By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

2019 Speedo Winter Junior Championships

• December 11th-14th, 2019
• Georgia Tech Campus Recreation Center │ King County Aquatic Center
• SCY (25y) Course
• Pre-scratch Timeline East│ Pre-scratch Timeline West
• Psych Sheets East│ Psych Sheets West
• Real-time Results East│ Real-time Results West

With the Speedo Winter Junior Championships meets split between two locations, we’ll be putting together nightly lists of the top eight finishers in each championship final, combining results from the two meets.

Women’s 1650 Yard Freestyle – Fastest Heat

• SC Juniors Meet Record – 15:56.39 Gabrielle Kopenski 2014
• 13/14 National Age Group Record – 15:54.46 Becca Mann 2012
• 15/16 National Age Group Record – 15:15.17 Katie Ledecky 2013
• 17/18 National Age Group Record – 15:13.30 Katie Ledecky 2015

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Abigail McCulloh, SA – 16:09.55
2. Olivia McMurray, SWIM – 16:12.75
3. Ashley Strouse, SAC – 16:14.84
4. Liberty Williams, RAA – 16:21.09
5. Kathryn Shanley, FST – 16:24.16
6. Jillian Cox, ATAC – 16:24.28
7. Kylee Grafmiller, BTA – 16:28.47
8. Caroline Pennington, BAD – 16:29.74

Men’s 1650 Yard Freestyle – Fastest Heat

• SC Juniors Meet Record – 14:37.71 Michael Brinegar 2017
• 13/14 National Age Group Record – 15:14.17 Arthur Frayler 2008
• 15/16 National Age Group Record – 14:45.40 Sean Grieshop 2014
• 17/18 National Age Group Record – 14:34.46 P.J. Ransford 2015

Top 8 Finishers:

1. David Johnston, RACE – 14:51.42
2. Jake Magahey, SA – 14:51.76
3. Jake Mitchell, CSC – 14:57.92
4. Charlie Clark, VSC – 15:07.84
5. Ethan Heasley, HEAT – 15:08.40
6. Jack Vandeusen, BSS – 15:08.66
7. Jackson Carlile, FAST – 15:08.71
8. Tyler Kopp, KATY – 15:08.96

Women’s 200 Yard Backstroke – Heats

• SC Juniors Meet Record – 1:50.16 Katharine Berkoff 2018
• 13/14 National Age Group Record – 1:51.07 Missy Franklin 2010
• 15/16 National Age Group Record – 1:48.30 Regan Smith 2018
• 17/18 National Age Group Record – 1:47.16 Regan Smith 2019

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Isabelle Stadden, AQJT – 1:50.50
2. Rye Ulett, DYNA – 1:53.68
3. Sophia Tuinman, CW – 1:55.19
4. Sydney Silver, TOPS – 1:55.84
5. Annabel Crush, LAK – 1:55.89
6. Malia Francis, MWWM – 1:56.07
7. Ana Herceg, NTRO – 1:56.18
8. Madelyn Mechling, MAC – 1:56.39

Men’s 200 Yard Backstroke – Heats

• SC Juniors Meet Record – 1:40.79 Jacob Pebley 2011
• 13/14 National Age Group Record – 1:43.15 Michael Andrew 2014
• 15/16 National Age Group Record – 1:40.90 Ryan Murphy 2011
• 17/18 National Age Group Record – 1:37.35 Ryan Murphy 2014

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Wyatt Davis, CSC – 1:40.85
2. Carson Foster, RAYS – 1:41.54
3. Jack Aikins, SA – 1:42.63
4. Keaton Jones, NEP – 1:42.81
5. Tyler Lu, SMAC – 1:42.97
6. Eric Stelmar, MAC – 1:43.26
7. Harrison Lierz, EA – 1:43.49
8. Anthony Rincon, TWST – 1:44.01

Women’s 100 Yard Freestyle – Heats

• SC Juniors Meet Record – 46.29 Abbey Weitzeil 2014
• 13/14 National Age Group Record – 47.67 Claire Curzan 2019
• 15/16 National Age Group Record – 47.49 Gretchen Walsh 2019
• 17/18 National Age Group Record – 46.09 Simone Manuel 2015

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Claire Curzan, TAC – 47.85
2. Amy Tang, UN-PN – 48.11
3. Lindsay Flynn, ATOM – 48.56
4. Micayla Cronk, BD – 48.75
5. Janelle Rudolph, KING – 48.76
6. Katherine Zenick, NTN – 48.81
7. Tristen Ulett, DYNA – 49.13
8. Gracie Felner, BC – 49.15

Men’s 100 Yard Freestyle – Heats

• SC Juniors Meet Record – 41.23 Ryan Hoffer 2015
• 13/14 National Age Group Record – 43.90 Michael Andrew 2014
• 15/16 National Age Group Record – 42.67 Ryan Hoffer 2013
• 17/18 National Age Group Record – 41.23 Ryan Hoffer 2015

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Jack Alexy, SHY – 42.87
2. Jake Magahey, SA – 43.12
3. Matt King, BC – 43.22
4. Adam Chaney, RAYS – 43.39
5. Daniel Wilson, SSC – 43.42
6. Matthew Jensen, UDAC – 43.49
7. Lukas Miller, EA – 43.58
8. Arsenio Bustos, WAC – 43.62

Women’s 200 Yard Breaststroke – Heats

• SC Juniors Meet Record – 2:06.02 Alex Walsh 2018
• 13/14 National Age Group Record – 2:10.22 Allie Szekely 2012
• 15/16 National Age Group Record – 2:06.45 Alex Walsh 2018
• 17/18 National Age Group Record – 2:05.87Alex Walsh 2019

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Abby Arens, MOR – 2:09.49
2. Kaitlyn Dobler, TDPS – 2:09.50
3. Emma Weber, TOPS – 2:10.39
4. Grace Rainey, MAC – 2:10.78
5. Letitia Sim, TNT – 2:11.03
6. Zoey Zeller, SCSC – 2:11.34
7. Shelby Suppinger, CROW – 2:12.41
8. Adeline Farrington, SA – 2:12.73

Men’s 200 Yard Breaststroke – Heats

• SC Juniors Meet Record – 1:52.37 Reece Whitley 2016
• 13/14 National Age Group Record – 1:55.52 Reece Whitley 2014
• 15/16 National Age Group Record – 1:52.37 Reece Whitley 2016
• 17/18 National Age Group Record – 1:51.43 Reece Whitley 2017

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Josh Matheny, PEAQ – 1:52.12
2. Matt Fallon, SVY – 1:54.18
3. Ben Dillard, SMST – 1:54.74
4. Hayden Zheng, AQJT – 1:54.98
5. Ethan Dang, BC – 1:55.87
6. Tyler Christianson, NAAC – 1:56.01
7. Maxwell Reich, PHX – 1:56.32
8. Reid Mikuta, SGSA – 1:56.34

Women’s 200 Yard Butterfly – Heats

• SC Juniors Meet Record – 1:51.24 Regan Smith 2018
• 13/14 National Age Group Record – 1:55.29 Tess Howley 2019
• 15/16 National Age Group Record – 1:51.24 Regan Smith 2018
• 17/18 National Age Group Record – 1:51.04 Ella Eastin 2016

