By SwimSwam on SwimSwam

Courtesy: USA Swimming

• USA Swimming 18 & Under World 100 list
• Full 2019 18 & Under World Rankings

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Swimming today announced its 2019 18 & Under World 100 list. The complete world ranking list consists of 299 American male swimmers and 338 American female swimmers.

Heading the list of top-ranked performances are United States National Team members Regan Smith (Lakeville, Minn./Riptide Swimming) and Luca Urlando (Sacramento, Calif./DART Swimming). Smith’s top performance came via her world-record setting 200-meter backstroke performance at the 2019 FINA World Championships, while Urlando earns top spot by way of his 200m butterfly at the 2019 TYR Pro Swim Series at Clovis, California.

“The 18 & Under World 100 List is a reflection of the strength of USA Swimming’s future,” USA Swimming Director of the National Junior Team Mitch Dalton said. “While the National Junior Team is determined based on an all-age world ranking, the World 100 offers an apples-to-apples comparison of how our developmental-aged athletes compare to their international peers.”

The 18 & Under World 100 is a ranking of the best 18 & Under swimmers in the U.S., according to their 18 & Under, Age-Defined World Ranking according to USA Swimming. The goal of the program is to acknowledge the excellence achieved by our best 18 & Under athletes, their coaches who lead them and their clubs who support them. The athlete must be a registered USA Swimming member at the time of the qualifying performance and must be eligible to represent the U.S. in International competition as of September 1, 2018. The athlete must be 18 or under on September 1, 2018 (born on, or after, September 2, 1999).

This year’s list features a handful of previous World 100 selections who have gone on to earn U.S. National Team selections, including Carson Foster (Montgomery, Ohio/Mason Manta Rays), Gretchen Walsh (Nashville, Tenn./Nashville Aquatic Club) and Torri Huske (Arlington, Va./Arlington Aquatic Club). The list also consists of all 45 swimmers who represented Team USA in Budapest, Hungary at the 2019 FINA World Junior Championships. The team totaled 18 gold and 37 total medals at the competition, marking the highest respective medal counts ever recorded by a team at the Junior competition.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: USA Swimming Names 18 & Under World 100 List

By SwimSwam on SwimSwam

Courtesy: Cal Athletics

Although the calendar has only recently turned to 2020, the Cal women’s swimming & diving team is hosting its final two home meets of the season when the Bears welcome Arizona Friday and Arizona State Saturday to Spieker Aquatics Center. Admission to both events is free. Saturday’s competition will mark the final home appearance for six Golden Bear seniors – Keaton Blovad, Alexa Buckley, Aislinn Light, Maddie Murphy, Courtney Mykkanen and Abbey Weitzeil. Together, they have helped Cal to a trio of NCAA runner-up finishes, set six school records and combined for nine Pac-12 All-Academic honors.

Golden Bear Notes:
WEITZEIL LOWERS OWN AMERICAN RECORD: Senior Abbey Weitzeil lowered her own American record in the 50-yard free at the Minnesota Invitational when she touched the wall in 20.90 seconds Dec. 5 to become the first woman ever to break the 21-second barrier. Weitzeil, who was named the Pac-12 Swimmer of the Month for December, has held the American mark since March 4, 2016, when she went 21.12 before her enrollment at Cal. She reset the record on her way to the NCAA title last March with a time of 21.02. Overall, Weitzeil owns the top three times and five of the top six times ever in the 50 free.

MCKEEVER SIGNS EXTENSION: Head coach Teri McKeever, who has guided the Golden Bears to four NCAA Championships and 11 consecutive top-3 national finishes during her tenure, agreed to a contract extension through the 2023-24 season, Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton announced on Jan. 13. Now in her 28th season in Berkeley, McKeever is coming off a 2018-19 campaign in which she was named both the CSCAA National Coach of the Year and Pac-12 Coach of the Year for directing Cal to a runner-up performance at the NCAA meet. Head coach of the U.S. women’s swim team at the 2012 Olympics in London, she is a two-time head coach for the United States at the Pan Pacs meet, and she has been an assistant coach at the World Championships seven times, including this past summer in Gwangju, South Korea.

CAL ON THE NCAA BEST TIMES LIST: Entering this week, Cal boasts 17 individual swims and five relays that rank among the top 16 in the country. Abbey Weitzeil is first in the 50 free with her American-record 20.90, and she is second in both the 100 free (46.52) and 200 free (1:42.25). The Bears have three ranked swimmers in the 200 IM – Alicia Wilson and Isabel Ivey (T5th, 1:54.68) and Sarah Darcel (16th, 1:56.75). The list also features a pair of freshmen with Rachel Klinker ninth in the 200 fly (1:55.07) and Sarah DiMeco 16th in the 1650 free (16:11.14). Ivey joins Weitzeil with having three events in the top eight – 200 IM, 100 back (4th, 51.05) and 100 fly (7th, 51.46).

BEAR SMARTS: The Bears picked up a pair of academic honors mid-October, extending a string of scholastic honors for the program. First, the NCAA released its latest Graduation Success Rates, and Cal posted a 100% GSR for the fourth year in a row. Then came news that the Bears were the recipient of a second consecutive Newmark Award for having the highest GPA among all 30 Cal teams (3.370).

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Cal Women Set To Host Arizona, ASU This Weekend

By Torrey Hart on SwimSwam

We’re back with swimming’s TopTenTweets presented by Arena, where we round up the best of the swimming Twitterverse.

Featured Instagram Post of the Week:

View this post on Instagram

Making mistakes is better than faking perfections. Love this look @susannagiovanardi.

By Kevin Hallman on SwimSwam

The Texas men’s swimming & diving team has won four our of the past five DI national championships. However, since they often taper less for their mid-season invites than some of the other top programs, they haven’t always looked dominant heading into the spring semester. But their performance this season at the Minnesota Invite left few questions about who the top dog is so far.

Using the Swimulator, we can compare the results from the past four year’s mid-season taper meets to see how Texas’ Men’s swimming teams’ performance this season ranks against their past results. Shown below is a simulated meet with Texas’ lineup from this season completing against their lineups from the past three seasons. The events and times are taken from the results of each year’s mid-season invite and scored invite style. The results below show that Texas has significantly sped-up during their mid-season taper meets.

A similar swimulation using Texas’ swims from DI nationals the past three seasons shows they had their best nationals results in 2017. So at least in past seasons their mid-season speed up is likely not just a result of their roster getting faster overall.

We can also confirm how much Texas has tapered mid-season using the Swimulator’s taper data. Shown below is a chart of Texas’ % time drops from their top times during the middle of the season the past two years.

Of course  a combination of internal improvement and a great freshman class – they certainly looks good so far! – is certainly contributing to Texas’ excellent performance. At the same time they also appear to have been concentrating on performing well at their mid-season invite.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Swimulation of the Week: Texas Speeds up Mid-Season

By SwimSwam Partner Content on SwimSwam

Set of the Week is courtesy of FINIS, a SwimSwam partner.

This week’s set of the week comes from Kat Wickham, FINIS marketing coordinator and former swimmer at the University of Utah (SKO Utes).

This week’s set is an absolute killer. Ab work on ab work on ab work.

300 Warmup
100 dolphin kick on back with EVO
50 crunches
200 dolphin kick on back with EVO
40 russian twists
300 dolphin kick on back with EVO
30 crunches
400 dolphin kick on back with EVO
20 elbow to knee crunches (10 right elbow to left knee, 10 left elbow to right knee)
500 dolphin kick on back with EVO
10 V-Ups
200 easy

*Wear EVO monofin the whole time

For more tips and inspiration, visit the FINIS Community page today!

About FINIS, Inc.

