Here's What You Missed From Club Meetings Across the Country During the U.S. Olympic Trials

As the United States selected its Olympic swimming team at last week’s trials, promising American talent was also climbing the all-time national age group (NAG) rankings at club competitions across the country.

At last week’s Shark Open in Sarasota, Florida, Cobe Hehenberger burst into the top 10 of the NAG rankings with a huge lifetime best in the 800-meter freestyle. The 14-year-old from St. Petersburg Aquatics stopped the clock at 8:17.55, dropping more than 12 seconds to move from 81st to 9th in the NAG rankings for boys 13-14.

In doing so, Hehenberger also eliminated Matthew HirschbergerHirschberger set a personal best at the Florida LSC in 8:19.44 in 2013. His previous best time was 8:29.74 from last month. Hirschberger also posted personal bests in the 100 freestyle (55.30), 100 butterfly (1:02.91), 200 medley (2:13.94) and 400 medley (4:42.56).

Ranking of the 800m freestyle boys 13-14

Luka Mijatovic – 7:59.64, 2023
Evan Pignon – 8:08.75, 2009
Lleyton Plattel – 8:09.74, 2017
Ellis Crisci – 8:15.30, 2023
Andrew Abruzzi – 8:15.84, 2014
Michael Phelps – 8:16.10, 2000
Cooper Lucas – 8:17.05, 2019
Josh Parent – 8:17.28, 2019
Cobe Hehenberger – 8:17.55, 2024

At the June age group invitational in Santa Clarita, just days before the Olympic trials began, Gabi Brito achieved a personal best of 56.68 in the 100 free, which allowed her to climb to 32nd place in the NAG rankings for girls aged 13-14. The 13-year-old from Beach Cities Swimming went under the 57-second barrier for the first time, with her previous best time being 57.32.

Brito achieved three more lifetime bests in the 50 backstroke (31.27), 100 backstroke (1:03.96), and 200 breaststroke (2:38.63), becoming the 24th fastest American 13-year-old fast in the 100 backstroke. She lost more than half a second from her previous record of 50 from last month (31.84), more than a second from her previous record of 100 from last month (1:05.58) and almost a second compared to his previous record. 200 chest from April (2:39.54).

Polish sprinter Kasia Wasick Wasick participated in his final pre-Olympic tune-up session at the Texas Senior Circuit meet in Dallas. The 32-year-old recorded a free time of 24.64 seconds in the 50 meters, more than half a second slower than her season’s best time of 23.95 seconds which won her the bronze medal at the 2024 World Championships in February. Wasick ranks 3rd in the world this season behind only Kate Douglass (23.91) and Sarah Sjostrom (23.69). Since the Worlds, Wasick has posted a 24.20 at April’s Pro Swim Series stop in San Antonio and a 24.28 at May’s Longhorn Elite meet.

Rockwall Aquatic Center of Excellence, 13 years old Elizabeth Chiu She also impressed in Dallas with a personal best of 2:18.99 in the 200 breaststroke, becoming the 51st fastest American 13-year-old of all time.

Rochester Swim Club 12 years Elliot’s Hobbies showed off his backstroke skills with a pair of top-50 finishes for his age group at last week’s Aquajet Summer Spectacular hosted by the University of Minnesota Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center. He set personal bests in the 100 backstroke (1:02.77) and 200 backstroke (2:14.43), which rank 11th and 10th, respectively, in the NAG rankings for boys 11-12. Leasure dropped nearly two seconds in the 100 backstroke and nearly 23 seconds in the 200 backstroke.

Leasure also clocked 29.84 in the 50 back, almost two seconds slower than his personal best, to climb to 43rd in the NAG 11-12 rankings. He added three more best times in the 200 freestyle (2:09.41, a drop of 15 seconds), the 200 fly (2:20.78, a drop of 27 seconds) and the 400 medley (5:09.41, a drop of 15 seconds). 05.00), a drop of 34 seconds).

