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:

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When the “why” gets blurry, adjust your focus

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

French swimmer Jeremy Stravius has announced his retirement from competitive swimming. He’ll hang his suit up at 31-years old, just 6 months before a potential 3rd Olympic appearance.

Stravius was the 2011 World Champion in the 100 meter backstroke, and owns 3 Olympic medals as part of French relays – gold in 2012 in the 400 free relay, silver in 2012 in the 800 free relay, and silver in 2016 in the 400 free relay. He is in total 4-time World Champion (all in long course) and a 12-time European Champion (4 in long course, 8 in short course).

Stravius has continued to compete regularly, including this weekend at the Luxembourg Euro Meet where he was 25th in prelims of the 100 free (50.87), 6th in finals of the 50 fly (24.20), and 5th in finals of the 100 fly (53.09).

“When I got out of the water, I knew it was my last, Stravius said to the Courrier Picard in announcing his decision. “I have come to the end of the adventure and I am relieved to have made this decision. I did not take it lightly. I am sure of myself. I had reached a point where I had to stop. When it’s time, it’s time.”

He ranked 103rd in the inaugural season of the International Swimming League last fall, representing the D.C. Trident. That included picking up a win in the 50 backstroke in Naples in 23.13.

While Stravius’ sprint freestyle, 50 back, and 50 fly times have continued to improve into his late 20s, including a lifetime best in short course meters of 47.02 in December at what will be his last French Championships, he never again matched his 100 back time that won him a World Championship in 2011 at 23-years old.

The French Championships run from April 14th-19th where swimmers will attempt to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer. Stravius was his country’s top-ranked 50 backstroker in long course in 2019, but in the Olympic 100 meter distance ranked just 6th-best. He also ranked 6th-best in the 100 free in 48.79, which could have been good enough for a prelims relay spot in Tokyo.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 4-Time World Champion Jeremy Stravius Announces Retirement from Swimming

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

The CSCAA has announced their Scholar All-America Team award winners for the fall 2019 semester, selecting 762 programs from 480 institutions for the award. To be eligible, teams needed to have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA for the semester. 17,685 student-athletes were accounted for by the teams that received this recognition.

In the spring semester, 777 programs were chosen from 480 institutions, and in the fall of 2018, 710 programs were chosen.

Highest GPAs by Division, Gender:

• NCAA Division I women – Nebraska-Omaha, 3.76 GPA
• NCAA Division I men – Harvard, 3.77 GPA
• NCAA Division II women – Emmanuel College, 3.77 GPA
• NCAA Division II men – Lewis University, 3.57 GPA
• NCAA Division III women – Saint Catherine’s University, 3.77 GPA
• NCAA Division III men – Swarthmore College, 3.73 GPA
• NAIA women – Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), 3.80 GPA
• NAIA men – University of Saint Mary, 3.55 GPA
• NJCAA women – Indian River State College, 3.56 GPA
• NJCAA women – Barton County Community College, 3.41 GPA

23 teams earned recognition for the first time in program history, including the Division I Youngstown State men, who checked in with a 3.47 GPA in their first semester with new head coach Brad Smith in charge– showing immediate dividends from the hire in the classroom.

In Division I and Division III, more than 90% of the teams currently ranked in the top 25 competitively achieved at least a 3.0 GPA, including the #1-ranked men’s team Texas (3.08 GPA) and the #1-ranked women’s team Michigan (3.43 GPA). The defending NCAA Division I Champion Cal men check in with a 3.19 GPA, while the defending NCAA Division I Champion Stanford women recorded a 3.51 GPA during the semester.

In lower divisions, the Indianapolis men (3.24 GPA), Denison men (3.40 GPA), and Denison women (3.54 GPA) also hold both a #1 ranking and a GPA of over 3.0.

First-Time Recipients:

Division I

• Youngstown State

Division II

• Lees-McRae (M&W)

• Lynn University (Men)

• Montevallo (W)

• Oklahoma Christian (Men)

• Southwest Minnesota (W)

Division III

• Albertus Magnus (W)

• Cedar Crest (W)

• Emory & Henry (M)

• Millsaps (M&W)

• Roanoke (M&W)

• Southern Virginia (M)

• Thomas Moore (W)

• Virginia Wesleyan (M)

NAIA

• Indiana Wesleyan (W)

• Milligan (M&W)

• St. Andrews (M)

• Thomas (M)

• Westmont (W)

Head coach is the name listed on the right:

By Wendy Mayer on SwimSwam

Week 2 of the collegiate women’s water polo season featured five upsets, bringing some major changes to the middle of the CWPA Top 25 poll. In spite of the shakeup, the team at the top remained the same. After posting a 2-0 record at the Lancer Joust in Riverside, California, to open the 2020 season, #1 USC topped the CWPA Top 25 Poll for the third week in a row.

The Trojans bested host Cal Baptist 17-2 and Concordia (Irvine) 25-2. Grace Tehaney put in four goals against the Lancers, while Bayley Weber and Sabrina Garabet put in five apiece vs. the Eagles.

Stanford remains at #2 for the third-straight week, while UCLA, Hawaii and UC Irvine round out the top five.

The Bruins moved up two spots from #5 to #3 after going 4-0 at the Michigan Invitational, defeating #11 Pacific 14-7, #7 Michigan 12-4, #25 Marist 14-4 and #21 Wagner 16-6.

Hawaii did not play in Week 2, and held (effectively) the same position. UC Irvine dropped two places in the poll after posting a 2-2 mark at the Cal Cup. The Anteaters topped #18 San Jose State 14-6 and #13 Fresno State 14-6, but fell to #6 Cal 12-11 and #2 Stanford 10-9.

San Jose State made the biggest climb of the week, jumping five spots from #18 to #13. The Spartans notched a pair of one-goal victories – besting #13 Fresno State 7-6 and #6 Cal 9-8. SJSU also dropped contests to #3 UC Irvine 14-6 and #12 UC Davis 8-7. Lili Urvari and Olga Descalzi Portell put in two goals apiece in the win over Fresno State, while Urvari notched four scores in the upset of Cal.

Wagner moved up three spots from #21 to #18 and Indiana climbed from #23 to #20. The Seahawks opened the season with a 1-3 record at the Michigan Invitational, with their lone victory coming against the Hoosiers 18-17 in sudden death. Wagner rounded out the weekend with losses to #7 Michigan 11-8, #9 UC Santa Barbara 11-7 and #5 UCLA 16-6. Sofia Diaz Alvarez put in eight goals against Indiana to lead all Week 2 scorers.

For its part, Indiana posted a 2-2 mark at the Michigan Invite, falling to #9 UC Santa Barbara 10-9 and Wagner, before bouncing back with victories over #11 Pacific 13-5 and #24 Marist 10-8. Tina Doherty netted a hat trick vs. Pacific, while Megan Abarta notched three goals vs. Marist.

Cal Lutheran earned a spot among the vote getters outside of the Top 25 despite having yet to play a match in 2020. The Regals open the season on Feb. 22 in Fresno, California.