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Claire Curzan, TAC – 1:54.36
2. Justina Kozan, BREA – 1:54.75
3. Megan Deuel, PACK – 1:55.70
4. Gabi Albiero, CARD – 1:55.82
5. Tristen Ulett, DYNA – 1:55.88
6. Emma Sticklen, KATY – 1:56.20
7. Morgan Gore, SMST – 1:57.91
8. Lucy Bell, FAST – 1:58.18

Men’s 200 Yard Butterfly – Heats

• SC Juniors Meet Record – 1:40.91 Gianluca Urlando 2018
• 13/14 National Age Group Record – 1:45.39 Michael Andrew 2014
• 15/16 National Age Group Record – 1:40.91 Gianluca Urlando 2018
• 17/18 National Age Group Record – 1:40.85 Nicolas Albiero 2018

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Aiden Hayes, SSC – 1:41.34
2. Matthew Fenlon, BAD – 1:42.53
3. Jonathan Affeld, ALTO – 1:44.02
4. Coby Carrozza, TXLA – 1:44.28
5. Seung Joon Ahn, KATY – 1:44.64
6. Bence Szabados, CWAC – 1:45.23
7. Vincent Cheng, BREA – 1:45.79
8. Jace Crawford, EAJ – 1:45.92

Women’s 4×100 Freestyle – Timed Finals

• SC Juniors Meet Record: 3:16.62 SwimMAC Carolina (A Marsh, E Brown, C Lappin, J Merritt) 2015
• 13-14 NAG: 3:21.90 Nation’s Capital 2019
• 15-16 NAG: 3:19.17 Gator Swim Club 2016
• 17-18 NAG: 3:16.62 SwimMAC 2015
• 15-18 NAG: 3:15.38 Carmel Swim Club 2015

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Aquatic Team Of Mecklenburg – 3:18.70
2. Dynamo Swim Club – 3:19.59
3. Lakeside Aquatics – 3:20.21
4. Scottsdale Aquatic Club – 3:20.40
5. Carmel Swim Club – 3:20.75
6. Bellevue Club Swim Team – 3:21.17
7. Club Wolverine – 3:21.58
8. Denver Hilltoppers – 3:22.06

Men’s 4×100 Freestyle – Timed Finals

• SC Juniors Meet Record: 2:55.89 Bolles School Sharks (J Booth, C Dressel, S Condorelli, J Schooling) 2012
• 13-14 NAG: 3:09.70 Irvine Novaquatics 2015
• 15-16 NAG: 3:01.01 Upper Dublin A.C. 2014
• 17-18 NAG: 2:56.15 SwimMAC 2013
• 15-18 NAG: 2:53.81 Allegheny North Swim Club 2018

Top 8 Finishers:

1. SwimAtlanta – 2:56.76
2. Carmel Swim Club – 2:58.34
3. Rose Bowl Aquatics – 2:58.95
4. SwimMAC Carolina A – 2:59.00
5. Premier Aquatics – 2:59.24
6. Upper Dublin Aquatic Club – 2:59.91
7. Bellevue Club Swim Team – 2:59.98
8. Mason Manta Rays B – 3:00.10

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2019 Speedo Winter Junior Championships–Combined East/West Results Day 4

By Giusy Cisale on SwimSwam

Ilaria Cusinato negli ultimi mesi ha vissuto tanti cambiamenti e superato avversità dentro e fuori dalle corsie.

Alla fine del mese di Agosto annunciava l’inizio della collaborazione con l’allenatore Shane Tusup.

A fine Ottobre, interrompe il rapporto professionale con Tusup ed inizia ad allenarsi con Moreno Daga.

Questi i passaggi significativi che noi tutti conosciamo. Dietro le quinte, o, perdonatemi il termine, le corsie, c’è di più.

C’è una ragazza di vent’anni che non si ferma alla superficie, ma prova ogni giorno a diventare la persona che infondo sa di essere.

Ilaria Cusinato all’inizio di Dicembre, arriva a Glasgow per partecipare ai Campionati Europei in vasca corta. La preparazione ai campionati continentali non è quella che una professionista come lei avrebbe sperato. Poche settimane di lavoro, eppure, la “Cusi” a Glasgow sorprende tutti e conquista la medaglia di bronzo nei 400 metri misti. 

Abbiamo incontrato Ilaria ai Campionati Assoluti di Riccione, che si sono svolti lo scorso fine settimana.

Ai nostri microfoni ha parlato di come ha vissuto l’ultimo periodo, dei suoi obiettivi e di una ritrovata serenità che abbraccia anche la sua vita privata.

Parla anche del suo allenatore. Ci dice che ha trovato in Moreno Daga una figura paterna che sa indirizzarla e consigliarla non solo su ciò che riguarda l’allenamento.

Il nuoto anche per un professionista non è tutto. Non deve essere tutto. Soltanto se si è sereni al di fuori della vasca si possono ottenere grandi risultati.

Ilaria Cusinato ora sa cosa vuole e conosce se stessa fino al punto in cui può essere l’unica artefice dei suoi successi.

Godetevi l’intervista!

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Ilaria Cusinato”Ho Imparato Molto Su Me Stessa E Su Cosa E’ Importante”

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

Italian swimmer Gregorio Paltrinieri is one of 4 Italian swimmers who pre-qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in pool swimming this week at the Italian Championships. Paltrinieri stamped his ticket via a 14:42.66 in the 1500 free, and will be joined by Margherita Panziera, Simona Quadarella, and Nicolo Martinenghi as swimmers for whom the pressure is off at the country’s next qualifying opportunity in March.

Paltrinieri is, however, already qualified for the Olympic Games in open water swimming after finishing 6th in the 10km event at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships. He has eased his way into open water swimming, including winning the US National titles in the 5km and 10km races earlier this year.

So that gives him at least 2 swims in Tokyo already, and he says that he’ll shoot for the qualifying standard in the 800 free in March.

Interview courtesy: Giusy Cisale

Paltrinieri is the defending Olympic gold medalist in the 1500 free, and says that this remains his favorite event. He’s also won 5 European Championships in the event (2 long course, 3 short course) and 3 World Championships (2 long course, 1 short course) in that race. That includes gold at the European Short Course Championships earlier this month.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Does Gregorio Paltrinieri Prefer Pool or Open Water Swimming?

By Jared Anderson on SwimSwam

Arizona sophomore David Schlicht will sit out this NCAA season, preparing for Australia’s Olympic Trials, the school confirmed this week.

Schlicht was the Wildcats’ top scorer at 2019 NCAAs, putting up 22 points across three events. He finished 6th in the 400 IM, 10th in the 200 breast and 15th in the 200 IM, and with seniors factored out, he projected to score upwards of 40 points individually in 2020.

But Schlicht hasn’t competed for Arizona this season and won’t – he competed in Australia at the Australian Short Course Championships back in October. The 20-year-old has previously represented Australia at Short Course Worlds. In long course, he finished last season ranked 14th among Australians in the 400 IM (4:27.49) and and 200 IM (2:04.57), though his career-bests would rank quite a bit higher.

