Up & Comers
Team Santa Monica’s Zach Tower

By Shoshanna Rutemiller

Zach Tower, 12, of Team Santa Monica (Calif.) has done something many swimmers find difficult: he has found success in all strokes…at all distances!

At the Mission Viejo ISCA Elite Showcase in February, Zach swam 10 individual events and placed first in the 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 yard freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, 200 and 400 IM, and second in the 100 backstroke.

Zach’s time in the 1000 free (10:02.28) makes him the fastest 12-year-old in the nation by more than seven seconds. He is also ranked among the top 10 nationally in the 100, 200 and 500 free, 200 fly and the 200 and 400 IM.

“For us, the biggest achievement at that meet was not the time drops or the national rankings,” says Coach Iman Khadembashi. “It was the range of events in which Zach was dominant.”

Unfortunately, Zach didn’t get to finish out his amazing short course season because his end-of-season meet, the Spring Junior Olympics, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with his 13th birthday just around the corner, Zach has many upcoming opportunities for new competition—which is a plus, because, according to Coach Iman, Zach hates to lose!