Pacific was the biggest mover of the week, falling seven positions from #11 to #18. The Tigers went 1-3 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, scoring their lone victory with a 12-11 decision over #24 Marist and falling to #5 UCLA 14-7, #7 Michigan 7-4 and #23 Indiana 13-5.

Collegiate Women’s Water Polo Top 25 Poll – Jan. 29, 2020

Read the full story on SwimSwam: San Jose State Jumps 5 Spots to #13 in Women’s Water Polo Top 25 after 2 Upsets

By Torrey Hart on SwimSwam

Playing at the 2020 Waste Management Phoenix Open, Michael Phelps paid tribute to Kobe Bryantand his daughter Gianna, who died in a helicopter crash Sunday.

Phelps wrote “8” and “24” on each heel, Kobe’s two numbers worn in his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He also wrote “Mamba,” Kobe’s nickname, and “Mambacita” for Gianna.

Michael Phelps honored Kobe and Gigi Bryant on his golf shoes during the Waste Management Phoenix Open pro am today. pic.twitter.com/brzOarGkwq

— Josh Weinfuss (@joshweinfuss) January 29, 2020

Bryant was known as a longtime swim supporter, often showing up at major meets to support Phelps. Most recently, he and Phelps appeared together, along with Gianna, in Irvine at 2018 Summer Nationals.

Kobe, 41, and Gianna, 13, died Sunday morning along with seven others when their private helicopter crashed into a hillside amid foggy conditions in Calabasas, California. The duo was on their way to a youth basketball game in Thousand Oaks.

Bryant was a five-time NBA Champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, the 2008 NBA MVP, an 18-time NBA All-Star, and is the fourth-leading scorer in NBA history. He was also a two-time Olympic gold medalist as a member of the U.S. men’s basketball team in 2008 and 2012. Bryant retired from the NBA in 2016 and won an Academy Award in 2018 for Best Animated Short Film for his film Dear Basketball.

Bryant and his wife Vanessa had their fourth daughter in June of 2019.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Playing in Phoenix Open Pro-Am, Michael Phelps Honors Kobe & Gianna Bryant

By SwimSwam on SwimSwam

Courtesy: Texas A&M Athletics

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M men’s swimming team hosts SMU for the team’s Senior Night in the Rec Center Natatorium on Friday, January 31 at 6 p.m.

“Senior night is always a great thing for the families,” said head coach Jay Holmes. “They get a chance to come in and relish that this is indeed their last home meet. I know our seniors look forward to it, although some of them feel like they just got here and now it’s over. That’s why it’s important for us all to relish, seas and enjoy those moments, because they don’t come around that often.”

The Seniors

Jake Gibbons– Back/Free – Jacksonville, Fla.

Adam Koster– Free – Trophy Club, Texas

Mike Thibert– Free – Mansfield, Texas

Benjamin Walker– IM/Breast – The Woodlands, Texas

Scouting SMU

SMU owns a 1-3 dual-meet record with its loan win coming over TCU and losses to LSU, West Virginia and Incarnate Word. Mustang standout, Caleb Rhodenbaugh was clocked at 1:55.60 in the 200 breasts, which ranks as the 22-fastest time in the country.

“This is one of our more traditional rivalries,” Holmes explained. “We’ve been swimming against SMU for the last meet or the second-to-last meet for decades. I’m just looking forward to the chance for us to get up and race, because we’ve worked out so much. It’s a chance for us to come in here and compete. This is your heat, your lane; go earn it.”

The Season Recap

Texas A&M approaches its final dual meet of the season with a 6-3 dual meet record. The Maroon & White return to action after collecting two LSU Natatorium records, courtesy of Benjamin Walker (1:56.72, 200 breast) and Adam Koster (43.56, 100 free R), in its dominating victory over LSU. The Aggies also compiled wins against No. 5 Ohio State, Boston University, Harvard, Incarnate Word and Trinity, with their losses handed by No. 2 Texas, No. 11 Georgia and Duke. The bulk of the Maroon & White’s standout times came from the Art Adamson Invite, where it managed to set eight new school records and won by a margin of 647 points over second-place USC. Eight different Aggies own times ranked among the top-30 times in the nation, in addition to Texas A&M notching a top-five time in all five relay events. As a result, Texas A&M boasts its ranking at the No. 5 spot by the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America, its highest ranking since 2001.

Aggies in the Top 30

 Athlete                               Event                                    Time                      Rank

Kaloyan Bratanov             200 IM                                  1:45.19                  24th

Shaine Casas                      100 Back                              :44.48                    1st

Shaine Casas                      200 IM                                  1:40.16                  1st

Shaine Casas                      200 Back                              1:37.35                  2nd

Shaine Casas                      100 Fly                                  :45.26                    3rd

Shaine Casas                      50 Back (Relay Leadoff) :21.07                    7th

Shaine Casas                      200 Free (Relay Leadoff) 1:33.67                9th

Shaine Casas                      50 Free (Relay Leadoff) :19.54                    20th

Shaine Casas                      100 Free (Relay Leadoff) :42.94                  25th

Adam Koster                      100 Free                              :42.26                    5th

Adam Koster                      50 Free                                 :19.49                    16th

Tanner Olson                     100 Breast                          :52.68                    15th

Andres Puente                  200 Breast                          1:52.48                  6th

Andres Puente                  100 Breast                          :52.49                    12th

Andres Puente                  400 IM                                  3:46.75                  21st

Luke Stuart                         1650 Free                            15:06.58               28th

Mark Theall                        500 Free                              4:12.19                  3rd

Mark Theall                        200 Free                              1:32.96                  5th

Mark Theall                        1650 Free                            15:08.54               30th

Benjamin Walker              200 Breast                          1:53.33                  10th

Follow the Action

Check 12thman.com and follow @AggieSwimDive on Twitter for results.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Texas A&M Men Set To Host SMU On Senior Night

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

Fitter and Faster Swim Camps 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.

High school junior Orla Egan from the Laguardia Aquatic Club and Mary Louis Academy in New York City has verbally committed to Division I Duquesne University in downtown Pittsburgh.

I’m so excited to announce my verbal commitment to Duquesne University!! Thank you to my family, coaches, friends and teammates for their support throughout this process!! GO DUKES!! 

Primarily a freestyler, over the summer in long course, Egan was the Eastern Senior Zone Champion in the 200, 400, and 800 meter freestyles. In November, she was the New York High School State Championship meet 6th-place finisher in the 200 free.

Best Times in Yards:

• 50 free – 24.71
• 100 free – 51.75
• 200 free – 1:50.24
• 500 free – 4:53.46
• 1000 free – 10:02.83
• 1650 free – 16:36.95
• 200 IM – 2:07.61
• 400 IM – 4:28.69

Her lifetime bests in the 1000 and 1650 freestyles are already faster than the Duquesne school record in those events. The program’s current record in the 1000 free is 10:11.55 and in the 1650 free is 16:54.82, both set by Summer Svitavsky in 2018.

