Madison Smith & Adriano Arioti Record Olympic Trials Cuts
This Summer, our National Team was split between three Junior National level Championship meets that occurred at the end of July. Though the team was split, we managed many impressive results both individually and in team scoring. Here is a recap of those results:
NCSA Summer Championships – Indianapolis, IN, July 26-30
40 RMSC swimmers traveled to this meet, which featured around 1200 swimmers from almost 100 teams from all over the Country. The team finished 9th Combined, with the girls finishing 7th and the boys finishing 13th. Since the events were highly contested, 40 swimmers made it back to finals, with the top 24 scoring points for the team.
Leading the team with 135 points was Madison Smith. Madison qualified for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials with her 1st place finishes in 400 free (4:12.80) and 800 free (8:41.57). She also placed 1st in 1500 free (16:52.08), and the 400, 800, and 1500 were all 17-18 and Senior Team records. Madison was also 2nd in 200 free and top 16 in 100 free. Cooper Zakorchemny placed 2nd in 800 free in a 15-16 Team Record 8:14.40, 7th in 400 free, top 16 in 1500 free, and added 2 other top 40 finishes. Andrea Dworak was 4th in 400 free and 800 free, 5th in 200 free in a 15-16 Team Record 2:02.66, and top 16 in 100 free and 200 back. Angela Kadoorie finished 3rd in 200 breast, 4th in 400 IM in a 15-16 Team Record 4:54.63, and had 2 other top 40 finishes. Joe Umhofer took 6th in 200 breast, and was top 24 in 50 breast and 100 breast. Alex Nguyen was 7th in 800 free, top 16 in 1500 free, and added another top 40 finish. Brian Wilbur finished top 16 in 50 breast and 100 breast, and added another top 40 finish. Aydin Erkan finished top 16 in 200 fly, while Josh Lopez was top 16 in 200 free. Quinn Marchionini was top 24 in 200 back, while Sara Smith was top 24 in 400 IM. Griffin Oehler broke the Team record in 13-14 50 fly (26.17) with a top 40 finish. Also making finals appearances with top 40 finishes were: Lizzie Linck, Mimi Moore, Jackson Rankin, and Owen Watkins.
We had many excellent team performances in relays as well. Our top relay was the Boys 800 Free relay team of Cooper Zakorchemny, Alex Nguyen, Brig Barnett, and Josh Lopez, who broke the 15-16 Team Record in 7:45.36, and finished 9th. Two of our 13-14s broke Team records with their relay leadoff splits: Jonah Ginsburg with a 24.43 in 50 free, and Griffin Oehler with a 27.65 in 50 back. Also contributing to top 24 scoring relays were: Andrea Dworak, Aydin Erkan, John Frank, Angela Kadoorie, Alyssa Kwon, Lizzie Linck, Quinn Marchionini, Kelsie Miller, Anna Mitchum, Madison Smith, Joe Umhofer, and A.J. Wong.
USA Swimming Futures – Richmond, VA, July 26-29
RMSC had 17 swimmers compete in this meet, which was one of five Regional Futures meets held simultaneously around the Country. Despite the small representation, RMSC finished 5th Combined, 4th in boys, and 10th in girls. The top 32 swimmers qualified for finals, with the top 16 scoring for the team.
Brady Begin was our top scorer with 53 points. He took 1st in 800 free (8:20.53), 2nd in 400 free, and 3rd in 1500 free. Nasim Elkassem was 5th in 200 free and 100 back, 8th in 100 fly, and top 16 in 50 free. Maria Webb finished 7th in 200 fly. Sarah Eliason was 8th in 100 free, and added top 16 finishes in 50 free and 100 fly. Samir Elkassem was 8th in 800 free, and added 3 other top 32 finishes. Livia Venditti finished top 16 in 100 back, and added 4 other top 32 finishes. Addison Webb was top 16 in 800 free and added another top 32 finish. Lauren Clark finished top 16 in 200 fly, while David Yune added a top 16 in 200 free. Also making finals appearances with top 32 finishes were: Teddy Ament, Isla Bartholomew, and Michael Kaiser.
We had some excellent relay performances as well, highlighted by a 1st place in the Boys 800 Free relay by Brady Begin, David Yune, Samir Elkassem, and Nasim Elkassem. The same four boys also broke the Senior Team Record in the 400 Free relay with a 3:30.73, finishing 4th. The girls' top relay finish was in the 800 Free relay, with Sarah Eliason, Addison Webb, Maria Webb, and Livia Venditti taking 7th. Venditti, A.Webb, Eliason, and Rachel Soubier added a 9th place finish in the 400 Free relay.
USA Swimming Junior Nationals - Irvine, CA, July 31-August 5
Our final Junior National meet was the most competitive, with the top 18&Unders in the Country descending on Irvine. Some of our swimmers even flew from Indy to Irvine to compete at both meets. The top 24 swimmers qualified for finals at the meet, with the top 16 scoring for the team.
Adriano Arioti contributed all of our individual scoring at the meet. He finished 4th in 200 back (2:00.66), as he again went under the U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying standard in that event. He also qualified for Olympic Trials for the first time this season in 200 IM (2:02.77), finishing 18th, and breaking the 17-18 and Senior Team records. He added a 9th place finish in 100 back (56.17), a 10th in 200 fly (2:01.20), and a best time in 100 free (52.48). Sarah Eliason made a finals appearance with a 21st in 100 fly (1:01.31), and added a best time in 50 free (26.65).
Also competing at the prestigious meet were Amy Qin, Livia Venditti, Owen Watkins, Brian Wilbur, and Cooper Zakorchemny, all of whom were just off the fast times that they recently recorded to qualify.