John Mix and Olympic Gold Medal swimmer Pablo Morales founded FINIS in Northern California in 1993 with a mission to simplify swimming for athletes, coaches, beginners and lifelong swimmers around the world. Today, FINIS fulfills that mission through innovation, high-quality products and a commitment to education. FINIS products are currently available in over 80 countries. With a focus on innovation and the fine details of swimming, FINIS will continue to develop products that help more people enjoy the water.

Set of the Week is courtesy of FINIS, Inc., a SwimSwam partner.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: FINIS Set of the Week: ABSolutely Painful

By Giusy Cisale on SwimSwam

Brent Hayden, medaglia di bronzo alle Olimpiadi di Londra del 2012 nei 100m stile libero, ad Ottobre del 2019 annunciava il suo ritorno, dopo sette anni dal ritiro.

Il suo obiettivo dichiarato erano (e sono) le Olimpiadi di Tokyo del 2020. Hayden detiene il Record Canadese nei 50/100 e 200 metri stile libero maschili e si allena all’High Performance Centre-Vancouver.

Nel corso della sua carriera Hayden ha collezionato 22 medaglie internazionali, tra Olimpiadi, Campionati del Mondo, Campionati Pan Pacific e Giochi del Commonwealth.

Quando ha deciso di tornare ad allenarsi, Hayden dichiarò:

“Non mi è piaciuto il modo in cui mi sono ritirato”.  “Mi sono ritirato perché odiavo questo sport a causa di come andavano le cose nella mia vita. Ho capito che ho la possibilità di innamorarmi di nuovo di questo sport”.

Ora, a quasi 36 anni, ha dichiarato a SwimSwam che l’allenamento “sta andando davvero bene”. Secondo quanto riportato dalla collega Loretta Race, Hayden è pronto ora per la sua prima gara. Molto probabilmente lo rivedremo ai blocchi di partenza alla tappa della Pro Swim Series che si svolgerà a Des Moines, Iowa.

L’incontro è fissato per il 4-7 marzo al MidAmerican Energy Aquatic Center presso il Wellmark YMCA.

RITORNI CELEBRI

Il ritorno di un velocista come Hayden non è un evento unico nel nuoto. Ci sono altri esempi di velocisti che hanno avuto successo anche dopo anni dall’ultima competizione.

L’americano Anthony Ervin ha partecipato alle sue prime Olimpiadi nel 2000 a 19 anni. Si è poi preso una pausa ritornando nella squadra olimpica nel 2012 e poi vincere l’oro olimpico nei 50 metri stile libero nel 2016, a 35 anni. Dara Torres ha vinto tre medaglie d’argento alle Olimpiadi del 2008 a 41 anni, dopo una lunga pausa. La svedese Therese Alshammar ha preso parte alla sua sesta olimpiade a 38 anni, nel 2016.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Brent Hayden Ritorna A Gareggiare A 7 Anni Dal Ritiro

By Bailey Duran 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.

Connor Watling, a current high school senior from Statesville, North Carolina, has committed to dive for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Watling will graduate from South Iredell High School spring 2020 and join the Tar Heels’ class of 2024.

Watling has been diving for seven years and currently dives for the Carolina Diving Academy Team Elite. As a junior last season, Watling placed 2^nd in the 1-meter at the NCHSAA 3A State Championships, dove at the USA Diving National Championships in the 3-meter and platform and became a NISCA All-America.

This past year at the 2019 ACC Championships, the UNC Tar Heels placed 10^th as a team.

Senior Sean Burston led the way for the Tar Heels’ divers, placing 5^th in the 1-meter at the ACC Championships, and sophomore Bryan Allen placed 6^th in the platform. In total, the Tar Heels scored 111 diving points at last year’s ACC Championships, which was 5th-best in a diving-heavy conference.

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com.

About the Fitter and Faster Swim Tour

The Fitter & Faster Swim Tour produces swim clinics featuring elite stars of the sport and the most innovative teaching platforms. FFT Swim Clinics can be customized to meet age and skill level of every team and community. Call 786-837-6880 or visit http://www.fitterandfaster.com/ to learn more.

FFT SOCIAL

Instagram – @fitterandfasterswimtour

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FFT is a SwimSwam partner.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Diving National Champion Qualifier Connor Watling Gives Verbal Commit to UNC

By Dan Dingman on SwimSwam

SwimSwam’s daily swimming workout series is a collection of workouts written by coaches from a variety of backgrounds. All daily swimming workouts have been written using Commit Swimming. The workouts themselves are not indicative of SwimSwam’s or Commit’s views on training. They strictly reflect the opinions of the author swim coach.

Workout Context

• Purpose:  Base building
• Target age group:  13-18 years old, 19-22 years old
• Target level:  Age Group (Advanced), National/ Collegiate Level
• Weeks until target meet:  < 1 week
• Team Location:  United States
• Course:  25 Yards
• Shared workout link:  Click here to view this workout on commitswimming.com

The Workout

2 x Underwater Warm Up Ladder – Minimum 3rd black line under water swimming
    1 x 50 :45 or 50, :55, 1:00
    1 x 100 1:30, 1:40, 1:50 2:00
    1 x 150 2:15, 2:25, 2:35, 2:45
    1 x 200 3:00 3:20, 3:40. 4:00

3 x Fly Drills – snorkel fins :30
    2 x 25’11’ kick
    2 x 25 2Right, 2 Left (pinky exits stroke first)
3 x Back Drills – :30
    2 x 25 pocket kick
    2 x 25 3R, 3L lean the head back and sink the shoulder on the catch
3 x Breast Drills snorkels :35
    2x 25 front scull with buoy
    2 x 25 3/4 stroke with flutter
    
2 x Kick -fins
    2 x 25 kick – last 10 yards tombstone fast :35
    2 x 25 swim 15m underwater breakout :35
    2 x 25 kick on :20
    2 x 25 swim back on :20 with 3rd black line breakout
    2 x 25 kick on :20
    2 x 25 swim (free, fly or brt with flutter) on :20 with 3rd black line breakout
200 Any equip.

Dive – 5 x 50 des – 1-5 how low can you go. Start at 200p and see how fast you can go (first 50 of goal 100?)

4x Swim or Paddle
    1 x 100 (last 75 fast) 1:45 or 1:50 or 2:00    with 3rd black on fast
    1 x 100(last 50 fast) 1:45 or 1:50 or 2:00 with 3rd black on fast
    1 x 100 (last 25 fast) 1:45 or 1:50 or 2:00 with 3rd black on fast
    
Loosen down 800 (700 or 600 any equip)

Mark Noetzel
Head Coach, Academy Swim Club Hawaii – Hawaii Preparatory Academy

SwimSwam’s daily swimming workout is powered by Commit Swimming.

Swimming news for swim coaches and swim teams, courtesy of Commit Swimming. Click here to view all daily swimming workouts on SwimSwam.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Daily Swim Coach Workout #47

By SwimSwam on SwimSwam

Loyola vs La Salle

• January 20, 2020
• Baltimore, Maryland
• Results

Courtesy: La Salle Athletics

BALTIMORE – Men’s swimming & diving maintained its perfect record in 2020, moving to 3-0 with a big victory over Loyola (Md.). The Explorers took down the Greyhounds 222-76 with notable performances from senior Christoff Ras and sophomores Zachary Wolbert, Ian Venter and Steven Stasolla, all of whom had multiple wins. In total, La Salle picked up 13 individual victories.

