By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

2020 Summer Sprint

• July 11-12, 2020
• Brown Deer, Wisconsin
• LCM (50m)
• Results on Meet Mobile: “2020 Summer Sprint”

In his first racing since the Big Ten Championships at the end of February, the NCAA’s fastest 100 yard breaststroker from the 2019-2020 season Max McHugh swam the 50 and 100 meter breaststroke this weekend at a small meet in his home state of Wisconsin.

The meet featured swimmers from 4 Wisconsin teams, with most of the participants coming from the host Schroeder YMCA squad.

McHugh and his older brother Conner, a former NCAA All-American, were the only two representatives from the Door County YMCA Swim Team – a squad coached by their dad Michael.

Max McHugh, who will be a junior at the University of Minnesota next season, had the top times in both of his events, swimming 1:04.89 in the 100 breaststroke and 29.10 in the 50. His older brother Conner swam 1:06.01 and 29.91 in the two events, respectively.

For Conner, the results were his first since December’s US Open.

Max McHugh‘s best times in those events in long course are 27.27 and 1:00.99, respectively. A former member of the USA Swimming Junior National Team, the end of his long course season last summer was interrupted when he and one of his Minnesota teammates were hit by ‘stray gunfire’ in downtown Minneapolis.

He finished his season at a Sectionals, where his swim in the 100 breaststroke ranked him 16th among Americans that season.

His short course results indicated no significant long-term performance impact from the injury, and he hasn’t had many opportunities to swim in long course since. His swims this weekend represent just his 2nd and 3rd official long course races in the last 11 months.

Aside from the McHugh brothers, among the most significant results from the weekend was a win in the 100 fly by 16-year old Jack Lustig in 59.21. That was a 2.7 second improvement over his previous best time of 1:01.95 that was swum in May of 2019.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Max McHugh Swims First Races Since Big Ten Championships in Brown Deer

By SwimSwam Contributors on SwimSwam

SwimSwam welcomes reader submissions about all topics aquatic, and if it’s well-written and well-thought, we might just post it under our “Shouts from the Stands” series. We don’t necessarily endorse the content of the Shouts from the Stands posts, and the opinions remain those of their authors. If you have thoughts to share, please send themtoshare@swimswam.com.

This “Shouts from the Stands” submission comes from Ben Delia, the head swimming coach for Franklin & Marshall College.

Uncertainty rules the roost in 2020. COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Championships for Divisions I and III, and it forced the mid-meet cancellation in Division II. Looking ahead to the 2021 championships, there is still a great deal that we don’t know about what schools, conferences, and the NCAA may allow. While many colleges and universities are poised to attempt a return to in-person, on-campus learning this fall, the fate of athletics is hanging in the balance, especially for non-revenue generating sports like swimming.

Swimming is characterized as a winter sport within the NCAA, with a season approximately corresponding to the short course season. This puts most conference championships and NCAA Championships in the mid-February to late-March time frame. A traditional NCAA season features dual meets in the fall, invitationals around Thanksgiving, training trips in December and January, followed by a resumption of dual meets and then championships in January through March.

Why consider moving swimming to spring sport status for 2021?

The normal travel schedule that takes place during the fall semester of an NCAA swimming season presents an untenable situation in the current Covid-19 era, with too much student-athlete movement from September through the winter flu season. Leaving out the possibility of a second wave, with the resurgence of the first wave, current travel plans are being curtailed for the fall. More schools and conferences are likely to limit or suspend non-essential travel.

Additionally, many colleges and universities are implementing condensed academic semesters with longer than normal break periods in between the fall and spring terms. Few college teams would consider holding their athletes on campus through the entirety of the holiday seasons, so any normal winter season would require coaches and athletes to seek permission from administrators to come and go from campus (possibly several times) during the holiday period when most universities will be seeking to clear out their residents. Doing so would be costly at a time when schools face budget crunches, and would also actively work against the Covid-19 spread mitigation efforts being implemented by administrations. On top of this, the NCAA has already implemented a step by step process for resocialization in sport in this era, which would need to be observed following any resumption from a break.

The rapid escalation of cases around the country creates the reality that campuses that do open in the fall will almost certainly see Covid-19 cases in their student populations. In addition to the obvious safety benefits from forgoing competition during a period of heightened risk, planning now for a spring season avoids the near certainty of cancelling scheduled fall competitions, and can provide for a well thought out and planned spring 2021 competitive phase.

What would a spring season look like?

A normal NCAA swimming season allows for a 144-day official season length for Division I and Division II institutions from start through the conference championships. DI and DII can also begin pre-season workouts on the first day of classes for the academic year. The Division III winter season allows for 19 weeks of official practice leading up to the conference championships. In all divisions, the period between conference meets and the NCAA Championships does not count toward the season length caps.

