. She has a contagious personality and a desire to be great. It will be exciting to see all that she can accomplish during the next four years here at Tech and beyond. Natalia has big things ahead.”

Teagan Moravek
Loveland, Ohio

Events: Diving

Prior to Virginia Tech: 2018 Ohio Division I State Champion… 2017 Qualifier for the USA Diving National Championships on both 1 and 3 meter

Piemonte on Moravek: “Teagan seems to me to be another ‘diamond in the rough’. She is a relative newcomer to the sport, yet seems to get better and better every season. She is a very strong and very competitive diver, which makes me look forward to furthering Teagan’s development in the sport. I really feel that she can come in and be a significant factor for our program right away.”

Alex Wright
Olympia, Wash.

Events: 400 IM – 3:54.76 | 200 Fly – 1:48.27 | 200 Back – 1:47.91 | 1,650 Freestyle – 15:27.34
1,000 Free – 9:20.85 | 500 Free – 4:27.68 | 200 Free – 1:39.67

Prior to Virginia Tech: Winter National Finalist… Sectional Finalist

Huger on Wright: “Alex joins a team of men that we are extremely excited about having here at Virginia Tech. There were certain areas that we needed to address on our men’s roster due to graduations. We had an immediate connection with Alex and he should be able to step in and help us from the start in specific areas of need.”

Andrew Scott
Richmond, Va.

Events: Diving

Prior to Virginia Tech: Virginia Independent Schools State Champion… Junior national qualifier on platform.

Piemonte on Scott: “Andrew is a very technical and determined student of the sport. He understands mechanics, and displays very good skill and technique. I am looking forward to working with Andrew, and I am sure that as he gets stronger, his level of difficulty will increase, and he will be a huge factor for the H2Okies.”

Brennen Doss
Midlothian, Va.

Events: 1,650 Free – 15:28.68 | 1,000 Free – 9:12.29 | 500 Free – 4:27.61 | 200 Free – 1:39.02
200 Fly – 1:50.06 | 100 Fly – 50.41

Prior to Virginia Tech: ISCA Junior Champion… Winter National qualifier… Junior National qualifier

Huger on Doss: “Brennen is one of the top distance swimmers coming out of the state of Virginia and we are happy to keep him close to home. We knew we wanted Brennen on our team from the start. He is a second generation Hokie, so he knows what it means to wear the maroon and orange. Brennen brings a fierce competitor spirit and we expect him to make an immediate impact. We are excited for what Brennen brings to our program both in and out of the pool.”

Blake Manoff
Haymarket, Va.

Events: 200 Free – 1:36.70 | 500 Free – 4:25.78 | 200 Fly – 1:45.74 | 100 Fly – 48.17

Prior to Virginia Tech: USA Swimming 18 & Under National Champion… US National Finalist… US Junior National Finalist… TYR Age Group Swimmer of the Month

Huger on Manoff: “When we began our recruiting process, we knew that Blake was going to do big things. Looking at what he accomplished during the summer of 2017, we knew that he was setting himself up for a breakout short course season, but we didn’t realize it would be this big. Blake has emerged as one of the top swimmers in not only the class of 2018, but more importantly in the United States. He should come in and immediately make an impact for us in multiple events.”

Dylan Eichberg
Fredericksburg, Va.

Events: 200 Fly – 1:46.13 | 100 Fly – 49.99 | 200 IM – 1:48.85 | 200 Free – 1:39.88 | 200 Breaststroke – 2:01.98

Prior to Virginia Tech: Summer Juniors qualifier… Winter National qualifier

Huger on Eichberg: “We were extremely excited to keep Dylan at home and swimming for the Hokies. As one of the top swimmers in the state of Virginia, Dylan’s energy and swimming outlook will take him very far in this sport. Dylan continued to develop during his senior year and we expect him to be ready to come in swimming.”

Henry Claesson
Lagrange, Ill.

Events: 50 Free – 20.44 | 100 Free – 44.85 | 200 Free– 1:37.85 | 100 Fly – 48.35 | 200 Fly – 1:48.76

Prior to Virginia Tech: IHSA Finalist… Summer Juniors Qualifier

Huger on Claesson: “Henry is a great swimming talent who just keeps getting better and better, and we are extremely excited to have join our family here at Virginia Tech. We knew from the start that he was someone that we needed to have in our program. We are excited to watch him continue developing on the ACC and NCAA stages.”

Keith Myburgh
Roanoke, Va.

Events: 400 IM – 3:45.85 | 200 IM – 1:46.68 | 200 Breaststroke – 1:58.26 | 100 Breaststroke – 54.40
200 Fly – 1:47.30 | 200 Back – 1:47.16 | 500 Free – 4:24.81

Prior to Virginia Tech: Four-time Virginia 3A State Champion… Virginia 3A State Record Holder… 2016 US Olympic Trials Qualifier… ISCA Junior Champion… Nationally holds the top 400 IM time in the 2018 recruiting class.

Huger on Myburgh: “Keith comes to Virginia Tech as one of the fastest IMers in history coming out of high school, and he enters with the fastest 400 IM time in the nation from the 2018 recruiting class. He is set to join a rich history of swimmers here at Tech – with numerous ACC Champions and NCAA All-Americans – and we’re excited to watch him add his name to that growing list. We fully expect Keith to make his presence felt at all levels.”

Noah Zawadzki
Greensboro, N.C.

Events: Diving

Prior to Virginia Tech: Multi-time Junior National qualifier and Junior National Finalist… North Carolina State Champion

Piemonte on Zawadzki: “Noah is perhaps one of the most acrobatic athletes I’ve ever seen. He is strong, super-fast, and extremely versatile in all directions of somersaulting and twisting. He can perform the most difficult dives easily, and I am looking forward to building more consistency in his diving. I see Noah making an immediate impact for us on all three levels, as a Freshman.”

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Sergio Lopez Adds 4 More to Virginia Tech Recruiting Class

By Daniela Kapser on SwimSwam

2018 German National Junior Championships

• May, 29th – June, 2nd
• Berlin, Schwimm- und Sprunghalle im Europasportpark (SSE)
• 50m
• Meet Central
• Schedule
• Results
• Live Timing
• Live Stream
• Recap Day 1

2005 born Lucie Mosdzien set a new personal best time during the morning heats in the 200 m backstroke with a time of 2:18,22. Her time was not far away from the German age group record  (2:17,30) which is held by Sonnele Öztürk (born 1998) who studies and trains at the Auburn University.