This Duquesne program is on a streak of big recruiting: this is at least the 3rd time in 4 classes that the Dukes have brought in a recruit that is already faster than a school record – Current sophomore Audrey Steen was already better than the school record in the 100 back before arriving, while this fall Laura Goettler will arrive on campus with current best times faster than the present Duquesne school records in both the 100 breast, 200 breast, and 200 IM.

This recruiting run has coincided with success in the pool: the Duquesne women are also the back-to-back Atlantic 10 Conference Champions.

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 

Fitter & Faster Swim Camps feature the most innovative teaching platforms for competitive swimmers of all levels. Camps are produced year-round throughout the USA and Canada. All camps are led by elite swimmers and coaches. Visit fitterandfaster.com to find or request a swim camp near you.

FFT SOCIAL

Instagram – @fitterandfasterswimtour

Facebook – @fitterandfastertour

Twitter – @fitterandfaster

^{FFT is a SwimSwam partner.}

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Orla Egan Commits to Duquesne with Best Times Better than School Records

By SwimSwam Partner Content on SwimSwam

This week’s BSN Sports Swim Team of the Week is the Austin Swim Club, of Austin, TX, a USA Swimming Silver Medal Club Excellence team that’s been serving the Austin area for years. The Austin Swim Club provides a variety of swimming programs, ranging from learn-to-swim, to Masters, to senior age groups that’ve prepared numerous swims to compete at the college level and beyond.

BSN Sports Team Ambassador Jessica Hardy spoke with head coach Chris Coghill to get his sense of what makes Austin Swim Club special, as well as some of his thoughts on coaching in general.

Coghill’s one-sentence philosophy of coaching is simply that, “Coaching comes down to trust and communication with the individual person, not just the athlete, to establish THEIR understanding of the specific details they need to improve upon consistently to be the best version of themselves.”

That focus on communication is reflected in the coaching staff approach to establishing a strong team culture.

We make sure the swimmer’s understand that the team culture and identity is truly theirs. Education about the values and traits that are important to our coaching staff, the “non negotiable’s”, is done early in each season, and continued throughout the season. As long as the swimmers stay within the guidelines of our overarching team values, they have the freedom to craft their own culture and identity as a group. That sense of ownership and unity fosters a cohesion, regardless of age, ability, or who they are away from the pool, that makes every experience together as ASC special!

When we asked Coghill about the specific ways that Austin Swim Club helps mold future leaders, he responded by saying…

This is a great question, and something that I think every coach should spend time working on! I often teach swimmers that the easiest place to start being a leader is by example, and then from there we work to take the next step into active leadership and engagement with their peers. We talk a lot about values. Everyone has a person in their past experience, swimming or not, that impressed something that resonated as important and became something that they try to emulate, whether they know it or not. We work together to identify what these values are, and what kind of behaviors demonstrate these values. Then, through a number of different exercises, peer coaching being a personal favorite, we practice impressing the values that matter to us in a humble and consistent way.

Many coaches talk about struggling with their own work-life balance, but Coghill recognizes that struggle applies to swimmers as well.

The biggest challenge that I find myself continuing to work through is establishing an appropriate life balance with each individual. Each swimmer on my team has their own mosaic of needs: academic, social, familial, or physical. The tricky part is keeping my place in that continually changing puzzle as a swim coach in perspective, and working with the individual to craft a schedule and mindset to enable success in each area of their life!

Coghill has been on the deck for a while now, but his favorite coaching memory is a relatively recent one.

My favorite coaching memory occurred just this past summer with our club up at Future’s in Des Moines. We had this meet circled on our calendar all season, and built our entire mindset for the meet around being 1% better each time we got in the water, and doing everything we could to help all of our teammates be 1% better as well. This meet was a fantastic demonstration of a team and growth focused mindset leading to tremendous success, both in the water and out of the water.

ABOUT BSN SPORTS 

Founded in 1972 as a factory-direct equipment company, today BSN SPORTS is the largest distributor of team sports apparel and equipment in the United States, with over 3,000 employees across 80 regional offices. At BSN SPORTS we believe that sports have the power to change lives. At the heart of what makes sports happen are the coaches, teachers and mentors who work with young and old alike to build meaningful lifelong experiences. That’s why our mission is simple. The more time we save coaches with everything they do off the deck, the more time they can spend changing lives. And that’s the real final score.

Get your swimmers in custom team gear with your team’s logo. My Team shop provides a one-stop-shop solution to custom apparel, suits, footwear, equipment and accessories. It’s simple to setup and the My Team Shop platform can even serve as a fundraising solution to earn dollars for your program. To set one up today email us at swimming@bsnsports.comor call 1-877-217-9027.

To learn more about BSN sports visit us at www.bsnsports.com/ib/swimming.

BSN SPORTS SWIMMING ON Instagram – @bsn_swimming

Read the full story on SwimSwam: BSN Sports Swim Team of the Week: Austin Swim Club

By Karl Ortegon on SwimSwam

Cathryn Salladin is transferring from the University of Alabama to Rutgers University in New Jersey. She competed at one meet for Alabama this season, in October, as a sophomore.

I’m so excited to finally announce that I will be continuing my academic and athletic careers at Rutgers University! I can’t wait for the fall and life in New Brunswick! Guess I need to buy a winter coat!

TOP TIMES

• 200y free – 1:51.77
• 500y free – 4:44.56
• 1000y free – 9:40.47
• 1650y free – 16:14.98
• 200y IM – 2:05.90
• 400y IM – 4:21.23

Salladin’s best performances at Alabama came at the 2018 Georgia Tech Invite, the mid-season invite her freshman year. There, she went 4:59.07 in the 500 free and 16:51.06 in the mile. In spring of 2019, she underwent surgery, then was back to racing this summer with La Mirada Armada. This past summer in long course, she went 4:23.53 in the 400 free, 8:59.57 in the 800 free, and 17:39.07 in the 1500 free at the 2019 Futures – Mount Hood.

While Salladin’s lifetime bests in yards are almost all from 2017 and earlier, her long course bests of 2:05.00 in the 200, 4:20.23 in the 400, 8:49.20 in the 800, and 16:54.38 in the 1500 are from 2018. Last summer, she wasn’t too far off her 400 and 800 free bests, a feat coming off of spring surgery.

As a high school-er, Salladin raced the 25K open water race at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest and finished tenth. She trained with Fullerton Aquatics Sports Team (FAST) in California before Alabama.

This season, Salladin raced once in an October dual against Georgia, going 5:01.99 in the 500 and 10:17.42 in the 1000.

Last year, Francesca Bertotto led Rutgers in the 500 free (4:48.68) and mile (16:38.37), the only one on the roster under 4:50 and 17:00, respectively. Bertotto is a senior, so Salladin could take over as their top distance swimmer next season if she continues to progress back to her high school bests. With those best times, she would rank #2 all-time in the mile and #3 all-time in the 500 free on Rutgers’ top rankings historically.