For this hypothetical exercise, I use a template that contemplates teams returning to campus for the official season phase on January 18th, conference championship meets the week of April 22nd-25th, and NCAA Championships May 19th-22nd. Individual conference schedules typically vary depending on exact championship dates, and from a regional scheduling perspective, it is likely that conference meets would be held across several weekends in mid-April depending on pool availability. At the end of the NCAA Championships qualifying period on April 25th, we then allow for 3.5 weeks to the beginning of NCAA’s, which is the standard length of time from the end of the qualifying period to the beginning of the championships.

For the overall season structure, all three divisions would be allowed to practice only during the fall semester. The entire semester could be the pre-season period for Division I and II, while Division III would be limited to 5-weeks of allowable practicing based on the season outline above. 

Parting Shots

I realize that a spring season may not be ideal for all student-athletes, with coaches and athletes preparing for Olympic Trials in June 2021 having to make tough decisions on whether to compete at a May NCAA Championships. The truth is that those with true Olympic aspirations will be making these decisions whether NCAA’s are held in March or May, and at the end of the day coaches and athletes in this position will choose what is best for their athletes on a case by case basis.

Taking an overall viewpoint, the risks outweigh the benefits when considering intercollegiate competition for fall 2020. We have already seen this in the fall cancellation announcements of several prominent conferences and schools across multiple NCAA divisions. Will January be better than September for the start of the season? The truth is we don’t know, but it is becoming increasingly clear that a September start is not a responsible option. If we want to save our seasons for our teams and athletes, now is the time to take bold action, delay the season start, and plan for a spring 2021 NCAA swimming season.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Shouts From The Stands: NCAA Swimming Should Be a Spring Sport For 2020-21

By Jared Anderson on SwimSwam

USA Swimming has updated its 2020-2021 national events calendar, adding a second Pro Swim Series stop in November and announcing night prelims and morning finals for half of the Pro Swim Series.

2020-2021 Pro Swim Series– Irvine Addition

USA Swimming has announced a sixth stop on its 2020-2021 Pro Swim Series. Irvine, California will host the meet, which comes just one week after the series opener in Richmond. Here’s a look at the new, updated Pro Swim Series schedule for the 2020-2021 season:

• Nov 5-8, 2020: Pro Swim Series at Richmond (Richmond, VA)
• Nov 12-16, 2020: Pro Swim Series at Irvine (Irvine, CA)
• Jan. 13-16, 2021: Pro Swim Series at Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
• March 3-6, 2021: Pro Swim Series at San Antonio (San Antonio, TX)
• April 8-11, 2021: Pro Swim Series at Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo, CA)
• May 12-15, 2021: Pro Swim Series at Indianapolis (Indianapolis, IN)

The two November meets happen on opposite ends of the country, which could allow athletes to limit travel distance during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The remaining five events on the series are still identical to what USA Swimming announced back in April.

Pro Swim Series– Morning Finals For Olympic Prep

The Pro Swim Series will officially flip-flop the traditional prelims/finals model at three of its six stops, holding heats in the evening and finals the following morning. USA Swimming says that decision is meant to mimic the schedule for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, giving top U.S. athletes experience in that format before the Olympics in the summer of 2021. The Olympics will also host evening heats and morning finals to align with television schedules.

Three of the six stops will feature the morning finals schedule:

Evening vs Morning Finals

• Richmond: morning finals
• Irvine: morning finals
• Knoxville: evening finals
• San Antonio: evening finals
• Mission Viejo: morning finals
• Indianapolis: evening finals

There’s no official schedule or start times yet. USA Swimming says those will be announced at a later date.

USA Swimming still notes that its event schedule “will be subject to local, state and federal health guidelines.”

You can see the full USA Swimming national events calendar here.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 20-21 Pro Swim Series Adds Irvine Stop in November With Morning Finals

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

La Salle University head swimming & diving coach Jamie Platt has resigned from his position to take over as the executive director at Middle Atlantic Swimming. Platt has spent the last 18 seasons at Division I La Salle University, including the last 5 as head coach.

Current assistant Sasha Malanina will serve as the interim head coach while the school looks for a permanent replacement for Platt.

With over 11,000 athletes spread across 134 member clubs in Eastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, and Delaware, Middle Atlantic Swimming is the 6th-largest of USA Swimming’s 59 Local Swimming Committees (LSCs). These LSCs function as regional administrative bodies for the sport around the country.

Platt has served as the General Chair of the LSC’s Board of Directors, but will now transition to a full-time, paid position.

In Platt’s final season as head coach of La Salle, the women finished 9th out of 11 teams at the Atlantic 10 Championships and the men finished 4th out of 8 teams.

The program’s best finish during Platt’s tenure as head coach came at the end of the 2016-2017 season, where the La Salle men finished 2nd at the A-10 Championships, just 34.5 points behind George Washington. The men’s team was in the top half of the conference in all but one season of Platt’s leadership.

The women’s team’s best finish was 7th place at the 2019 championships.

“We are excited about this new opportunity for Jamie with Middle Atlantic Swimming,” Director of Athletics and Recreation Brian Baptiste said. “Jamie spent nearly two decades positively impacting the lives of student-athletes at La Salle University. We want to thank him for his service, and wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.”

