Triton Blog

Fullerton Aquatic Swim Team (FAST) hosted the first long course meet for the year taking place in California, and TNT had 14 swimmers attend their event over the January 26-27 weekend. At a swim meet with initial timelines that ran well past 5:00 PM prior to scratches, our team still maintained three swimmers with top-8 finishes. Mallory Korenwinder was our only event champion winning the 100 meter breaststroke event with a time of 1:14.29. She also swam to a 3^rd place finish in the 200 meter breaststroke with a time of 2:47.50. Chris Nolan had our next highest finish with two 5^th places in both the 100 meter fly and 200 meter fly with times of 59.26 and 2:10.25 respectively. Our remaining top-8 finisher was Khloe McCarthy who came away with a 7^th place finish in the 400 meter IM after swimming a time of 5:26.32.

Colin Landweer and Matlyn Morris each came away with top-16 finishes with Colin finishing 9^th in the 50 meter free (25.68), and Matlyn finishing 12^th in the 100 meter backstroke (1:12.78) events.

Time improvements were rather sparse after three weeks of training into the season; however, Matlyn Morris and Alex Metzner still managed to come away with 100% improvement rates. Matlyn improved six of six events, while Alex improved both qualified events, and swam the 100 meter freestyle for the first time with the club.

View the LiveSwim interview of the team at http://takeitlive.tv/liveswim/?p=2881

Despite a missed relay that had a potential of bringing in at least 40 points based on the entry time and final results, and illness that befell the team, our 14 Tule Nation Triton swimmers were able to still maintain a 2^nd place finish in the small teams division, a mere 44 points behind the first place Roadrunner team of Bakersfield, accumulating enough points to outscore all but one of the 32 teams that scored in the small team division at the 2012 Winter Sectional meet. Swimmers who earned points in individual events were led by Kohlton Norys who accumulated 52 points that resulted from a 1^st place finish in the 100 backstroke (46.77) that became not only a new team record, but was nearly two seconds under the previous meet record of 48.03 that was set in 2010 by former Big West 100 back Champion, and former US Pan American Games Qualifier, Eddie Erazo. Kohlton had also set a team record in the 50 freestyle (20.16) by winning the consolation final by a rather large margin.

Our next highest point source came from Christopher Nolan contributing 29 points to the team effort, the bulk of which came from his 5^th place finish in the 200 fly (1:50.76). His time improved his team record that he had set at the Terrapin meet this past month, and stood as the 11^th fastest in the nation at the time of the swim meet for all boys of age 16, only one place out of what will be nationally recognized. Chris also placed 21^st in the 100 fly (51.46) scoring points in the bonus heat.

Mallory Korenwinder scored on the first day of the meet with an 11^th place finish in the 200 breaststroke (2:18.29) and a time improvement that followed her improvement at Junior Nationals one week earlier while competing at the University of Tennessee. Her time improves her team record by over two seconds, stands now as the CCS record that previously belonged to Jenni Brelsford of Fig Garden who set the record as 2:18.61 in 1992, and is currently the fifth fastest time nationally for the gender and age. Her 200 IM time of 2:09.94 was achieved in a time trial event, and is nearly two seconds under Samantha Goates team record 2:11.43 that was set at Junior Olympics in 2005. This time was the 73^rd fastest nationally at the time it was swum.

The next highest point source from individual events came from Nathan Rhea who earned the largest number of second swims when compared to anyone on the team. His 400 IM time of 4:04.16 was better than his previous team record of 4:05.39 that was set in 2010 at the same pool. The time stood at 63 for a national ranking among 17-year old male swimmers at the time it was swum. Nathan had also set the team record in the 200 breaststroke (2:08.01) that was an improvement of 2:09.46 that was set at Sectionals in 2010 by Sam Hansen, and Nathan’s time ranked 67^th for the national age and gender during the weekend. His final second swim came in the 200 backstroke (1:52.96). Nathan placed 20^th in the 400 IM, and 23^rd in the other two events.

Colin Landweer made it back in the 100 freestyle (46.72) event on our first day of the meet with a 22^nd place tie and a time that was is under 2008 Olympic Trial qualifier, Bradley Matsumoto’s team record of 46.88 set at the Winter Invitational in 2004. Colin’s time stood as the 91^st fastest nationally among all 18-year old male swimmers at the time of the meet.

Team records were also set by Lauren Davis of Fig Garden who improved her own 15-16 team record in the 200 breaststroke (2:26.94) from the time she had set at the Selma meet three months ago as 2:33.23 for a national ranking of 113. She had also gone under Katherine Bristow’s previous record of 1:10.25 that was set at the Tulare meet in 2008 in the 100 breaststroke event. Lauren’s new record is now 1:09.97 and currently stands as the 274^th fastest nationally for all girls at age 15.