The 2018 German National Junior Championships are not part of a qualification procedure, the German  Swimming Federation (Deutscher Schwimmverband, DSV) has already nominated the team for the 2018 European Junior Championships in Helsinki from 4 to 8 July.

The 23-member DSV team for the JEM in Helsinki:

Girls (13): Alexandra Arlt, Anna Elendt, Mareike Ehring, Giulia Goerigk , Isabel Gose, Malin Grosse, Yara Hierath, Hannah Küchler, Lucie Kühn, Lena Riedemann, Celine Rieder, Barbara Schaal, Maya Tobehn

Boys (10): Sebastian Beck, Maurice Ingerieth, Lukas Matzerath, Lukas Märtens, Rafael Miroslaw, Fleming Redemann, Paul Reither, Michael Schäffner, Danny Schmidt, Peter Varjasi

Girls, born between 2001-2004 and boys, born between 2000-2003, are eligible to compete at the German National Junior Championships.

Today’s schedule features the 400m IM, 50m butterfly, 200m backstroke and 800m freestyle (men).

Giulia Goerigk (born 2002) was victorious over the 400 m IM in a time of 4: 51.71. She was the fastest of all paticipating youngsters in this event. The fastest man was born in 2001, Nikita Rodenko (4: 28.22), this is a new personal best, an improvement of 5.5 seconds. Sebastian Beck, nominated for Helsinki, won the titel in the age group born in 2000 in a time of 4: 30,71.

Maya Tobehn showed again a fast performance, she won the 50 m butterfly in 27.00 (personal best: 26.74) and she was the fastest women tonight. Luca Armbruster (born 2001) touched the wall first in his final in 24,35, he snagged the title and also was the fastest out of all male finalists.

Maya Tobehn was able to clinch her second title tonight, winning the 200m backstroke, she was clocked at 2: 15.24. 2: 02.18 was the fastest time on the men’s side, swum by Lukas Märtens, who is also nominated for Helsinki.

2018 German National Junior Champions:

(all decisions, tuesday and wednesday)

(source: schwimmdjm.de)

100m breaststroke, women

&n

By SwimSwam on SwimSwam

Courtesy: Big Ten Conference

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference on Wednesday recognized a total of 1,906 students competing in spring and at-large sports who have been named to the Academic All-Conference team.

The list of honorees features 166 individuals in baseball, 137 in softball, 211 in women’s rowing, 67 in men’s and 82 in women’s golf, 95 in men’s and 134 in women’s lacrosse, 70 in men’s and 69 in women’s tennis, 271 in men’s and 371 in women’s track and field and 75 in men’s (representing fencing, rifle and pistol, rowing and volleyball) and 158 in women’s (representing bowling, fencing, ice hockey, lightweight rowing, rifle and pistol, sand volleyball, synchronized swimming and water polo) at-large sports.

The complete listing of 2018 Academic All-Big Ten honorees for spring and at-large sports is here.

To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, students must be on a varsity team, as verified by being on the official squad list as of May 1 for spring sports, who have been enrolled fulltime at the institution for a minimum of 12 months and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.

At least 29 students competing in spring and at-large sports have maintained unblemished cumulative GPAs:

Matsen Dziedzic, Illinois men’s track and field (Sr., MS – Technical Systems Management)

Michael Hyc, Illinois men’s track and field (Sr., MS – Accountancy)

David Kendziera, Illinois men’s track and field (Sr., Ed.M. in Human Resource Development)

Marija Pritchard, Iowa women’s rowing (Jr., Religious Studies And Biology)

Karson Sommer, Iowa men’s track and field (So., Electrical Engineering)

Audrey Belf, Michigan women’s track and field (Jr., Movement Science)

Erin Finn, Michigan women’s track and field (Sr., Epidemiology MPH)

Lexi Baylis, Michigan State women’s tennis (Sr., Mechanical Engineering)

Luke Beauchamp, Michigan State men’s track and field (Jr., Physiology)

Katelyn Daniels, Michigan State women’s track and field (Sr., Human Biology)

Bailey Johnson, Michigan State women’s track and field (Sr., Communication)

Logan Otter, Michigan State women’s golf (Sr., Neuroscience)

Clark Ruiz, Michigan State men’s track and field (Sr., Media And Information)

Emily Steffke, Michigan State women’s track and field (Sr., Neuroscience)

Kristina Zalewski, Michigan State softball (Sr., Psychology – second Bachelors)

Bethany Hasz, Minnesota women’s track and field (Jr., Kinesiology)

Abby Kohut-Jackson, Minnesota women’s track and field (Jr., Spanish Studies)

Patty O’Brien, Minnesota women’s track and field (Sr., Masters Of Education)

Andy Jacobs, Nebraska women’s track and field (So., Broadcasting/Journalism/Psycho logy)

Givon Washington, Nebraska men’s track and field (So., Economics)

Simon Wiedel, Nebraska men’s track and field (So., Elementary Education)

Sheila Nesselbush, Northwestern women’s lacrosse (Sr., Predictive Analytics)

Gabriela Cecchini, Ohio State women’s fencing (Jr., World Literatures)

Aleksandra Kolmykova, Ohio State women’s fencing (So., Economics)

Will Voetsch, Ohio State men’s golf (Jr., Finance)

Rebecca Chanin, Rutgers women’s rowing (So., Political Science)

Sarah Robbie, Rutgers women’s track and field (Sr., Labor Studies And Employment Relations)

Emma Langer, Wisconsin women’s track and field (So., Biology)

Elisabet Pietz, Wisconsin women’s rowing (So., Spanish)

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Big Ten Names Spring, At-Large Sports Academic All-Big Ten Honorees

By SwimSwam on SwimSwam

Courtesy: USA Swimming

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.– Standout Bay Area-based Olympic gold medalists Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md./Stanford Swimming), Simone Manuel (Sugar Land, Texas/Stanford Swimming), Nathan Adrian (Bremerton, Wash./California Aquatics) and Ryan Murphy (Jacksonville, Fla./California Aquatics) are expected to lead a fast field for next week’s TYR Pro Swim Series at Santa Clara, June 7-10 at the George F. Haines International Swim Center.