He recruited international student-athletes from 12 countries, mentored three A-10 Rookies of the Year and two US Olympic Trials qualifiers (Blase Szyszko ’13 competed in the 100 & 200 Breaststroke events in 2012, and Mattias Glenesk ’17 competed in the 1500 freestyle in 2016).

“La Salle Swimming & Diving has been a part of my life since my brother Bill joined the program in 1991. I was in awe of a team that cared for each other, supported each other and made each other better people and athletes,” Platt said. “Leaving this program – that still has that same caring culture – was not an easy decision, but the opportunity that Middle Atlantic Swimming presented was one I felt I couldn’t pass up. La Salle will always hold a special place in my heart, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for both programs – just from the stands now, not the pool deck. I know the best is yet to come.”

His brother Bob Platt is the Records Coordinator in the LSC.

There are now 6 NCAA Division I programs that have not announced permanent head coaches. Besides La Salle, that list includes Pepperdine, Cal Poly, Wisconsin – Green Bay, Siena College, and UNC Wilmington. Wisconsin – Green Bay (Eddie Gillie) and Pepperdine (Jana Vincent) have interim head coaches who led the team for most or all of last season.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Jamie Platt Resigns as Head Coach at D1 La Salle University

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

The Patriot League has become the second NCAA Division I conference to announce that it will cancel its fall athletics season as a result of uncertainty with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The ruling exempts Navy and the Army-West Point programs “because (they) are unique in their environments and their missions within higher education.”

The league, which includes 10 schools in the Northeastern United States, joins the Ivy League, which made a similar announcement last week.

Decisions relating to winter sports, like swimming & diving, and spring sports will be made at a later date.

Patriot League Announced Plan for Athletics

• Patriot League teams will not engage in competition in the fall season (championship and non-championship);
• Decisions surrounding winter and spring sport competition will be made at a later date; and,
• The opportunity for conditioning, strength training and other practice opportunities in all sports will be permitted provided health and safety conditions support such activities.

Significantly, Army-West Point is independent in football and Navy competes in the American Athletic Conference in football, meaning the cancellation only applies to the 8 programs that participate in Patriot League football.

This is significant as Patriot League schools, like many mid-majors, have taken big financial hits as a result of the Big Ten and Pac-12 announcing that they won’t play any non-conference sporting games in several sports, including football, in 2020. Mid-major programs derive significant revenue from traveling to play against Power 5 programs.

While more cancellations are expected to come, Army’s current schedule includes only one team, Princeton, that has announced it won’t be playing this fall. Navy doesn’t have any opponents on their 2020 schedule yet that have said they won’t play.

One men’s varsity water polo program, Bucknell, will be impacted by the decision. The Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) says that they have been notified that Bucknell will not compete this fall. Navy also fields a men’s water polo team, which should be able to compete.

The Bucknell men finished last season with a 23-9 record last season, including 7 wins against top 20 opponents. The team advanced to the NCAA tournament, beating #9 Harvard 13-12 in the opening round before losing to #2 USC 15-9 in the national quarterfinals. Bucknell finished the season ranked #10 in the CWPA men’s national varsity poll.

Bucknell is also the defending MAWPC conference champions.

In swimming, the Navy men have won the last 17 consecutive league titles, while the women have won 10 consecutive titles.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Patriot League Cancels Fall Sports, Except for Army & Navy

By Nick Pecoraro on SwimSwam

French Olympic gold medalist and short course World Record-holder Amaury Leveauxmissed a doping test on Monday. This missed test occurred nearly 2 years after his September 2018 comeback from a 5-year retirement. The swimmer posted about the “unexpected” incident via Instagram on Monday morning.

According to Article 2.4 of the World Anti-Doping Code, if an athlete misses three tests and (or) a combination of the lack of notification of cases, as defined in the international standard for testing and research, during a twelve-month period, it is considered anti-doping rule violation.

In February 2020, 2012 Olympic champion Ruta Meilutyte was banned for 2 years after missing three doping tests in a 12-month period; this same violation led to a 12-month ban for Australia’s Thomas Fraser-Holmes in 2017.

Levaux posted about the missed test, with a laugh, on his Instagram account on Monday. He is currently training in Mulhouse, France.

French Translation— My head when I missed the unexpected doping control at home this morning. (I have no doorbell in my @airbnb and my phone is silent at night) Otherwise good week anyway

By SwimSwam Contributors on SwimSwam

SwimSwam welcomes reader submissions about all topics aquatic, and if it’s well-written and well-thought, we might just post it under our “Shouts from the Stands” series. We don’t necessarily endorse the content of the Shouts from the Stands posts, and the opinions remain those of their authors. If you have thoughts to share, please send themtoshare@swimswam.com.

This “Shouts from the Stands” submission comes from Ben Delia, the head swimming coach for Franklin & Marshall College.