View this post on Instagram

I’m so excited to finally announce that I will be continuing my academic and athletic careers at Rutgers University! I can’t wait for the fall and life in New Brunswick! Guess I need to buy a winter coat! #newschoolnewhair (also smh when ur children don’t cooperate)

A post shared by Cathryn Salladin (@catsally) on Jan 28, 2020 at 8:06pm PST

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2017 Worlds OW Competitor Cathryn Salladin Transfers from Alabama to Rutgers

By Olivier Poirier-Leroy on SwimSwam

Is there anything more agonizing than doing all the hard work in practice, but then blowing it on race day? Here’s how this mental training workbook will help you stop from choking when it matters most.

Think back to the last time you got up on the blocks, dove into the water for a big race, and completely choked.

On a scale of one to ten, how much did you enjoy that experience?

Umm, about minus fifty, right?

Choking is a common and misunderstood aspect of competition (and even practice), whether you are an age grouper or Olympian.

It sends our performance crashing across the pool deck, particularly in moments where literally the only thing in the world we want is to swim really, really fast.

Often, when things go sideways on us and we tense up and blow our big chance we assume (mistakenly) that this is just the way it will always be for us. That getting freaked out, worrying too much about what others think, and choking is who we are as swimmers.

It becomes part of our identity. We are destined to forever be “choke artists.” (Sad face.)

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

At all.

There’s a better way to mentally approach your racing. A way where you can race to the full extent of your ability. Where you can race with confidence. Where you can race with a clear mind.

Here’s how.

Mental training (finally) made simple

Maybe you have tried some different mental training techniques before. But you gave up on it because you didn’t really see the benefit.

That’s where Conquer the Pool: The Swimmer’s Ultimate Guide to a High-Performance Mindset is different.

This book was developed for swimmers, by swimmers, to help you do the one thing that will not only help you master the dreaded choke, but separate you from the competition…

Master your mindset.

From beginning to end, it’s been designed to help you master your goals, your practices, and of course… your races.

In terms of helping you to conquer the dreaded choke, this mental training workbook will give you the tools and techniques necessary to master your anxiety levels so that you can race your best when you want it most.

Here’s just some of the chlorinated awesomeness that Conquer the Pool will help you with:

• Learn how to avoid choking by figuring out exactly what kind of emotional state propels you to those high-velocity performances—and perhaps just as importantly, which ones don’t.
• How to use visualization to master the “fear of negative evaluation”—that worry we have of disappointing others, including our teammates, friends, family and coach.
• Learn what emotions are good for us at race time, and which ones are not. (Some of them will surprise you.)
• That the way to get calm isn’t to follow our instincts and power through those stressful situations, but to actually slow things down.
• How this little journaling activity—done whenever you are experiencing excess anxiety—can help boost confidence and throw a bucket of cold water on anxiety.
• How to use self-talk to dial things down and keep you focused on the things that promote faster swimming.
• How to build a deadly pre-race routine, and much, much more.

The book comes with page after page of choke-busting techniques and tools that will get you swimming faster than a buttered-up tech suit on race day.

These are just some of the things you will learn in one section of Conquer the Pool.

On top of that, there are the goal setting and practice sections that will help you create ambitious goals (that are also realistic), and give you the tools necessary to crush it in practice, giving you everything you need to slap your personal best times around like they stole your lunch money.

Oh yeah…

Another thing…

Conquer the Pool was also developed with the feedback and input of 200+ top USA Swimming and NCAA division I head coaches, including a whole bunch of Olympians, former world record holders, and NCAA champions.

Interested in learning more?

For more details, click here to learn more about how Conquer the Pool: The Swimmer’s Ultimate Guide to a High Performance Mindset will rock your chlorinated socks off.

ABOUT OLIVIER POIRIER-LEROY

Olivier Poirier-Leroy is a former national level swimmer. He’s the publisher of YourSwimBook, a ten-month log book for competitive swimmers.

He’s also the author of the recently published mental training workbook for competitive swimmers, Conquer the Pool: The Swimmer’s Ultimate Guide to a High Performance Mindset.

It combines sport psychology research, worksheets, and anecdotes and examples of Olympians past and present to give swimmers everything they need to conquer the mental side of the sport.

Ready to take your mindset to the next level?

Click here to learn more about Conquer the Pool.

COACHES & CLUBS: Yuppers–we do team orders of “Conquer the Pool” which includes a team discount as well as complimentary branding (your club logo on the cover of the book) at no additional charge.

Want more details? Click here for a free estimate on a team order of CTP.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Tired of Choking on Race Day? This Book Can Help

By SwimSwam Partner Content on SwimSwam

Courtesy: Swim Topia, a SwimSwam partner. 

Swim Software That Simplifies Running Your Team
SwimTopia has managed to create swim team and meet software that’s perfect for summer swim team admins, who don’t have time to learn complex and cumbersome software. Swim team admins need three things in their software—an intuitive interface, features that are easy to learn and use, and responsive and helpful customer support—and, according to their customers, SwimTopia nails all three.

Intuitive Interface

“We tried a few different team management solutions with various levels of frustration. Swimtopia was the first where the coaches and administrators needed minimal training or instruction. It was very intuitive for them.”

– Michael S., Pinole Seals

Easy to Learn & Use

“Last year, our summer league team adopted SwimTopia and went from four separate registration, email communication, instant communication, and team management systems to one. The functionality is intuitive, mobile and, best of all, easy to learn. Our coaches, reps, and parents have all been very pleased!”

– Jennifer B., Windyrush Dolphins

Exceptional Support

“I can’t imagine life running the swim team without a tool as effective as SwimTopia. SwimTopia’s customer support is fantastic—always responsive and knowledgeable.”

– Joe P., Mt Carmel Hammerheads

SwimTopia’s mission is to eliminate hassle, save time, and—most importantly—to have happy customers. This is why SwimTopia customer support is provided by a team of Customer Happiness Specialists. Many teams have switched to SwimTopia after first trying other solutions. SwimTopia can provide references to customers with experience switching from a solution your team might be using or considering. Just ask.

It’s easy to get started and check out SwimTopia for yourself with a 2-week free trial. SwimTopia’s summer/rec pricing averages to less than $3 per swimmer, per year. There are no setup fees and no hidden fees, and that one low price covers all SwimTopia and Meet Maestro features:

Meet management

• Fully integrated meet management with Meet Maestro
  ($150/year value)
• CTS Dolphin compatibility

Swim team management

• Custom website and hosting
• Online registration
• Meet entry management
• Volunteer management
• Flexible communications—email and push alerts
• Merchandise sales
• Meet and event RSVPs
• Calendar syncing
• Records tracking
• Robust reports

Companion mobile app

• Push notifications for team alerts
• Live event/heat bar
• Family overview
• Live results (with Pro subscription)

Courtesy: SwimTopia, a SwimSwam partner. 