Schlicht’s Top Times (LCM & SCY)

• 200m IM: 2:02.76
• 400m IM: 4:22.09
• 200m breast: 2:15.54
• 200y IM: 1:42.38
• 400y IM: 3:40.14
• 200y breast: 1:52.33

Arizona has confirmed that Schlicht is taking an Olympic redshirt season, and will return to the University of Arizona program for the 2020-2021 season. Despite the loss of their star IMer, the Arizona men just keep cruising. They currently rank #5 nationally in our Swimulator despite not having any swims from Schlicht. The Wildcats have three other returning scorers (Brooks Fail, Jorge Iga, Sam Iida) and currently have seven individuals projected in scoring range in the Swimulator.

We add Schlicht to our list of Olympic year redshirts so far:

• Taylor Ruck, Stanford (Canada)
• Olivia Carter, Georgia (USA)
• Ida Hulkko, Florida State (Finland)
• Faith Knelson, Arizona (Canada)
• Mackenzie Padington, Minnesota (Canada)
• Sarah Bacon, Minnesota (USA)
• Kristen Hayden, Minnesota (USA)
• Mabel Zavaros, Florida (Canada)
• Federica Greco, Rutgers (Italy)
• Dean Farris, Harvard (USA)
• Javier Acevedo, Georgia (Canada)
• Giovanni Izzo, NC State (Italy)
• Jarod Arroyo, Arizona State (Puerto Rico)
• Ruslan Gaziev, Ohio State (Canada)
• Mario Koenigsperger, USC (New Zealand)
• Grant House, Arizona State (USA)
• Michael Brinegar, Indiana (USA)
• Andrew Capobianco, Indiana (USA)
• Brandon Loschiavo, Purdue (USA)
• Raphael Marcoux, Harvard (Canada)
• True Sweetser, Stanford (USA)

Read the full story on SwimSwam: NCAA Finalist David Schlicht Taking Olympic Redshirt Season For Arizona

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

Continued international success from their swimmers has led Linda Kiefer and Mike Thompson to being named Swimming Canada’s Coaches of the Year for 2019.

Kiefer, the longtime assistant at the University of Toronto, wins the award for a third straight year as she helped Kylie Masse successfully defend her World Championship title in the women’s 100 backstroke.

Masse was also named Swimming Canada’s Female Swimmer of the Year for a third straight year.

“It’s nice to be recognized,” Kiefer told Swimming Canada. “But this is a shared award for both Byron (Macdonald, U of T head coach) and myself. It was a very good year. Certainly, Kylie getting her hand on the wall for that gold medal in the 100 back at worlds, that was amazing.”

Masse also won bronze in Gwangju in the 200 back and the women’s 4×100 medley relay.

Kiefer was also pleased with how the U of T program as a whole has developed over the past year.

“We had seven swimmers on the FISU Games team last summer, two on the junior national team, and we have one girl on the Estonian national team who went to worlds as well. Add another 35 or so varsity athletes, keeps us busy.”

For Thompson, this was his first Swimming Canada award.

The head coach of Montreal’s High-Performance Centre – Quebec, six of his athletes earned eight podium finishes at the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships in London, including two gold medals from Aurelie Rivard. Rivard was also named Swimming Canada’s female Para Swimmer of the Year for a fourth time.

“I’m an Aurelie Rivard fan and I’ll always be,” said Thompson. “She joined us in 2017 and really bought in. Tess (Routliffe) had some of the gutsiest performances at worlds. And James (Leroux) coming back from not making the Pan Pac team in 2018 to win a silver medal was pretty amazing.

“Watching our group grow as people, become better racers and develop things in their personal lives makes me the proudest. I love these guys and they make me proud every day.”

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Kiefer, Thompson Earn Swimming Canada Coach of the Year Honors

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

2019 Eastern Express Holiday Classic XXXIII

• December 13th-15th, 2019
• Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
• SCY (25y) Course
• Meet Results
• Team Scores

18-year old Destin Lasco of the PDR Swimming for Success team broke 6 Meet Records this weekend at the 33rd annual Eastern Express Holiday Classic meet on the Rutgers campus. That included a 1:40.77 in the 200 yard backstroke.

That swim knocked exactly 1 second off his previous best time in the event, which was done in March of 2018, and moves him from 30th in 17-18 age group history to 9th. The swim also beat the Pool Record – although Rutgers cut its men’s swimming program in 2006, so there aren’t many big collegiate men’s meets in the pool.

RACE VIDEO:

Destin Lasco‘s other Holiday Classic Results (25 yard pool/SCY) – All Meet Records:

• 100 free – 43.55
• 200 free – 1:35.42
• 100 back – 47.10
• 200 back – 1:40.77
• 100 breast – 54.00
• 200 fly – 1:45.42

His times in the 200 back (-1.00 seconds), 100 breast (-1.90 seconds), and 200 fly (-7.58 seconds) were all lifetime bests.

Lasco, a high school senior, US Junior National Team member, and Cal commit, hit his taper a little better here than he did at last week’s U.S. Open meet, where he didn’t swim the 200 backstroke, nor did he swim any lifetime bests in 5 races.

Destin Lasco‘s U.S. Open Results (50 meter pool/LCM):

• 50 free – 23.8
• 200 IM – 2:02.4
• 200 free – 1:52.1
• 100 back – 57.6
• 100 free – 50.7

A handful of other Meet Records were broken over the weekend. That includes 3 records in the 11-12 age group from Chloe Kim of Scarlet Aquatics: 1:54.35 in the 200 free, 5:04.78 in the 500 free, 2:08.40 in the 200 IM, and 4:31.13 in the 400 IM.

Other Individual Meet Record Breakers:

• Anna Moesch of Streamline Aquatics Club broke the 13-14 Meet Records in both the 50 free (23.11) and 100 free (49.73). She also won the 200 free, albeit not in a Meet Record, in 1:51.21. That 50 free tied her personal best, while the 100 and 200 free times were new lifetime bests by a wide margin – including over a 5 second improvement in the 200 free.
• Denise Phelan won the 100 breaststroke in a Meet Record of 1:01.37, which is a new Meet Record in the open-age group. The 15-year old is also the Meet Record holder in this event in the 13-14 age group, with a 1:04.41 done last season.
• Kenneth Barnicle from the Somerset Hills YMCA won the boys’ 11-12 100 back in 56.30 in a new Meet Record for his age group of 56.30.
• Richard Poplawski won the boys’ 13-14 200 IM in 1:54.69. That’s a new record in his age group, and he’s only 13. It also gives him a USA Swimming Futures Championship cut.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Destin Lasco Swims Best Time of 1:40.77 in 200 Yard Back at Holiday Classic

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

The Los Angeles Current of the International Swimming League have announced their roster for this weekend’s championship meet in Las Vegas, Nevada.