Uncertainty rules the roost in 2020. COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Championships for Divisions I and III, and it forced the mid-meet cancellation in Division II. Looking ahead to the 2021 championships, there is still a great deal that we don’t know about what schools, conferences, and the NCAA may allow. While many colleges and universities are poised to attempt a return to in-person, on-campus learning this fall, the fate of athletics is hanging in the balance, especially for non-revenue generating sports like swimming.

Swimming is characterized as a winter sport within the NCAA, with a season approximately corresponding to the short course season. This puts most conference championships and NCAA Championships in the mid-February to late-March time frame. A traditional NCAA season features dual meets in the fall, invitationals around Thanksgiving, training trips in December and January, followed by a resumption of dual meets and then championships in January through March.

Why consider moving swimming to spring sport status for 2021?

The normal travel schedule that takes place during the fall semester of an NCAA swimming season presents an untenable situation in the current Covid-19 era, with too much student-athlete movement from September through the winter flu season. Leaving out the possibility of a second wave, with the resurgence of the first wave, current travel plans are being curtailed for the fall. More schools and conferences are likely to limit or suspend non-essential travel.

Additionally, many colleges and universities are implementing condensed academic semesters with longer than normal break periods in between the fall and spring terms. Few college teams would consider holding their athletes on campus through the entirety of the holiday seasons, so any normal winter season would require coaches and athletes to seek permission from administrators to come and go from campus (possibly several times) during the holiday period when most universities will be seeking to clear out their residents. Doing so would be costly at a time when schools face budget crunches, and would also actively work against the Covid-19 spread mitigation efforts being implemented by administrations. On top of this, the NCAA has already implemented a step by step process for resocialization in sport in this era, which would need to be observed following any resumption from a break.

The rapid escalation of cases around the country creates the reality that campuses that do open in the fall will almost certainly see Covid-19 cases in their student populations. In addition to the obvious safety benefits from forgoing competition during a period of heightened risk, planning now for a spring season avoids the near certainty of cancelling scheduled fall competitions, and can provide for a well thought out and planned spring 2021 competitive phase.

What would a spring season look like?

A normal NCAA swimming season allows for a 144-day official season length for Division I and Division II institutions from start through the conference championships. DI and DII can also begin pre-season workouts on the first day of classes for the academic year. The Division III winter season allows for 19 weeks of official practice leading up to the conference championships. In all divisions, the period between conference meets and the NCAA Championships does not count toward the season length caps.

For this hypothetical exercise, I use a template that contemplates teams returning to campus for the official season phase on January 18th, conference championship meets the week of April 22nd-25th, and NCAA Championships May 19th-22nd. Individual conference schedules typically vary depending on exact championship dates, and from a regional scheduling perspective, it is likely that conference meets would be held across several weekends in mid-April depending on pool availability. At the end of the NCAA Championships qualifying period on April 25th, we then allow for 3.5 weeks to the beginning of NCAA’s, which is the standard length of time from the end of the qualifying period to the beginning of the championships.

For the overall season structure, all three divisions would be allowed to practice only during the fall semester. The entire semester could be the pre-season period for Division I and II, while Division III would be limited to 5-weeks of allowable practicing based on the season outline above. 

Parting Shots

I realize that a spring season may not be ideal for all student-athletes, with coaches and athletes preparing for Olympic Trials in June 2021 having to make tough decisions on whether to compete at a May NCAA Championships. The truth is that those with true Olympic aspirations will be making these decisions whether NCAA’s are held in March or May, and at the end of the day coaches and athletes in this position will choose what is best for their athletes on a case by case basis.

Taking an overall viewpoint, the risks outweigh the benefits when considering intercollegiate competition for fall 2020. We have already seen this in the fall cancellation announcements of several prominent conferences and schools across multiple NCAA divisions. Will January be better than September for the start of the season? The truth is we don’t know, but it is becoming increasingly clear that a September start is not a responsible option. If we want to save our seasons for our teams and athletes, now is the time to take bold action, delay the season start, and plan for a spring 2021 NCAA swimming season.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Shouts From The Stands: NCAA Swimming Should Be a Spring Sport For 2020-21

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

Hong Kong Swimming Time Trial

• Saturday, July 11
• Hong Kong Sport Institute, Hong Kong, China

The Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association (HKASA) held a time trial on Saturday that featured its top swimmers suiting up and racing off the blocks.

Among the highlights were near-lifetime bests from the country’s best swimmer, Siobhan Haughey.

Haughey, who competed for the University of Michigan in the US from 2015 through 2019 swam 24.92 in the 50 free and 53.44 in the 100 free. Those are just off her best times of 24.85 and 53.30, respectively.

Her 53.30 best time in the 100 free came in early March at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Des Moines, Iowa. That time is also the Hong Kong National Record. Shortly after that meet, as travel restrictions fell into pace around the world related to the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic, Haughey returned home to her native Hong Kong.