MEET NOTES

• Crowded at the Top: La Salle managed to finish 1-2-3 four times and placed the top-two swimmers on nine occasions.
• Wolbert was the leading man for the Blue & Gold, picking up wins in the 100 Fly (50.03), 200 Fly (1:49.83) and 200 IM (1:52.60).
• Ras and Venter claimed their respective styles: the former in the 100 Breast (57.69) and 200 Breast (2:05.59) and the latter in the 100 Back (50.38) and the 200 Back (1:51.73).
• Stasolla qualified for the NCAA Zone A diving meet with his impact against the Greyhounds. He placed first in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives.
• Leading the freshman class on the day was rookie Cole Dyson. Dyson won the 1000 Free with a time of 9:36.75 and placed second in the 500 Free.
• Upperclassmen claimed the other two victories for the men. Senior Marcus Forsgren outpaced everyone in the 100 Free, clocking at 46.58, while junior Gustov Swedenborg outlasted the field in the 500 Free (4:40.53).
• The Blue & Gold bookended its meet with relay wins. A team of Venter, Forsgren, Wolbert and senior Norm Gregory took the 200 Medley Relay (1:32.33), while junior Daniel Johnson, Venter, Forsgren and freshman Alex Kuriawa rose to the occasion in the 400 Free Relay (3:05.67).

UP NEXT

• Only a short time before it’s Senior Day! The Explorers take on Seton Hall on Saturday at 3 p.m.

BALTIMORE – La Salle women’s swimming & diving got back to winning ways on Monday afternoon, defeating Loyola (Md.) 178.5 – 121.5. Four Explorers finished with multi-event wins on the day: sophomores Anne Moser, Phoebe Shaya and Sara Rizzetto, along with freshman Toni Rafferty.

MEET NOTES

• Moser claimed victory in the long-distance events: 500 Free (5:18.77) and 1000 Free (10:47.99). Freshman Nina Kolodgie followed her in second in both.
• Rizzetto dominated the 200 Back, winning by almost five seconds (2:05.89). Her other win in the 200 IM was much closer, tying a Loyola swimmer for first with a time of 2:09.52.
• Shaya won comfortably on the boards, taking the 1-meter dive (263.5) and 3-meter dive (269.92).
• Rafferty continued her strong start as an Explorer, winning her marquee events: the 50 Free by clocking 24.27 and the 100 Free with a time of 52.45.
• Fellow rookie Brynn Peterson also had one of the best days among the freshmen. She won the 200 Free (1:56.47) and followed it up with a third-place result in the 50 Free and second in the 100 Free.
• The other first-place finish came via senior Emily Wolbert. She claimed the 200 Fly by touching in 2:06.80. She also finished second in the 100 Fly.
• The women’s best team result came in the 400 Free Relay. A team of Rizzetto, Peterson, Moser and sophomore Sarah Wyant beat out the competition with a time of 3:38.64.

UP NEXT

• SENIOR DAY! La Salle takes on Seton Hall, Saturday at 3 p.m.

Courtesy: Loyola Athletics

BALTIMORE – Devin Cronin swept the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke events, highlighting six overall race wins for Loyola University Maryland in a pair of dual defeats to La Salle at Mangione Pool on Monday.

The women fell by a final of 178.5-121.5, while the men were bested 222-76 in the Greyhounds’ first dual meet since Nov. 23. Elizabeth Walsh, Emily Koegl and Jimmy Hayburn added individual wins for Loyola.

In addition to her victories in the breast events, Cronin teamed with Walsh, Koegl and Megan Dickey for a first-place time of 1:47.90 in the 200 medley relay to begin the afternoon. Cronin finished the 100 breast in 1:05.64, with teammate Abby Andrews (1:09.70) following in third. She then completed the 200 breast in 2:25.39, with Allison Wade (2:34.54) adding a third-place showing for the Greyhounds.

Walsh had a trio of top-three efforts, as she won the 100 backstroke (59.31) took second in the 200 individual medley (2:09.52) and placed third in the 200 back (2:11.78). Walsh’s 200 IM time was less than a hundredth of a second back of La Salle’s Sara Rizzetto in first.

Koegl’s event victory came in the 100 butterfly, as she touched the wall in 57.14. Anne Hayburn followed in third with a mark of 58.56. In the 200 fly, it was Koegl (2:09.98) in second and Molly Davis (2:11.90) in third.

Other runner-up performances on the women’s side were posted by Emma Schouten in the 200 freestyle (1:57.80), Dickey in the 50 free (24.85) and Loyola’s 400 free relay team of Sophie Jahan, Claire Bowser, Hayburn and Sarah Abril (3:39.67).

Elizabeth Romano took third in both the 500 free (5:20.77) and 1000 free (11:03.96), while Bowser was third in the 100 free (55.18) and 200 free (1:58.39).

Jimmy Hayburn topped the field in the 50 free to lead the Loyola men, as he completed the sprint race in 21.13. Hayburn was also third in the 100 free (47.58), and he was part of a pair of runner-up relay efforts.

Conor Rutigliano, Jay Venit, Sung Lee and Hayburn were runners-up in the 200 medley relay (1:33.74), while Lee, Jonathan Brooks, Colin Anderson and Hayburn were second in the 400 free relay (3:11.70).

Max Verheyen added three strong individual swims for the men. He was second in the 1000 free (9:37.61), the 200 breast (2:08.47) and the 200 IM (1:54.59). Third place efforts in the pool were recorded by Mark Boran in the 200 back (1:53.82), Reid Hussey in the 500 free (4:45.89) and Zac Metzler in the 100 fly (52.44).

Jack Still added third-place finishes in both the 1-meter (240.89 points) and 3-meter (250.50) dives.

The Greyhounds are right back at Mangione Pool on Wednesday, hosting local rivals Towson at 5 p.m.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: La Salle Sweeps Loyola In Monday Dual

By SwimSwam on SwimSwam

St. Francis vs Manhattan

• January 20, 2020
• Brooklyn Heights, New York
• Results

Courtesy: St. Francis Athletics

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, NY – The St. Francis College Brooklyn men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams both earn thrilling victories over Manhattan College on Monday at the SFC Aquatic Center. It was the Terriers’ second home meet of the season and first of the 2020 calendar year. The men’s squad rolled to the win over the Jaspers by a final score of 155-69, while the women’s team dominated on their way to a 132-85 win.

Junior Ana Paula Montes de Oca took first-place in the 1000-yard freestyle, completing her race with a solid time of 10:43.38. She also won the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:17.87. Beatriz Gomes Angelo also had a strong showing for the Terriers as she had a pair of individual wins. She first won the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:59.39. She later won the 100-yard freestyle with a final time of 56.05.

On the men’s side, Dorde Spasic earned a first-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle, with a stellar time of 48.31. The Belgrade native also took first-place in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:47.32.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Hanne Romstad had an impressive first-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly, touching the wall with a time of 1:02.61.
• Ginna Dammann earned a win in the 1-meter dive with a mark of 216.65. Kayla McKenzie took second-place in the 3-meter dive with a final score of 196.90.
• Sophomore Angelina Gonzalez came in right behind Gomes Angelo in the 100-yard freestyle taking second-place in the event (56.52).
• Alfred Christensson notched a first-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly with a final time of 51.96.
• Freshman Benedek Lendvai snagged first-place for the Terriers in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:54.09. Additionally, the freshman earned himself a first-place finish in the 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:08.04.
• Fanny Stromstedt recorded a first-place finish for the Terriers in the 100-yard breaststroke with a final time of 1:09.00. Senior Raphaelle Gregoire came in right behind Stromstedt in the 100-yard breaststroke taking second-place and touching the wall at 1:08.87. Gregoire clocked in another second-place finish for the day as she also placed second in the 50-yard freestyle (26.18).
• Abigail Wood had a strong finish in her 100-yard backstroke, finishing her race with a time of 1:02.25, which was good for second-place.
• Newcomer Vladislav Sinyagovskii also had another great race coming off his debut. The sophomore took first-place in the 100-yard backstroke (54.53).
• The Terriers swept the relay races from Manhattan on both sides. The women began the dominance in the relay events by taking the 200-yard medley relay. The team of Wood, Stromstedt, Gomes Angelo, and Romstad combined to put up a time of 1:53.24. Later in the meet, the 200-yard freestyle relay team of Gregoire, Gonzalez, Milak, and Montes de Oca took first with a time of 1:45.50.
• The men’s relay teams were just as successful beginning with the 200-yard medley relay team of Sinyagovskii, Dawkins, Christensson, and Gubarev took first with a time of 1:36.82. The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Micah Wesselhoff, Andrej Sokolovski, Gubarev, and Spasic capped off the meet with a first-place finish as they posted a time of 1:29.02.