There are no big surprises among the 28-swimmer roster that the Current will take to Las Vegas, which is the maximum number of swimmers a team is allowed in each meet. The Current did pick up a new swimmer for the finale – Maddie Banic, a former University of Tennessee Volunteer who will make her league debut under the brightest lights. Banic is primarily a sprint freestyler and butterflier, with yards bests of 21.54/48.70 in the 50 and 100 free, plus 51.1 in the 100 yard fly. Banic raced in long course at last weekend’s U.S> Open, where she swam 1:00.08 in the 100 meter free and 1:01.34 in the 100 meter fly.

• See Also: Cali Condors Roster

The Current, who have been represented by or signed 15 men and 16 women this season, left 3 swimmers off their Las Vegas roster. Shane Ryan, who joined the club for the US Derby and had an up-and-down meet there, wasn’t selected to race in Las Vegas. World Record holding backstroke Ryan Murphy missed that Derby meet, which opened a hole for Ryan, also a backstroker, to fill, but with Murphy returning, a 3rd male backstroker became superfluous.

On the women’s side, Anastasia Gorbenko, Margo Geer and Andi Murez are off the meet roster. Murez, an Israeli international, was announced as part of the team’s roster, but never wound up competing in the ISL season. Geer, meanwhile, represented the Current in both Lewisville and College Park, where she had a few 4th-and-5th place finishes in the sprint freestyles.

The 16-year old Gorbenko, another Israeli, filled a lot of holes for the Current this season, mostly in IM and freestyle races. In her last meet, at the U.S. Derby, she swam only the 200 free individually and finished 8th out of 8 swimmers.

The Current won the U.S. Derby meet ahead of the Cali Condors, and will join the Condors, London Roar, and Energy Standard at the finale on December 20th and 21st (Friday and Saturday) as teams compete for the inaugural ISL title and the $10,000-per-swimmer prize that goes along with it.

A statistical analysis based on season times so far (and the European Championships) projects the Current to finish 4th, but the ISL format leaves all 4 teams in contention for the title – plus we don’t know who will be tapered for this meet and who won’t be. Many European teams will be trying to carry forward their tapers from the European Championships last week, which could impact their times in Las Vegas.

LA Current Roster, 2019 ISL Finale – Las Vegas

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Los Angeles Current Finalize Roster for 2019 ISL Las Vegas Finale

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

The London Roar of the International Swimming League (ISL) have finalized their roster for this weekend’s finale in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are no new faces on the team, but the Roar will get a lot of their big names, especially Australians, back after missing the European Derby meet.

• See Also: Cali Condors Roster
• See Also: LA Current Roster

3 swimmers who have represented the Roar this season won’t be present in Las Vegas. That includes Bruno Fratus on the men’s side, who was only ever committed to 1 meet anyway, and on the women’s side Taylor McKeown. Peter Bernek, who swam at the European Derby, also won’t be on the roster for Las Vegas.

The Roar, even though they were missing big chunks of their lineup for multiple meets this season, tended to just swim shorthanded rather than try to fill those holes with short-term signings.

After leading early in the European Derby, Energy Standard, a team which has mastered the ISL format better than most to this point, swooped in at the last minute to win that title and top the European table. The Current, however, were without Kyle Chalmers, Cam McEvoy, Elijah Winnington, Jess Hansen, Mireia Belmonte, and Holly Hibbott at that meet. The most painful of those absences was Chalmers, who won the triple-points skins event in Budapest. Without him, they had no men final in the skins event in the European Derby. Winnington also had a big impact in his 2 meets, winning the 400 free in both Lewisville and Budapest. Bernek, his replacement in that event, was just 7th in the 400 free in London.

With a full roster returned for Las Vegas, the Roar, on paper, are the heavy favorites. The caveat here, though, is that the two European teams, the Roar and Energy Standard, are heavy on European swimmers, and Europe is coming off the European Championships last week. That means some athletes will be having to try and double-taper.

But that won’t impact as many Europeans as it might seem for the Roar: they have a ton of Australian and Canadian swimmers who won’t face that same conflict, plus a number of their European athletes didn’t actually race at the European Championships (Peaty and Belmonte, for example).

Only Energy Standard have yet to announce their roster for Las Vegas, and so far there haven’t been any major new additions to any teams’ rosters for the championship – though the LA Current did pick up 1 swimmer, Maddy Banic.

Racing begins on Friday, December 20th at the Mandalay Bay Events Center and concludes on Saturday, December 21st.

London Roar Roster, 2019 ISL Finale – Las Vegas

Read the full story on SwimSwam: London Roar Finalize Roster for 2019 ISL Finale in Las Vegas

By Coleman Hodges on SwimSwam

In Practice + Pancakes, SwimSwam takes you across the country and through a practice day in the life of swimming’s best athletes. It breaks down training sessions, sub sets, and what every team is doing to be at their best. But why are they doing things that way? In Beyond the Pancakes, we dive inside the minds of coaches and athletes, getting a first hand look at why they do the things they do, and where their minds are pointed on the compass of evolution as a swimmer.

When SwimSwam visited the TAC Titans in Cary, North Carolina, we also sat down with head coach Bruce Marchionda to ask him how he had built TAC into a gold medal team after only 3 years with the program.

Bruce mentions 2 key points in terms of changing the culture of the team once he became head coach. The first was that the coaches have to be on the same page with what they’re coaching and what their goals are. Bruce provides this with numerous staff meetings and coaching get togethers, where communication is required and everyone can hear the team philosophy.

The second thing was getting swimmers to believe that they can swim fast in practice. Once they bought into that mentality, and started doing it, that led to fast swimming in meets.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Beyond the Pancakes: How to Build a Gold Medal Club Team

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

2019 Speedo Winter Junior Championships

• December 11th-14th, 2019
• Georgia Tech Campus Recreation Center │ King County Aquatic Center
• SCY (25y) Course
• Real-time Results East│ Real-time Results West

With the Speedo Winter Junior Championships meets split between two locations, we have put together the top eight finishers for each event, combining results from the two meets.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2019 Speedo Winter Junior Championships – ALL Combined East/West Results

By Karl Ortegon on SwimSwam

Sprinter Emma Cole, a junior for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, was one of the top recruits nationally in high school. A native of Georgia, Cole trained club with Chattahoochee Gold, and first got her name on the map as part of her club’s 13-14 NAG record-setting 800 free relay. Her 200 free would go on to make her a high-impact NCAA prospect as she progressed in high school, eventually whittling her best time in that event down to a 1:46.03.

To go along with a 22.69 50 free, 49.30 100 free, and 4:50.25 500 free, along with a 54.41/1:59.08 combo in the butterfly, Cole would send her verbal commitment to UNC in September of 2016. She started at UNC having just competed at the 2016 Olympic Trials, finishing 76th in the 200 free (2:03.74) and 83rd in the 100 free (57.40).

But things didn’t translate well her first season, as her times backslid in all of her best events save for the 100 fly, where she made incremental progress. Sophomore year was even worse, as she missed her best times by larger margins, nowhere near NCAA qualifying standards individually.

Fast forward to November of 2019. Cole, along with several of her teammates, put together a string of lifetime bests at an overall impressive outing for the Tar Heels at the 2019 Georgia Tech Invite, their mid-season invite meet. Cole won the 200 free, breaking 1:46 for the first time ever. Her time of 1:45.36 currently sits at a tie for 27th in the nation.

