Western Zone Top 20 Analysis

Photo Courtesy: USA Swimming

Each week, the USA Swimming zones release their top 20 times. Swimming World will provide a unique analysis of one specific zone each week and a general recap of the remaining zones. Here, you’ll find the zones’ strengths, top athletes, and top times.

USA Swimming Western

LSCs: Alaska, Arizona, Central California, Colorado, Hawaii, Inland Empire, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Pacific Swimming, Pacific Northwest, San Diego Imperial, Sierra Nevada, Snake River, Southern California, Utah, Wyoming

Top Times: http://www.teamunify.com/TabGeneric.jsp?_tabid_=155849&team=wzone

Girls: The West’s 11-year old girls currently sit behind the Eastern and Southern Zone in power point standings, but the margin between the west and the south is narrow. The age group’s strongest events are the breast and distance free where they have the most depth.

The 12-year old girls are second to only the Eastern Zone, and are powered by strong back and butterfly times. In fact, the Western Zone has the nation’s top 100-meter backstroker in Nicole Olivia from Santa Clara Swim Club and top 100-meter flyer in Isabella Barbara Battistoni from King Aquatic Club.

Sprint free seems to be the strength of the 13-year old girls, where they have the second fastest 50-free swimmer in the nation in Brooke Schaffer, who recently busted out a 26.88.

Taylor Ruck leads the 14-year old girls with the nation’s top times in the 50, 100, 200, 400, and 800-meter free. She’s a large part of why the West leads all other zones in power points in those events.

The 15-year old girls lead the country in breaststroke power points, eclipsing 8000 points in the 100 and 200-meter races. The West’s best include Nikol Popov (top 100-meter breast) and Grace Zhao (top 200-meter breast).

Similar to the 13-year old girls, the West dominates at the top of the sprint free races for 16-year old girls. Constanze Faith Moseley leads the nation in the 50 and 100-meter free at 25.39 and 55.19.

The 17 and 18-year old girls are the strongest age groups in the west, particularly the 18-year old girls. Stanford’s Simone Manuel and Cal’s Noemi Thomas are national leaders and big-name talents.

Boys: The 11-12 year old boys age groups are a force in the Western Zone. Both age groups lead all other zones in power points in addition to having a slew of national top times. Among those national leaders is Winn Aung who just set new national age group records in the 100-meter fly and 200-meter free.

The 13-year old boys are freakishly fast in the breast events with not only the nation’s top time, but also the best depth in the zone’s top ten. They’re led by Ethan Dang of King Aquatic Club who swims a 1:08.15 100-meter breast and 2:24.04 200-meter breast.

The Western Zone’s 14-year old boys have amassed the most power points amongst the other three zones. William Daniel Kovac and Owen Davis Kao lead the nation in a handful of events.

The 15 and 16-year old age groups each have solid depth in the breaststroke events. Their tenth place times are either the fastest or next fastest tenth place time amongst all the zones.

The 17-year old boys are strong in the distance free races. They’re represented by the nation’s fastest 400-meter freestyler (Aidan Burns) as well as the best 800 and 1500-meter freestyler (Nicholas Clay Norman). As a whole, the age group is just behind the Eastern and Southern Zone in power points.

The Eastern and Southern Zones stand alone in overall power points for the 18-year old boys, but the West does have very respectable depth in the 50-meter free and 200-meter IM.

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