UP NEXT:
The Terriers are back in action on Saturday, January 25, as they hit the road. The men’s team goes head-to-head with Saint Peter’s, while the women’s take on Saint Peter’s and Siena.

Courtesy: Manhattan Athletics

Brooklyn, NY – The Manhattan Jaspers began 2020 with a strong showing on the diving boards against St. Francis Brooklyn on Monday.

Senior Matthew Broadmeadow (Seekonk, MA / Seekonk) had his strongest meet of his senior season, capturing first place in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events. Broadmeadow put up a score of 251.70 in the 3-meter and a first place score of 198.25 in the 1-meter.

Sophomore Lexington Passamonte closed a strong day on the boards for Manhattan with a score of 213.50, earning first place in the 3-meter dive. Passamonte also earned a solid score of 213.70 in the 1-meter event, finishing second.

In the pool, it was a terrific day for underclassmen on the women’s side, as two freshmen and a sophomore won events for Manhattan.

Freshmen Ciara Dalton (Pleasantville, NY / Byram Hills) won the 200-yard IM with a time of 2:16.29, and finished second in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:03.15.

Freshman Teddy Segmuller (Gainesville, VA / Foxcroft School) finished first in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:01.93, her first collegiate victory as a Jasper.

Sophomore Jamie Quinn (Fairfax, VA / WT Woodson) rounds out the victorious underclassmen for Manhattan as she touched the wall in a time of just 26.18 in the 50-yard freestyle, finishing first.

On the Men’s side, senior Timothy Valentine (Massapequa, NY / Chaminade) continued a strong season with a first place showing in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:00.17.

Manhattan continues to gear up for the MAAC Championships, and will now return home to host Iona on Senior Day this Sunday, January 26.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: St. Francis College Sweeps Manhattan In First Home Meet Of 2020

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

2020 Australian Open Water Swimming Championships

• January 25th-27th, 2020
• Brighton Jetty, Adelaide, South Australia
• Event site
• Open Water Selection Priority
• Live Results
• Schedule of Events
• Start Lists

The 2020 Australian Open Water Swimming Championships will be held this weekend in Adelaide. While the women’s race is significant primarily for bragging rights, for the men the race takes on special importance: this will be the next step in Olympic qualification.

Australia’s spot in the women’s Olympic marathon swim was secured by Kareena Lee when she finished 7th in the 10km event at last year’s World Championships. There were, however, no Australian men in the top 10, which kicks them to the Olympic qualifier in order to earn their rights for Tokyo.

At the World Championships, Kai Edwards finished in 14th place, about 9 seconds out of Olympic qualification, while Nicholas Sloman was in 21st place, more than a minute away.

The first 4 Australian male finishers in the 10km race this weekend will be funded by Swimming Australia to compete at the February 15th FINA Marathon Swim World Series event in Doha, Qatar. The top 2 finishers in Doha (athletes are able to self-fund their trips and still make the top 2) earn the rights to race at the Open Water Olympic Qualifier event in Fukuoka, Japan on May 30th and 31st.

From there, the top finishing Australian male, presuming he finishes in the top 9, will earn a spot in Tokyo. Even if the top male Australian doesn’t finish in the top 9, he is almost guaranteed a spot at the Olympics because of the IOC’s continental qualifying system. That system guarantees a male continental quota spot from Oceania to the highest-finish swimmer at the qualifying event (though it can’t be from a country that already has a swimmer in the top 9). The lack of depth in Oceania swimming all-but-guarantees that spot to Australia – the next-best Oceania swimmer at the World Championships last summer was Damien Payet of Seychelles in 66th place, about 12 minutes behind Edwards. In fact, he was the only other Oceania swimmer in the men’s 10km race at the World Championships.

The Australians will have some company as they race for Olympic spots via a group of international athletes in participation. That includes the top U.S. open water swimmer Jordan Wilimovsky, American Nick Norman, a group of Japanese swimmers, and the defending Olympic champion Ferry Weertman of the Netherlands on the men’s side.

The women’s group will be joined by Americans Haley Anderson, Katie Campbell, and Ashley Twichell, and will also welcome a group of Japanese swimmers.

Weather is expected to be about perfect for open water swimming this weekend in Adelaide with mostly sunny skies and high temperatures around 80 degrees Fahrenheit and lows around 60 degrees Fahrenheit. According to seatemperature.org, current water temperatures in South Australia are around 70 degrees F/21 degrees C, well within the same (and ideal) ranges for competition.

The meet will feature a number of age group races, with a full schedule available here. Below is a schedule of only open age events.

Saturday, January 25th

• Men’s open 10km – 7:30 AM
• Women’s open 10km – 10:15 AM

Sunday, January 25th

• Men’s open 5km – 9:20 AM
• Women’s open 5km – 9:25 AM

Monday, January 26th

• Men’s open 5km time trial – 7:30 AM
• Women’s open 5km time trial – 9:10 AM
• Mixed open team relay – 4×1.25km – 12:50 PM

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Australian Olympic Open Water Journey Continues This Weekend in Adelaide

By Spencer Penland on SwimSwam

SMU vs WEST VIRGINIA (MEN’S DUAL)

• Friday, January 17th
• Robson & Lindley Aquatic Center and Barr-McMillion Natatorium, Dallas, TX
• Short Course Yards
• Results

TEAM SCORES

1. West Virginia – 182
2. SMU – 117

West Virginia went to Dallas over the weekend to face SMU, coming away with a 182-117 victory. Mountaineer David Dixon broke the SMU pool record in the 200 fly, where Dixon clocked a 1:42.65 to win the race by nearly 9 seconds. That time comes in just a second off Dixon’s season best of 1:41.59. Dixon also won the 400 IM with a 3:56.18, marking another decisive victory, this time by over 7 seconds. Dixon’s 400 IM was a season best.

With Dixon absent in the 100 fly, teammate Angelo Russo claimed victory, touching in 49.95. Fellow Mountaineer Jack Frazier touched right behind Russo, clocking a 50.06. Russo also won the 100 back earlier in the meet, swimming a 49.68.

Another double event winner was WVU swimmer Hunter Armstrong, who took the 200 and 100 free. Armstrong first swam the 200 free, where he led the field with a 1:40.40. He then finished in 45.32 in the 100 free, touching as the only swimmer in the field under 46 seconds.

West Virginia and SMU split the breaststroke events. Fausto Huerta won the 100 breast for WVU, swimming a 56.33. Caleb Rhodenbaugh of SMU was 2nd in that race, touching in 56.80. Rhodenbaugh then won the 200 breast, clocking a 2:04.22.

PRESS RELEASE – SMU:

DALLAS (SMU) – The Mustang divers swept their events, and three swimmers picked up wins as SMU fell to West Virginia, 182-117, Friday night at the Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center and Barr-McMillion Natatorium.

In the pool, the Mustangs were led by event winners Petar Bozhilov, Caleb Rhodenbaugh and Stephen Cheng, while Peter Smithson and Parker Hardigree split diving wins.

The first victory of the night came from Bozhilov in the 1,000-yard freestyle, as the sophomore continues to lead the Mustangs in the event. Bozhilov covered the distance in 9:37.78 for the win. He also placed second in the 500-yard freestyle in a time of 4:37.35.