The four-day competition opens with timed finals for the 1500-meter freestyle on Thursday, June 7 at 5 p.m. PDT. Friday, June 8 through Sunday, June 10 will feature 9 a.m. PDT prelims followed by finals at 5 p.m. PDT (4:40 p.m. on Friday, June 9).

Single- and all-session tickets are on sale now here.

Individual Olympic champions Anthony Ervin (Valencia, Calif./Team Elite), Matt Grevers (Lake Forest, Ill./Tucson Ford Dealers Aquatics), Lilly King (Evansville, Ind./University) and Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla./Gator Swim Club) – as well as seven-time FINA World Championships medalist Caeleb Dressel (Green Cove Springs, Fla./Bolles School Sharks) – are also slated to swim in Santa Clara.

Expected to join Adrian, Ervin and Murphy in a standout group of Cal alums are fellow Olympic medalists Jacob Pebley (Corvallis, Ore./California Aquatics), Josh Prenot (Santa Maria, Calif./California Aquatics) and Tom Shields (Huntington Beach, Calif./California Aquatics). Fellow local Olympic medalists Lia Neal (Brooklyn, N.Y./Stanford Swimming) and Abbey Weitzeil (Saugus, Calif./California Aquatics) also are expected to compete.

NBC Sports Network will have live television coverage Friday, June 8 and Saturday, June 9 at 8 p.m. EDT. Sunday’s finals will stream on the NBC Sports app. A live webcast of daily prelims and the Thursday, June 7 distance session will be available at usaswimming.org.

This meet marks the fifth of six stops of the 2018 TYR Pro Swim Series with Olympic medalist and world champion Chase Kalisz (Bel Air, Md./Athens Bulldog Swim Club) topping the men’s standings with 64 points. Canadian Olympian Taylor Ruck leads the women’s standings with 45 points.

Also continuing in Santa Clara is USA Swim Squads, a new feature for 2018 that allows USA Swimming National Team members to compete for team points and a grand prize throughout this year’s events. Four teams, captained by Olympic legends Natalie Coughlin, Lenny Krayzelburg, Jason Lezak and Kaitlin Sandeno, will feature six active athletes designated across six event categories (one athlete per team per category) who are eligible to score points in a maximum of two events from that category – free, back, breast, fly, IM or flex. Team Krayzelburg leads the way with 358 points heading into Santa Clara.

In the 2018 TYR Pro Swim Series, swimmers may earn awards for top-three finishes in all individual Olympic events. At each meet, $1,000 will be provided for a first-place finish, $600 for second and $200 for third. Participants will be awarded points in each individual Olympic event throughout the duration of the series (Five points for first, three for second, one point for third place).

At 2018 Phillips 66 Nationals, the point totals will double to 10 points for first place, six for second and two points for third place. The final series tally will be computed after the 2018 Phillips 66 National Championships, slated for July 25-29 in Irvine, California, and the prizes will be awarded at that time.

The top eligible male and female overall point total winners in the series will earn a one-year lease of a BMW vehicle, as well as a $10,000 series bonus. For more information on the TYR Pro Swim Series, visit here.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Bay Area Olympians Highlight 2018 TYR Pro Swim Series at Santa Clara

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

2018 Eric Namesnik Memorial Open

• June 1st-3rd, 2018
• Canham Natatorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• 50m (LCM)
• Psych Sheets

The 2018 Eric Namesnik Memorial Open, a meet that was formerly part of the USA Swimming Grand Prix Series, will take place this weekend on the University of Michigan campus. Besides its role as a high-level local club meet, the event serves as a memory of former University of Michigan Eric Namesnik. Namesnik, a two-time Olympic silver medalist in the 400 IM, was a volunteer assistant for nearby Eastern Michigan University and a club coach for the hosts Club Wolverine before he died in a car crash in 2006 when he was just 35-years old.

Besides a large contingent of club swimmers from Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan who descend on this centralized meet every year, the majority of the University of Michigan varsity team will participate. That includes Felix Auboeck, who was the runner-up last year in both the 500 free and 1650 free at the NCAA Championships. The 2016 Austrian Olympian will swim the 50, 100, 200, 400, and 1500 meter freestyles.

His distance training partner PJ Ransford is one of only 9 men who will take on the 800 free.

Also attending the meet is Siobhan Haughey, a Hong Kong national who was 2nd at NCAAs last year in the women’s 200 free.

Among the more unexpected names is that of Wu Qingfeng, a 15-year old from China who is swimming unattached. She was as fast as 24.89 in the 50 free at last year’s Chinese National Games, when she was still 14. This weekend in Ann Arbor, she’ll swim as the #2 seed in the 200 free (2:00.72), the top seed in the 50 free (24.62), and the top seed in the 100 free (54.59).

USA Swimming National Team members Ali DeLoof, Sierra Schmidt, Miranda Tucker, PJ Ransford, Vanessa Krause, and Charlie Swanson will all also be in attendance at the meet.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2018 Eric Namesnik Memorial Open Psych Sheets Released

By Noemie Lacroix-Moreau on SwimSwam

Championnats de France Élite 2018 de Saint-Raphaël

• Mardi 22 au dimanche 27 mai, 2018
• Stade Nautique Alain Chateigner
• 50m
• Séries à 9h / finales samedi 15h30 ; dimanche 17h45
• Qualificatifs pour l’Euro 2018
• Diffusé sur beIN SPORTS
• Site des championnats
• Start-listes
• Résultats

JOUR 6

400 mètres nage libre dames

• Euro 2018 : 4:10.48 en série ; top-4 en finale

1. Anna Egorova (RUS) (Montpellier Métropole Natation) 4:08.18
2. Fantine Lesaffre (Montpellier Métropole Natation / Pôle France Natation Course Marseille) 4:12.84
3. Margaux Fabre (Canet 66 Natation) 4:14.02
4. Alizée Morel (Dauphins Toulouse OEC / Pôle France Natation Course Creps Toulouse) 4:18.17

800 mètres nage libre messieurs

• Euro 2018 : 7:57.62 en série ; top-4 en finale

1. David Aubry (Montpellier Métropole Natation) 7:50.09
2. Damien Joly (Montpellier Métropole Natation / Pôle France Natation Course Antibes) 7:57.83
3. Joris Bouchaut (Stade de Vanves) 8:01.61
4. Paul Barascud (CN Marseille / Pôle France Natation Course Marseille) 8:02.38

