Forty-one TNT swimmers were among the 154 athletes competing at the Ridgecrest meet during the last weekend of January earning combined points totaling 1,451 to outscore the nine teams present, including the host IWV by over 200 points. Team points were led by four TNT high point recipients, beginning with the youngest brother-sister duo, Paige and Peyton Costa. Six-year old Paige Costa took home the honors by scoring 88 points in the 6-under division while the runner up from Bakersfield accumulated a distant 58 points. Paige was the event champion in nine of her ten events winning the 50 free (44.16), 50 back (57.53), 50 fly (59.49), 100 IM (2:05.09), 100 free (1:42.84), 25 back (24.92), 25 free (19.42), 25 fly (23.43) and 25 breast (30.20). On the boys side of the 7-8 age division, brother Peyton Costa led the group with 84 points. Peyton became the event champion in seven of his ten events winning the 50 free (32.85), 50 fly (42.99), 500 free (7:19.13), 100 free (1:17.02), 25 back (19.79), 25 free (15.52) and 25 fly (18.10). The top five male point getters in the 7-8 division were all TNT swimmers with Peyton leading Toby Jones, Jayce Ford, Daniel Magargee and Mason Amble respectively.
celebrating Paul Alexander Lerro’s birthday
The top two scorers for the 13-14 girls were also TNT swimmers with Taylor Shaw taking home the honors in leading Megan Nino as runner up. Taylor was the event champion in the 200 fly (2:29.56) and 400 IM (5:12.87) events. The top two point getters for the 15-18 boys were also both TNT swimmers, with Chris Nolan taking home the honors, along with Javiar Morales as runner up. Our two led the ten male swimmers in the division in points. Chris was the event champion in five of his eight events winning the 200 free (1:50.96), 100 back (1:00.10), 100 fly (54.67), 200 IM (2:05.99) and 50 free (23.53).
Other event champions included Danielle Albright who won the 9-10 500 free (5:51.20), 14-year old Owen Ansel won the 200 free (2:03.20) and 100 breast (1:14.70); 6-year old Damien Brown won the 25 free (22.67); 9-year old Skylar Ford won the 50 breast (39.90); 14-year old Katelyn Herrera won the 200 breast (2:50.03), 200 IM (2:20.83), 200 back (2:24.62), 50 free (27.03), 100 breast (1:21.05) and 400 IM (4:56.75); 8-year old Toby Jones won the 50 breast (47.35), 100 IM (1:36.78) and 25 breast (21.99); 11-year old JD Koster was the event champion in the 500 free (6:18.29), Devan Marshall took the first in the 17-18 200 breast (2:21.79), 14-year old Khloe McCarthy won the 200 free (2:05.43), 100 back (1:05.37), 100 fly (1:06.76), 100 free (59.00), 50 free (27.31) and 200 fly (2:28.99), 15-year old Megan Nino won the 100 back (1:07.37), 500 free (6:04.61) and 200 back (2:26.41); and Jeremiah Santillana was the champion in the 13-14 100 free (56.42) and 50 free (25.59) events.
not pictured – Taylor Shaw
Nine meet records were set by four TNT swimmers at the meet, and these were led by Paige Costa who reestablished records in four events beginning with the 6-under 50 fly. Her time of 59.49 in the 6-under event was well under the 1:07.61 previously held by Emma Steele of Fresno, and set in 2001. Paiges 2:05.09 in the 100 IM was nearly 30 seconds faster than the preexisting record held by Grace Williams set in 2007. Paige went under 20 seconds for the first time with her 19.42 in the 25 free, thereby swimming well under the 21.04 time swam by Ashley Flatman in 2004. Finally Paige swam 23.43 in the 25 fly which was fast enough for the record that was held by Emma Steele set in 2001 as 23.95.
Peyton Costa is now the record holder in the 50 free, swimming 32.85 which was under the 33.61 record that our very own Dax Korenwinder had set in 2009 while swimming in the 7-8 division. Eight-year old Peyton also swam the 500 free for the first time, and his 7:19.13 was under the 7:59.73 record that was held by Kenneth Flatman and set in 2003. Finally, Peyton swam 15.52 in the 25 free to edge under the 15.72 record set by Dax Korenwinder in 2009.
Two additional records were reestablished by TNT swimmers, and both were in the 15-18 male division. Visalia swimmer Devan Marshall entered his first meet as a TNT swimmer, and earned his first meet record by swimming 2:21.79 in the 200 breaststroke, which was nearly 10 seconds under the 2:31.50 record set in 2004 by Fresno swimmer Nicholas Rocca. Our High Point winner Chris Nolan set a new record in the 100 fly with a time of 54.67 which was under the 55.65 record set by Ross Long of Bakersfield in 2002.