Bilquist Actually Faster Than Adams
Amy Bilquist surprised everyone by breaking the meet and 15-16 IAR records in the Women's 100 backstroke.
Her time of 52.58 also qualified her for junior nationals. If Bilquist were to swim this event at High School state, she would have won. Even beating out phenom teammate Clare Adams. |
Other Records Fall at Age Group State
Michael Brinegar
Brinegar was one of the biggest talks of this meet. He started off his day by breaking the meet record in the 500 yard freestyle with a time of 4:30.06. Michael Brinegar also broke the meet record in the 1000 yard freestyle with a time of 9:21.42. He also demolished the meet and IAR records in the 200 free where he went a blistering 1:40.69. If all that isn't impressive enough Brinegar also shattered the meet record in the 1650 yard freestyle with a mind blowing time of 15:40.78 Emily Weiss It was a fantastic meet for Emily Weiss who established herself as the top 11-12 Breaststroker of the state by obliterating the 100 and 50 Breaststroke records. She took the 100 in a time of 1:06.01. That time didn't just break the meet record but the IAR one as well. Her 50 time was a very quick 30.38 Colleen Duffy It kind of came out of nowhere when Colleen Duffy broke the girls 10&U 50 yard backstroke record. Duffy broke the meet and IAR record in a time of 30.15 |
Top 20 Team Finishes at Age Group State
1. Carmel Swim Club 2411
2. Fishers Area Swimming Tigers 13813. Newburgh Sea Creatures 753
4. Swac Swim Team 745
5. Northridge Area Swimming Assoc 6. Duneland Swim Club 612
6. Duneland Swim Club 612
7. Zionsville Swim Club 592 8. Franklin Regional Swim Team 573
9. Munster Swim Club 541
10. Washington Township Swim Club 537
11. Valparaiso Swim Club 459
12. Northwest Aquatic Club 451
13. Mako Swim Team 446
14. Southeastern Swim Club of Fish 444
15. Pro Swimming 378
16. Donner Swim Club 354
17. Brownsburg Swim Club 238
18. Boilermaker Aquatics 237
19. Concord Swim Club 233
20. Lake Central Barracudas 233
2. Fishers Area Swimming Tigers 13813. Newburgh Sea Creatures 753
4. Swac Swim Team 745
5. Northridge Area Swimming Assoc 6. Duneland Swim Club 612
6. Duneland Swim Club 612
7. Zionsville Swim Club 592 8. Franklin Regional Swim Team 573
9. Munster Swim Club 541
10. Washington Township Swim Club 537
11. Valparaiso Swim Club 459
12. Northwest Aquatic Club 451
13. Mako Swim Team 446
14. Southeastern Swim Club of Fish 444
15. Pro Swimming 378
16. Donner Swim Club 354
17. Brownsburg Swim Club 238
18. Boilermaker Aquatics 237
19. Concord Swim Club 233
20. Lake Central Barracudas 233
Morgan Grout's Versatility Always Keeps Her On Top With The Best
Morgan Grout was a huge part of Carmel Swim Club's success this weekend with her top placings but also helped Camel's 400 medley, 200 freestyle, 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays all take first.
Morgan Grout won 6 events this weekend. Her victories came in the 200 IM, 200 Freestyle, 1000 Freestyle and helped Carmel Swim Club take first in 3 relays. Grout also won the 1000 yard Freestyle getting her AAAA cut with a time of 10:15.10, and got her AAAA cut in the 200 Freestyle as well where she won with a 1:51.23. Grout may have taken 3rd in the 400 IM with a 4:31.85 but that didn't stop her from coming back to win the 200 where she blew away the field in a 2:06.60. In the 100 she had some competition in a loaded field with the likes of Anya Goeders and Tessa Wrightson. But Grout kept her composure and managed to snag a 2nd place with a time of 51.75 The 200 Butterfly may not be Grout's best event but that did not keep her from the top 3 again. Grout touched 3rd with a time of 2:12.07 |
Tyler Harmon Has Established Himself As The Best
14 year old Tyler Harmon of Zionsville Swim Club had the meet of his life this weekend by winning 8 events.
Harmon broke the meet record in the 200 IM, 200/100 backstroke and the 100 freestyle, and just missed the meet record in the 400 IM by about a second with a time of 4:04.30. Harmon lead off his teams 200 medley relay with a 24.15 50 backstroke leg and also helped Zionsville Swim Club take 1st in the 400 medley relay by leading off with a 51.39 backstroke start. He also anchored the 400 freestyle relay with a 47.68 The funny thing is that most of Harmon's flat start times were actually about a second faster than his relay start ones. Even though he did not break the record in the 100 Breaststroke he still dominated the field by winning in a mind blowing 58.55. Because of all his amazing accomplishments this weekend we have named Tyler Harmon our Swimmer of The Meet. NEW MEET RECORDS 200 IM - 1:53.64. 200 backstroke - 1:50.14 100 backstroke - 50.89 100 free in a time - 46.66 |
Carla Gildersleeve Has High Expectations
The name Gildersleeve is being heard more and more.