Rhodenbaugh won the 200-yard breaststroke on Friday night, leading a pair of Mustangs in the top three. The junior paced the field in 2:04.22 ahead of teammate Colin Feehery, who clocked in at 2:06.01 for runner-up honors.

Rhodenbaugh also finished second in the 100 breast at 56.80, while Feehery was the runner-up in the 400 IM at 4:03.51.

The Mustangs’ final event winner in the pool was Cheng, who won the 200-yard backstroke in 1:49.48.

Hardigree led the field on 1 meter, finishing with a six-round 343.80, just ahead of teammate Smithson at 339.08 for second. Smithson’s win on 3 meter came from a 340.20, a score over 17 points better than his closest competition. Hardigree was third in the event, registering 319.20 points.

Daniel Forndal and Ralph Koo, who helped lead SMU in freestyle events, turned in other notable performances. Forndal was second in the 100 (46.08) and third in the 200 (1:42.02), while Koo was second in the 50 (21.09).

The Mustangs are back in action Saturday when they host UIW at 1 p.m. at The Nat. Follow live results and video at SMUMustangs.com.

PRESS RELEASE – WEST VIRGINIA:

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – After collecting 11 total victories on the night, the West Virginia University men’s swimming and diving team (2-1) defeated SMU, 182-117, on Friday night at the Barr-McMillion Natatorium in Dallas, Texas.

Freshman Hunter Armstrong paced the Mountaineers with four total wins, including two individual victories in the 100 and 200 freestyle. Junior David Dixon also captured multiple solo victories against the Mustangs, including a pool record in the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:42.65.

“It was a very strong day for the men,” Mountaineer coach Vic Riggs said. “We discussed racing well, having fun, making every point count and being proud to be Mountaineers before the meet. The team did all of that and more. We took control of the meet in the first session with a win in every event. It was a team win today, and everyone did a great job.”

The meet opened with the 200 medley relay, as WVU began the meet with a win. The team of junior Angelo Russo, sophomore Fausto Huerta, Dixon and Armstrong combined to finish in 1:29.41 for first place. Seniors Austin Hartke, Jack Portmann, Sam Neaveill and junior Ryen Van Wyk followed in second with a time of 1:32.10.

Next came the 1,000-yard freestyle, where senior Brandon Christian and freshman Zach Boley finished second (9:41.37) and third (9:42.22), respectively. Armstrong followed with his first individual win of the day in the 200 free, touching the wall in 1:40.40. Senior Max Gustafson was just behind him in second (1:41.15).

In the diving well, sophomore PJ Lenz paced the Mountaineer divers with a third-place, 282.90 finish on 1-meter springboard and second-place finish on 3-meter with an NCAA Zones-qualifying score of 340.20. Redshirt senior Austin Smith followed in fourth place (276.90) on 1-meter and sophomore Nick Cover was fourth on 3-meter (318.75).

“Tonight was a great opportunity to compete against a good diving team,” diving coach Michael Grapner said. “Our performances on 3-meter made for a good contest on the boards. PJ was consistent and applied his corrections throughout the night.”

Back in the competition pool, the Mountaineers finished in dominating fashion in the 100 backstroke, securing the top four spots. Russo was first (49.68), Hartke grabbed second (50.50), senior Trayton Saladin finished third (50.93) and sophomore Josh Harlan rounded out the top four with a time of 51.35.

Huerta secured another victory for the Mountaineers in the 100 breaststroke, finishing in 56.33. He was followed by junior Ben Brooks in third (57.33).

Another 1-2-3 Mountaineer finish came in the 200 butterfly, led by Dixon, who took first place by a margin of nearly 10 full seconds in 1:42.65 to break the previous pool record. Senior Jack Frazier was second (1:51.92) and junior Denys Kostromin took third (1:53.46).

West Virginia’s sprinters showed off in the 50 free, where Van Wyk collected a victory for the Mountaineers in 20.80 and Neaveill took third (21.21). Armstrong followed with his third win of the night in the 100 free in 45.32, while Van Wyk grabbed third place in 46.40.

In the 200 backstroke, Harlan paced WVU in second place, touching the pad in 1:50.28. Russo and Saladin followed in third (1:51.11) and fourth (1:51.13), respectively. Brooks next placed third in the 200 breast, finishing in 2:07.17.

Gustafson earned his first win of the day in the 500 free (4:36.31), while Christian finished third (4:43.27). Then came WVU’s third 1-2-3 finish of the night in the 100 fly. Russo touched the wall first (49.95), Frazier took second (50.06) and Kostromin came in third (50.65).

Dixon represented the Mountaineers in the 400 individual medley, securing first with a time of 3:56.18. In the final event of the night, the 400 free relay, the team of Armstrong, Van Wyk, junior Christopher O’Shea and Neaveill led the pack with a time of 3:03.66 to secure WVU’s final win of the night.

With the victory, the men move to 2-1 in dual meets this season. The squad’s first dual-meet win came against Pitt, 179.5-120.5, in the Backyard Brawl on Jan. 4. The Mustangs fall to 1-2 in dual meets after the loss to WVU.

The Mountaineer men return to action on Saturday, Jan. 18, as they meet up with the women’s team in Fort Worth, Texas, for a Big 12 dual meet at TCU. Action at the University Recreation Center is set to begin at 12 p.m. ET.

For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUSwimDive on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: David Dixon Breaks 200 Fly Pool Record as West Virginia Downs SMU in Dallas

By Retta Race on SwimSwam

2020 SOUTH AUSTRALIA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Saturday, January 18 – Thursday, January 23rd
• SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre, Oaklands Park
• LCM
• Meet Site
• SwimSwam Preview
• Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap/Day 3 Recap/Day 4 Recap
• Live Results

After having clocked the world’s first sub-48 second 100m freestyle last night during his 11th race of these 2020 South Australia State Championships, 21-year-old Kyle Chalmers scaled back the speed a bit on day 5.

The 100m free Olympic champion from Rio took on the 100m fly and 200m free events today, taking gold in the open category of each with ease.

In the former, Chalmers stopped the clock in a time of 53.39. That’s well off the man’s personal best of 52.07 logged at the 2019 Australia National Championships, but enough to get the job done comfortably this evening.

In the 200m free, Chalmers represented the only swimmer to get under the 1:50 threshold across all age groups, registering a gold medal-worthy time of 1:49.90. The Marion swimmer holds a PB of 1:46.56 in the event, which is the mark he put up to top the podium at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Madi Wilson, also of Marion and longtime partner of Chalmers, did major damage in the women’s 100m freestyle after having a successful meet already across her events. The 25-year-old established herself as the top-seeded swimmer with a time of 54.18 in the morning heats before firing off a quick 53.92 to take the gold.

Splitting 26.39/27.53, Wilson is staking her claim on a possible 4x100m freestyle relay spot early for this summer’s Olympics, tying her 4th fastest time ever, just in January. The Olympian holds a lifetime best of 53.60 notched at last year’s World Trials.

In Gwangju, Wilson proved her worth as a member of the Australian women’s 4x200m freestyle relay, which topped the podium in a new World Record time. But, she was a strong contributor in the heats of the nation’s other powerhouse relays, including the women’s 4x100m free, mixed 4x100m free and women’s 4x100m medley relays. She clocked 100m free splits of 53.90, 53.48 and 53.22 in the heats of each, respectively.

Wilson’s time tonight places her just outside the top 10 performers in the world for the 2019/20 season.

Wilson also took the open women’s 50m back in a time of 28.57, but it was on-fire 18-year-old Kaylee McKeown who clocked the fastest time overall on the day.

