Each week, USA Swimming releases their top 20 zone times. Swimming World will provide a unique analysis of each zone. Here you’ll find the zones’ top athletes and top times.
Note: This is the final listing of the 2015 Long Course season.
USA Swimming Eastern Zone
Girls: It should come as no surprise that Joy Jiang of Westchester Aquatic Club posted two new top times for the 11-year old girls. Jiang has her name all over the Eastern Zone’s leaderboard and seems to be notching zone bests every other week. This time, she posted zone bests in the 200-meter fly and 400-meter IM.
For most of the summer Greenwich YWCA’s Megan Lynch shared the top of the 11-year old leaderboard with Jiang. Lynch, however, is now 12, but that didn’t stop her from topping the Eastern Zone’s 12-year old girls’ list. Lynch swam zone bests in the 50-meter breast and 200-meter IM. Cheshire Y/Sea Dog Swim Club’s Ali Tyler (100-meter free) and Pleasantville Aquatics’ Alex Antonov (50-meter free) also sprinted their way to the top of the age group.
Nation Capital’s Cassidy Bayer had an outstanding performance at USA Nationals, which led to three new top times for the 15-year old girls in the 50-meter free and the 100 and 200-meter fly. 16-year old Courtney Harnish of York YMCA set four new top times in the 200 and 400-meter free and the 100 and 200-meter fly. Long Island Aquatic Club’s Margaret Aroesty (200-meter breast) and Berkeley Aquatic Club’s Claire O’Mara (100-meter free) also achieved top times for the age group.
Kacey Oberlander of York YMCA (200-meter back), Kaitlin Harty of Greenwood Memorial Swim Club (100-meter back), Ky-lee Perry of the Wilton Y Wahoos (50-meter free), and Cha O’Leary of Montclair YMCA all topped the 17-year old girls age group.
18-year old sensation Katie Ledecky clocked two more top times at the FINA World Championships in the 200 and 800-meter free. Caroline McTaggart of All Star Aquatics chipped in a zone best in the 50-meter free with a 25.60.
Boys: Amongst 11-year old boys, Justin Singletary of the Mason Makos Swim Team was the only swimmer to hit a new top time in the Eastern Zone. His 29.83 50-meter fly last week set a new mark for the age group.
Dare Rose of Scarlet Aquatics led the charge for the 12-year old boys with three new top times in the 100 and 200-meter free and the 50-meter fly. Brett Feyerick of Nation’s Capital (100 and 200-meter back), Matthew Fallon of Somerset Hills YMCA (200-meter breast), and Aaron Zhu of SOLO Aquatics (50-meter breast and 200-meter IM) also swam new top times.
Josh Cohen of Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA topped the 14-year old boys in the 200 and 400-meter free. Long Island Aquatic Club’s Timothy Marski swam a 4:40.31 400-meter IM to achieve a new top time. Brendan Burns of Upper Main Line YMCA (100-meter fly) and Justin Konik of Star Swimming (800-meter free) put forth zone bests as well.
15-year old phenom Reece Whitley of Penn Charter Aquatic Club pumped out zone bests in the 100 and 200-meter breast at USA Nationals in San Antonio last week. Andrew Abruzzo of Germantown Academy Aquatic Club gutted out top times in the 400 and 1500-meter free. Matthew Hirschberger of Nation’s Capital (400-meter free), Eastern Express Swim Team’s Connor Doyle (200-meter IM), and Max Miranda of the Bluefish Swim Club (400-meter IM) all posted top times for the 16-year old boys.
James William Jones of Nation’s Capital (50-meter free), David Crossland of Delaware Swim Team (100-meter back), Greg Brocato of Central Bucks Swim Team (100-meter fly), Michael Thomas of Upper Dublin (200-meter fly), and Charlie Swanson of NOVA all headlined new top times for the 17-year old boys. Swanson’s teammate Townley Haas cranked out four best free times for the 18-year old boys in the 50, 100, 200, and 400-meter free.
USA Swimming Central Zone
Girls: Aquajets Swim Team’s Sydney Holinka clocked a 2:14.94 to top the 11-year old girls age group in the 200-meter free. Kylie Goit of the Plymouth-Canton Cruisers (200-meter free), her teammate Sophia Tuinman (100-meter back), and Brecken Merkel of Edina Swim Club (100-meter fly) posted zone bests for the 12-year old girls.
Emma Lasecki of Green Bay Swim Club (200-meter fly) and Annika Wagner of Leaning Tower YMCA (200-meter IM) registered new top times for the 13-year old girls. Waves Bloomington teammates Melissa Pish and Grace Ariola produced top times in the 200-meter free and 100-meter back for the 15-year old girls, respectively. Olivia Calegan of the Greater Nebraska Swim Team added a top time in the 100-meter breast for the age group.