A relative newcomer to the team, fourteen year old Jillian Hatch who trains in the Selma program had reestablished three team records belonging to two of our most successful swimmers of the past. Jillian swam a time of 24.26 in the 50 freestyle, thereby breaking the record belonging to Samantha Goates that she had set at the Winter Invitational in 2003 as a 24.47. The new record now stands as the 50^th fastest nationally for girls of age 14 during the weekend of the meet. Her 100 free time of 52.70 was also under Samantha Goats record 53.36 that was set at Junior Olympics in 2005, and Jillian’s time stood as the 59^th fastest nationally when it was swum. Finally, Megan Eppler had set the 500 freestyle record as a 5:08.10 in 2005 at the Winter Invitational, and Jillian’s 5:07.58 now stands as the new record, and was the 84^th fastest time swam nationally for the gender and age during that weekend.

Our remaining qualifiers for the meet included Emily Goodbar of Selma who finished 32^nd in the 200 fly (2:06.53), Kyle Grissom who finished 36^th in the 200 fly (1:59.52), Devan Marshall of Visalia who finished 62^nd in the 100 breaststroke (1:00.56), Matthew Tashima  who finished 75^th in the 50 free (22.22), Khloe McCarthy who finished 82^nd in the 400 IM (4:44.84), Joseph Cobarrubias of Fig Gardenwho finished 102^nd in the 100 free (49.05), and Josh Avila who finished 128^th in the 50 free (23.30).

After a strong second day of Sectionals, multiple finalists of Tule Nation Tritons resulted in the team scoring enough points in individual events to place the team in a tie for first place for the small-team division. Fourteen year old Mallory Korenwinder led the team with dual championship final swims highlighted by a second place finish in the 100 meter breaststroke event with a time of 1:12.21 which is two one-hundredths of a second (.02) off of this past Olympic Trial time standard. Her performance not only stands as a new team record, but also breaks the Central California Swimming record that was established as a 1:13.23 in 1993. The time currently ranks as the 6^th fastest time for any 14-year old girl in the nation. Her second championship final swim came in the 200 breaststroke where her new team record of 2:39.28 was enough for a 6^th place finish in the event. That time currently ranks 14^th nationally.

Two of our swimmers also advanced to the consolation final (places 9-16), and both swims resulted in newly established team records. Sam Hansen returned from completing his first collegiate year at D-1 Canisius College in Buffalo, New York to win the consolation heat in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:24.99. This is currently the 49^th fastest time in the nation for all 19-year old male swimmers. Sam also earned a second swim by advancing to the D final in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:08.24 earning him a 27^th place finish there.

Chris Nolan was our only other swimmer who advanced to the B final, and he did so in the 200 meter butterfly event with a time of 2:05.46. This new team record currently stands as the 20^th fastest time in the nation for all 16-year old male swimmers, and the fastest time in the consolation heat. His time also allows him to join Mallory Korenwinder as they attend the summer Junior Nationals in Indianapolis, a swim meet that takes place the week of August 13-17.

Wesley Coles was our only swimmer who scored in the C final with a 20^th place finish in the 200 fly event, and a time of 2:07.82. Wesley was also our only swimmer with four finals, placing 28^th in each of three additional events: 200 free (1:57.29), 400 free (4:10.61), and 100 fly (58.03). He had also finished in the top 32 with a 27^th place finish in the 1500 freestyle (16:42.83). Each D-final swim was a personal best time for Wesley.

Attending her first Sectional meet, and entering the meet with only a yard qualifying time, fifteen year old Laruen Davis of Fig Garden earned a second swim in the 200 breaststroke event while competing in the preliminary heats from the B-session.  The commanding lead over the field that her preliminary time of 2:45.55 presented was a strong indication of a potential second swim that materialized. Her time became a new team record as she swam well below the existing record of 2:52.49 set by Joclyn Ford at Junior Olympics in 2005. Lauren’s time currently stands as the 94^th fastest time in the nation. She had also set a new team record in the 100 breaststroke event with a time of 1:18.15, and this time ranks 159^th nationally.

Nathan Rhea was our only remaining swimmer to earn a second swim, and he did so in the 400 IM event. His time of 4:43.17 was fast enough for a 27^th place finish, and was his second fastest time on record. Congratulations to all sixteen swimmers who qualified and competed at Sectionals. The following list reflects our remaining swimmers and their highest placed event:

Besides Lauren Davis, Sam Hansen, Mallory Korenwinder, and Chris Nolan, two additional swimmers set new team records while at Sectionals. After setting two records at the LA Invite that took place just two weeks earlier, one of them being in the 100 fly, Emily Goodbar of Selma improved her 100 fly again, this time to a 1:06.90. The time gave her a 60^th place finish at the meet, and currently ranks 216^th nationally for all 15-year old girls.

Kyle Grissom, competing at Sectionals while only 14 years old, improved two of his pre-existing team records that he had set while competing at the Age Group Invitational last month. Kyle swam 2:14.67 in the 200 fly which places him as the 50^th fastest 14-year old male swimmer in the nation for the event. His 25.89 in the 50 free stands as the 89^th fastest time nationally.

