GwinAq Boys Take Second at Swim Meet of Champions

3/12 - A select group of Gwinnett Aquatics senior swimmers competed at the Southeastern Swim Meet of Champions (SMOC) this weekend in Augusta.  After an exciting final session on the fourth day of the meet the boys managed a 2nd place finish. It was a rare chance for the distance guys to be the heroes, entering the final event, the 1000 free, in 3rd with just a few points separating 2nd-4th, the group was able to get three scoring swims including Collier Stanton's victory, to move to second. 

Collier was the 2nd event winner that day, perhaps inspired by teammate Kate Johnson's earlier win in the same event. They joined Baylor Stanton, who won 4 events and set a new team record in the 200 breast, as the team's only event winners.  Jack Dunbar, Lucas Johnson, and Hannah-Claire Jowers all finaled while Nate Beeney,Max and Jenna Inlow, Paige Johnson, and Sean Lin all also scored for Gwinnett Aquatics. Baylor also picked up two new team records, one short course (200 breast) and one long course (200 back). 

Additionally Collier got his first ever Futures cut, Tadd Duffield picked up his first ever AAA (All-Star) time and Tadd and Nate got their first Sectional cuts. Many of the swimmers wrapped up the exciting weekend with a Long Course time trial Sunday afternoon.  Check it all out using the link below.  (We haven't gotten the meet results yet but will update that link when we do). 

Next up is the Divisional Champs for ALL swimmers in two weeks in Augusta!!

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Everyone Wins at Raffle Meet

3/4 - Gwinnett Aquatics and Spartan Aquatics hosted the 4th Annual Raffle Meet this weekend at GAC.  The Raffle Meet targets swimmers who did not compete at the State Champs (or those who did in events they don't have the cut).  This year about 200 swimmers competed for the chance to earn raffle "tickets" for a variety of prizes. 

Swimmers earned a raffle chance for every best time, heat winner, and new time standard achieved. In just two short sessions over 1000 chances generated and we gave out over 70 prizes through the weekend including backpacks, goggles, Squishmallows and Dancing Cacti.  At the end of the meet ASL swimmer Gabe Koch took home the grand prize, a $300 VISA gift card!

Next year it looks likely that the raffle meet will move to long course as Ga Swimming will add a new Peach State Champs meet (For state 10U and no-faster-than state 11-14 yr olds) in February that will likely take the place of this meet. 

For Gwinnett Aquatics it was clear our swimmers love winning stuff as we had over 60% best times which was even higher than the percentage we had at age group state or the qualifier!  Thirty-six swimmers won events: Timi Ajigbolamu, Elisa Basic, Justin and SteveMichael Bennett, Abby Bold, Shaylah Bopp, Kate Breiding, Aubrey Chisolm, Tadd Duffield, Brianna Exil, CJ Gast, Kendall Granberry, Emily Hardy, Morgan Henry, Sarah Heppe, Cade Holder, Cameron Jones, Alex Matveev, Aliana McCann, Grant McGee, Brandon Noble, Aaron Passman, Riley Pynn, Nicolas Ramdeo, Lillie Robinson, Ernesto Santiesteban-Pizarro, Addi Shaffer, Jude Stanton, Jimmy Wang, Ella and Emery Wells, Elsie Wethington-Mercer, Cole Wright (Gold), Andy Zhu, and Benicio and Helena Zimmerman!

Additionally Ethan Tull picked up his first BB times and Rose Aguilar, Arthur Bombard, Emma Gonzalez, and KitKat Jacobsen got their first B times. 

Next up is the Meet of Champions this weekend for our top Senior swimmers and then the Divisional Champs for ALL swimmers in two weeks in Augusta!!

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Gwinnett Aquatics Eleventh at Age Group State

2/20 - Gwinnett Aquatics' 14 and Unders had a bittersweet outcome at the Georgia Age Group State Champs this weekend. By almost all measures we had a very successful meet with the athletes having a high percentage of best times and our relays going 100% (first time that's happened in my memory).  But because we had so many athletes swimming up in a new age group for the first time we had only enough scoring swims to finish 11th, our lowest finish in some years.   That's what pro teams call a great "rebuilding" year. 

Seriously though, the fast swims that we saw this weekend indicate a very bright future for our team at the next couple state meets. Collier Stanton was the exception to our youth movement, it being his last age group state champs.  And he made the most of it medaling in six events (2nd 4 times!) and picking up new senior sectional cuts.  Way to go old man.  While he was our only top ten finisher, Ernesto Santiesteban-Pizarro, Aliana McCann, Kate Breiding, Emily Hardy, Jude Stanton, Ella Wells, and Kendall Granberry all scored as well. 

In addition Hardy and Breiding picked up their first 13-14 AAA (All-Star) time while Cate Joyce and Lillie Robinson got their first AA times and McCann got her first as an11-12.  CJ Gast got her first A as an 11-12 and Alaeelah McMahon got her first BB. 

Next up is the raffle meet next weekend for swimmers who did not compete at state and for those who did to swim some other events. Then it's three weeks to our big end of season champs, Divisionals at UGA March 24-26! 

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GwinAq Seniors Lead Local High School Teams at State Champs

2/13 - Gwinnett Aquatics swimmers played an outsize role in this weekend's Georgia High School State Champs at Ga Tech. Eleven different GaGa swimmers scored for Brookwood whose girls won the meet and boys took third and Parkview whose boys and girls were 8th and 10th respectively. 