About SwimTopia: Launched in 2011 with a focus on ease-of-use and exceptional support, SwimTopia helps summer and high school swim teams save time and increase fundraising with a modern, cloud-based software platform providing web content management, electronic commerce, online registration, volunteer coordination, team communications, online swim meet entries, meet management, and more. SwimTopia is the flagship product of Austin-based Team Topia Inc.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: SwimTopia – Swim Software That’s Easy to Learn and Use

By SwimSwam Partner Content on SwimSwam

Courtesy: RITTER Sports Performance, a SwimSwam partner. 

This episode of the Swim Coaches Base Podcast is a little different than normal. Typically, Chris Ritter interviews swim coaches and talk shop.

On this episode RITTER Sports Performance thought it was appropriate to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant and specifically highlight lessons he has talked about when it comes to being a coach.

Subscribe to the Swim Coaches Base Podcast

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Kobe discusses how he’s approached coaching his daughter and how even the parents on his daughter’s team were surprised at his approach.

He also talks about how he’s changed over time and the hardest thing that he has had to change.

This episode will help swim coaches evaluate what they can improve as a coach. Enjoy and be sure to subscribe to get the latest episodes of the Swim Coaches Base Podcast.

About RITTER Sports Performance

RITTER Sports Performance helps swimmers go faster and coaches get better, worldwide. Through our online resources on strength training, stroke technique, swim-training, race analysis or nutritional coaching–RITTER is ready to help you take your swimming to the next level. Are you?

CONNECT WITH RITTER SPORTS PERFORMANCE:

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APPLE PODCAST

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^{Ritter Sports Performance is a SwimSwam partner.} 

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Kobe Bryant, the Coach on the Swim Coaches Base Podcast

By Giusy Cisale on SwimSwam

Jeremy Stravius ha annunciato il suo ritiro dal nuoto agonistico.

Il nuotatore francese ha deciso di appendere gli occhialini al chiodo a 31 anni, appena 6 mesi prima di una potenziale terza olimpiade.

Straviusè stato il campione del mondo nel 2011 nei 100 metri dorso, e possiede 3 medaglie olimpiche come parte delle staffette francesi.

Nel 2012 conquistò l’oro nella 4×100 e nella 4×200 metri stile libero maschile.

Alle Olimpiadi di Rio de Janeiro del 2016 salì sul secondo gradino del podio con la staffetta 4×100 metri stile libero maschile.

4 medaglie d’oro ai Campionati del mondo in vasca lunga e 12 ori Europei (4 in lunga ed 8 in corta).

Stravius ha continuato a gareggiare regolarmente. Lo scorso fine settimana ha partecipato all’Euro Meet in Lussemburgo, dove ha chiuso 25° nei 100 metri stile libero (50,87), 6° in finale dei 50 metri farfalla (24,20), e 5° in finale dei 100 metri farfalla (53,09).

La dichiarazione del ritiro arriva dal Courrier Picard:

“Quando sono uscito dall’acqua, sapevo che era l’ultima volta.

Sono arrivato alla fine dell’avventura e sono sollevato di aver preso questa decisione”.

Non l’ho presa alla leggera.

Sono sicuro di me stesso. Avevo raggiunto un punto in cui dovevo fermarmi.

Quando è il momento, è il momento”.

Jeremy Stravius ha anche preso parte alla prima stagione della International Swimming League come componente della squadra DC Trident.

Nella tappa di Napoli, vinse i 50 dorso maschili con il tempo di 23.13.

I campionati francesi si svolgeranno dal 14 al 19 aprile. Sarà l’occasione per qualificarsi per le prossime Olimpiadi di Tokyo.

Nel 2019 Stravius è arrivato sesto nei 100 metri stile libero con il tempo di 48.79. Secondo i criteri di qualificazione francesi, sarebbe stato sufficiente per prendere parte alla staffetta olimpica.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Jeremy Stravius Annuncia Il Ritiro Dal Nuoto

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:  9-12 years old, 13-14 years old, 15-18 years old, 19-22 years old, 23+ years old
• Target level:  Age Group (Advanced), Senior Age Group/ High School State Level, Masters (Intermediate), Masters (Advanced)
• Weeks until target meet:  3 weeks
• Team Location:  Australia
• Course:  25 Meters
• Shared workout link:  Click here to view this workout on commitswimming.com

The Workout

800 FR/BK by 100’s LONG TURNS
8 x
    25 FLY STRONG + SC NO REST
    50 FR SMOOTH AND LONG :10 rest
    25 BR STRONG + SC NO REST
    50 BK SMOOTH AND LONG :15 rest
8 x 100 FR/BK P by 50’s 1:30 (SEE NOTES)
6 x
    25 STROKE STS + SC ~:30 rest
    25 STROKE FAS SP :05 rest
    2 x 25 STROKE STS + SC :15 rest
    100 STROKE K HR 25-26 :15 rest
300 STROKE w PADS
4 x 50 STROKE P w PADS FAST/LONG by 25’s :15 rest
3 x 200 IM K 4:00 (SEE NOTES)

Coach Notes

The swim coach was asked to define any shorthand he or she used in this workout. Their notes should provide some additional context to this swimming workout.

STS – STEPS TO SUCCESS
FLY – 6 FLY K + 2 STROKES NO BREATH SPRINT
BK – 6 FLY K + 4 STROKES SPRINT OFF WALLS
BR – UNDER H2O PULLOUT + 3 STROKES SPRINT
FR – 6 FLY K + 3 STROKES NO BREATH SPRINT

FAS – FROM A START

PETER HOWES
HEAD COACH/ADMINISTRATOR, SWIMLAND SWIM CLUB

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 #55

By SwimSwam on SwimSwam

By Dr. Zachary Hojnacki

How Was Your Race?

Coach: “Good job, how do you feel about that swim?”

Swimmer: *shakes head* “That was terrible.”

Coach: “Why do you feel that way — your stroke technique was strong and efficient, and you executed the race well.”

Swimmer: “Because I added…”

Our program recently traveled across the country from New York to Arizona to compete in a terrific and uniquely formatted competition hosted by Phoenix Swim Club called the Arizona Dual Meet Championships. Aside from the benefits the team travel experience provided for our 14 & under athletes in their developmental process, the dual meet format brought out the best in our kids.  It was a significant departure from the traditional weekend swim meet experience, where the emphasis is often on maximizing the number of events swum and personal best times achieved.  This weekend was instead about racing: fighting for first not only for yourself, but for your team. Competition is pure and fun, and somewhat lacking in today’s swim experience. I believe we have somewhat overcorrected and could benefit as a sport from shifting our emphasis back towards racing.

Where We Got Lost

I suspect that in the early stages of the sport, competition was the primary focus.  Somewhere along the way, coaches and parents encouraged athletes to direct their attention towards improving their personal best times as a means to discourage obsessive comparisons to the success of other athletes, and to instead prioritize self-improvement.  I agree that is a healthy and appropriate mindset, and that constant comparisons to other swimmers is a recipe for constant disappointment and discouragement.

