November Meet Wrap-ups
Myrtle Beach Riptides swim team has busy November
The Riptides swim team had a busy November, competing in two meets in Mount Pleasant, SC and in Raleigh, NC.
Mount Pleasant 12/Under Grand Prix #3 –
Twenty-three Riptides’ swimmers competed in Grand Prix #3 on November 8 in Mount Pleasant. The Grand Prix Series consists of 5 one-day meets and concludes with a two-day championship in February. The swimmers combined for 49 new personal best times.
Kailey Habib and Dayton Busse led the Riptides with the single largest improvements of more than 70 seconds in their 500-yard freestyle swims. Both also achieved a perfect 4-4 personal best times.
McKenzie Bowers, Anaya Brown, Jordan Brown, Jack Guthinger, Joe Guthinger, Ella Habib, Navaeh Johns, Matthew Key, Emily Larkins, Hannah McDonough, Brady Morris, Ethan Nechemia, Maddi Pannell, Ireland Rose, Ella Speir, Chloe Stampfle and Sammy Trezza each swam to at least one personal best.
Maya Adi and Dan Henington completed the Riptides’ contingent, swimming in several events for the first time.
Assistant coach Mary Churchill was very pleased with the results. Riptides had very few disqualified swims and a few swimmers inched closer to their first SC Swimming State Championship qualifying time standards.
Grand Prix #4 will be held in December at Charleston, SC.
New Wave Quad Splash -
Twenty-one Riptides’ swimmers traveled to Raleigh, NC for the 2014 New Wave Quad Splash. Riptides had great meet, achieving 87 personal best times, 12 new SC Swimming State Championship q-times, 7 team records, and two of each Speedo Senior Sectional Championship and Age-group Sectional Championship q-times.
Ian Morgan continued his onslaught on the Riptides’ 11-12 records, setting new standards in the 50- and 100-butterfly and freestyle events, 100-backstroke, and 200- and 400-Individual Medley events. Morgan’s times were also new State Champ q-times and the 100-fly and 400-IM were also new Age-group Sectional standards.
Eddie Bateson earned two new Speedo Senior Sectional Championship q-times in the 100-breaststroke and 400-IM.
Achieving their first SC Swimming State Championship q-times were Rafael Adi and Alyssa Cozart in the 100-butterfly and 200-breaststroke, respectively. Danielle Flaherty, Hannah McDonough, Peyton McWhorter and Jenn Paul each added at least one new SC Swimming Championship q-time to their repertoire.
Mackenzie Angwin, Chad Bateson, Andi Churchill, Connor Churchill, Jake Flaherty, Kailey Habib, Ty Kinner-Costello, Kylie McWhorter, Ethan Nechemia, Ella Speir, Chase Teasley and Rui Zhang each swam to personal best times. Walker Harwell rounded out the squad.
Head coach James Smith was very pleased with the results from the New Wave Quad Splash. According to Smith, the meet served as a final tune-up for the calendar-ending focus meet in December at the University of South Carolina.
“We had some break-out performances from several swimmers. This was a challenge for the athletes to compete in 10 events over the two days,” Smith said.
Next for the Riptides is the aforementioned Carolina Classic December 12-14.
