Virginia Gators Win 2017 Dolfin ISCA Jr. National Championship Cup

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Photo Courtesy: Diana Pimer

The 2017 Dolfin ISCA Jr. National Championship Cup has come to an end. The meet took place between March 21st and 25th in Clearwater, Florida. It was conducted in a 16 & Under/Open format and featured four National Age Group Records and numerous national top ten swims.

Full meet results can be found on Meet Mobile: 2017 Dolfin ISCA Jr. Championship Cup

Gators, Manta Rays Split Team Awards

The Virginia Gators won the combined team meet with 926.50 points followed by the Mason Manta Rays with 799 and Ohio State Swim Club with 589. The Rays won the women’s meet 454-438 over the Gators while the Gator men won handedly with 488.5 points.

Gators Olivia Bray and Khalil Fonder won the 16 & Under Female and Open Male high point awards, respectively, with 80.5 and 72 points. Bray was a member of all the NAG Record-setting relays and won five events including the 50, 100 and 200 butterfly, the 50 backstroke and the 100 IM. Her other three swims were all top three finishes, giving her the edge over teammate Emma Muzzy. Fonder won the 50 and 100 fly and 50 backstroke, in addition to posting numerous other top-four finishes throughout the course of the weekend.

Ridgefield Aquatic Club’s Marcella Maguire claimed the Open Female High Point award with 57 points and East Coast Aquatic Team’s Cason Wilburn won the 16 & Under Male award with 67. Maguire proved herself as the top senior backstroker in Clearwater by winning all three distances. She used this speed to place in the sprint fly and free events as well. In a very competitive 16 & Under age group, Wilburn won the 100 and 200 free and 50 fly to secure the high point title.

How it Happened: Night Five

The Virginia Gator team of Bray, Muzzy, Whittney Hamilton and Caroline Kulp capped off the night with yet another National Age Group Record. This time in the 400 free relay, the team swam a 3:19.52 to break the previous record set by Longhorn Aquatics in 2007. The Gator men also won the 400 free relay in 3:00.70. The team of Angelo Russo, Fonder, Noah Bowers and Keith Myburg took the top honors.

Despite the big ending to the night, Kulp opened up the show on her own by taking command of the 16 & Under 1,000 freestyle in 9:47.72. Occoquan’s Emily Hetzer was not far behind in 9:49.27. The times put the girls sixth and seventh in the national rankings for this event. Clearwater’s Taylor Ward was third in 10:00.43. Teammate Annaklara Doel won the Open event in 10:10.69 followed by NBAC’s Megan Fields (10:11.92) and MAC’s Rachel Powers (10:14.49).

Gators’ Greg Reed certainly had one of the best swims of the night posting a 15:01.32 to win the Open 1,650. This puts him fifth in the national rankings and for some perspective, would have placed 28th at this year’s NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships. Theodore Smith of the Sarasota Tsunamis took second in 15:21.14 and Occoquan’s Keven Stahl was third with a 15:39.29. Side by side, Quest’s Brennan Doss and OSSC’s Spencer Tussing fought for the 16 & Under title. Doss got the upper hand in the end 15:34.13 to 15:34.18. Gator’s Nicholas Lawson was third in 15:39.45.

The 16 & Under 100 free featured three women under the 50-second barrier in Alexa Cuomo (49.71) Cora Dupre (49.79) and Emma Muzzy (49.83). Ashley Volpenheim (50.25), Maguire (50.59) and Hannah Foster (50.63) claimed the top three spots in the open event. Wilburn had a great race in the 100 free fighting off Manta Ray duo Carson Foster (44.98) and Adam Chaney (45.45). Wilburn won the event in a new meet record of 44.70. Fonder (44.57) was edged out here by Daniel Krueger (43.48) in the Open event. Michael Belcerak took third in 45.14.

Bray won the 200 fly in a blistering 1:54.21 and was backed up by Enfinity’s Olivia Carter in 1:56.41. A star-studded field, NBAC’s Easop Lee rounded out the top three in 1:56.74. The latter two fought from start to finish, but no one was out even close to Bray as she went a 53.68 on the first 100. Her time is easily the fastest in the nation by over three seconds. Teammate Cabell Whitlow was the lone Open swimmer under the 2:00 mark, getting the win in 1:59.42. Tide’s Callie Dickinson continued her impressive week finishing second in 2:01.07 followed closely by Greenwood’s Kasja Dymek (2:01.38) who rounded out a first, second and third place finish in the three butterfly events.

Carson Foster won the 16 & Under fly event in 1:48.09 but it did not come easy as Sterling Crane (1:48.91) and Bowers (1:49.72) were in the mix the whole way through. Crane had the lead at the 100 but Foster dominated the third 50 to put him in the lead. Quest took the top two spots in the Open event with Clark Beach (1:47.11) and Michael Strycker (1:47.47). Beach trailed through the first 150 but out-split the field on the last 50 for the win. Balcerak was third once again in 1:49.57.

Muzzy ran away with the 200 breaststroke, which is arguably her third-best stroke, in a 2:13.59. This was more than a three second drop for Muzzy and was the fastest she has swam in this event since this meet last year. NBAC’s Lauren Poole also swam to a best in 2:15.16 followed by Danika Katzer in 2:15.96. Potomac’s Holly Jansen had the fastest swim of the day in 2:10.86. This gives her the sixth best time nationally. Lauren Stigler was second in 2:15.47 while Mackenzie Stumpf was third in 2:15.98.

Jacob Foster claimed the 16 & Under 200 breast in 1:57.67, good enough for the fourth-best time in the nation and the meet record. Garrett Clason was second in 2:01.08 and Patrick Lacore took third in 2:01.26. Myburg took the Open event in 1:58.60 out-touching Ridgefield’s Andrew Bornstein in 1:58.68. No more than exactly two tenths of second separated the men throughout the duration of the race. OSSC’s Jason Mathews was third in 2:00.71.

Bray and Carter took another one-two finish in the 100 IM, swimming a 55.76 and 56.62, respectively. Alexis Wenger was third in 56.65. Quest’s Camryn Curry won the Open in 56.80 followed by Lauren Olson (57.12) and Stigler (57.21). Shane Blinkman tapped off his week of success with a win in this event in 49.45. Wilburn was second in 51.27 and Desmon Sachtjen was third in 51.82. Despite being a middle-distance star, Ridgefield’s Kieran Smith claimed the Open 100 IM to out-swim the underwaters of Fonder. Krueger was third as the top three times were: 49.68, 49.92 and 50.46, respectively.

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