Brought to you by Spectrum Aquatics, a SwimSwam partner, our Weekly Wonders of Age Group Swimming series celebrates swimmers of every age and experience level with age group profiles of some recent results.
Lubo Liu-Tchorbadjiyski, 15, New Trier Aquatics (IL): Liu-Tchorbadjiyski set a trio of best times racing at the SCST Speedo Fall Classic Oct. 9-11, doing so while he was still 14 (he has since aged up, according to USA Swimming). His headlining performance came in the 100 freestyle, where he unleashed a time of 45.47 to rank him 21st all-time in the boys’ 13-14 age group and #1 this season. His previous PB stood at 45.66, set in March. Liu-Tchorbadjiyski also dropped his best time down from 21.41 to 21.09 in the 50 free, moving him into a tie for 71st all-time in the 13-14 age group and #2 this season. He added another best time in the 200 breast (2:17.76) while posting new season-bests in the 50 back (22.64), 100 back (49.52), 50 fly (22.51) and 100 fly (50.39), moving to #2 this season in the 13-14 age group in all four.
Anna Zych, 12, St. Charles Swim Team (IL): Also competing at the SCST Speedo Fall Classic, Zych set a big best time in the 100 breast, lowering her previous mark of 1:09.90 by 1.1 seconds down to 1:08.80. That swim ranks her 6th this season in the girls’ 11-12 age group. She also set a best time in the 50 free (27.04), and added season-bests in the 50 back (31.70), 50 breast (32.46) and 50 fly (30.51). In the 50 breast, her swim moves her into 15th this season in the 11-12 age group, coming within a half-second of her 31.97 best time set in July.
Kurt Gartland, 13, MAX Aquatics (CA): Gartland had a sensational performance at the FAST Kevin Perry Classic two weekends ago in Fullerton, Calif., racing for the last time in the 11-12 age group before aging up (he has since turned 13, according to USA Swimming). Gartland set best times and cracked the top 10 this season in the boys’ 11-12 age group in every event he raced, headlined by what he did in the butterfly events. Gartland clocked 2:03.10 in the 200 fly, lowering his previous best of 2:05.16 to break into the top 100 all-time in the boys’ 11-12 age group, moving into 87th. He also went 25.30 in the 50 fly and 55.95 in the 100 fly, ranking 1st across all three fly events this season for 11-12 boys. The MAX Aquatics product also moved to #1 this season in the 50 back (26.58), while he also slotted into 3rd in the 400 IM (4:26.89), 4th in the 100 free (51.98), 8th in the 500 free (5:10.99) and 10th in both the 50 free (24.14) and 50 breast (30.55).
Harper Rauch, 14, Chicago Wolfpack Aquatic Club (IL): Rauch unleashed a massive swim in the 1000 free at last weekend’s Chicago Wolfpack Aquatic Club Howloween Xi meet, clocking 9:54.39 to shatter previous best time of 10:11.55 (she had also been 10:07.89 to the feet in a 1650 previously) and crack the top 100 all-time in the girls’ 13-14 age group. Rauch’s swim ranks her 89th all-time among 13-14 girls and #1 this season by over 17 seconds. She also clocked 4:53.17 in the 500 free, narrowly missing her personal best of 4:53.06 to rank #2 this season in the 13-14 age group. The 14-year-old also hit a new best time in the 50 free last weekend in 25.72, and recorded season-bests in the 200 free (1:55.75), 100 back (1:04.95), 100 fly (1:03.12) and 200 IM (2:13.27).
Olivia Covey, 10, Bellevue Club Swim Team (PN): Covey set a trio of best times and narrowly missed out on a fourth at the PN Vast Fall Classic last weekend in Federal Way, cracking the top 100 all-time rankings in the girls’ 10 & under age group along the way. In the 50 free, Covey lowered her best time by over half a second in 26.58, ranking her 96th all-time in the girls’ 10 & under age group and 2nd this season. She also moved to 2nd this season in the 500 free, dropping 12 seconds in 5:36.28, and clocked a PB of 1:06.55 in the 100 back to rank 3rd this season. In the 200 free, she was just two one-hundredths shy of her two-week-old best time in 2:07.43–her 2:07.41 clocking from early October ranks 2nd in the age group this season.
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