Cole raised the bar in her other events, too, so much so that she is actually faster than last year’s invite times in the 50 free and 100 free already with her times of 22.21 and 48.22, respectively, from Georgia Tech. Her 100 fly from that weekend, a 52.97, was also a best and is roughly half a second from what it’ll likely take to make it to March this year.

EMMA COLE PROGRESSION

*Note: this season is only half-completed.

Cole’s incredible weekend at Georgia Tech was her first breakthrough in yards since high school. The chart above tells a two-year story of lackluster swims and expectations left unmet, but things are shifting.

So, what’s going so right? For starters, technique, and underwaters.

“I spent a lot of time at the beginning of the season working on my freestyle technique and building a strong base. We have also put a lot of emphasis on my underwaters which has really been a big part of my race strategies,” Cole tells SwimSwam over email.

UNC is undergoing a seismic program redirection, with longtime head coach Rich Deselm announcing his cancer diagnosis along with his resignation in May of this year. While the Tar Heels have had notable swimmers come through their program of late (sprint standouts Hellen Moffitt and Caroline Baldwin are two names that come to mind), they’ve struggled team-wise. Last year, their women only scored two points at NCAAs by virtue of a 200 free relay 16th place finish.

This season is the first for new head coach Mark Gangloff, and the returns are already coming through based on how well his team swam at Georgia Tech.

“I have had a great time working with Coach Gangloff,” said Cole. “This summer, I got a chance to work with him and get a feel for his coaching style. He is very thoughtful in his criticism and has immense knowledge about the sport. He holds us to very high standards and encourages the team to create a high energy atmosphere at practice and meets which makes everything more fun.”

For Cole, the coaching change and culture shift at UNC gives her a familiar and welcome feeling of excitement and anticipation.

“We were given the chance for change with a new head coach and with that came a lot of excitement. Coming in this year felt similar to freshman year because excitement and anticipation levels were high. I knew I was going to be exposed to a new coach and new training.

“Going into freshman year, however, my excitement led to extremely high expectations for myself. I couldn’t meet them, and I ended up being very critical of myself.”

Now, Cole is figuring out how to balance it all out. She says her summer spent with Coach Gangloff in Chapel Hill set a new precedent for her season.

“This year I had the advantage of training with Coach Gangloff this summer and having some success with him,” says Cole. That success was evident in the long course pool this summer; Cole only raced two LCM meets between April and September, but was able to go best times in the 50m free (25.74) and 100m fly (1:00.85), qualifying for her second Olympic Trials in the 50.

“This summer made me much more confident in my training and the year ahead. Being a junior has also helped because I am more comfortable and experienced with balancing being a student-athlete in college.”

One of the biggest moments from the Georgia Tech Invite came at the very end of the meet, in the 400 free relay. Cole, along with teammates Caroline Hauder, Sophie Lindner, and Grace Countie, combined for a time of 3:13.15 to smash the school record and hit the automatic qualifying standard for the 2020 NCAA Championships. They had beaten second-place Alabama by a second, and third-place Florida by two. Last year, they didn’t even qualify for NCAAs in this relay; with their time from last month, they would’ve been in the top of the B-final last year.

“That relay was my favorite part of the meet,” says Cole. “All weekend we had been trying to qualify for NCAAs in relays and coming up short in a lot of them. On the last day, we decided not to
think about the times and just have fun with it. I didn’t even know we had broken the record until a while after we finished the race.

“I am very excited for what I can do and what my team can do. Right now, we have great momentum and I am looking forward to some high finishes at ACCs and more people qualified for NCAAs!”

Read the full story on SwimSwam: For UNC Sprinter Emma Cole, Junior Year is a Fresh Start

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

Legendary swim coach and International Swimming Hall of Fame member David Robertson died on November 18th, 2019, 3 weeks short of his 94th birthday.

Robertson was the head coach at New Trier High School in suburban Chicago from 1946-1976, and at Waubonsie Valley High School from 1977-1987. In total with the two programs, he won 14 state championships and coached 204 All-Americans. He also served on the United States Swimming Board of Directors and was the president of the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches’ Association (NISCA) and the International Swimming Hall of Fame from 1975-1977. His athletes also set 405 National High School Records.

Robertson is considered a pioneer in bringing interval training, now universal in the sport, from running and Roger Bannister (he of the first sub-4-minute mile) to swimming, as well as the taper.

As a student at New Trier High School, the program he would eventually help build into one of the best in history, he was a state champion backstroker. After graduating high school, he entered the Navy V-12 program to become a Naval aviator. World War II ended before he earned his aviation wings.

Read a full obituary via the Chicago Tribune.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Pioneering Swim Coach David Robertson Dies at 93 Years Old

By Retta Race on SwimSwam

2019 QUEENSLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Saturday, December 14th – Friday, December 20th
• 12/14 – relays only; 12/18 – 12/20 age-groupers
• Brisbane Aquatic Center
• LCM
• Meet Site/Entry List
• SwimSwam Preview
• Day 1 (Relays) Recap/Day 2 Recap/Day 3 Recap
• Live Results

The 2019 Queensland Championships rolled on today in Brisbane, with more quick swimming being thrown down by up-and-comers and veterans alike.

World Championships silver medalist in the 200m backstroke, Kaylee McKeown, made 2 appearances this evening, wrapping up gold across her specialty event as well as the 200m IM.

In the 200m back, the 18-year-old USC Spartan put up a slid time of 2:07.53 to represent the only swimmer of the field to dip under the 2:10 threshold. She took runner-up behind newly-minted World Record Regan Smith of the United States in Gwangju this summer in a time of 2:06.26, so tonight’s performance was just over a second off that mark.

In the 200m IM, McKeown produced the 2nd fastest time of her career, hitting the wall in a result of 2:11.02 to reap the top prize over visiting South Korean Olympian Kim Seoyeong.

McKeown edged out Seoyeong by about half a second, with the latter touching in 2:11.54 for the silver. McKeown’s personal best is the 2:09.94 she logged back in June at the Australian World Championships Trials, a time that represented her first outing ever under 2:10 in the event.

The men’s 200m IM race saw World Championships bronze medalist Lewis Clareburt of New Zealand get to the wall ahead of the competition, logging the only sub-2:00 time of the field. Clareburt notched 1:59.98 tonight after taking the top spot of the morning in 2:01.29.

Clareburt’s time falls just outside the Kiwi national record of 1:59.24 held by Bradlee Ashby since the 2017 World Championships.

Japanese maestro Yui Ohashi followed up her 4:32 400m IM stunner from earlier in the meet with a decisive win in the 200m fly this evening. Touching the wall in a time of 2:08.06, the 24-year-old won by well over a second, although a strong performance was put up by runner-up Elizabeth Dekkers.

Dekkers registered a silver medal-worthy outing of 2:09.34, whereas the 15-year-old produced a monster 2:08.51 in her age-specific race last night, making her the newly-minted Queensland state age record holder in the 200m fly.