They were led by Baylor Stanton who won both his events and broke the state record in the 200 IM.  Hannah-Claire Jowers also made the podium, taking third in the 100 breast while Sarah Heppe, Kate Johnson and Collier Stanton also made A-Finals.  Other scorers were Nate Beeney, David Duong, Max Inlow, Lucas and Paige Johnson, and Sean Lin. 

Additionally Abby Bold picked up her first A time and Sr State cut of the season. 

Up next is the Age Group State Championship Meet this weekend at Ga Tech. 

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Spring Programs, Including Tune-Up, Now Open for Registration

2/12 - All spring programs including our small group lessons and the very popular Spring Tune-Up are now open for registration.   Both the group lessons and the Tune-Up generally fill quite early so interested participants are encouraged to register soon. 

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Over 170 State Cuts Fall at GA Winter Qualifier

2/4 - This weekend at the 13th Annual Winter Qualifier Meet at GAC swimmers added over 170 new state cuts (103 state cuts, 68 "B" cuts) over three days of racing.  The meet, co-hosted by GwinAq and SPAC saw some great racing from nearly 600 swimmers.  When the water finally settled the state meet in two weeks at GaTech had gotten considerably larger.  The meet featured ribbon awards for 12Us and special tattoos for all swimmers getting a new State cut. 

Two weeks after the state meet we'll be back at GAC for the very popular Raffle Spectacular March 2-3.  That meet offers swimmers the chance to race in any events they don't have a qualifying time for state and win chances for prizes and even a raffle for a $300 gift card!

GwinAq Results

For Gwinnett Aquatics it was a fantastic meet with some great racing and 16 swimmers picking up over 30 new State or State B cuts. 15 swimmers won events, six swimmers got their first State or State B cuts and eleven swimmers picked up new USAS time standards.  They were:

• Event Winners: Reynolds Bower, Kate Breiding, Aubrey Chisholm, Jack Dunbar, Sarah Heppe, Jenna Inlow, Paige Johnson, Cameron Jones, Aliana McCann, Valarie Monroe, Eva Saldana, Ernesto Santiesteban-Pizarro, Jude Stanton, Ella Wells, and Cole Wright (Prep).
• First State Cuts: Gatlin Granberry, Eva Saldana, Cole Wright (Prep), and Jimmy Zhang
• First State B Cuts: Kaylin Lee, Morgan Sevier, and Andy Zhu
• New USAS Standards: Jimmy Wang, Ella Wells, Andy Zhu 1st A time; Saldana, Zhang, Benicio Zimmerman 1st BB; Lucas Babcock, Yusuf Besic, Ben El-Alam, Hailey Lord, Emma Seigler 1st B time. 

Up next will be the Age Group State Champs February 16-18 at GaTech followed by the Raffle Meet two weeks later.  (While this meet is especially for swimmers not going to state, state swimmers should go at least one day and swim events they don't have cuts in.) Oh, and our High School Age swimmers will have their state champs next weekend at Tech.

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Cold Temps, Hot Pool for GaGa High Schoolers

1/22 - While the rest of us were battling sub-zero wind chill our High School swimmers were setting the pool on fire at the Gwinnett County High School Champs. 

Baylor Stanton and Hannah-Claire Jowers combined for three wins. Max Inlow, Kate Johnson, and Collier Stanton combined for five more place swims and ten others qualified for A finals (that's 60% of our HS swimmers!)  Another nine qualified for B finals (85%, including our first Sr3 swimmer to make to 20).

Abby Bold picked up her first HS State Cuts.  Tad Duffield and Justice Parker for their first  Senior State Cuts and Henry Breiding, Lannon Clinanasmith and Cade Holder got their first A times of the season.   

Next up is our Winter Qualifier February 2-4 at GAC.  All swimmers should participate and all parents should volunteer. 

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GaGa Starts 2024 at Two Meets

1/16 - Gwinnett Aquatics got 2024 off to a fast start this weekend with some great swimming at the Eastern Classic Invite at Dynamo and the Novant LC Invite in Charlotte, NC. 

At the Eastern Classic a select group of GaGa swimmers competed with swimmers from all over the country, including South Carolina, Ohio, New Mexico, and Arizona. Ernesto Santiesteban-Pizarro and Paige Johnson both won events while sixteen other swimmers had top 10 finishes: Nate Beeney, Kate Breiding, Eddie El Osta, Emily Hardy, Morgan Henry, Jenna Inlow, Lucas Johnson, Aliana McCann, Grant McGee, Aaron Passman, Riley Pynn, Jude Stanton, Vincent Tuck, Ella and Emery Wells, and Cole Wright (Gold). 

Paige picked up her first AA time while Kayden Clinansmith and Kendall Granberry got their first A times and Passman and McGee got their first BBs. In addition Lannon Clinansmith, Paige Johnson and Ella Wells got their first state cuts of the season!

Those results are even more impressive when you consider that seven of our top Senior swimmers were being hosted by SwimMAC in Charlotte for a winter long course meet.  At that meet five swimmers had scoring swims including two wins by Collier Stanton and two 4th place finishes by Jack Dunbar and Kate Johnson. Max Inlow and Hannah-Claire Jowers also scored.  (Baylor joined the long list of GaGa swimmers hit by the flu this winter).

Next up we have the Winter Inter(squad) Meet this weekend for all the 14 and Under swimmers who did not go to Eastern Classic. There is no sign-up for this meet.  Just be at the pool at 1030am. The 14U Eastern Classic swimmers will have practice at 830/9am. 

After that is our Winter Qualifier February 2-4 at GAC.  All swimmers should participate and all parents should volunteer. 

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