However, it feels as though we have veered off course from what that mindset was originally intended to promote.  Walking around the pool deck, speaking to my own athletes or listening to the conversations of others, times are often the only focus. Evaluation of race outcomes has become binary – drop time = good swim, add time = bad swim. As athletes grow older and less frequently perform their personal bests, their relationship with the sport begins to sour.  Even as they understand that a personal best time is not a realistic expectation at certain phases of the season, there is a tendency to compare times to past seasons or to other swimmers in an effort to project taper times.  If those times don’t meet the swimmers’ expectations, they are quick to panic and self-doubt creeps in. For some, there is a decreased willingness to compete in meets during the phases of training where fast swims are least likely, even as these competitions are important prerequisites for end-of-season breakthroughs.

What We Are Communicating to Young People

Parent: “Nice racing today!  3 out of 4 best times! We just need to fix that backstroke!”

Parent: “What happened out there?  Why were you so far off your best? Is something wrong?”

Coach: *Emphatically* “You dropped 3 seconds!”

As adults, we are culpable here.  Post-race feedback is often littered with discussion about races in terms of total time, proximity to best, etc., rather than objective evaluation on the basis of execution of strategy, technical proficiency, or in the context of training performances and goals.  We reward athletes for achieving personal best times by congratulating them and affirming the accomplishments as if they were solely a reflection of effort. The truth is that personal best times can be accomplished with less than maximal effort and poor execution, while swims slower than your previous best can be effortful and flawlessly performed.

The Stats

I believe that the overemphasis on racing times is somewhat dangerous, particularly for older athletes.  The national average improvement percentage for a 15-16-year-old girl in 2019 was .93%. The picture for 17-18 girls was bleaker still, with an average of negative.3%.When our communications exclusively reward personal bests and demand explanation for swims that fail to meet that criterion, it implies that swimming our best is merely a reinforceable behavior as opposed to a complex and challenging long-term pursuit.  This also suggests failure is always controllable and completely avoidable — which, in a sport where failure is incredibly common, is extremely demoralizing and simply not true.

It is important that our coaching leadership educate athletes on the impact growth and maturation has on performance in swimming, particularly for young girls.  Besides keeping young people enrolled in the sport, perseverance often pays off for those that can transition into strong collegiate athletes. Each year, I sit down with our teenage swimmers to discuss how age and physical maturity may impact short-term outcomes in the near future.  The examples of well-known Olympic athletes below illustrates how drawn out plateaus can be, but also how successfully navigating those challenging phases can pay dividends in the long-term.

Missy Franklin-

200 Bk:

• 12->13: 2% improvement          13->14: 4% improvement
• 14->15: <1% improvement        15->16: 2% improvement (Olympic Qualifier)
• 16->17: <1% improvement (World Record)      1

Cammile Adams-

200 Fly:

• 12->13: 0% improvement         13->14: 6% improvement
• 14->15: <1% improvement       15->16: 0% improvement
• 16->17:<1% improvement        17->20: No improvement (added time)
• 20->23: 3% improvement (Olympic Qualifier)

Let’s Race!

Which brings me back to my original point.  I think it’s time to re-emphasize racing. In swimming, you have an opportunity to compete against seven or more others every time you dive in for a race.  We are built to compete — the human body responds physiologically to competitive demands by providing chemicals that enhance performance. It is often when athletes get caught up in a great battle against the person next to them that they are able to give additional effort and energy that leads to extraordinary performances for both parties.  Competition has a winner and loser, which forces young people to learn how to be both. There is a subtle distinction between confidence and arrogance, or humility and self-deprecation, and we as a society will benefit from cultivating the former of each. Racing also draws attention to realistic expectations for athletes of similar ages and in season phases; as we work to educate our young swimmers on how the competition calendar interfaces with season training plans, we can point to others and note that competing well within your heat is reflective of the fact that you are on the right path.

This shift in tone is important and necessary because our sport is at times brutal and unforgiving.  Swimming requires an incredible sacrifice of time and a comparatively absurd workload to many other sports — and yet the payoffs are often infrequent.  As coaches, our responsibility is to guide the swimmers through the hardest phases of the season so they can see success at the end of the tunnel. I think by encouraging and rewarding racing too, instead of simply performances times, we will find that our swimmers have another way to measure success, and subsequently have more fun and are more motivated as they see progress in one area when the other is stagnant, and vice versa.  More importantly, I think it encourages a healthier relationship with the sport that could address some of the issues of attrition and end-of-career plateau that we too often see.

Coach: “Let’s not obsesses about how much you added or dropped from your personal best.  Let’s discuss your racing splits, technical proficiency, and strategy in relation to recent training markers, the current season phase and your long-term goals. What does this race tell us about how we can continue to improve our daily preparation?”

Parent: “You raced hard today and I’m proud of you. I always love watching you swim.”

Key Takeaways

In my doctoral research at Arizona, I studied the roles that mindfulness and acceptance play in regulating performance under pressure in sports.  There is compelling evidence that suggests that adopting a mindful, non-judgmental approach to daily practice in sports can enhance long-term performance outcomes (Gooding & Gardner, 2009; Thompson et al., 2011; Zhang et al., 2016).  I posit that this is in part because athletes that practice this approach are able to separate their emotional responses from their objective evaluations of performance outcomes and are therefore more likely to learn from failure and remain motivated.  This is a daily approach to sports that leads to more consistency and effort over time, which ultimately is the key to success in anything.  We can contribute to this healthier attitude about performance by being mindful of what we say to young people about their performances, encourage using multiple objective measures to evaluate outcomes. Finally, let’s remember that swimming is not just about times, but also racing.  I think we would all do well to remind ourselves of that.

About Dr. Zachary Hojnacki

Read the full story on SwimSwam: What Happened To Racing?

By SwimSwam on SwimSwam

Courtesy: Indiana Athletics

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana University men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will travel south to take on the Louisville Cardinals on Jan. 31. The meet is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. ET at the Ralph Wright Natatorium.

The meet can be viewed live via ACC Network Extra here.

IN THE RANKINGS

Men’s teams: No. 4 Indiana, No. 10 Louisville

Women’s teams: No. 19 Louisville. No. 21 Indiana

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

The one-day dual meet is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. with 14 swimming events and two diving events.

The order of events for swimming will be 200 medley relay, 1,000 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 200 breaststroke, 500 freestyle 100 butterfly, 200 IM, and 400 freestyle relay.

Diving will run during the meet and during the swimming breaks with both the 1M and 3M events.

HOOSIERS DOMINATE PURDUE IN FINAL HOME DUAL MEET

The IU men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams dominated in-state rivals Purdue by scores of 174-120 (women’s) and 179-112 (men’s) at the Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center on Jan. 25 in front of Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie and his wife, Laurie Burns McRobbie, who both attended the meet as art of the Bicentennial celebration.

The Hoosiers won 23 of the 32 contested events and saw seven individuals win multiple events. Freshman Cora Dupre led the charge with three event victories. The Indiana men have now defeated Purdue in 10-straight dual meets, dating back to the 2009-10 season. The women’s team holds a nine-meet winning streak over the in-state rival.