The men’s 200m fly was won by Takumi Terada of Japan, who touched in 1:57.17. That edged out Theodoros Benehoutsos, who finished just .18 later in 1:57.35, while 20-year-old St. Peters Western athlete Charles Cox rounded out the top 3 in 1:57.68.

World Championships swimmer Clyde Lewis also tried the 200m fly on for size, getting to the wall in a time of 1:59.92 to produce the 3rd fastest time of the versatile St. Peters Western star’s career.

15-year-old Mollie O’Callaghan was back to her winning ways, doubling up on her 100m free victory with a gold in the 50m free for her age group. The St. Peters Western teen touched in 25.41 to crush a new personal best in the 50m free, overtaking her previous career-fastest of 25.85 logged in April of this year. She is now the 7th fastest 15-year-old Aussie female in history.

In the 12-year-old boys’ set, Saxon Scheffler turned some heads with his winning time of 25.52. His outing marked the first time ever he’d been under the 26-second threshold, laying waste to his previous PB of 26.37 from just this past June.

Young Scheffler’s 25.52 time tonight registered as a QLD All Comers Record for 12-year-olds, re-writing the 25.78 time Thomas Kai put on the books 2 years ago.

16-year-old Joshua Edwards-Smith soared to the wall in the open men’s 200m back, winning the race in 1:57.78, lowering his own Aussie Age Record in the process. Splits for the teen’s outing included 57.82/59.96 to give him a new lifetime best. His previous career-fastest was represented by the 1:57.82 Age Record he crushed at the Aussie Age Championships earlier this year. You can read more about his swim here.

Thomas Hauck of All Saints continued his Queensland record-breaking siege, clocking a new mark in the men’s 16-year-old 100m back. Hitting a time of 55.79, the teen shaved .14 off of his 55.93 morning swim. That AM effort had already overtaken the previous QLD age record of 55.99 that Leon MacAlister put on the books in 2017.

Splitting 27.18/28.61, Hauck’s new lifetime best of 55.79 now checks the teen in as the 4th Aussie 16-year-old in history.

Hauck also took on the men’s 1500 free where he took his age group in a time of 15:11.28, getting to the wall almost an entire minute ahead of the competition.

Additional Notes:

• World Junior Champion Lani Pallister took the women’s 200m free for 17-year-olds in a time of 2:01.42.
• Rackley’s Thomas Neill topped the 200m free for men’s 17-year-olds with his winning mark of 1:48.01.
• Katsumi Nakamura of Japan took the men’s 50m free in 22.59 over Aussie Louis Townsend‘s time of 22.62. Kiwi teenager Michael Pickett also landed on the podium with the 17-year-old logging 22.87 for bronze.
• The women’s open 50 free saw visiting Japanese athlete Runa Imai take the victory in 25.21.
• TSS Aquatics’ 15-year-old Flynn McGregor came out on top of his age group’s 100m breast race, registering a winning effort of 1:04.90.
• Japan’s Miyu Namba topped the women’s 800m free in 8:33.07 in her 17-year-old age race.
• The open women’s 800m free saw Kiah Melverton get it done for gold in 8:26.63 to out-touch Kareena Lee‘s 8:27.90. Rounidn gout hte otp 3 was Japan’s Waka Kobori, the two-time World University Games gold medalist who touched in 8:27.92 tonight.
• Jack McLoughlin completed a trifecta of freestyle wins, adding tonight’s 1500m free (14:58.90) to his 200m and 400m victories already here in Brisbane. McLough’s PB in this event is the 14:47.09 he produced at last year’s Commonwealth Games when he became the gold medalist.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Kaylee McKeown Takes 200 IM/200 Back Double Gold In Queensland

By Karl Ortegon on SwimSwam

Fitter and Faster Swim Clinics is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.

Indiana University announced today on their swimming & diving Instagram page the transfer pickup of Brazilian butterflier Iago Moussalem. He will join the Hoosiers for the second semester.

TOP TIMES

• 100y free – 44.58
• 200y free – 1:37.22
• 500y free – 4:27.27
• 100y fly – 46.21
• 200y fly – 1:43.30
• 50m fly – 24.25
• 100m fly – 52.13
• 200m fly – 1:59.56

Moussalem has spent his freshman, sophomore, and junior seasons with Miami (OH). With Miami, he joined up in January during the 2016-17 season, then spent full seasons with them in 2017-18 and 2018-19. He was 47.75 for 4th at the 2017 MAC Championships in the 100 fly as a freshman, and just 1:53.89 in the 200 fly. In 2018, he came down to a 47.26 in the 100 fly and 1:45.73 in the 200 fly to place second in both races, and last season, he won both races at 46.37 and 1:43.30, respectively.

He improved his 100 fly down to 46.21 at the Boiler-Make-It last chance meet, in March, but couldn’t quite get to the 45.90 it would take to make NCAAs last season. He was also within a second of the 200 fly invited time (1:42.35).

This summer, Moussalem swam a 52.08 butterfly split on Brazil’s 4×100 medley relay at the 2019 World University Games, where they won a bronze medal. He was also eighth in the individual 100 fly. In 2018, he finished seventh at the Pan Pac Championships in the 100 fly (52.17).

Indiana should benefit from this addition, especially as they just graduated another Brazilian butterflier, Vini Lanza, who won the 100 fly at NCAAs and was runner-up in the 200 fly last season.

IU is already looking very strong in butterfly this year, though. They have Bruno Blaskovic (45.33), Gabriel Fantoni (45.75), and Van Mathias (45.90) returning from last season in the 100 fly, along with Mathias (1:42.30) and Corey Gambardella (1:42.67) in the 200. This year, they added freshman Brendan Burns, who has already been 46.12 in the 100 and 1:41.45 in the 200 and leads the team in both events.

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Signed. #IUSD has added transfer Iago Moussalem! #GoIU

By Retta Race on SwimSwam

Japanese swimming star Rikako Ikee, who has been battling leukemia since she made her diagnosis public in February of this year, has been officially discharged from the hospital as of today, December 17th.

Per a post on her official website, as well as social media outlets, Ikee’s camp confirms that she has been specifically battling acute lymphocytic leukemia and underwent chemotherapy. During treatment, ‘complications occurred, making it difficult to continue chemotherapy, therefore, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was performed.’

The statement continues that the 19-year-old sprint free and fly specialist is in remission and stable and has been discharged from the hospital, though she will continue treatment as an external patient.

Swimming-wise, she says she will start building physical fitness on land while consulting medical staff regarding competition possibilities.

Ikee had been chronicling her treatment through her official website, while also enrolling in Nihon University’s College of Sports Sciences. We also reported how she recently has been able to perform light exercise via a stationary bike in her hospital room, while she also was able to enjoy a short visit outside the hospital with her family.

Ikee’s coach Jiro Miki told Asian media earlier this year, ”She’s [Ikee] getting better day by day. She’s really battling it with a positive mindset, so sometimes she even gives me energy. I’m really impressed.” (Kyodo News)

Asian media reported in June that medical caregivers are not ruling out the possibility of a run at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, although Ikee included a note with her announcement that she is targeting the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

“I want to do my best with the goal of participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics and winning medals”, reads Ikee’s message.