200 mètres dos dames

• Euro 2018 : 2:13.03 en série ; top-4 en finale

1. Valériya Egorova (RUS) (Montpellier Métropole Natation) 2:13.12
2. Mathilde Cini (Valence Triathlon / Pôle France Natation Course Marseille) 2:14.05
3. Cyrielle Duhamel (Stade Béthune Pélican Club) 2:14.60
4. Louise Lefebvre (Mulhouse ON / Pôle France Natation Course Mulhouse) 2:14.74

100 mètres papillon messieurs

• Euro 2018 : 52.78 en série ; top-4 en finale

1. Mehdy Metella (CN Marseille / Pôle France Natation Course Marseille) 51.92
2. Pierre Henry Arrenous (ASPTT Poitiers / Pôle France Natation Course Paris) 52.61
3. Nans Roch (CN Antibes / Pôle France Natation Course Antibes) 53.26
4. Jeremy Desplanches (SUI) (Olympic Nice Natation / Pôle France Natation Course Nice) 53.35

50 mètres papillon dames

• Euro 2018 : 26.14 en série ; top-4 en finale

1. Mélanie Henique (CN Marseille / Pôle France Natation Course Marseille) 25.71
2. Marie Wattel (Montpellier Métropole Natation) 26.16
3. Charlotte Bonnet (Olympic Nice Natation / Pôle France Natation Course Nice) 26.20
4. Lena Bousquin (CN Marseille / Pôle France Natation Course Marseille) 26.56

50 mètres nage libre messieurs

• Euro 2018 : 22.35 en série ; top-4 en finale

1. Yonel Govindin (CN Marseille / Pôle France Natation Course Marseille) 22.13
2. Maxime Grousset (Amiens Métropole Nat. / Pôle France Natation Course Amiens) 22.14
3. Oussama Sahnoune (ALG) (CN Marseille / Pôle France Natation Course Marseille) 22.30
4. Clément Mignon (CN Marseille / Pôle France Natation Course Marseille) 22.72

50 mètres brasse dames

• Euro 2018 : 31.14 en série ; top-4 en finale

1. Fanny Deberghes (ASPTT Montpellier) 31.66
2. Solène Gallego (Dauphins Toulouse OEC / Pôle France Natation Course Creps Toulouse) 32.13
3. Carmella Kitching (AAS Sarcelles Natation 95) 32.18
4. Camille Mallet (Amiens Métropole Nat. / Pôle Espoirs Natation Course Amiens) 32.40

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Saint-Raphaël 2018 : les interviews du jour 6 (vidéos)

By Giusy Cisale on SwimSwam

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Il CIO Invita Gli Atleti A Far Sentire La Propria Voce.

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

LEN European Open Water Cup – Leg 2

• May 31, 2018
• Gravelines, France
• Preview
• Results

The second leg of the LEN European Open Water World Cup took place today in Gravelines, France, with German Florian Wellbrock and American Haley Anderson walking away with wins in the 10km event.

Wellbrock, who has recently seen vast improvements in both his 800 and 1500 free in the pool, won the men’s race by nearly 12 seconds in 1:44:15.00. 2016 Olympic gold medalist Ferry Weertman of the Netherlands and two-time World Championship medalist Rob Muffels of Germany registered the exact same time in the battle for 2nd, going 1:44:26.97, but Weertman got the photo finish distinction as the runner-up.

France had four of the next five spots led by Logan Fontaine (1:44:27.43) in 4th, and Great Britain’s Jack Burnell (1:44:28.10) finished in the middle of the Frenchmen in 6th. Americans Michael Brinegar and Taylor Abbott also had respectable showings in 10th and 11th overall.

Below, check out the men on the podium amidst hail:

Qu’importe le glaçon pourvu qu’on ait l’ivresse

By Loretta Race on SwimSwam

This week the nation of Japan revealed its stacked rosters for the 2018 Asian Games and Pan Pacific Championships.  Even with the likes of Olympians Kosuke Hagino, Daiya Seto and Rikako Ikee among the line-ups, one notable name is missing from both lists. Masato Sakai, the 200 fly specialist who earned silver at the 2016 Olympic Games, will be watching both prestigious racing competitions from the sidelines.

Sakai has been a mainstay on the 200m fly scene for several years with a history of falling just short of pure glory. Sakai established himself as a major player, finishing a respectable 4th at the Pan Pacific Championships in Australia. Then, at the 2015 World Championships in Kazan, Sakai produced a solid time of 1:54.24 to place 4th, a statement swim leaving him just .14 outside of the medals. In Rio’s 200m fly final, Sakai stormed from 6th place at the 150m mark to come within striking distance of American icon Michael Phelps. Sakai wound up with a painstakingly close silver in a new personal best effort of 1:53.40 to Phelps’ gold medal-winning 1:53.36.

The 22-year-old Waseda University club swimmer did claim gold at the Asian Swimming Championships that same year, beating domestic rival Seto by almost a full second to clock 1:54.53 for a new championship record. He inflicted additional damage at the 2017 Japan Swim, clocking 1:53.71, the 2nd best time of his career, to win the gold at that meet and finish the year ranked as the #2 swimmer in the world in the event. Only South Africa’s Chad Le Clos proved faster in 2017 (1:53.33).

Since that streak, however, Sakai has been swimming quietly under the radar, only making an appearance at the Tokyo short course meters stop of the FINA World Cup last November and the Japan Student Championships.

At the 2 qualifying meets for the Asian Games and Pan Pacific Championships this Spring, Sakai wasn’t able to drive his times into the sub-1:55 range, settling for 1:56.81 in Japan Swim in April and improving to 1:55.06 at the Japan Open last week.

When all was done and dusted,  Sakai did not make the grade to represent Japan on its home turf at the Tokyo-based Pan Pacs, with his name not appearing on the Japanese Swimming Federation’s website of qualified swimmers. Instead, emerging athletes Nao Horomura and Yuya Yajima will join veteran Seto on the elite squad rosters in the 200m fly battle.

2015 World Junior champion Horomura crushed a monster personal best of 1:53.90 to take World University Games gold last year and dipped beneath that in his bid to qualify for this year’s biggest meets. At the Japan Swim last April, Horomura hacked off more time, clocking a wicked-fast 1:53.79 to become the 2nd fastest swimmer in the world this season, as well as the 10th fastest performer ever in the event.