At last summer’s World Championships in Gwangju, Haughey finished tied for 10th in the 100 free and 4th in the 200 free. She followed that up with Hong Kong Records in the 50 free, 100 free, 200 free, 50 breast, and 200 breast during the International Swimming League season. She also cleared the National Record in the 200 IM, but that result wasn’t ratified.

Also at the meet, her University of Michigan teammate Jamie Yeung swam 1:10.94 in the 100 breaststroke.

Rick Bishop, an associate head coach at the University of Michigan, has been coaching the pair remotely, writing workouts and reviewing training videos while they are in Hong Kong. Prior to the total shutdown, they were doing dryland training and lake swims in wetsuits in Michigan. Bishop expects that they’ll both be back in Ann Arbor training in mid-August.

Watch Siobhan Haughey‘s 100 free race video below:

Watch Jamie Yeung‘s 100 breast race video below:

SwimSwam is working on obtaining full results from the event.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Siobhan Haughey Swims 24.9 and 53.4 Freestyles (LCM) at Hong Kong Time Trial

By Nicole Miller on SwimSwam

Renowned Indiana high school swim coach David Dunlap died on July 11 at the age of 78.

During his coaching career, Dunlap coached the boys team at South Bend Jackson High School from 1967 until 1975, when it merged with Riley High School. He continued on as the head coach at Riley until his retirement in 1995.

His teams won state championships in 1978, 1986, and 1995; in addition, they finished in the runner-up position seven times: 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, and 1983.

His teams also earned a total of 22 sectional titles, and produced 23 individual and relay state champions. Under Dunlap, seventeen swimmers and five relays earned All-American status, while three swimmers earned honorable mentions.

For his accomplishments, he won the Indiana Coach of the Year award three times: 1971, 1978, and 1986, while also being named the runner-up for the National Coach of the Year in 1979. In 2001, Dunlap was named the recipient of the NISCA Outstanding Service Award, which earned his name in the Swimming Hall of Fame. 

In 2018, the pool at Riley High School was renamed the David Dunlap Natatorium in his honor.

“As far as longevity and history, no one can match the level of consistent success on all levels that Dave produced,” Riley’s current athletic director Seabe Gavin commented on Dunlap’s legacy said. “As a lifelong South Bend guy, I’ve seen some of the best come through here. None of them can match what he did over such a long time frame.”

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Renowned Indiana High School Coach David Dunlap Dies at the Age of 78

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

La Salle University head swimming & diving coach Jamie Platt has resigned from his position to take over as the executive director at Middle Atlantic Swimming. Platt has spent the last 18 seasons at Division I La Salle University, including the last 5 as head coach.

Current assistant Sasha Malanina will serve as the interim head coach while the school looks for a permanent replacement for Platt.

With over 11,000 athletes spread across 134 member clubs in Eastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, and Delaware, Middle Atlantic Swimming is the 6th-largest of USA Swimming’s 59 Local Swimming Committees (LSCs). These LSCs function as regional administrative bodies for the sport around the country.

Platt has served as the General Chair of the LSC’s Board of Directors, but will now transition to a full-time, paid position.

In Platt’s final season as head coach of La Salle, the women finished 9th out of 11 teams at the Atlantic 10 Championships and the men finished 4th out of 8 teams.

The program’s best finish during Platt’s tenure as head coach came at the end of the 2016-2017 season, where the La Salle men finished 2nd at the A-10 Championships, just 34.5 points behind George Washington. The men’s team was in the top half of the conference in all but one season of Platt’s leadership.

The women’s team’s best finish was 7th place at the 2019 championships.

“We are excited about this new opportunity for Jamie with Middle Atlantic Swimming,” Director of Athletics and Recreation Brian Baptiste said. “Jamie spent nearly two decades positively impacting the lives of student-athletes at La Salle University. We want to thank him for his service, and wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.”

He recruited international student-athletes from 12 countries, mentored three A-10 Rookies of the Year and two US Olympic Trials qualifiers (Blase Szyszko ’13 competed in the 100 & 200 Breaststroke events in 2012, and Mattias Glenesk ’17 competed in the 1500 freestyle in 2016).

“La Salle Swimming & Diving has been a part of my life since my brother Bill joined the program in 1991. I was in awe of a team that cared for each other, supported each other and made each other better people and athletes,” Platt said. “Leaving this program – that still has that same caring culture – was not an easy decision, but the opportunity that Middle Atlantic Swimming presented was one I felt I couldn’t pass up. La Salle will always hold a special place in my heart, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for both programs – just from the stands now, not the pool deck. I know the best is yet to come.”