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* 退院のご報告ですプロフィールからホームページもご覧になってください

By Giusy Cisale on SwimSwam

Rikako Ikee, la star giapponese del nuoto, che combatte la leucemia da febbraio,è stata dimessa ufficialmente dall’ospedale oggi, 17 dicembre.

In un post sul suo sito ufficiale, così come sui social media, Ikee conferma che ha combattuto specificamente la leucemia linfocitaria acuta e si è sottoposta a chemioterapia.

Durante il trattamento, “si sono verificate complicazioni che hanno reso difficile continuare la chemioterapia, per cui è stato eseguito il trapianto di cellule staminali ematopoietiche”.

Nella dichiarazione ufficiale si legge che è stata dimessa dall’ospedale. Continuerà il trattamento come paziente esterno.

Per quanto riguarda il nuoto, dice che inizierà a ricostruire la forma fisica a secco. Per tornare alle gare, invece consulterà il personale medico.

Ikee aveva raccontato il suo percorso attraverso il suo sito web ufficiale. Si è anche iscritta al College of Sports Sciences della Nihon University.

L’allenatore di Ikee Jiro Miki ha dichiarato ai media asiatici all’inizio di quest’anno:

“Sta [Ikee] migliorando giorno per giorno.

Lei sta davvero combattendo con una mentalità positiva, così a volte mi dà anche energia.

Sono davvero impressionato”. (Kyodo News)

I media asiatici hanno riferito lo scorso Giugno che gli operatori sanitari non escludono la possibilità di gareggiare ai Giochi Olimpici di Tokyo 2020.

A tal proposito, Ikee Rikako ha incluso una nota nel suo annuncio, ammettendo di puntare alle Olimpiadi di Parigi del 2024.

“Voglio fare del mio meglio con l’obiettivo di partecipare alle Olimpiadi di Parigi 2024 e vincere medaglie”. Questo il messaggio di Ikee.

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* 退院のご報告ですプロフィールからホームページもご覧になってください

By Jared Anderson on SwimSwam

2019 Speedo Sectionals – Monterey Park

• Friday, December 13 – Monday, December 16, 2019
• East Los Angeles College – Monterey Park, CA
• Short course yards (SCY) format
• Full results available on Meet Mobile under “Speedo Sections 2019 CA-NV December 2019”

High school senior and Arizona State commit Lleyton Plattel swept the 200, 500 and 1650 freestyles at the Monterey Park Sectional meet in California.

Plattel, who swims for the Pleasanton Seahawks, hit lifetime-bests in all three races in Monterey Park. His 200 was his first-ever foray under 1:40, with a 1:38.63 in prelims. He’d go 1:39.16 to win the final. Same story in the 500, where Plattel went 4:21.58 in heats to shave three seconds from his best, before cruising to a finals win in 4:25.79. Plattel was also 15:03.81 in the 1650, a drop of 19 seconds and perhaps his most impressive swim of the weekend. High schoolers under fifteen minutes are relatively rare, and the 17-year-old Plattel is looking like a top-flight distance pickup for Arizona State next year.

15-year-old Sydney Lu was one of the stars of the girls meet. The Pleasanton Seahawk won the 100 fly (53.68), 200 fly (2:00.33), 200 IM (2:03.50)and 400 IM (4:23.87). The 100 fly and both IMs were all lifetime-bests. Lu is only a high school sophomore, but is rising fast, particularly in that sprint butterfly.

A few other notable swims:

• Breakout breastroker Brandon Fischer was in action, swimming for the Livermore Aqua Cowboys. The 30-year-old Wyoming alum has surged onto the U.S. national scene in long course, but here won the short course 100 breast (52.78), 200 fly (1:46.75), 200 IM (1:48.95) and 100 fly (48.07).
• Texas commit Zac Van Zandt of CCAT Swimming won the 100 free, dropping his best time from 44.4 to 44.02. He was also second to Fischer in the 100 breast, going 53.15 for a new best by two seconds.
• Monterey Park Manta Ray 15-year-old William Kim swept the men’s backstrokes in 50.52 and 1:49.31. That 200 was his first time under 1:50.
• Livermore Aqua Cowboys swimmer Abigail Herscu added a women’s breaststroke sweep, going 1:03.32 and 2:17.31. That’s just off personal bests for the high school sophomore.
• 14-year-old Lily Neumann of Westside Aquatics had a huge drop of five seconds to win the 200 free in 1:49.71. That’s just outside the top 100 all-time in the age group for Neumann, who was also second in the 50 free.
• Fellow 14-year-old Claire McLean won both the 50 (23.18) and 100 free (49.69). The Los Angeles Swim Club swimmer dropped four tenths in the 50 and almost a second in the 100. That 100 free moves to #31 all-time for the 13-14 age group, and the 50 also cracks the top 100 of all-time.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: ASU Commit Lleyton Plattel (PLS) Goes 15:03 in Mile At Monterey Park Sectional

By Retta Race on SwimSwam

It’s been almost 6 months since Aussie sprint star Shayna Jack revealed her positive test for banned substance Ligandrol. The test results forced her to shockingly withdraw from this year’s World Championships before later revealing the positive result was the reason for her removal from the Dolphins’ roster.

The 21-year-old is currently suspended from competition pending the outcome of her case, although a finalized hearing isn’t expected for another 6-7 months. 

At the end of this post, you can refresh yourself on the overall timeline that has unfolded with Jack’s case thus far.

Jack could be facing up to a maximum 4-year ban unless she can prove some degree of unintentional ingestion in the eyes of the Australian Sport Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA), the sanctioning body. Successfully doing so could reduce the maximum ban down to 2 years.

Jack has maintained her innocence since her positive test results were brought to light, stating in August of this year that, “I’m not going to stop until I prove my innocence. I’ll fight to get myself back into the pool because that’s my dream.”

In a recent interview with The Sunday Project, the St. Peters Western athlete said, “I had a lot of people come forward and tell me that they take this drug. Just general people who go to the gym. Some people were using it as recovery … they took it as a drop.”

Jack maintains that “I actually hadn’t taken supplements in two months prior to that test.”

She stated, however, that it’s possible she could have come into contact with Ligandrol‘through another person.’

Enter the ‘cocaine kiss’ defense.

Jack told The Sunday Project, “There was a case in the past called the ‘kiss cocaine case’ where someone had taken cocaine and then the partner, who was an athlete, kissed that person and they were contaminated because they had contact with something someone else had taken.

“I was told that anything I had come in contact with during that period could have been a risk of the contamination.”

The case to which Jack is referring involved Canadian pole vaulter Shawn Barber back in 2016. Barber was facing a 2-year suspension for having tested positive for cocaine but was able to prove he had come into contact with the substance via kissing a cocaine user. He met the woman online.

Per The Independent at the time, ‘the woman involved in the encounter said she had consumed cocaine but did not inform Barber she had taken the drug before going on to repeatedly kiss him.’

An independent arbitrator ruled there had been ‘no fault or negligence by Barber.’