After ripping a 100m back time of 58.52 and 200m back time of 2:05.83 earlier in the meet, McKeown took the 17-18 age gold in a mark of 27.68 to overtake her previous season-best of 27.92 produced at the Doha World Cup. Her time tonight would have placed 4th in Gwangju, falling just .03 outside of her time there.

With her strong effort this evening, McKeown now ranks as the 3rd fastest performer worldwide this season.

Top 3 Women’s 50m Back Performers for 2019/20 Season:

Rank       Time             Name                                 Date
1               27.36            Liu, Xiang CHN               01/14/2020
2              27.49             Toussaint, Kira NED      10/11/2019
3              27.68             Kaylee McKeown AUS   01/22/2020

Additional Notes:

• Kiah Melverton got the job done in the women’s 400m IM, clocking 4:46.09 to win by over 25 seconds.
• 19-year-old Nunawading swimmer Brendon Smith came up golden in the 400m IM for the men, registering 4:20.29 for the win.
• Kalani Ireland of USC Spartans put up a time of 26.42 to take the men’s 17-18 50m back. He doubled up with a gold in the age category’s 100m fly, producing a mark of 55.15.
• Commonwealth Games medalist Laura Taylor posted a time of 2:11.86 in the 200m fly to just edge out runner-up Mikkayla Sheridan and her silver medal-worthy 2:11.94.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Chalmers Splashes For 20th+ Time In 5 Days; Kaylee McKeown Scorches 50 Back

By SwimSwam Partner Content on SwimSwam

courtesy of ONEswim.com, a SwimmersBest brand

Underwater undulations, or the 5^th Stroke, is arguably the most important area of growth in the competitive swimming industry for the foreseeable future.  From the early advancement made by Jesse Vassallo, David Berkoff, Missy Hyman and coach Bob Gillette, the importance of underwaters continues to expand and grip the industry as the single most technique needed for any swimmer to reach excellence in nearly all race events.

Technique:  The first problem is the technique used by most swimmers.  Like any other stroke the technique for undulations have a wide range of critical components that must be addressed:

Hyper Streamline:  This is perhaps the most obvious thing to fix.  If you are not in a tight streamline with your ears slightly below your biceps and our elbows locked straight, you are creating undue frontal resistance.  STAY in hyper streamline until you are ready to take your first stroke.  Do NOT lift you head to see where the surface is since your head is as large as an 8” red parachutes and can impact your speed just as much as a parachute!

True Bilateral Undulation:  A ‘knee kick’ is NOT the same thing as a true bilateral undulation. Most people simply bend their knees back and then kick hard forward.  Instead the feet should flow equally across the body’s center line, to the front and the back of the body.  For many the most elusive challenge is to get the legs to continue past the center line to the front half of the body.   The only effective way to create true bilateral undulation is to lead from the sternum of the chest (i.e chest-led) and ripple that arch through the chest and down to the feet.  This is how an eel swims, not how a dolphin swims.  Humans move through the water best by creating and propelling off vortices with an eel-like motion through the water.

Easy Speed off Your Vortices:   As you quickly draw your chest in and out (leading from your sternum), the void that is left in the wake of the chest draws in water and creates a vortex (i.e a little whirlpool) of water.  The first vortex starts on your front and then as you change directions with your chest, a second vortex develops in the small of your back.  Each of these vortexes then follow the ripple motion of your body down to your toes. The KEY is that a fast whip action of your feet changing directions will get propulsion as they push against the vortex that is leaving the ends of your toes (hence you need to cross well over your center line to connect with these vortexes).  Without the in and out movement of your chest, you do not create bilateral vortexes on both sides of your body.  So if you merely kick from your knees, this over-exertion causes a delay in the time it takes for you to change direction with your feet and causes you to miss any vortex propulsion at the end of your kick and simply not create a second vortex on the back of your body.  This means you are fighting to build power solely from your own muscles instead of using the vortex ‘easy speed’ that the eel uses to move through the water.

Straight Ankles and Knees on Recovery:  The ankles and knees must stay straight as the legs are brought across the centerline, from the front of the body to the back of the body.  This requires specialized muscles and should engage the glute muscles first.  Early on young swimmers tend to ‘drop’ or bend their ankles as the feet cross from the front to the back of the body and this neglects to catch power off the vortex wave and greatly reduces forward speed.

Knees Should Stay Together:  The vortices that are created by the chest must follow the body down to the toes.  If the knees come open the vortex is absorbed and may even cause a net loss instead of the ‘easy speed’ you want from the vortex.  Once the knees drift apart, on any phase of the undulation, power is lost.  Again, this will require good habits and the development of the muscles needed for the additional power.

Tempo:  A few studies have suggested that the chest should press 2x per second (a tempo of 0:40 or 0:45 seconds) per FULL bilateral undulation.  The Regular Eel-Fin by ONESwim.com will build this tempo by moving the weight like a grandfather clock pendulum.  As the weight is moved closer to the feet, the shortened pendulum will force the body to undulate at a rate of 2 per second.  Tempo Trainers are also helpful in creating this tempo but at first most swimmers will only listen to every other beep and try to undulate at a rate of slightly less than 1 undulation per second.  The chest should move up and down 2 full cycles in less than 1 second.

Power:  Once you create a good technical undulation and can sustain the proper tempo, the never-ending goal is to maximize the power to both the forward and back directions of each undulation.  The goal is to maximize the distance per undulation and, while that starts with proper chest-led technique, it eventually has to advance by gaining power through the entire undulation.  So how do we create more and more power with an undulating body movement?

Focus on ‘distance per undulation’.  By gradually changing the intensity of your workout and diversifying your equipment, you will constantly improve your distance per undulation.  Underwaters require regular focus every day, off every wall.  But the undulation movement is a complex combination of muscle power. Therefore, it is important to include regular changes in equipment and training methods in order to build powerful bilateral propulsion.

Build maximum power per undulation.  Bilateral undulations require muscle power to both sides of the undulation.  This means regular focus on the muscles in the core, recovery muscles (backwards), and propulsive (forward) muscles. This requires constant variations in your training methods and equipment so you can target ALL your undulation muscles and technique simultaneously.

Measure your progress.  The longterm goal should be to breakout off every wall with your head surfacing legally just in front of the 15 meter mark and your first stroke reaching across the 15 meter mark.  Of course the number of undulations is not the only factor… large knee-driven kicks will not win races so you also need regular measurements of your speed to the 15 meter mark.  Targeting 11 undulations to the 15 meter mark with regular improvements to your breakout times is the best longterm plan for your underwater development.

The Process:   Now let’s get down to the nitty gritty of daily work you need to be doing with the 5^th stroke.

ONE: Fix Your Flaws.   Most flaws include not leading with your chest, not finishing past your centerline on the front, kicking too much with your knees, and not undulating fast enough.  All of these problems can be resolved by systematic use of the ONE Regular Eel-Fin.  This monofin uses a movable weight like the pendulum on a grandfathers clock.  This pendulum effect ensures you finish your feet to the front of your centerline. As you move the weight closer to the feet it will then help increase your tempo to have 2 full undulations in 1 second or less.

TWO: Build Overall Power. Power can be improved with regular use of the ONE Pro Eel-Fin monofin.  The Pro Eel-Fin requires and builds power to both sides of the undulation.  It locks the knees together to help build the proper muscle memory of knees and thighs touching during both directions of the undulation.  The Pro Eel-Fin also helps engage the glute muscles to trigger your largest muscle group for maximum power.  It does not correct some of the fundamental flaws (like the Regular Eel-Fin can do) but is designed to build power for those swimmers that already have an efficient technique.  A tempo trainer (set at 0:45 or 0:50 seconds) can be coupled with your Pro Eel-Fin sessions to ensure you are pressing your chest with each beep and flowing 2 full cycles per second.  Don’t confuse the Eel-Fins with normal monofins.  Regular monofins are too wide and will force most swimmers to drop their ankles on the recovery phase of their undulation.  This will build a muscle memory that will be hard to correct and will slow down the process of building the proper muscle groups.  Normal monofins are FUN for the swimmers because they move so much faster through the water.  But fun comes at a cost of power, technique and lack of training experience.  The Pro Eel-Fin will not provide any significant change in your forward speed, but instead will build muscle power.   Once you master and use it regularly, the Pro Eel-fin will give you nearly identical distance per undulation as without the fin. But the Pro Eel-Fin will build the power and body position you need to race fast underwater.