Yajima, who first made waves capturing the 200m fly silver medal at the 2015 World University Games in a unique style, will also represent Japan at Pan Pacs and Asian Games this year, securing his roster spot with a new personal best of 1:54.72.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: JPN 200 Fly OLY Silver Medalist Masato Sakai Misses Pan Pacs Roster

By SwimSwam on SwimSwam

Courtesy: Georgetown Athletics

WASHINGTON D.C.– Georgetown University Swimming & Diving Head Coach Jack Leavitt has announced the addition of Drew Peterson and Marc VanDyken to the coaching staff. Peterson will serve as the assistant swimming coach, while VanDyken will become the head diving coach.

Peterson comes to Georgetown from nearby Catholic University where he was the assistant swim coach for the past two years, helping lead the Cardinals to two-consecutive Men’s Landmark Conference Championship teams. Peterson and the rest of the Catholic coaches earned back-to-back conference coaching staff of the year awards.

Prior to Catholic, Peterson spent the 2015-16 season as an assistant coach at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. While at Rhodes, he helped coach the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Freshman and Swimmer of the Year, as well as two NCAA qualifiers. Rhodes’ women’s swimming program won the 2016 SAA Championship and Peterson was part of the SAA Coaching Staff of the Year.

Along with his collegiate coaching duties, Peterson has also coached at the club level. He spent the summer of 2017 as the head coach of the Cheverly Swim & Racquet Club in Cheverly, Maryland. He has also coached the Green Meadow Swim Team and Prime Aquatics in Tennessee.

A native of Boulder City, Nevada, Peterson swam his freshman year at Rider University where he set the program records in the 400-yard IM, the 500-yard freestyle and the 800-yard freestyle relay. He transferred to the University of Tennessee where he was an SEC finalist in the 200-yard IM in 2013. Peterson qualified for the 2012 Olympic Trials in the 200- and 400-yard IM.

Peterson graduated from the University of Tennessee in May 2015 with a degree in recreation and sport management.

“I am very excited to be joining the Georgetown swimming & diving program and would like to thank Lee Reed and Jack Leavitt for this amazing opportunity,” Peterson said. “Georgetown has a rich tradition of success both athletically and academically, and I cannot wait to help these athletes reach all their goals. I am looking forward to helping the program reach new heights in the BIG EAST and on the national stage.”

VanDyken comes to the Hilltop after most recently coaching with youth diving clubs in the Northern Virginia area for the past eight years, including serving as the assistant diving coach for the Alexandria (Va.) Dive Club since 2014.

He was the head diving coach for the Rockford (Mich.) Diving Club from 2004-10, and also served as a high school and middle school diving coach in Michigan for nearly 10 years, earning 2007 Michigan High School Athletic Association (MSHSAA) Region 3 Diving Coach of the Year honors.

In his more than 15 years of coaching, VanDyken has led 35 high school All-Americans, 27 high school all-state selections, 10 national champions and seven Olympic Trials qualifiers.

VanDyken attended Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan and graduated with a major in integrated science and a minor in elementary education. He has also worked as a middle school and elementary school science teacher since 2011.

“I am very excited to be named the diving coach for Georgetown,” VanDyken said. “I am looking forward to working with the great group of Hoya divers and to continue the already successful tradition of Georgetown swimming & diving.”

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Peterson, VanDyken Join Georgetown Coaching Staff

By Daniela Kapser on SwimSwam

The Athletes Commission of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) wrote an open letter to the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, demanding a reform of the Rule 40 of the Olympic Charter.

Rule 40 is a rule that bans any advertising between 9 days before and three days after the end of the Olympics that includes the images, likenesses, or other endorsements of Olympic athletes, unless those advertisements are by official Olympic partners.

The rule is commonly associated with “ambush marketing,” or the IOC’s aversion to companies’ efforts to become associated with the Olympics without paying the toll by becoming an official IOC partner.

The main point is that the athletes demand more money out of the Olympic budget. The Athletes Commission calls for 25% of the IOC revenues to be diverted directly to the athletes and for 10% to be paid to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

The German Athletes Commission is taking a position now because the German Federal Cartel Office is considering to take legal action against the German Olympic Sports Federation because of a possible violation of competition law through the controversial Olympic Charter Rule 40 §3 restrictions.

The letter summarizes that “athletes worldwide, with various socio-economic conditions prepare for almost a lifetime to participate at the Olympic Games. …. The participation of each athlete depends on submitting to the rules of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Olympic Charter. By signing, uncontradicted, an Athletes’ Agreement with their National Olympic Committee, an athlete has almost no alternative to negotiate. With its Rule 40 §3, the Olympic Charter restricts the athletes who participate in the Olympic Games as much as possible in advertising in the period of the so-called “frozen period” together with their partners and sponsors.”

For this reason, athletes worldwide are not allowed to cooperate with their partners and sponsors through the most important phase of their sporting career. Many Olympic athletes are “rather underrepresented in the media presentation in addition to football (German soccer) coverage.”

Additionally, athletes don’t receive bonuses at Olympic Games, in contrast to World or European Championships.

In their letter, the Athletes Commission condemns that “from our point of view, Rule 40 § 3 constitutes an impermissible interference with the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of profession under German and European law and thus with the exercise of the profession as an athlete. The IOC itself monopolizes the marketing of the Olympic Games, their terms and symbols in conjunction with the participating athletes. It guarantees its business and broadcasting partners exclusive advertising and broadcasting rights.”

All Olympic athletes must sign the Athletes’ Agreements of their National Olympic Committees and they transfer “essential image and personality rights to the IOC as the owner and right holder of the Olympic Games…In the broadcasting rights, the image and personal rights of the athletes are passed on, without the athletes being able to give their specific consent.”

The IOC generated revenues of USD 5.7 billion in the 2012-2016 Olympics. From the athletes perspective, they prepare for the Olympic Games balancing sports and education and doing so with a high economic and personal social risk.

“The German Athletes Commission demands that Olympic athletes must participate in the marketing profit of the Olympic Games. Only with this way the use of the image and personal rights can be rated as “fair” under the Olympic seal. …. The German Athletes Commission is recommending a distribution of 25 percent of the total profit from the marketing and transmission revenues of the IOC to athletes’ interests. It must be ensured that the funds go directly to the athletes.”

Additionally, the athletes believe that 10% of the profits from marketing and broadcasting right should be paid to WADA to finance “an independent anti-doping management and thus independence of the World-Anti-doping-Agency.”