Another 14-year-old athlete from the Sioux Falls swim team stood out at the Aquajet Summer Spectacular. Rachel Ritter, who set lifetime records in six events and reached Futures cuts in the 100 and 200 backstrokes. The 14-year-old jumped to 85th all-time among 13-14 year olds in the 200 backstroke (and 8th this season), lowering her best time by two seconds to 2:16.30, and in the 100 backstroke, she broke 1:04 for the first time in 1:03.95, good for 11th place in the age group this season. In the 200 IM, her time of 2:22.19 ranks 13th this season among 13-14 girls, bettering her previous best by more than four seconds.

Two weeks ago, at the TAC Triangle Classic, the 14-year-old TAC Titans player Queen Liu broke a huge lifetime best in the 200 IM in 2:19.11, a six-second improvement over her previous best of 2:25.29 last August. She now ranks 70th in the NAG 13-14 rankings.

TAC Titans 15 years Davis Jackson He posted three best times in the 100 back (58.01), 200 back (2:05.08) and 400 medley (4:33.82). He lost about half a second in the 100 backstroke, a second in the 200 backstroke and two seconds in the 400 medley.

At last week’s OAPB LC Senior Open in Moraga, Calif., the Crow Canyon Sharks, 14, Daniela Linares Linares recorded three personal bests in the 200 freestyle (2:07.67), 100 backstroke (1:02.78) and 200 medley (2:30.32). She fell almost two tenths in the 100 back from her previous best time of 1:02.96, moving up to 45th in the NAG 13-14 rankings. Linares also shaved more than three seconds off his best time in the 200 freestyle (previously 2:10.92 from 2022) and his best time in the 200 medley (previously 2:33.54 from last May).

Just before leaving the 11-12 year old age group, Aya Gillis-Pade Gillis-Pade had five of the five fastest times at the OAPB LC Senior Open, including his swim in the 1500 freestyle. The Santa Clara Swim Club product clocked 17:53.20 to rank 43rd all-time in the girls 11-12 age category, shaving five seconds off her previous best time from March. She remains the only woman aged 11 to 12 to have gone under 18:00 this season. Gillis-Pade, now 13, added a lifetime best time in the 200 backstroke (2:25.43, good for 98th all-time for 11-12 year olds). Earlier in the month, she also clocked 1:06.66 in the 100 backstroke to rank tied for 49th all-time in her age group.

At last weekend’s LIAC Summer Fun Invitational in East Meadow, New York, the 14-year-olds from Team Suffolk Swim Club Antonia Cuthbertson She swam the 200 breaststroke LCM for the first time ever and posted a time of 2:30.22 to rank 13th all-time in the 13-14 age group. She also lost more than a second in the 100 backstroke (1:20.54), nearly three seconds in the 100 freestyle (1:10.26) and nearly 14 seconds in the 200 medley (2:52.54).

SwimMAC Caroline 14 years old David Sammons delivered fast performances at the 68th annual Eastern Tournament hosted by the Greensboro Aquatics Center in North Carolina. He posted personal bests in the 50 freestyle (24.83), 100 freestyle (53.72) and 200 IM (2:08.14), the latter of which ranked 26th in the NAG 13-14 standings. He lost nearly a second in the 200 IM and about a half-second in the 50 and 100 freestyles.

At the June RMDA Age Group Championships, just before the U.S. Olympic Trials, Desert Storm Swimming, 13 Sullivan Benes shaved nearly nine seconds off his 400 freestyle best to move into 18th place among 13-year-old American boys. He hit the wall in 4:10.43, shattering his previous best of 4:19.32 set in April.

South Jersey Aquatic Club, 13 Shelby Hutchinson She broke into the top 100 in the NAG rankings with her 100 backstroke in 1:03.69 at last weekend’s Midsummer meet in Sewell, New Jersey. She improved by 0.05 seconds on her previous best of 1:03.74 set earlier this month, moving closer to 95th place in the 13-14 age category.

At last weekend’s Lake Western Great Lakes Open, 14-year-old Madison Aquatic Club Max Garbacz He achieved two impressive performances in the backstroke. He now ranks 47th in his age category in the 100 back (58.84) and 50th in the 200 back (2:07.31) after losing more than a second in the 100 back and two seconds in the 200 back .

At the NOVA Age Group Championships in June two weekends ago, 13-year-old Evolution Racing Club Matthew Lanskikh lost nearly four seconds in the 400 IM en route to victory in 4:41.91. He ranks 22nd all-time among American 13-year-old boys in this event.