THREE: Build Recovery Power.  Recovery power relies on keeping your ankles straight on the recovery of the undulation.   To test the type of power needed for a straight knee and straight ankle recovery, lay on the floor and lift both legs without bending your knees or ankles.  This requires the glute muscles and will flex those muscle groups throughout the process.  These are the muscles that need to be developed more and more every day for your 5^th stroke as well as Back, Free, and Fly.   The ONE FlexRights are one of the few options available to help engage the glutes and minimize knee bend at the same time.  They are flat panels that are strapped to the back sides of your knees to help train your glutes.  The FlexRights are an ideal way to train your recovery power for your 5^th stroke.

FOUR: Building Overall Intensity. ONESwim has invented a wide range of unique equipment needed to build a well-rounded underwater undulation.  Their Ankle Weights can be custom selected from ¼ pound and up to use as much a 1 pound per ankle to provide a great way to power your propulsive muscle groups.  The ONE Weight Belts can also be adjusted by ¼ or ½ pound increments to build belts from 1 pound up to 18 pounds.   The Weight Belts are ideal to build overall intensity of the undulations.  The ONE Power Bags are drag socks that fit on your feet, your calves, arms, and as a drag skirt.   The Power Bags on the calves provide a constant frontal drag as well as powering both propulsive and recovery muscle groups.  On the feet, the power bags are a serious workout as part of your undulation power development.   But when the Power Bags are placed over a pair of fins, they provide the maximum resistance of nearly any product to help you focus on your ‘distance per undulation’.  The ONE Power Chute is a parachute you wear on your hips.  Unlike any other parachute, this product creates force before you even finish pushing off the wall.  This provides immediate focus to your wall power and to each undulation.  But the latest addition to the ONE line of power development equipment is their Long Cords.  The ONE Long Cords are really a set of 2 half length cords that when clipped together will allow you to race the entire pool underwater or on the surface.  Long Cords are ideal to build intensity to the 15 meter mark breakout as the last 5-10 undulations will have increasing amounts of drag which forces you to build intensity into your final breakout  (http://www.swimmersbest.com/long-cord-quick-change/ )

FIVE: Diversify your Vertical Kicking Methods.  Just like your underwaters, vertical kicking can be done wrong (i.e just knee kicking or not finishing past your mid-line), particularly if you don’t work to constantly improve your technique and your resistance levels.  Just like the 5^th stroke, you need to finish your kick past your centerline on the front, keep your knees together, and whip your feet quickly from each terminal side of the undulation.  The obvious way to improve your intensity (and thereby ‘find’ better technique), is to put your arms in streamline for 5-15 second while keeping your FACE OUT OF THE WATER. Interval training between your arms across your chest and 5-15 seconds of streamline arms will help train better undulation technique by itself.  But over time, you will want to constantly add diversity to your vertical kicking drills to help build the full core and all muscle chains needed for your underwaters.  Many of the ONE products discussed for underwater undulation training also pertain to the diversity you need for your vertical kicking sets.   Again, the goal remains that you have a host of core and secondary muscle groups that need to be developed on a constant basis.  Just doing the same drills and the same methods over and over will engrain bad habits and neglect the muscle groups that need to be improved.

At an Olympic and college level it is easy to see that more and more race time is spent underwater by the top medalist in nearly all events.  We already have races that can be over 30% of the distance underwater for long course event but in short course events it can be as much as 60% of the race underwater. The question is, are you putting 30+% of your training time on building fast underwaters?  This doesn’t mean just hypoxic training to build lung capacity but truly focusing on the speed and power of distance per undulation?  Are your competitors putting in that time?  How long can you avoid quality training of your 5^th stroke?

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By Jared Anderson on SwimSwam

SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side, or you can find the poll embedded at the bottom of this post.

Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers to pick the winner of the 2020 SEC women’s meet:

RESULTS

Question: Who will win the 2020 Women’s SEC title?

• Tennessee – 45.8%
• Florida – 19.7%
• Texas A&M – 13.6%
• Georgia – 13.0%
• Kentucky – 3.5%
• Other – 2.7%
• Auburn – 1.6%

In our poll of top contenders, 45.8% picked Tennessee to win women’s SECs in what would be the first SEC title in program history.

That figure blew out the next-closest competitors: Florida, with 19.7% of the total votes. Tennessee wound up with more than double the votes of the Gators.

Per Tennessee’s historical records, the women’s swimming & diving team has been SEC runners-up just two times since 1991. The Volunteers were second in 2012 and 2016 under current head coach Matt Kredich, and third last season.

Projections agree with SwimSwam voters. Our Swimulator (based on season-best times) has Tennessee beating Georgia by 46.5 points, though those projections don’t include diving. Tennessee does have arguably the best swimmer in the SEC: sprinter Erika Brown, who right now holds the conference’s fastest times in the 100 free and 100 fly and sits in a tie for the #1 50 free spot.

Florida is only 4th in current Swimulator projections, but the Gators were second last season. Defending champs Texas A&M came in third in our poll with 13.6% of the votes, but the Aggies graduated a lot of talent and sit just 8th in the Swimulator.

Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks voters to pick the 2020 men’s SEC champ:

ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE

The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner

Read the full story on SwimSwam: SwimSwam Pulse: 45% Pick Tennessee For 1st Ever Women’s SEC Title

By SwimSwam on SwimSwam

Courtesy: Pac-12 Conference

SAN FRANCISCO — The Conference office announced today that UTAH’s Charity Pittard was named Pac-12 Women’s Swimmer of the Week and STANFORD’S Carolina Sculti was named Pac-12 Women’s Diver of the Week.

WOMEN’S SWIMMER OF THE WEEK: Charity Pittard, Fr., Utah (Eagle, Idaho)
Pittard (Eagle, Idaho) helped the Utes to three wins this weekend, defeating Washington State (173.5-85.5), Nevada (150-108) and Denver (160-102). Pittard took first place in five events over the two days of competition. On Friday, versus WSU and Nevada, Pittard won the 200-yard breaststroke (2:17.03) and 200-yard individual medley (2:05.49).

On Saturday versus Denver, the freshman swimmer won the 100 breaststroke (1:04.62), 200 breaststroke (2:18.05) and 400 IM (4:29.89). Pittard helped the Utes extend their win streak to four and earned her first Swimmer of the Week/Month honor this season.

ALSO NOMINATED: Briana Thai, California; Emma Ruchala, Utah.

WOMEN’S DIVER OF THE WEEK: Carolina Sculti, So., Stanford (Rye, N.Y.)
Sculti (Rye, N.Y.) posted the top mark in Saturday’s 3-meter diving championship on the second day of competition at the Bruin Diving Invitational. Sculti’s combined score of 657.30 led the pack ahead of second-place finisher Daphne Wils (656.15) of Hawai’i. This is Sculti’s first Diver of the Week/Month honor this season.

ALSO NOMINATED: Laticia Transom, USC.

2019-20 PAC-12 WOMEN’S SWIMMER AND DIVER OF THE MONTH/WEEK

PAC-12 WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIP

• Tickets for the 2020 Pac-12 Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship on Feb. 26-29 in Federal Way, Wash. are on sale now. Tickets can be found at 

By Giusy Cisale on SwimSwam

Mattia Dall’Aglio morì a 24 anni il 6 Agosto 2017 nella palestra del centro nuoto dei Vigili Del Fuoco di Modena.

