The 2017 ISCA Dolfin Jr. National Championship Cup is off and running once again. The meet is being held in the Long Center Pool at the Doyle Aquatic Center in Clearwater, Florida. The meet will take place from March 21-March 25 and will be conducted in a 16 & Under/Open format. Full results are available on Meet Mobile: 2017 Dolfin ISCA Junior Championship Cup.
This year, swimmers from across the nation did not waste any time getting their fast swims in. The Virginia Gators quartet of Emma Muzzy, Caroline Kulp, Olivia Bray and Whittney Hamilton kicked off competition by breaking the 15-16 National Age Group Record in the 200 Medley Relay. Their time of 1:39.21 was enough to surpass the previous record set by SwimMAC.
Just 90 minutes later, the same group of Gator women teamed up to break another National Age Group record in the 200 freestyle relay. Their time of 1:30.99 also eclipsed the mark set by SwimMAC in 2012.
But these were not the only fast swims produced by the Gators Thursday night as 17-year-old Greg Reed handedly won the Open 1,000 freestyle in 8:57.30. This was a nine second drop and gives Reed the fourth-fastest age group time so far this season. Reed took control of the race right from the start, but was steadily trailed by Sarasota Tsunami’s Theodore Smith. Smith dropped six seconds to take the silver medal. Quest Swimming’s Michael Strycker claimed bronze with a time of 9:12.77, an eight second drop for the 17-year-old.
Strycker’s teammate Brennan Doss won the 16 & Under event in 9:17.17. By a narrow margin, Doss was able to hold off Virginia Gators’ Jacob Lawson. Lawson’s seven-second time drop gives him the third-fastest 1,000 so far this season among 15 year olds. At the halfway point, Doss had about a one-second lead over Lawson. But the Gator quickly made a move towards the lead but ran out of room in the end. Ohio State Swim Club’s Spencer Tussing took third in 9:22.95.
Occoquan’s Emily Hetzer claimed gold in the 16 & Under 1,650 for the girls in 16:23.34. This gives her the sixth-fastest time for 16 year olds this year after dropping an impressive 31 seconds from her seed time. She completely controlled the event for this age group as the next closest competitors were over a lap behind her. And Clearwater’s Taylor Ward (16:48.42) and Trident’s Kristen Gullickson (16:54.62) had great swims of their own, showing Hetzer’s dominance here.
The Open mile went to 17-year old Allison Bloeblaum of the Mason Manta Rays. Her 16:23.22 was just enough to edge our Hetzer, as the younger Champion helped her race her way to a near eight-second time drop and twelfth-fastest time this season. H2Okie’s Megan Cummins took second in 17:12.76 while Star Swim Team’s Catherine Van Meter took third in 17:13.74.
While the Virgina Gators stole the show in both relays, the Mason Manta Rays also swam under both meet records as well. The team of Cora Dupre, Hannah Foster, Lauren Olson and Ashley Volpenhein raced to a 1:41.86 in the medley relay for second. The same foursome did likewise in the freestyle relay with a 1:31.59. Foster and Olson swim at 17 years of age while Volpenhein is 18 and Dupre is a young 15.
Enfinity Aquatics took bronze in the medley relay with the team of Kathryn Morrison (17), Makena Markert (17), Olivia Carter (16) and Emily Schoonhagen (17). Carter put in a great 23.88 fly split to keep Enfinity in the mix with an ultimate time of 1:42.61. Rounding out the podium in the freestyle relay for the women was a young team from Greenwood Swimming (1:34.50) including Teresa Ivan (13), Vivian Weng (15), Isabella Song (15) and Kasja Dymek (16). Dymek anchored the relay in a 23.08 to give GS the advantage in the end; Greenwood was also the only relay in the top six with a swimmer under the age of 15.
The men’s relays were also dominated by the Gators. Noah Bowers, Keith Myburgh, Angelo Russo and Khalil Fonder took gold in the medley relay in a meet record time of 1:29.42. The same group took the free relay in 1:22.77.
The Manta Rays took third in the medley relay (1:30.62) and second in the free relay (1:22.91) between the efforts of Carson Foster, Jacob Foster, Ethan Devyak, Adam Chaney and Tim Hagemeister. Ohio State Swim Club’s Colin McDermott, Johannes Kabelka, Benjamin Kuriger and Benjamin Sugar took third in the free relay in 1:22.96 while the latter three teamed up with breaststroker Jason Mathews to win silver in the medley (1:30.58).
Go Ashley! Go Tim! and the rest of the Mason Manta Rays!!!!
Congratulations