IU SWIMMING AND DIVING EARNS SCHOLAR ALL-AMERICA HONORS

Both the Indiana men’s and women’s swimming and diving squads were named College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America Teams on Jan. 29. To be selected as a CSCAA Scholar All-America Team, programs must have achieved a grade point average of 3.00 or higher over the fall semester.

GOULD, PEPLOWSKI HONORED BY BIG TEN

Indiana junior diver Mory Gould was named Big Ten Diver of the Week, while sophomore Noelle Peplowski was named Co-Swimmer of the Week on Jan. 15 for their efforts in the Michigan dual. The honors marked the first for each athlete and the first received by a Hoosier since the calendar turned to 2020.

HOOSIERS FALL IN DUAL AGAINST MICHIGAN

For the first time since the 2016 season, the Indiana men’s swimming and diving team was unable to topple the Michigan Wolverines in a dual meet, as Michigan took down both the men’s team (160-140) and the women’s team (186-114) on Jan. 11.

A total of five Hoosiers claimed multiple victories in the meet, highlighted by Mory Gould capturing titles in both diving events and Noelle Peplowski sweeping the breaststroke events. On top of individual event wins, Bruno Blaskovic, Brendan Burns, and Mohamed Samy also helped Indiana coast to a 400 freestyle relay event championship.

BURNS, SAMY NAMED BIG TEN SWIMMERS OF THE WEEK

Indiana University senior Mohamed Samy and freshman Brendan Burns were named Big Ten Swimmer of the Week and Big Ten Freshman of the Week, respectively, the league office announced on Nov. 27, 2019. The honors of the first of the season for each swimmer and the first collected by a Hoosier this season.

IU SPLITS TWO MEETS WITH TEXAS, LOUISVILLE

The Indiana men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams both toppled No. 9/11 Louisville in both the long-course (197-84, 166-115) and short-course (189.5-91.5, 142-139) meets but fell to No. 2/8 Texas (157.5-121.5, 146-134) and (160-118, 168-113) at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center on Nov. 8-9. All six teams competing in the meet were ranked inside the top-20 of the TYR Dual Meet Rankings.

MEN’S TEAM DOMINATES BIG TEN OPPONENTS

The Indiana men’s swimming and diving teams defeated both Iowa (245-55) and Michigan (165-135) at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center the first Saturday in November.

For the second-straight meet, senior Mohamed Samy was electric. He posted three event times inside the top-10 nationally to this point in the season, to include the nation-leading time in both the 100 free (43.20) and the 200 IM (1:44.95) and the fourth-fastest time in the 200 free (1:35.30).

INDIANA PICKS UP THREE WINS AGAINST KNETUCKY, NOTRE DAME
Five Hoosiers combined to win nine individual events and one relay in the season-opening tri-meet against Kentucky and Notre Dame. Sophomore Zane Backes won the 100 and 200 breaststroke, freshman Brendan Burns touched first in the 200 butterfly, junior Gabriel Fantoni took gold in the 100 and 200 backstroke and the 100 fly, and senior Mohamed Samy won the 100 and 200 freestyle plus the 200 IM.

IU defeated UK by a score of 204-96 and ND by a final tally of 219-81.

@IndianaSwimDive

Be sure to keep up with all the latest news on the Indiana men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams on social media – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Indiana Travels To Take On Louisville Friday

By Retta Race on SwimSwam

The nation of Australia finished as runner-up to the United States of America in the overall swimming medal table at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Aussies rounded up a total of 10 medals, composed of 3 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze in Brazil.

Swimming Australia is wasting no time in preparations to potentially improve upon those hardware counts this year in Tokyo, as the nation’s top swimmers will be entering National Event Camp (NEC) season.

Last year there were 7 camps that spanned various disciplines and events, while 2020 brings a total of 8 camps.

Per National Team Head Coach Jacco Verhaeren, who will be leaving Swimming Australia after this Tokyo campaign, said the camps would provide opportunities for collaboration, innovation and to sharpen technical focus in an important year for Australian swimming.

“No one camp is the same and the programs are designed and led by our designated head coaches, which I think is fantastic as it will expose some of the athletes to different training environments as well as collaboration with other athletes from outside their usual training venues,” Verhaeren said.

“Some of the camps will also have a strong focus on relays as our work on the national relay testing program continues to take shape.

“These camps tend to often foster healthy competition and allow athletes to have increased access to event-specific coaching from inside our senior-level programs.

“The athletes from our pathway programs will also have the chance to be exposed to senior international training preparation which they will benefit from.

“The camps will be supported by some of the country’s top sports science and sport medicine professionals who will provide support on innovation for both athletes and coaches.

Coaches to the tune of Dean Boxall, Simon Cusack and Peter Bishop will be among those returning to the National Event Camp fold.

Boxall will be in charge of the women’s 200m freestyle and relay camp at Noosa, while Bishop will work with Craig Jackson of Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre on the men’s 100m free and 200m freestyle and relay camps. Cusack will lead the final camp of the women’s 100m freestyle and relay.

Additional leaders for 2020 include Glenn Baker 0f Southport (backstroke camp), Michael Bohl of Griffith University (butterfly camp), Chris Mooney of Universtiy of Sunshine Coast (breaststroke camp), Vince Raleigh of Brisbane Aquatic Centre.

The usual elite swimming suspects of the Campbell sisters, Emma McKeon, Ariarne Titmus, Emily Seebohm, Elijah Winnington, Kyle Chalmers, Mack Horton and more are among the names detailed below as attending the respective camps. But, these experienced medalists will also be joined by the likes of a younger set, hoping to gain skill and confidence training alongside the top Dolphins.

Among them is Lani Pallister, the Cotton Tree teen trained by her mom who took home 3 individual gold medals from the 2019 World Junior Championships, topping the podium across the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle events.

Elizabeth Dekkers is another young female making waves down under, with the 15-year-old Queenslander firing off a mega lifetime best mark of 2:08.51 in the 200m fly at December’s Queensland Championships.

Heading to the backstroke camp is 16-year-old Joshua Edwards-Smith, a budding star who has also been wreaking havoc on the age record boards. He, too, was at the Queensland Championships last December, lowering his own Age Record in the 200m back to a new mark of 1:57.78.

Still making a comeback of sorts is 21-year-old Jack Cartwright of St. Peters Western. Cartwright dropped out of his nation’s World Championships Trials last year due to a nagging shoulder injury. He doesn’t appear to have raced since August of 2019 at the Queensland Short Course Championships.

At the 2017 World Championships, Cartwright placed 7th in the men’s 100m free, touching in a time of 48.24. The next year he took 2 relay golds on the Gold Coast at the Commonwealth Games. Cartwright registered a split of 47.71, the fastest of the Aussie squad, to contribute to gold in the men’s 4x100m free relay. He also earned gold as a prelims swimmer on the men’s medley.