At the end of their letter, the Athletes Commision stated that “The athletes expect a maximum of transparency and a complete disclosure of the marketing and transmission income as well as the use of funds by the sports organizations.”

Read the full story on SwimSwam: German athletes demand more out of the Olympic money pot

By Coleman Hodges on SwimSwam

SwimSwam wants to give you an inside look at what a normal day-in-the-life looks like for any given swimmer, and how that differs from team to team or city to city. We send our head of production, Coleman Hodges, to be a fly on the wall at practice, then relay what he discovered back to you over pancakes. Or at least breakfast.

Time to complete the double. If you didn’t see it already, on a typical Thursday morning, Katie Ledecky, True Sweetser, Simone Manuel, and Lia Neal have a specified workout with Greg Meehan. On those days, Ledecky and Sweetser come back in the afternoon and swim an afternoon workout as well. And every Thursday afternoon, Greg Meehan‘s 400 IM group is in action.

Lets give this group a little bit of context before we delve into the main set. The 4 girls leading lanes (for most of the set) placed 1,2,4, and 14 at this year’s NCAAs. The 3 that were in the A final all dipped under 4:00. The 2 that went 1-2 have both held the American record (yards) at one point in this event. And that’s just the leading 4. So let’s see what battle Greg had these girls fight today.

Main Set:

(Pace +, Pace, Pace – by chunk for each stroke progression)

8×50 @ 1:00

2 fly, 1 kick strong, 2 fly, 1 kick fast, 2 fly

300 Free FAST

11×50 @ :50/1:00 (kick)

3 back, 1 kick strong, 3 back, 1 kick fast, 3 back

200 Free FAST

14×50 @ :50/1:00 (kick)

4 breast, 1 EZ, 4 breast, 1 EZ, 4 breast

100 Free FAST

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Practice + Pancakes: Stanford Women’s 400 IM Group (Video)

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

Below are our Weekly Wonders for the weekends of May 18-20 and May 25-27, 2018:

Jack Armstrong, 17, Houston Bridge Bats: 50m free (23.03) – Armstrong snagged his first Summer Nationals cut while winning the men’s 50 free by nearly a body length at 2018 Katy Senior Invite. It was a PB by .23, 1.03 faster than his time from a year ago, and the #1 performance in the country for 18&U boys for the weekend.

Charley Page-Jones, 14, Team Eugene Aquatics-YMCA: 100m free (56.21) – Page-Jones took 7/10 off a two-week-old PB in the 100 free leading off the TEAM 400 free relay at Comfort Suites Corvallis CAT Long Course Open. He is now 4 seconds faster than he was last year at this time. Page-Jones won the 100 fly and was runner-up in the 100 back. He finished the weekend with new PBs in all three events.

Adell Sabovic, 15, Asphalt Green Unified Aquatics: 200m free (1:55.93) – Swimming at TYR Pro Swim Series Indianapolis, Sabovic earned his first Winter Juniors cut in the 200 free with the 38th-fastest time in prelims. It was a best time by 2.4 seconds and 9.7 better than he’d been a year ago. Sabovic left the meet with new PBs in the 50/100/200 free, 100 fly, and 200 IM.

Christopher Richardson, 14, Tiger Aquatics: 400m free (4:22.11) – Richardson improved his PB by 7 second and won the boys’ 13-14 400 free at the Crawfish Aquatics Long Course Invitational. He went 4:38.78 at the same meet last year. He also won the 100 back and 200 back and went best times in all three events.

Megan Maholic, 14, Lake Erie Silver Dolphins: 100m back (1:07.59) – Swimming at the Robert F. Busbey Invite, Maholic dropped 1.1 in the 100 back to place 2nd in the women’s open event. She has improved 4 seconds in the last year. Maholic was 3rd in the 200 back, 12th in the 100 fly, and 27th in the 200 IM. She lowered her PBs in the 100 free and both backstrokes.

Reese Dehen, 15, Great Wolf Swim Team: 100m breast (1:12.96) – Dehen qualified for the B final in the 100 breast at TYR Pro Swim Series Indy, then proceeded to earn her 1st Summer Nations cut with a PB by 7/10 in the final for 10th place overall. Dehen is now 4.5 seconds faster than she was a year ago. She also took home a new time in the 50 free.

Yvonne Jia, 14, Edina Swim Club: 200m IM (2:22.52) – Swimming at Speedo Grand Challenge hosted by Irvine NOVA, Jia qualified for the C final in the 200 IM. She dropped 4.1 seconds and finished 19th overall. She also finaled in the 100 fly and 400 IM and left the meet with new PBs in the 200 back, 100 fly, and 200/400 IM.

Jed Michael Jones, 16, Metroplex Aquatics: 400m IM (4:35.03) – Seeded with a yards time (3:57.86), Jones dropped over 4.6 seconds in prelims at Atlanta Classic Swim Meet to qualify for the B final with 4:37.67. He then took another 2.6 off in finals and snagged his first Winter Juniors cut in the event with 4:35.03. He has improved 11.5 seconds in a year. Jones finished the meet with new times in the 100 back and 200/400 IM.

Reminder: TheWeekly Wonders column is a celebration of age-group swimming, where new champions are made every day. Anyone can look up the top swims of the week. That’s not what we’re doing here. If we were only reporting on the week’s top swims we would feature the same handful of athletes every Wednesday. Instead, this is an opportunity to introduce the swimming community to athletes who have made great strides in the context of their own particular swimming worlds. By association, it also celebrates their coaches and their teams. TheWeekly Wonders column, therefore, amounts to a pat on the back for a job well done, and hopefully encourages swimmers of all levels to continue to reach from within to get to that next level.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MP, PLEASE VISITWWW.MICHAELPHELPS.COM.

ABOUT MP

Launched in the spring of 2015, MP designed by Aqua Sphere is a shared vision to develop innovative products that are inclusive and accessible to a broader range of swimmers across the full swimming lifecycle. Combining Aqua Sphere’s global product design expertise and distribution with Michael Phelps’ and Bob Bowman’s experiences at the highest levels of swim performance, the MP brand features technical swim products leveraging proprietary technologies and performance enhancing designs.