The team improvement percentage was 51% with nine of our sixteen swimmers improving 50% or more of their events. An improvement rate of 50% or higher is considered very respectable for senior-level athletes, and our rate was led by Joseph Cobarrubias and Matt Tashima who improved 100% of times that had been previously recorded with the team. Those who improved 50% or more of their times included: Wes Coles (83%), Mallory Korenwinder (83%), Josh Avila (67%), Lauren Davis (67%), Emily Goodbar (60%), Sam Hansen (50%) and Colin Landweer (50%) 

Two years ago TNT had no swimmers entered into the Santa Clara International meet, for the first time in several years. Last year trailblazers Colin Landweer and Nathan Rhea qualified and competed at the meet to become the first two of a new cohort. Five swimmers competed at the meet this year, and includedWesley Coles, Mallory Korenwinder, Colin Landweer Chris Nolan and Nathan Rhea.  Chris Nolan became the only individual with a second swim, and he did so in the 200 meter butterfly event with a time of 2:07.25 and a 7^th place finish in the bonus heat, which was the 25^th fastest time swam at the meet in the event that fielded 9 swimmers in each of three final heats.

Mallory Korenwinder was one of two swimmers (the other being Chris Nolan) who came away with a 100% improvement rate, and her highest place finish came in the 100 meter breaststroke where she posted a time of 1:15.72 that resulted in a 45^th place finish. The highest place finish from Wesley Coles was 55^th in the 400 freestyle (4:15.35) and the highest place finish for Nathan Rhea was 37^th in the 400 IM where he posted a time 4:49.27. Colin Landweer’s time of 2:17.55 gave him his highest place finish of 63^rd in the 200 IM.

Our four male swimmers teamed up for three relays, the highlight being the 800 freestyle relay where an opportunity presented itself that placed our team into lane 5 which is commonly reserved for the fastest team entered into the event. Our sixth place performance by Wesley Coles, Chris Nolan, Colin Landweer and Nathan Rhea in the event was attained while competing with the Japan National Team to the left in lane 6 and the Australian National Team to the right in lane 3 in the 9-lane pool where lane 5 would be the fastest seed. Our team posted a time of 8:06.68 which broke both the 15-18 team record of 8:22.97 that was set by Wesley Coles, Nathan Rhea, Sam Hansen and Colin Landweer at Junior Olympics last year. 

The Santa Clara International meet is typically the final stop on the Grand Prix circuit for numerous USA Olympic athletes, and the swim meet also plays host to athletes representing teams from Australia, Canada, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, New Zealand and Shanghai.

Individual High Point awards were given to the 6-under, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14 age divisions for both male and female swimmers competing and scoring at the Merced meet that was held at the Clovis North complex over the April 14-15 weekend. High Point recipients for five of these divisions went to a TNT swimmer. Paige Cost took home the honors for the 6-under girls by winning all of her events, while her brother Peyton Costa captured the title for the 7-8 boys division, winning the 200 free (3:11.82), 100 fly (1:58.78), 100 back (1:46.02), 50 free (39.23), 100 free (1:24.87), 50 fly (45.88), 50 back (48.86) and 200 IM (3:44.93). The 11-12 boy High Point winner was Parker Giles who was the champion in seven of ten events that included the 200 free (2:40.05), 100 fly (1:22.77), 50 breast (41.17), 100 back (1:21.50), 50 fly (31.23), 100 breast (1:32.91) and 200 IM (2:49.67). Both male and female 13-14 champions were both TNT swimmers, with Mallory Korenwinder accumulating the most points for the girls partly by winning the 200 breaststroke (2:57.24), 200 fly (2:48.64) and 100 breaststroke (1:20.51) events. Although not recognized at the meet, both 15-over male and female swimmers that received the most points based on placing were also from TNT. Hanford Swimmer Taylor Shaw out placed Teri Wells of Tuolumne County for the top spot, while Chris Nolan earned enough points for the top spot for the 15 over boys.

Two of our 57 swimmers were undefeated in the events they participated in within their respective age divisions. Paige Costa swam away with four 1^st place finishes for four events in the 6-under division, winning the 60 breaststroke (1:15.87), 50 free (51.07), 50 fly (59.91) and 50 back (1:02.35). On the boys side, Chris Nolan was undefeated in the 15-16 division winning all eight of his events that included the 200 free (2:05.73), 100 fly (1:02.16), 100 back (1:11.82), 50 free (27.24), 100 free (58.54), 100 breast (1:14.75), 200 back (2:33.58) and 200 IM (2:25.29) events.

Our team maintained an improvement rate of 55% with the following individuals improving all events they had competed in, and that had been previously recorded with the team: Danielle Albright (10 of 10), Madelyn Ansel (3 of 3), Janessa Bringe (10 of 10), Emma Coelho (1 of 1), Paige Costa (1 of 1), Skylar Ford (6 of 6), Jake Goodbar (3 of 3), Peyton McKinzie (2 of 2), Athena Niayesh (3 of 3), Kara Nino (3 of 3), Cameron Weas (3 of 3) and Bobby Yribarren (1 of 1).