La Procura di Modena, nei giorni successivi aprì un fascicolo, l’ipotesi di reato era omicidio colposo.

Oggi la Procura ha chiesto l’archiviazione delle posizioni dei due indagati di omicidio colposo. Non i procederà dunque nei confronti del presidente dell’associazione “Amici del Nuoto” di Modena e del  tecnico che seguiva le sale del centro nuoto.

Le indagini sono durate due anni e mezzo.

Nel corso delle stesse sono state disposte ed eseguite due autopsie sul corpo del giovane nuotatore.

Le risultanze degli esami autoptici hanno rilevato che la causa della morte è stata una malformazione cardiaca congenita.

Dal fascicolo originario è stata però stralciata una posizione. Si ipotizza ora la responsabilità del medico che firmò il nulla osta per le attività in quella sala.

Dopo la morte di Mattia, l’Università di Modena ha istituito una laurea nel suo ricordo.

La città di Imola, inoltre, ha istituito un trofeo a suo nome. Ogni anno ai blocchi di partenza tanti atleti si riuniscono nel ricordo di Mattia.

IL RICORDO DEGLI AMICI

Quanto è bella la vita.

Vivi ogni giorno come se fosse l’ultimo.

Il suo motto, era questa la “filosofia Mattia Dall’Aglio”: vivi ogni giorno come se fosse l’ultimo. 
Sei stato buono in tutte le tue scelte, senza chiedere niente in cambio.
E tu eri così, semplice. Aprivi il cuore di tutti subito, in un lampo. 
Tu eri la sensazione di toccare con mano la piastra d’arrivo.

Tu eri il nostro vero e sensazionale amico. 
Eri capace di strappare un sorriso.
C’insegnavi a sorridere sempre, di fronte alle difficoltà, di fronte agli avversari, guardando in faccia il problema. 
Sorridere perché siamo tutti fortunati ad avere tutto quello che abbiamo, tanto o poco che sia. 
Ci dicevi:

“Guarda il tuo giorno e sorridi, come faccio io. Qualunque cosa faccio sorrido. Guido con la macchina e sorrido, vado a passeggiare e sorrido, vedo gli altri e sorrido. Io faccio qualsiasi cosa e sorrido”.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Mattia Dall’Aglio: Chiesta L’Archiviazione Per “Amici Del Nuoto”

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

NBC‘s new streaming service, Peacock, is set to join the likes of Netflix, Disney and HBO in the highly competitive “streaming wars”, and will kick things off with live coverage from the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The service’s official launch date of April 15 marks the exclusive opening for Comcast’s Xfinity X1 cable customers and its Flex streaming customers. The rest of the US will have access beginning on July 15, one week before the Games.

The Olympics will help kickstart the service, as NBCUniversal announced that Peacock will feature five hours of daily live coverage from Tokyo, along with three dedicated studio shows streaming only on the service that will provide highlights and analysis.

Though there haven’t been details released on the specific sports the service will be showing, it’s safe to assume swimming will be featured prominently given its typical primetime slot.

Streaming Costs

Peacock will have three tiers: one that’s free, one for $4.99 per month and one $9.99 per month.

The free version will limit your viewing options, as expected, while the two paid options are called “Peacock Premium”. The difference between the two is that the $9.99 service is ad-free.

Comcast and Cox customers will get a $5 discount, at least initially: they can either get the ad-supported option for free or the ad-free version for $4.99.

By offering a free version, NBC is hoping to have a leg-up on its competition and get a large subscriber base quickly.

Though they have stated that international expansion will come eventually, the service will only be available in the United States for the foreseeable future.

Olympic Docs

Peacock will also be featuring some Olympic sports documentaries, including one about 12-time Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte entitled “Hot Water: In Deep with Ryan Lochte”, covering his comeback to the sport after the 2016 gas station scandal.

Another swimming themed doc will be “The Greatest Race”, documenting the US men’s epic comeback win over France in the 400 freestyle relay at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Read more on the documentaries here.

Beyond the Games

Along with the Olympic coverage, Peacock will have more than 600 movies and 400 series available, including reruns of NBC shows such as “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation,” along with some original programs.

In August of 2020, the platform will feature 2,000 hours of Premier League coverage, and, in September, it will stream the Ryder Cup golf tournament. They are also expected to delve into other sports moving forward.

You can read more about the service here.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: NBC’s Peacock Streaming Service Will Feature Live Tokyo Olympic Coverage

By Kevin Hallman on SwimSwam

The Texas men’s swimming & diving team has won four our of the past five DI national championships. However, since they often taper less for their mid-season invites than some of the other top programs, they haven’t always looked dominant heading into the spring semester. But their performance this season at the Minnesota Invite left few questions about who the top dog is so far.

Using the Swimulator, we can compare the results from the past four year’s mid-season taper meets to see how Texas’ Men’s swimming teams’ performance this season ranks against their past results. Shown below is a simulated meet with Texas’ lineup from this season completing against their lineups from the past three seasons. The events and times are taken from the results of each year’s mid-season invite and scored invite style. The results below show that Texas has significantly sped-up during their mid-season taper meets.

A similar swimulation using Texas’ swims from DI nationals the past three seasons shows they had their best nationals results in 2017. So at least in past seasons their mid-season speed up is likely not just a result of their roster getting faster overall.

We can also confirm how much Texas has tapered mid-season using the Swimulator’s taper data. Shown below is a chart of Texas’ % time drops from their top times during the middle of the season the past two years.

Of course  a combination of internal improvement and a great freshman class – they certainly looks good so far! – is certainly contributing to Texas’ excellent performance. At the same time they also appear to have been concentrating on performing well at their mid-season invite.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Swimulation of the Week: Texas Speeds up Mid-Season

By Jared Anderson on SwimSwam

The 2020 Pro Swim Series isn’t even half over, but the race for the women’s title might as well be. With Regan Smith‘s absurd speed in Knoxville, it’s going to take an otherworldly swim to knock her off the top of the current standings.

For the second season, the Pro Swim Series doesn’t give out its $10,000 series winner prizes based on cumulative points. This year, as it was last year, the winner will be determined by the single best swim (in FINA points) of the entire series. FINA points attempt to compare swims in different events by creating a points system in which the world record is worth 1000 points. Swims slower than the world record earn less than 1000, based on their relative distance from the world record, and new world records will earn more than 1000, depending on how much faster they are than the previous world record.

While that system has its critics, it is the one being used for this year’s Pro Swim Series title. And it’s relative simplicity means we can come up with ‘benchmark’ times that would be needed to beat Smith’s 58.27 100 backstroke from the Knoxville Pro Swim Series over the weekend.

Spoiler alert: they’re ridiculous.

The Pro Swim Series is using FINA’s 2019 Power Points table, which is based off of world records as of January 2019. (That means Smith’s backstrokes are scored based on the former world records, not her new world records set over the summer). Smith scored 986 points with her 100 back in Knoxville. Here’s a look at the slowest times that would earn 987 points and knock Smith off the top of the list:

While the series does award $10,000 to the winner, Smith is still maintaining her amateurism for NCAA eligibility. That’ll put some restrictions on how much (if any) of that award she can accept. But the PSS title also comes with plenty of prestige. And it looks like Smith is squarely in line for that honor.

Oh, and if there’s a tie, the tiebreaker is highest FINA points in a second event. Smith has already gone 2:05.94 in the 200 back for 955 FINA points. So even if another swimmer can muster up a 986-point swim, they’ll have to get a second event above 955. Good luck with that.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Analysis: What it Would Take to Beat Regan Smith for Pro Swim Series Title