Quotes courtesy of Swimming Australia.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: On-The-Mend Cartwright Joins Elite & Budding Stars At Aussie Event Camps

By Retta Race on SwimSwam

Last week Fordham University closed out its home schedule with a sweep of Iona, but even before that victory, the squad members could call themselves winners.

Earlier this month during a training camp in Miami, Florida, 3 members of the Fordham University’s men’s swim team helped rescue a swimmer struggling in a riptide, ultimately bringing in the distressed man to safety.

Per The Fordham Observer, sophomore Fordham student-athletes Dillane Wehbe and Connor Wright, along with junior teammate Patrick Wilson, helped retrieve a man in the ocean beyond the safe swimming area marked by a buoy.

“It was just a fight or flight reaction and I got out there and swam to him,” Wehbe said on his instinctual reaction to help the swimmer as the first rescuer to reach him.

Pulling the man from the water was “unbelievably hard,” Wehbe said. “If Connor and Patrick hadn’t come out there, I think I would’ve drowned out there with him.”

The trio of Rams stayed with the near-drowning victim while on-duty beach lifeguards were brought over to assist in recovery. Once ashore, Wright stayed with him while the other two swimmers brought the beach lifeguards over to confirm that there would be no further medical complications.

‘Wehbe, Wright and Wilson are each lifeguards for Sachuest Beach in Rhode Island, Monmouth Beach in New Jersey, and Jones Beach in New York, respectively. This wasn’t any of their first time-saving someone from the water,’ reports The Fordham Observer.

“Doing that as a summer job, you expect stuff like that to happen, but when you’re on the beach with your teammates and you see that, it’s so much harder,” Wehbe said.

Wehbe said the young men received a message from him a few days after saying, “You guys gave me a new life.”

“It was really cool to know that I could do that for someone,” Wehbe said.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Trio Of Fordham University Rams Save Struggling Ocean Swimmer

By Jack McCormick on SwimSwam

Fitter and Faster Swim Camps 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.

Esteban Perez Del Rio, a 2019 graduate of Las Positas College, has announced his intent to continue his athletic and academic career at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) beginning in the fall of 2020. Las Positas College is a member of the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA), a collection of junior colleges located throughout California. Since his graduation last spring he has been training with Tri Valley Aquatics.

I am very excited to join the UNLV Swim Team because it’s a great opportunity to continue my swim career and challenge myself in the highly competitive environment of the NCAA.  UNLV has a great coaching staff that is a perfect fit to help me achieve my goals!  Go Rebels!

Perez left Las Positas as the school record holder in the 100 free (45.01). He also holds top ten times in the 50 free, 200 free and 200 back. At the CCCAA Swim and Dive Championships last May he was the state champion in the 100 free (45.01), as well as finishing fifth in the 200 free (1:42.43). He competed at the Speedo Champions Series-Santa Clarita last summer where he finished 10th in the 50 free (24.03) and 14th in the 100 free (52.69).

Top SCY Times

• 50 free – 20.94
• 100 free – 45.01
• 200 free – 1:42.43

Perez will be joining a UNLV team that finished fifth at last years Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Championships. With his best times, he would have qualified for the B-final of the 100 free, as well as narrowly missing the C-final of the 50 free.

Last season his best times would have put him sixth in the 50 free and fourth in the 100 free on the UNLV team.

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 

Fitter & Faster Swim Camps feature the most innovative teaching platforms for competitive swimmers of all levels. Camps are produced year-round throughout the USA and Canada. All camps are led by elite swimmers and coaches. Visit fitterandfaster.com to find or request a swim camp near you.

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Read the full story on SwimSwam: Winter Juniors Qualifier Esteban Perez Del Rio Sends Verbal to UNLV

By Retta Race on SwimSwam

2020 KONAMI OPEN

• Saturday, February 15th & Sunday, February 16th
• Tatsumi International Swimming Centre, Tokyo, Japan
• LCM
• Meet Information

The 2020 Kosuke Kitajima Cup, which just concluded last weekend, represented the first of a trio of annual high-profile Japanese swimming meets bringing us into the height of the Olympic preparation season.

Along with the Kirara Cup, set for February 7th-9th and the Konami Open, slated for February 15th-16th, the three meets hold extra significance in this Olympic year, giving both veterans and rising swimming stars within Japan additional chances to fine-tune their racing craft before the all-important Japan Swim.

Set for April, the Japan Swim represents the nation’s Olympic Trials and the sole qualification opportunity for athletes to qualify for a home nation-hosted 2020 Summer Olympic Games. An exception to this is Daiya Seto, Japan’s first-ever double IM World Champion.

Olympic medalist Seto clocked a 400m IM winning effort of 4:08.95 and a 200m IM mark of 1:56.14 to top the podium twice last year in Gwangju. His gold medals automatically qualified the versatile star for both events for this year’s Olympic Games, per Japan’s Olympic selection policy.

To bring out the best in the racers competing next month, organizers of the 36th Konami Open have sweetened the pot big-time in terms of incentives, offering up a whopping 30 million yen prize to anyone who breaks a World Record at the meet. That equates to approximately $275,000 for anyone who fires off the fastest time ever in an event, across men’s or women’s races. (Nikkei)

Also up for grabs is a prize worth 5 million yen (approximately $50,000 USD) for any Japanese swimmer who produces a new national record at the meet.

Historically, the Konami Open has seen some stellar performances, including Katsumi Nakamura‘s still-on-the-books 100m free national record of 47.87 from the 2018 edition. At the last Olympic year competition, Rikako Ikee clocked a new World Junior Record of 24.74 at just 15 years of age.

Already this year, 18-year-old Shoma Sato rocked a big-time 2:07.58 200m breast swim to register an unofficial World Junior Record and sit under a second away from Ippei Watanabe‘s national record of 2:06.67 from 2017.

Ageless wonder Ryosuke Irie is also displaying impressive form, nailing a time of 52.59 last week to come within .35 of his own national record in the 100m back.

World Championships silver medalist Katsuhiro Matsumoto is also a name to mention for producing something special, clocking a winning time of 1:45.82 already this year in his signature event of the 200m freestyle.

Along with the Japnese national team, the nation’s World Junior Swimming Championships squad and Junior Elite squad have been invited to this 2-day affair.

With the aforementioned kind of money on the line, in addition to the increased adrenaline infused into Japanese swimmers longing to represent their country this summer on a home stage, anything can happen.

Among Women Invitees:

Tomomi Aoki

Reona Aoki

Chihiro Igarashi

Nagisa Ikemoto

Runa Imai

Yui Ohashi

Waka Kobori

Rio Shirai

Satomi Suzuki

Suzuka Hasegawa

Among Men Invitees:

Shinnosuke Ishikawa

Ryosuke Irie

Naito Ehara

Shinri Shioura

Daiya Seto

Katsumi Nakamura

Yoshida Keisuke

Shoma Sato

Read the full story on SwimSwam: $275,000 USD Offered For World Record Broken At Upcoming Konami Open