ABOUT AQUA SPHERE

Established in Genoa, Italy, in 1998, Aqua Sphere is the premier swimming equipment manufacturer for fitness and recreational swimming, aquatic exercise and triathlons. With the launch of its cutting-edge Seal Mask—the world’s first swim mask, the company set the industry standard and today continues to innovate with a complete range of premium products, including eye protection, swimwear, triathlon wetsuits, footwear, and swim fitness and training accessories. The designs have gained the respect and loyal following of many celebrities and notable athletes, including the world’s most decorated Olympian Michael Phelps, with whom Aqua Sphere is partnering to develop a global brand partnership. Alongside its parent company Aqua Lung and supported by an international distribution network, Aqua Sphere has grown into a worldwide enterprise representing unparalleled design, development and manufacturing expertise, with a global footprint in more than 90 countries. For more information, visit www.AquaSphereSwim.com orhttp://www.Facebook.com/AquaSphereSwim.

ABOUT AQUA LUNG

Aqua Lung pioneered the creation of modern diving equipment in 1943 when Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau teamed with Emile Gagnan to develop the first “aqua-lung” that made underwater exploration possible. Today, the brand continues to be the leading global designer and manufacturer of dive and water sports gear. With a deep commitment to quality, research and testing, Aqua Lung has revolutionized the scuba diving experience by setting industry standards for scuba equipment in technology, comfort, safety and design. The company’s rich history as an expert in the dive and water sports industry has led to the demand of Aqua Lung equipment for recreational, technical and military applications in more than 90 countries around the world, under the brand names of Aqua Lung, Aqua Sphere, Apeks, U.S. Divers, and Stohlquist. For more information, visit www.AquaLung.com or http://www.Facebook.com/AquaLungDivers.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: MP Weekly Wonders of Age Group Swimming – 5/30/2018

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

The NCAA Division I Missouri Valley Conference announced the University of Missouri as the host of its 2018 swimming & diving championships, marking the 3rd-straight year where the conference has used a neutral-site host. The last two championships were hosted at the University of Iowa. Missouri State, winners of 10 of the last 11 conference championships, has never hosted the meet, but Columbia, a 3 hour drive from Springfield, about halves the distance from Iowa City, where the meet was hosted at the University of Iowa for the last 2 years.

7 of the Missouri Valley’s 10 full members sponsor women’s swimming, with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock participating as an associate member in swimming.

Team Results – 2018 Missouri Valley Conference Championships

None of the 8 swimming member teams have an indoor 8-lane pool with both significant spectator seating and enough pool space for warmups and warmdowns. Of the 8 teams, the only 2 that train in facilities with warmup/warmdown space are Indiana State, who train at a 50-meter municipal facility; and Southern Illinois, which has a 10-lane, 50-meter pool and two 8-lane, 25-yard pools (built in 1977). Southern Illinois has hosted a number of previous Missouri Valley Championship meets, with seating expandable to hold up to 3,000 people.

The university of Missouri offers a full 50-meter pool, a separate diving well, and spectator seating for 1,000. It served as the host off the 2006, 2009, and 2012 Big 12 Conference Championship meets.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Mizzou Aquatic Center Will Host MVC Championships in 2019

By Gold Medal Mel Stewart on SwimSwam

World and Olympic Champion Caeleb Dressel has new ink. Caeleb talks about it later in the video, and he’s in love with his new puppy dog. The biggest male swim star currently competing turns pro and what’s the first thing he does after NCAA Champions? Gets a puppy.

Aside from new ink and puppies, Caeleb is in hard training, aka Troy Training.  If you ever talk to Coach Gregg Troy on deck, he plainly says he only believes in real work. He often calls it honest work. The result is a very broken down Dressel. His times were relatively slow at the Atlanta Classic, but Caeleb described the meet as essentially training.  He wore a brief in a lot of races, and he wore a few racing suits. (It sounds like he’s trying out several brands. No word yet on a swimsuit partnership, but I think he’ll sign with a major brand before U.S. Nationals. What do you think? The timing makes sense.)

PREDICTIONS? I’m sticking by my previous predictions for Caeleb. Troy Training, if anything, makes me think Caeleb will perform well again this summer.  Here’s what I said earlier this spring:

• 20.89 50m free
• 46.9 100m free
• 49 low 100m fly

***Yes, I know that’s toppling three world records from the tech-suit era, and I am fully aware Caeleb will probably swim faster than the times above.

What do you think? 

Follow Caeleb Dressel  on Twitter here.

Follow Caeleb Dressel on Instagram here. 

See Caeleb Dressel on Facebook here. 

RECENT EPISODES

This is a Gold Medal Media production presented by SwimOutlet.com. Host Gold Medal Mel Stewart is a 3-time Olympic medalist and the co-founder of SwimSwam.com, a Swimming News website.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Caeleb Dressel Gets New Tattoos: GMM presented by SwimOutlet.com

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

LEN EUROPEAN OPEN WATER WORLD CUP – LEG 2

• May 31, 2018
• Gravelines, France
• Preview
• Results
• Pan Pac Selection Procedures

The second leg of the LEN European Open Water World Cup, held Thursday in Gravelines, France, acted as the second round of qualifying for the Americans for the upcoming Pan Pacific Championships in August.

The first four swimmers to qualify were determined at U.S. Open Water Nationals in early May, where Jordan Wilimovsky, David Heron, Ashley Twichell and Haley Anderson booked their tickets to Tokyo by finishing 1st and 2nd in the men’s and women’s 10k events respectively.

In Gravelines, the men’s event was won by Germany’s Florian Wellbrock, but the top American finish went to Michael Brinegar (10th), who lost an incredibly close battle with Heron for that 2nd spot earlier in the month in Tempe. Taylor Abbott, 5th at U.S. Nationals, was right behind Brinegar in 11th, taking the 4th and final spot at Pan Pacs for the men.

Both Twichell and Anderson were in action in France despite already qualifying for Tokyo, with Anderson winning the women’s event outright. Twichell was 3rd overall, while Hannah Moore (9th) and Chase Travis (13th) were the next two highest placing Americans to grab the final two U.S. Pan Pac open water slots. In Tempe, Travis was 5th and Moore 6th (only the top-6 swimmers from Nationals qualified to compete in Gravelines and vie for a spot on the team if they missed earlier). Travis also won the junior national 7.5k title at U.S. Nationals.

Brendan Casey and Katy Campbell were the other two Americans who competed, placing 26th and 19th overall respectively after both placing 4th at U.S. Nationals.