Ashley Volpenhein of the Mason Manta Rays blasted a 25.59 to lead the 16-year old girls in the 50-meter free. Meanwhile, Madison Aquatic Club’s Beata Nelson cranked out zone bests in the 100-meter free and 100-meter fly.
En route to her two national championships, Carmel Swim Club’s Claire Adams dominated the 17-year old girls in the 100 and 200-meter back. Her teammate Veronica Burchill posted a zone-best 100-meter fly, while Crown Point Swim Club’s Hannah Kukurugya (200-meter fly) and Ozaukee Aquatics’ Katie Drabot (200-meter free) also added top times.
Livonia Community Swim Club’s Miranda Tucker produced zone bests in the 200-meter breast and 200-meter IM for the 18-year old girls. Lilly King of the Newburgh Sea Creatures cruised to a 1:06.69 zone-topping 100-meter breast.
Boys: James Pan of Aquajets Swim Team provided the only new time for the 11-year old boys with his 2:49.73 200-meter breast. Pan’s teammate Hayden Zheng clocked two new top times for the 12-year old boys in the 50 and 200-meter breast. Rochester Swim Club’s Grafton Parlette also notched two zone bests in the 100-meter free and 200-meter back. Sarpy County Swim Club’s Luke Barr (50-meter back) and Shoreline Lightning Swimming’s Joey Wachter (50-meter free) chipped in zone bests as well.
Black Hawk Area Swim Team’s Dylan Moffat busted out a 16:48.58 to top the 13-year old boys in the 1500-meter free. Meanwhile, Andrew Trepanier of the South Metro Storm posted a top time in the 14-year old boys age group in the 50-meter free.
There were a slew of changes amongst the 16-year old boys, led by Indie Swimming’s Michael Andrew. He popped off top time in the 100-meter back, 100-meter breast, and 200-meter IM. Chandler Bray of Avon Community Swim Team (200-meter breast), Hank Siefert of Coffman YMCA (400-meter free), and Daniel Krueger of the McFarland Spartan Sharks (100-meter free) also added top times to the age group.
Brendan Meyer of the Northern Kentucky Clippers lowered his top marks in the 1500-meter free and 200-meter IM for the 17-year old boys, while Countryside YMCA’s Grant House posted a top time in the 200-meter free.
Joey Reilman of Firestone Akron Swim Team cranked out top times in the 200-meter free and the 100 and 200-meter back for the 18-year old boys. PJ Ransford of Club Wolverine (400-meter free and 1500-meter free) and Justin Plaschka of Irish Aquatics (50-meter free and 100-meter fly) each notched two top times in the zone.
USA Swimming Southern Zone
Girls: Eden Humphrey, 11, of Cardinal Aquatics raced to two top times in the 200 and 400-meter free, while Y-Spartaquatics Swim Club’s Kirsti McEnroe zipped to the top of the 50-meter free.
Ella Marlow of the Greater Tampa Swimming Association swam zone bests in the 100-meter free and 50-meter for the 12-year old girls. Lauren Presley of Southern Crescent Aquatic Team (50-meter breast), Amanda Ray of New Wave Swim Team (100-meter fly), and Annabel Crush of Lakeside Swim Team also notched zone-best times for the age group. Dynamo’s Savannah Mitchell (800-meter free) and Gulliver Swim Club’s Andrea Santander (400-meter free) clocked top distance times for the 13-year old girls.
Gabrielle Kopenski of Texas Ford Aquatics (800-meter free) and Vanessa Pearl of Metroplex Aquatics (200-meter breast) topped the 15-year old girls age group. Lakeside Swim Team’s Brooke Forde, 16, clocked top times in the 200 and 400-meter IM with a 2:14.36 and 4:45.84 in the respective events. City of Mobile Swim Association’s Paige Madden (400-meter free), Lakeside Aquatic Club’s Lauren Pitzer (100-meter free), and Valerie Gruest (800-meter free) all etched their name atop the age group.
Lakeside Swim Team also had two 17-year olds to top their age group this past weekend. Brooke Bauer busted out a 25.79 50-meter free, while Kennedy Lohman zoomed to a 1:09.59 100-meter breast. Lauren Case of Chattahoochee Gold Swim Club doubled up on the fly events, seizing the top times in the 100 and 200-meter races. Nitro’s Karling Hemstreet added a 4:13.74 400-meter free to the mix to put her name atop the age group.
Boys: East Coast Aquatic Club’s Josh Zuchowski nailed two top times in the 50 and 100-meter back for the 11-year old boys. Antony Demott of Blue Tide Swim Team (50-meter free) and Connor Hughes of New Wave Swim Team (1500-meter free) clocked zone bests for the 12-year old boys.
