2016 PV National Age Group Team Challenge

By Reach for the Wall staff.

The 2016 Potomac Valley National Age Group Team Challenge (NAG), hosted by the Rockville-Montgomery Swim Club (RMSC) this past weekend at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Swim Center, produced some blistering fast times in the young 2016-17 winter (short course yards) season.  Five teams competed at this meet (Delaware Swim Team (DST), Long Island Aquatic Club (LIAC), Nation’s Capital Swim Club (NCAP), Nova of Virginia Aquatics (NOVA) and RMSC), each team could enter up to 3 swimmers in each event, and each swimmer could compete in up to 4 individual events (and as many relays as offered in their age group).   NCAP won the combined team score, followed by RMSC and NOVA.

A number of NAG meet records were broken at the meet, including the following in individual events:

• 3 records broken
  • Caitlin Horning (10 years old – DST) in 100 back, 100 fly, 200 IM
  • Adriano Arioti (10 years old – RMSC) in 100 free, 100 back, 200 IM
  • Erin Gemmell (11 years old – NCAP) in 50 free, 100 free, 200 free
  • Grace Sheble (13 years old – NOVA) in 200 breast, 200 IM, 400 IM
  • Abigail Harter (14 years old – NCAP) in 100 fly, 200 fly, 200 IM
• 2 records broken
  • Cole Greenberg (12 years old – NCAP) in 500 free, 200 IM
• 1 record broken
  • Samir Elkassem (10 years old – RMSC) in 50 free
  • Bridget Ye (11 years old – LIAC) in 200 IM
  • Kate Hallmark (12 years old – NCAP) in 100 free
  • Brett Feyerick (13 years old – NCAP) in 100 back
  • Phoebe Bacon (14 years old – NCAP) in 100 back

To provide some perspective of the level of competition at this NAG meet, the following swimmers at this meet are currently ranked in the top 10 nationally in their respective events so far in this young season:

• 10 year olds
  • Adriano Arioti (RMSC) – 5th in 100 free, 2nd in 50 back, 3rd in 100 back, 6th in 50 breast, 4th in 100 IM, 5th in 200 IM
  • Samir Elkassem (RMSC) – 6th in 50 free, 6th in 100 free
  • Caitlin Horning (DST) – 7th in 50 free, 2nd in 100 free, 2nd in 50 back, 1st in 100 back, 1st in 100 fly, 3rd in 100 IM, 3rd in 200 IM
  • Amy Qin (RMSC) – 7th in 100 free
• 11 year olds
  • Crash Ackerly (NOVA) – 8th in 100 back
  • Nina Allen (RMSC) – 10th in 50 free
  • Matt Beehler (LIAC) – 8th in 100 free, 6th in 200 free, 7th in 50 back
  • Erin Gemmell (NCAP) – 1st in 50 free, 1st in 100 free, 4th in 200 free, 9th in 100 fly
  • Cavan Gormsen (LIAC) – 8th in 200 IM
  • Kris Lawson (NCAP) – 10th in 50 back
  • Madison So (LIAC) – 10th in 200 free
  • Eleanor Sun (NCAP) – 9th in 100 breast, 9th in 200 IM
  • Joyce Wu (RMSC) – 3rd in 100 breast
  • Bridget Ye (LIAC) – 3rd in 50 breast, 7th in 100 breast, 10th in 100 fly, 2nd 200 IM
• 12 year olds
  • Giulia Baroldi (NCAP) – 4th in 200 free, 2nd in 500 free, 10th in 100 back
  • Zoe Dixon (NOVA) – 7th in 100 back, 1st in 100 fly, 5th in 200 IM
  • Mackenzie Ferguson (NOVA) – 9th in 50 back
  • Cole Greenberg (NCAP) – 1st in 100 free, 4th in 200 free, 1st in 500 free, 4th in 100 back, 2nd in 200 IM
  • Kate Hallmark (NCAP) – 2nd in 50 free, 2nd in 100 free, 6th in 200 free, 9th in 100 back, 8th in 100 fly
  • Ben Nachod (RMSC) – 7th in 100 breast
  • Christian Mayr (NOVA) – 7th in 50 free
  • Sean Santos (RMSC) – 9th in 500 free, 6th in 100 breast
  • Carly Sebring (NCAP) – 10th in 50 free, 7th in 100 IM, 10th in 200 IM
  • Margaret Shi (NCAP) – 4th in 500 free, 6th in 200 IM
  • Josh Wolfson (NCAP) – 10th in 200 free, 5th in 100 breast, 9th in 200 IM
• 13 year olds
  • Abby Carr (RMSC) – 6th in 100 back, 3rd in 200 back, 10th in 400 IM
  • Brett Feyerick (NCAP) – 2nd in 50 free, 1st in 200 free, 1st in 100 back, 1st in 200 back, 9th in 400 IM
  • Chris Ma (RMSC) – 8th in 200 fly
  • Mackenzie McConaghan (NCAP) – 10th in 200 back, 8th in 200 fly
  • Caroline Sheble (NOVA) – 10th in 100 back, 5th in 200 back, 6th in 200 fly
  • Grace Sheble (NOVA) – 5th in 100 free, 1st in 500 free, 1st in 200 breast, 2nd in 100 fly, 2nd in 200 fly, 1st in 200 IM, 1st in 400 IM
  • Tia Thomas (RMSC) – 5th in 50 free, 8th in 100 free
  • Jane Umhofer (RMSC) – 5th in 200 breast
  • Tyler Walters (LIAC) – 4th in 200 free, 7th in 500 free
• 14 year olds
  • Isabela Antoniuk (LIAC) – 6th in 500 free
  • Phoebe Bacon (NCAP) – 8th in 50 free, 1st in 100 back, 2nd in 200 back, 6th in 100 breast,
  • Ryan Catron (NCAP) – 4th in 500 free, 8th in 100 back, 4th in 200 back, 1st in 400 IM
  • Michael Falzone (NCAP) – 5th in 200 breast
  • Maya Fischer (NCAP) – 7th in 100 free, 10th in 200 free
  • Briana Gellineau (LIAC) – 9th in 200 free
  • Hayes Goetcheus (NCAP) – 7th in 200 free, 6th in 500 free
  • Leo Goldblatt (NCAP) – 10th in 500 free, 5th in 100 fly, 2nd in 200 fly
  • Abigail Harter (NCAP) – 3rd in 50 free, 1st in 200 free, 7th in 500 free, 7th in 100 back, 9th in 200 back, 2nd in 100 breast, 2nd in 100 fly, 1st in 200 fly, 2nd in 200 IM, 3rd in 400 IM
  • Allison Kopac (NCAP) – 4th in 100 free, 2nd in 200 free, 3rd in 500 free
  • Madeline Mara (RMSC) – 3rd in 100 breast, 3rd in 200 breast
  • Anthony Nguyen (NCAP) – 8th in 200 IM, 7th in 400 IM
  • Bryan Patten (NCAP) – 7th in 200 breast
  • Megan Pulley (NOVA) – 8th in 100 fly

Aside from the fast swimming, the meet officials did a nice job running the meet ahead of schedule and posting results quickly to Meet Mobile and the PVS and USA Swimming websites.  PVS is fortunate to be able to hold such a fast meet so early in the short course season.