These Pan Pacific Championship qualifiers have yet to be confirmed, but per the criteria these will be the eight U.S. representatives in open water.

Check out a full recap of the open water events in Gravelines here.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Four Americans Add Their Names To Pan Pac Roster In Gravelines

By Gold Medal Mel Stewart on SwimSwam

The USA Swimming Foundation kicked-off its 10^th annual Make a Splash Tourpresented by Phillips 66 today in Washington, D.C., by setting aGUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® record for the World’s Largest Kickboard. This gigantic kickboard, which is 10 times the standard adult size board at 18 feet high by 11 feet wide, will serve as a larger-than-life petition for all Americans to urge Congress to add the question, “Do you know how to swim?” to the 2020 Census. Drowning is the second-leading cause of accidental death for children under the age of 14. The Make a Splash Tour presented by Phillips 66 will visit four cities nationwide during June to raise awareness around the importance of learning how to swim.

The kickboard serves as reminder for parents to enroll their children in swim lessons, and for Congress to add this critical question to the 2020 Census in order to gain an accurate count of a family’s ability to swim in the U.S.

All are encouraged to sign the petition by visiting http://bit.ly/swimfoundation.

“Learning to swim changed the course of my life forever,” USA Swimming Foundation Ambassador and six-time Olympic medalist, Missy Franklin said. “This record-setting moment is designed to further the awareness of the importance of making sure children achieve the skills they need to build their confidence in the water and in life.”

Make a Splash Tour Presented by Phillips 66

This GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® moment kicks-off the USA Swimming Foundation’s 10^th annual Make a Splash Tour presented by Phillips 66, which aims to save children’s lives through swim lessons. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), research has shown that formal swimming lessons reduce the risk of childhood drowning by 88 percent.

The Make a Splash Tour takes place throughout June and brings USA Swimming Foundation ambassadors, Olympic medalists and elite athletes to four cities across the country to educate children, parents, communities and civic leaders on the importance of learning to swim.

Missy Franklin, Olympic Champion

The 2018 tour will visit:

• Washington, D.C. (June 1-2, 2018): with Olympians Missy Franklin, Cullen Jones, Rowdy Gaines, Andrew Gemmell, and Sports Illustrated Kids’ SportsKid of the Year, Reece Whitley
• Seattle, Wash. (June 4, 2018): with Olympians Nathan Adrian and Rowdy Gaines
• San Francisco, Calif. (June 6, 2018): with Olympians Simone Manuel, Katie Ledecky, Cullen Jones, Ryan Murphy and Rowdy Gaines
• Orlando, Fla. (June 13, 2018): with Olympians Cullen Jones, Ryan Lochte, Caeleb Dressel and Rowdy Gaines

“The USA Swimming Foundation has made its mission to offer children in America the life skill of swimming regardless of race or financial circumstances,” USA Swimming Foundation ambassador and four-time Olympic medalist,” Cullen Jones stated.

To date, more than 6 million children have received the lifesaving gift of free or reduced-cost swim lessons through the USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash Local Partner network, which is comprised of more than 850 qualified swim lesson providers across the country. The USA Swimming Foundation has set an annual goal to provide at least 1 million children with swim lessons this year through its local partner network.

To find a swim lesson in your area, visit the Foundation’s lesson locator:www.usaswimmingfoundation.org/find-swim-lessons.

“Safety is a core value for Phillips 66, and we believe child drownings are preventable,” Phillips 66 Manager, Corporate Brand and Creative Media, Tami Talbert Walker said. “We are proud to sponsor the USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash Tour to keep kids safer in, on, and around the water this summer.”

Since 1973, Phillips 66’s contributions have supported the USA Swimming community through National Championships and other international competitions, publication of club development materials, and many additional endeavors. The Make a Splash Tour, which the company has sponsored since the program’s inception in 2009, is a natural extension of its dedication to safety.

“With the support of Phillips 66, the USA Swimming Foundation is able to educate parents and children about the importance of learning to swim,” Executive Director of the USA Swimming Foundation, Debbie Hesse said. “We’ve seen an increase in the number of children participating in swimming lessons through the Local Partner network. We look forward to continuing to grow and surpassing the 2017 1-million children milestone this year, and every year moving forward.”

Alarming Drowning Statistics

• Drowning claims the lives of approximately 3,500 people per year, with nearly 25 percent being children under the age of 14. The problem is particularly prevalent in ethnically diverse communities, where the drowning rate is almost three times the national average (CDC).
• Approximately 10 people drown every day in the U.S., according to the CDC.
• African-American children drown at a rate nearly 5.5 times higher than their Caucasian peers, as reported by the CDC.
• Drowning is a silent killer—most young children who drowned in pools were last seen in the home, had been out of sight less than five minutes, and were in the care of one or both parents at the time, according to the Present P. Child Drowning Study.

About the USA Swimming Foundation

The USA Swimming Foundation serves as the philanthropic arm of USA Swimming.  Established in 2004, the Foundation works to strengthen the sport by saving lives and building champions—in the pool and in life. Whether we’re equipping our children with the life-saving skill of learn-to-swim through our Make a Splash initiative, or providing financial support to our heroes on the U.S. National Team, the USA Swimming Foundation aims to provide the wonderful experience of swimming to kids at all levels across the country. To learn more, visit www.usaswimmingfoundation.org. 

About the USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash Initiative

The USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash initiative is a national child-focused water safety campaign, which aims to provide the opportunity for every child in America to learn to swim. Through Make a Splash, the USA Swimming Foundation partners with learn-to-swim providers and water safety advocates across the country to provide swimming lessons and educate children and their families on the importance of learning how to swim. The USA Swimming Foundation has invested millions of dollars to provide grants to qualified Local Partner learn-to-swim programs, to spread national awareness, and to bring together strategic partners to end drowning. To date, over 6 million children have received the lifesaving gift of swim lessons through the USA Swimming Foundation Make a Splash Local Partner network, comprised of more than 850 qualified lesson providers across the nation. To learn more, visit www.usaswimmingfoundation.org/makeasplash.

PHOTO CREDIT: © Mike Lewis / USA Swimming Foundation – USA Swimming Foundation Executive Director Debbie Hesse receives the official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS recognition from GWR adjudicator Michael Empric.

Swimming news release is courtesy of the USA Swimming Foundation. 

Read the full story on SwimSwam: USA Swimming Foundation Sets GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® for Largest Kickboard