Shayna Jack Timeline:

• June 26th – Date of the doping test.
• July 14th – Via her personal Instagram account, Jack announces her shock withdrawal from the World Championships, despite having traveled and practicing with the Aussie squad at their staging camp.
• July 27th – Again via her personal Instagram account, Jack, reveals her positive doing test, but does not explain the substance involved, nor the fact that both the A and B samples were positive.
• July 27th – Swimming Australia releases an official comment on Jack, but does not disclose the substance involved. CEO Leigh Russell stated,  “under the specific legislation governing Australia‘s drug-testing regime, Swimming Australia is notified of any adverse test result as is WADA and FINA. Under the process, all details are required to remain confidential until ASADA has completed its investigations, the athlete is afforded due process and an outcome determined.”
• July 28th – Jack announces via Instagram that she tested positive for Ligandrol. Also known as selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) LGD-4033, was originally developed for the treatment of muscle wasting conditions such as aging, osteoporosis, muscular dystrophy and cancer, is promoted as a selective non-steroidal anabolic agent. (Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority).
• July 28th – Former ASADA head Richard Ings questions the handling of informing the public by Swimming Australia, saying “If Swimming Australia is suggesting that their anti-doping policy, approved by ASADA, forbids them from announcing the Jack provisional suspension, they are wrong.”
  • Aussie Head Coach Jacco Verhaeren also speaks, saying, “We are not trying to cover anything up. We don’t play a game. She’s [Jack] not here [in Gwangju] and it shows that the Australian system works.”
• July 29th – Jack suspended from ISL pending outcome of anti-doping proceedings.
• August 2nd – Jack, along with her lawyer and mother, attends an over-four meet with ASADA. At a press conference immediately after the meeting, Jack says ‘Swimming Australia has been nothing but supportive’ and that she and SA are ‘a unit’.
  • Jack’s lawyer stated that they would be receiving a letter from ASADA in the next 4-6 weeks, but he and the rest of Jack’s team will ‘leave no stone unturned’ in its investigation of what led to Jack’s positive test.
• September 2019 – Jack says she will not have a formalized hearing for potentially as long as 9 months.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Aussie Shayna Jack Taps Into ‘Cocaine Kiss’ Defense For Positive Test

By Retta Race on SwimSwam

2019 KZNA PREMIER CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, December 16th – Sunday, December 22nd
• Kings Park Swimming Pool, Durban, KZ
• LCM
• SwimSwam Preview
• Results

The 2019 KZNA Premier Championships kicked off today in Durban, South Africa with 17-year-old Rebecca Meder reaping 2 golds right off the bat.

The Seagulls teen first posted a winning time of 2:14.28 to take the top prize in the women’s 200m IM, followed by a mark of 1:10.86 to accomplish the same feat in the 100m breast.

South African swimming stalwart Ayrton Sweeney got on the board with a time of 2:03.54 in the 200m IM for gold, while 16-year-old Matthew Sates nearly caught the 26-year-old at the end to give Sweeney a run for his money.

Sates touched in 2:03.62 to finished just .08 outside of 2IM gold. For the Seals athlete, Sates’ time checks in as a huge new personal best, crushing the 2:05.01 he logged at this year’s World Junior Championships, a mark which rendered him 20th out of the heats.

For perspective, Sates’ 2:03.62 would rank him 12th on the all-time performers’ list for Americans aged 15-16.

But Sates wasn’t finished tonight, with the teen also trying the 100m breast event on for size. He found success in the form of a winning mark of 1:03.70, a time just outside his 1:03.35 personal best from this summer’s CANA Junior African Championships.

At that meet, Sates lit it up with golds in the 50m free, 400m free, 100m breast, 200m breast, 200m IM, 100m fly and 200m fly for a total of 7 individual golds.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 16-Year-Old South African Matthew Sates Logs 2:03.62 200 IM

By Wendy Mayer on SwimSwam

NCAA men’s water polo champion Stanford pulled in the top two Division I honors of the 2019 season as Ben Hallock was tabbed as Player of the Year and John Vargas was named Coach of the Year. Hallock repeats as National Player of the Year after also earning the honor in 2018, while Vargas garnered his first Coach of the Year honor.

Hallock led the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation ranks with 73 goals, including a hat trick in the NCAA title match.

Hallock and Vargas led the Cardinal to their first NCAA crown since 2002 with a 13-8 win over #5 Pacific on December 8.

Joining Hallock in representing Stanford on the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches Division I All-America first team was Tyler Abramson. Abramson turned in 63 goals and 33 assists to ranks second in the MPSF in both categories.

Teammate Bennett Williams garnered second team acclaim, while AJ Rossman andQuinn Woodhead were selected to the third team. Goalie Andrew Chun and Dylan Woodhead earned honorable mention accolades to bring the Cardinal total to seven All-Americans.

UC Santa Barbara and USC each managed six selections, followed by Pepperdine (5).

The ACWPC named eight players each to the first, second and third team, while an additional 43 received honorable mention honors. The players represent 22 institutions.

Along with Stanford, #5 UCLA was the only other team to put two players on the ACWPC first team: goalie Alex Wolf and Felix Borzyna-Vilim. Bruins Jake Cavano and Tommy Gruwell were named to the third team. Wolf ranked fourth in the MPSF with 179 saves.

Bucknell’sRade Joksimovic, UC Santa Barbara’sIvan Gvozdanovic, Pacific’s Luke Pavillard and USC’s Jacob Mercep rounded out the first team.

Joksimovic netted 127 goals to lead the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference, while also chipping in 38 assists (fifth). Gvozdanovic was second in the Golden Coast Conference with 41 assists, while Pavillard was third in the GCC in goals (64) and fourth in assists (34). Mercep ranked tied for fourth in the MPSF in goals (51) and third in assists (32).

The #2 Trojans landed goalie Nicholas Porter and Hannes Daube on the second team, Marin Dasic on the third team and Jake Ehrhardt and Sam Slobodien on the honorable mention listing.

Gvozdanovic, UC Santa Barbara’s assist leader (41), was joined by goalie Danny Roland (third team) and four honorable mention selections: Leo Yuno, Jacob Halle, Nathan Puentes andSam Nangle. 

Along with Pavillard, national runnerup Pacific saw Ege Colak make the second team and Jeremie Cote take honorable mention accolades.

National semifinalist Pepperdine, which ended the season at #4, saw top scorer Balazs Kosa (93 goals, 47 assists) and Chris Dilworth selected to the second team and three players – Marko Asic, Sean Thomas and Mate Toth– tabbed as honorable mention honorees.

#9 UC Davis, #10 Bucknell and #11 Harvard, which rounded out the seven-team NCAA Championship field garnered two, two and four All-America honorees respectively.

UC Davis putNir Gross on the second team and goalie Jonah Addington on the honorable list.

Bucknell first teamer Rade Joksimovic was joined by Logan Schofield, who garnered honorable mention recognition.

Harvard was represented by honorable mention selections Charlie Owens, Dennis Blyashov and Austin Sechrest along with goalie Noah Hodge.

ACWPC All-America teams are selected from coach nominees and voted on by varsity head coaches. The ACWPC will honor All-America selections from Division I, II and III separately throughout the week.

Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches
2019 All-America Teams