Carla Gildersleeve is a real up an comer in the pool where she holds 9 out of the 15 team records of the 11-12 age group and is poised to make waves at state this year. "Our record boards are on the wall as you enter the pool, so it’s a very humbling experience to have my name up on the record boards alongside many people I look up to. At the same time, very cool. When I first qualified for Zones at Age 9. I was just starting to get serious about swimming at the time, so my family took me to Lincoln, Nebraska to compete." "I remember few details of the meet other than it was hot in Nebraska that year! I do feel like that experience from a big meet help me deal with the pressure the following year when I won my first high point award at zone." Carla is fascinating in and out of the pool. She has made big strides but like all great swimmers we wonder: how did they get into this sport? "My older brother, Jake Gildersleeve, began swimming when he was in 8th grade. At the time, I didn't think it was fair that he got to swim, while I had to stay home. My mom took me to practice one day and the rest is history." In 2013 Carla set a new IAR record in the girls' 11-12 200 meter IM in a blistering time of 2:28.12, just missing the meet record "The walkout was very fun, and I think it helped get me excited for the race. I remember during the breast leg that I needed to kick my tempo up a notch. I did, and ended up splitting my fastest leg by over a second. The free felt awful, but I could tell I was going fast. I had no idea I had broken the record until minutes after the race. At that time, I was more concerned about the Zone High Point award." Carla was arguably the best 11-12 year old swimmer of the state. You would think it would be rather difficult for one so young to handle something like that both mentally and physically but not for Carla. "My coach tells me all the time that being the top seed means that everyone watches more. I know that I have a target on my back. It’s definitely different swimming as an underdog, but I actually really enjoy having the pressure of being the top seed." Times have changed and Carla has aged up. She is now 13 and is now in a whole new battle field. But that doesn't seem to affect Carla much, who's goals still remain the same. "My goal for state is to win 3 state titles. I just aged up to 13 and I know there’s a lot of fast girls in the state, but it’s always my goal to try to be the best. I've been trying to get better at hydrating and replenishing with the right foods. It’s not something I've been very good at in the past. Other than that, we have a lot of technique to fix in the coming weeks. Like anyone, I’m looking forward to the yardage going down" Carla is a very driven young lady who has big hopes and dreams. When we asked what the world should know about her, she had this to say: "I have been blessed to reach for my dreams in swimming, but I know that without the support of my family it would not be possible. I also believe that my family extends to my FRST (Franklin Regional Swim Team) team as well. My teammates have supported me and they make practices seem easier for me. My coach, Coach Dewitt, has also been there by my side since my first day of practice. His leadership and energy have encouraged me to give it all I've got." |
Boilermaker Aquatics Super Star Johnson Explains It All
Olivia Johnson is a standout swimmer for the Boilermaker Aquatics.
Not only is she one of the best in the club but also the state. Even though you won’t find her at the IHSAA State meets. It all started with a five year old Johnson who was drawn to the water: "I started swimming competitively when I was five years old. I started out on a little YMCA team and my passion for swimming just kind of grew from there. When I was eight I started swimming for Fort Wayne Aquatics and from there my family and I moved to West Lafayette and I started swimming for BA." BA (Boilermaker Aquatics) has taken off as one of the top clubs in the state with Overall 3 swimmers on the top 100 times ever swam in the country. Currently 4 swimmers have some of the top 10 fastest times and 11 have some of the top 50 times in the country. They also have 1 open qualifier, 5 Summer Junior National qualifiers, and 4 Winter Junior National qualifiers. In the Short Course 2013, they have 1 Record holder and several podium appearances. In the Long Course 2013 they Placed 14th overall and 13 top 10 finishers. In Senior State they placed 2nd overall. Johnson was one of those swimmers that represented her club at Jr. Nationals. "Making it to JNATS was one of the best moments of my swimming career thus far. It was so amazing to turn around and see that everything you have worked for was worth it." Johnson is also a very accomplished runner for Harrison High School. Her 2012-13 season she twisted her ankle at Battle Ground and tried to finish the season through the pain. She finished eighth in the sectional as a freshman, the first non-West Lafayette girl to cross the line. She was eighth again at the regional before her season ended with a 17th-place finish at semi-state. In her 2013-14 season, she made it to state and placed 92nd out of 208 runners. It's very clear that she isn't just a good swimmer but a very well rounded athlete. When we asked what mattered more to her, swimming or running, she had this to say: "Running is just as big a part of my life as swimming. I love both sports equally! They both have taught me so much." Olivia has a clear reason why she does not participate in High School swimming. "I am a distance swimmer and high school is not set up for distance swimmers. The longest event I could swim is the 500." And a distance swimmer she has made herself out to be. In 2013 at the Indiana Age Group State meet Olivia broke the 400 IM state and meet record in a time of 4:20.39. Being the best 400 IMer in the state kind of makes you top dog among the rest. She's kind of like the state's female Ryan Lochte in that perspective. Johnson trains hard for the event day in and day out. An example of some of the grueling sets she has done - 6600 for time, 8x400 IM, 4x1000 "The 400 IM is one of my favorite events. It is one of the toughest most gruesome events in swimming. I love that anything can happen in it." In 2013 The Boilermaker Aquatics suffered a huge loss when 10 year head coach TJ Day stepped down as head coach of the club he started to become the assistant coach of powerhouse Carmel Swim Club. Olivia, along with many others on the team were very close to him, but she says, "I believe that everything happens for a reason. People come and go in your life and it's something you just have to get used to. My swimming never really got off track. If anything it motivated me more, to work harder, and shoot for my goals. "My team is everything to me. We are one giant family, dysfunctional at times, but that's what makes us special. We push each other everyday. "It is truly awesome to be a part of BA. This team is my family." |