There are now 7 NCAA Division I programs that have not announced permanent head coaches. Besides La Salle, that list includes Pepperdine, Cal Poly, Wisconsin – Green Bay, Siena College, UMass, and UNC Wilmington. Wisconsin – Green Bay (Eddie Gillie) and Pepperdine (Jana Vincent) have interim head coaches who led the team for most or all of last season.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Jamie Platt Resigns as Head Coach at D1 La Salle University

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:  13-14 years old
• Target level:  Age Group (Advanced)
• Weeks until target meet:  4 weeks
• Team Location:  United States
• Course:  25 Yards
• Shared workout link:  Click here to view this workout on commitswimming.com

The Workout

400
6 x 100 Threshold 1:40
4 x 50 K 1:00
6 x 50 Choice 1:00
6 x 25 Sprint :40
100 Easy

6 x 50 1:00 Fast in and Out of Turns
6 x 100 50 Drill (1-arm Free alternate each 25 / 50 Swim Free 1:40
12 x 25 Best Average Sprint :35

10 x 50 Kick 25 Over-Kick 25 Steady Kick 1:00
10 x 50 Pull w/ Paddles :55

6 x 50 Easy

Ryne Drogemuller
Head Site Coach, Aqua 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 #152

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

Jeremy Kipp has added one more name to the newly-constructed swimming & diving coaching staff at USC, and it’s a big one in Pac-12 circles.

Lea Maurer has been named the program’s new associate head coach. Maurer, a 1992 Olympic gold and bronze medalist and 1998 World Champion, was the head coach of the women’s program at Stanford from 2005 through 2012. During her time there, she led the program to 7 consecutive top 5 finishes at the NCAA Championships and back-to-back Pac-10 titles in 2010 and 2011.

While she was the head coach at Stanford, the team’s highest NCAA Championship finish came in 2010, where she placed 2nd. In one of the closest NCAA Championship finishes ever, the Cardinal finished just 2.5 points behind the champion Florida Gators.

In total, her swimmers won 13 NCAA event titles, 37 conference event championships, and 163 All-America honors. The Stanford women were 66-5 in dual meets while Maurer was the head coach.

Among the individual talents she coached included Elaine Breeden and Julia Smit, who combined to win 3 relay medals at the 2008 Olympics, in addition to coaching names like American Record holder Tara Kirk.

Stanford finishes at the NCAA Championships under Lea Maurer‘s Tenure:

• 2006 – 5th place (209 points)
• 2007 – 4th place (333 points)
• 2008 – 3rd place (343 points)
• 2009 – 4th place (312.5 points)
• 2010 – 2nd place (279.5 points)
• 2011 – 4th place (272 points)
• 2012 – 4th place (318 points)

Maurer resigned from Stanford in 2012 to “spend more time with her family,” but she wasn’t away from the pool deck at the Avery Aquatic Center for long. Since 2013, she has served as a volunteer assistant with the men’s water polo team at Stanford. The Stanford men’s water polo team is the defending NCAA Champion.

Kipp has now announced 3 assistant coaches on his swimming staff at USC. That’s as many as the school carried under the prior staff led by Dave Salo, who resigned at the end of last season, though it’s one short of the NCAA maximum.

USC Announced Staff So Far:

• Jeremy Kipp– head coach (new hire)
• Lea Maurer– associate head coach (new hire)
• Meghan Hawthorne– assistant coach (came with Kipp from Northwestern, and prior to that Boise State)
• Chase Bloch– assistant coach (holdover from Dave Salo’s staff)

As an athlete, Maurer won an Olympic gold medal at the 1992 Games as the leadoff leg of the American women’s 400 medley relay. She also took a bronze medal that year individually in the 100 back.

6 years later, at the 1998 World Championships, she won the 100 backstroke and added a 400 medley relay gold. Those world titles added to a silver in the 400 medley relay at the 1994 World Championships.

She started her college racing career at the University of Florida before transferring to Stanford. On “The Farm,” she was a member of the Stanford NCAA Championship teams in 1992, 1993, and 1994. As an individual, she was a 3-time NCAA Champion in the 100 back and 1-time NCAA Champion in the 200 back. She was a member of the USA Swimming National Team until 2000.

After retiring, she became an assistant coach at Northwestern (which was Kipp’s last stop as head coach before USC). From 1995 through 2005, she coached the boys’ and girls’ swim teams at Lake Forest High School. There, she led the girls’ team to State Championships in 2002 and 2003 and the boys’ team to a state title in 2003. Among the swimmers she coached there were eventual Olympic gold medalist Matt Grevers.

Maurer is married to Erik Maurer, who is also a former Stanford swimmer, and their son Luke is committed to begin his college career competing for the Cardinal this fall.

In February, the Trojan women finished in third place with 1,212 points, just 12.5 points behind Cal, the 2019 NCAA runner-ups, for the title. The USC men finished last at the 2020 Pac-12 Championships.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Former Stanford Head Coach Lea Maurer Joins USC Staff as Associate Head Coach

By Torrey Hart on SwimSwam

Former Cal distance standout and U.S. National Team member Catherine Breed took 45 minutes off the previous women’s record for a round trip swim to Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay Monday morning.

The course begins at San Francisco’s Aquatic Park, and most swimmers go clockwise around the island. The route crosses two major shipping channels (going out and coming back, so really, four times) and is largely cross-current.