Arik Katz of the Sarasota YMCA Sharks chipped in a 4:16.01 400-meter free to best the 13-year old boys, while Elvis Kotikovski of Azura Florida Aquatic added zone bests in the 100 and 200-meter back. Triton Swimming’s Will Tarvestad posted a 57.44 100-meter fly to top the 14-year old boys. Liam Bell of Dynamo Swim Club (100-meter breast), Lucas Kravchenko of Central Brevard Swimming-Islanders (100-meter back), and Wen Zhang of Dothan Dolphins Swim Team (50-meter free) all posted top times for the age group.
Robert Finke from Saint Petersburg Aquatics gutted out zone bests in the 1500-meter free and 400-meter IM for the 15-year old boys. In the 16-year old boys age group, Nitro’s Sean Grieshop (200 and 400-meter IM) and Chris Yeager (1500-emter free) notched zone bests at USA Nationals. Dynamo’s Michael Taylor also added zone bests at Nationals in the 100 and 200-meter back.
Gator Swim Club’s Nicholas Sweetser pumped out top times in the 200, 400 and 1500-meter free for the 17-year old boys. Benjamin Walker added top times in both IMs, while Zach Harting also put forth two top times in the 100 and 200-emter fly. Ethan Young of Carpet Capital Aquatics Club (100-meter back) and Knox Auerbach of Dynamo (100-meter free) topped the age group as well.
Caeleb Dressel zoomed to two top times in the 50 and 100-meter free at USA Nationals. His 21.53 50-meter free currently sits at third in the world. 18-year olds Justin Ress of the Marlins of Raleigh (100 and 200-meter back), Carlos Claverie (200-meter breast), and Akaram Mahmoud (1500-meter free) rounded out changes atop the Southern Zone.
USA Swimming Western Zone
Girls: Yosemite Marlins Swim Club’s Claire Tuggle ripped off three zone bests in the 100, 200, and 400-meter free for the 11-year old girls. Emily Lundgren of South Bay Aquatics also chipped in a top time in the 200-meter breast.
Swim Neptune’s Asia Minnes also notched a zone-topping trifecta, swimming top times in the 12-year old girls’ 50 and 200-meter breast and 200-meter IM. Brooke Schaffer of Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics zoomed to a top time in the 13-year old girls’ 50-meter free with a 26.61.
Yawen Hou of Mission Viejo rocked two top times in the 200 and 400-meter free for the 16-year old girls. La Mirada Armada’s Taylor Ault (800-meter free), Tualatin Hills Swim Club’s Keaton Blovad (100-meter back), Canyons Aquatic Club’s Nikol Popov (100-meter breast), and Loveland Swim Club’s Morgan Friesen (200-meter breast) also topped the age group’s list.
A trio of girls from the California LSC etched their name atop the 17-year old girls’ list. Sun Shuyu of Mission Viejo (50-meter free) and Emma Schanz of Team Bruin (100-meter back) each added one top time, while Rose Bowl Aquatics’ Kirsten Vose notched three new top times in the 100 and 200-meter breast and 200-meter IM.
Erin Emery of Sandpipers of Nevada (400-meter free) and Kate McLaughlin (200-meter fly) rounded out the new top times in the Western Zone for the 18-year old girls.
Boys: 11-year old Camilo Vargas of Flatiron Athletic Club posted three top times in the 50-meter breast and the 50 and 100-meter fly. Evan Vanbrocklin of Olympus Aquatics (200-meter fly) and Khai Tran of Multnomah Athletic Club (200-meter breast) also produced top times for the age group.
Tyler Lu registered a 29.32 50-meter back to provide the only change atop the 12-year old boys’ list. Winn Aung of Redding Swim Team (50 and 100-meter free) led the 13-year old boys with two new top times. Ethan Dang of King Aquatic Club (100-meter breast) and Andy Huang of Peak Swimming (200-meter IM) also produced new zone bests.
Jarod Arroyo of Wasatch Front Fish Market swam three top times last week in the 200-meter back, 200-meter IM, and 400-meter IM for the 14-year old boys. Bryce Mefford from the Sierra Marlins Swim Team contributed the lone new top time for the 16-year old boys in the 200-meter back.
Maxime Rooney (200-meter free) and Ryan Hoffer (50-meter free and 100-meter fly) provided new zone bests for the 17-year old boys. California Aquatics’ Justin Lynch clocked top times in the 100-meter free and 100-meter fly for the 18-year old boys. Grant Shoults of Mission Viejo (200-meter free), Logan Houck of the Sandpipers of Nevada (1500-meter free), Carson Sand of East Bay Aquatics Association (100-meter breast), Matthew Anderson of Phoenix Swim Club (200-meter breast), and Michael Messner of Santa Clara Swim Club (400-meter IM) also all topped the zone.
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Congrats to our swimmers that made it in the top 20!