Breed completed the 10-mile swim in 4:45:50, well under Erika Shanahan Gliebe‘s 5:30:01 record from just last month (still pending ratification). In 1984, Dave Kenyon became the first swimmer to complete the route, and still holds the men’s record at 4:23.08. In 2013, Cathy Delneo became the first woman to complete the round trip Angel Island swim; Breed is the 24th swimmer in history to do it.

Breed is also the current record-holder, for all genders, for swimming the length of Lake Tahoe (~21.3 miles – 8:56:17). Since starting to do open water swimming in 2017, she’s also swum the English Channel and North Channel.

Breed had been wanting to do the Angel Island swim for three years, she wrote on Instagram Monday. She added that conditions were windy and the current was stronger than expected at the end of the swim.

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After 3 years of wanting to do this one, I finally knocked it off and broke the

By Bailey Duran 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.

Matt Steele, an incoming high school senior from Atlanta, Georgia, has committed to swim for Division I Georgia Tech. Steele will graduate from North Atlanta High School in spring 2021 and join the Yellow Jacket’s class of 2025.

Steele currently trains with the SwimAtlanta mega-club. He is a Futures and Junior Nationals qualifier who placed 3^rd in both the 100 breaststroke (57.29) and 200 IM (1:51.16) at the 2020 GHSA 6-7A State Championships.

“I am extremely excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my swimming and academic career at Georgia Tech! I would like to thank my coaches, family, and friends for guiding me in this process and for helping me achieve my goals in and out of the water. Go Jackets

By SwimSwam Partner Content on SwimSwam

Goalie Mental Awareness

You are watching Water Polo Tips courtesy of KAP7.

Too see all KAP7 Water Polo Tips, go here. 

ABOUT KAP7

Read the full story on SwimSwam: KAP7 Water Polo Tips: Goalie Mental Awareness

By Giusy Cisale on SwimSwam

Amaury Raymond Leveaux, è il detentore del record del mondo dei 100 metri stile libero in vasca corta con il tempo di 44″94. Ai Giochi Olimpici di Pechino conquistò  la medaglia d’argento nella staffetta 4×100 e nei 50m stile libero. L’11 agosto 2008, ai Giochi Olimpici di Pechino, ha stabilito il record europeo in 3’08″32 nella staffetta 4x100m stile libero, insieme a Alain Bernard, Frédérick Bousquet e Fabien Gilot.

Alle Olimpiadi di Londra, nel 2012, conquistò l’oro olimpico con la staffetta 4×100 metri stile libero maschile. Nella 4×200 salì sul secondo gradino del podio.

Lunedì ha saltato un test antidoping, quasi 2 anni dopo il suo ritorno da una pausa di 5 anni. Il nuotatore ha pubblicato l’incidente “inaspettato” via Instagram lunedì mattina.

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Ma tête quand j’ai loupé le contrôle anti dopage inopiné chez moi ce matin. (J’ai pas de sonnette dans le @airbnb et mon tel en silencieux la nuit) Sinon bonne semaine quand même

By Giusy Cisale on SwimSwam

HONG KONG SWIMMING TIME TRIAL

• Saturday, July 11
• Hong Kong Sport Institute, Hong Kong, China

La Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association (HKASA) ha tenuto una prova a cronometro sabato. I migliori nuotatori della nazione si sono ritrovati finalmente dietro i blocchi di partenza.

Tra i momenti salienti vi è stata l’entrata in acqua della migliore atleta del paese, Siobhan Haughey.

Haughey, che ha gareggiato per l’Università del Michigan negli Stati Uniti dal 2015 al 2019, ha nuotato 24,92 nei 50 stile libero e 53,44 nei 100. I suoi primati personali sono rispettivamente, 24,85 e 53,30.

Il personale sui 100 di 53,30 è astato realizzato durante la tappa a Des Moines della TYR Pro Swim Series, Il tempo è anche il record nazionale di Hong Kong. Poco dopo, con le restrizioni di viaggio che si registravano in tutto il mondo a causa della pandemia di coronavirus, la Haughey è tornata a casa nella sua nativa Hong Kong.

Ai Campionati del Mondo della scorsa estate a Gwangju, Haughey ha chiuso al 10° posto nei 100 stile. Nei 200 toccò per quarta nella finale. Detiene i record nazionali di Hong Kong nei:

• 50 stile
• 100 stile libero
• 200 stile libero
• 50 metri rana
• 200 metri rana
• 200m misti (non ratificato)

SIOBHAN HAUGHEY– VIDEO 100 STILE LIBERO

SIOBHAN HAUGHEY BEST TIMES

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Siobhan Haughey Nuota Ad Un Decimo Dai Personali In Una Prova Tempo

By Spencer Penland on SwimSwam

For the past few months, SwimSwam has been posting a daily swimming workout to help inspire swim coaches around the world who are looking for new ideas to try with their swimmers. Since most of the world’s pools are currently closed for business, we wanted to give swimmers and coaches an alternative set of dryland workouts to use to stay fit during the quarantine. These workouts will be designed to be done around the house. Some will use basic equipment, like medicine balls or stretch cords, while others will be all body-weight exercises.

These workouts are provided for informational purposes only.

See more at-home training ideas on our At Home Swim Training page here

UPPER BODY DAY

As swimmers around the world are preparing for a gradual return to the pool, it’s time to start honing in our dryland workouts with some moves more specific to swimming (though, general fitness will continue to benefit you even once you are back in the water). Today’s workout will be an upper body day.

WARMUP

• 5-10 minutes of whole body stretching
• 30 seconds arm circles
• 30 seconds leg swings
• 30 seconds jumping jacks

WORKOUT:

Round 1

• 15 regular pushups
• 60 seconds jumping jacks
• 15 bench/chair dips
• 60 seconds jog in place

Take 1 minute rest

Round 2 

• 15 burpees
• 60 seconds jumping jacks
• 15 diamond pushups
• 60 seconds high knees

Take 1 minute rest

REPEAT WORKOUT 4 MORE TIMES

COOLDOWN:

Remember to get some protein within 30 minutes of concluding the workout, and remember to drink plenty of water.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Daily Dryland Swimming Workouts #113 – Arm Day

By Karl Ortegon 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.

Summit Branch YMCA’s Will Hedges has verbally committed to Bucknell University in the Patriot League. A rising senior at Summit High School in New Jersey, Hedges joins Bucknell’s class of 2025.

I am thrilled to announce my commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at Bucknell University! Thank you to the Coaches who believed in me and followed me through my junior year and trust me to join their Class of 2021! Thank you to my family, High School and Club Coaches as well as my teammates who have helped me from the beginning! GO BISON!

TOP TIMES (SCY)

• 100 breast – 57.02
• 200 breast – 2:06.96
• 200 IM – 1:56.56

At the 2020 New Jersey HS Meet of Champions, Hedges placed fifth for Summit High School in the 100 breast in a lifetime best 57.02. He also split 26.01 swimming breast on their 200 medley relay, which placed 10th.

With Summit YMCA, Hedges has made YMCA Nationals finals on multiple occasions. At the 2019 Y-Nats in long course, Hedges was 12th in the 50 breast (30.32), 13th in the 100 breast (1:07.09) and 18th in the 200 breast (2:27.19).

Last year, Hedges would’ve been Bucknell’s #3 breaststroker at both distances. The Bison return their top two breaststrokers from last season, Ryaan Hatoum and George Rump; both were just freshmen last year. Hedges would’ve joined them in B-finals of both breaststroke events at the 2020 Patriot League Champs, where Bucknell finished fourth of 10 teams.

Hedges appears to be Bucknell’s first publicly announced male 2025 commit.

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.

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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: Bucknell Picks Up Summit (NJ) Breaststroker Will Hedges for Class of 2025

By Nick Pecoraro on SwimSwam

On Friday, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) announced a plan to slightly postpone the fall high school sports season, which includes girls’ tennis, football, girls’ volleyball, cross-country, field hockey, gymnastics, and soccer. The fall season was originally set to start in the beginning of September, but the NJSIAA now has a plan to have regular-season games kick off by early October and end by November 22nd.

The 2019 fall season had all sports practices begin on August 12th, with boys’ football practices beginning on the 14th. The regular season began on September 3rd while cross-country and boys’ football regular season play began on the 6th. All sports’ post-season play ended by November 30th, with swimming and diving practices beginning on December 1st.

According to the NJSIAA Sports Advisory Task Force’s Return to Play plan, official practices for all fall sports will start on September 14th. Girls’ tennis is first scheduled to begin on September 28th, while all other sports with the exception of football will begin October 1st. Boys’ football is set to begin on October 2nd. From this postponement, girls’ tennis regular season is expected to finish Oct. 23rd, with post-season play ending by the end of the month.

Boys’ football regular season play will then end Nov. 7th, followed by all remaining sports’ regular seasons ending on Nov. 12th.

While an exact plan for post-season play has not been finalized, the NJSIAA says that it will likely be a scaled-back version as compared to most years, with more local competition.

A memo from the NJSIAA Sports Advisory Task Force to member schools stated: ‘This plan is the first model to be provided in what will be a series of return to play models that will be in place for the 2020-2021 school year. The goal of the task force is to identify multiple back-up models that will be available as both school-related and health-related circumstances evolve.” Any other decision and/or change that could be implemented will be made by Aug. 28th.

No word has been said on winter sports, which include swimming and diving. As of July 3rd, New Jersey began to open indoor pools at 25% capacity, along with outdoor pools held at half capacity.

NJSIAA builds on Return To Play plan, provides updates on fall sports season https://t.co/sktRjDi7xA#ReturnToPlaypic.twitter.com/A7l5uRDhRw

— NJSIAA (@NJSIAA) July 10, 2020

Read the full story on SwimSwam: New Jersey to Postpone Fall HS Sports Start By One Month, No Word on Swimming