Phlegar joins Southeastern Championship Team at CMSA Spring Invite!
Tsunami Age Groupers Continue Their Great Season in Mobile!
Let's face it.............the PCST Age Groupers have been on fire lately!! Coach Brian has got them excited, working harder than ever, coming to practice more consistently than ever, and the hard work is paying off in dividends! Over the weekend, a small army of PCST swimmers attended the Spring CMSA Meet in Mobile, AL at Bishop State College. They returned home with new team records, new Southeastern cuts, many awards, lots of best times, and tons to be proud of. Check out all of the great swims below!
Phlegar Becomes PCST's Latest Southeastern Qualify
The list is getting long!! The Tsunamis have come one step closer to getting our overall team goal of competing in the Large Team Category at the Southeastern Championships in Knoxville, TN. We now have well over 30 swimmers who have qualified for the meet. Next step as we continue to compete throughout the summer is not only to add more and more swimmers to that list, but to get more and more qualifying times for each swimmer as well! We want every qualifier to plan on attending that meet so we can reach our team goal!
New SES Cuts
Alex Phlegar (new qualifier 13-14 Boys) 200 Back, 200 Breast
Reid Metcalf (11-12 Boys) 100 Back
Hallam and McGuire Become Tops Ever in 13-14 Breaststroke!
Can you believe that the two swimmers who broke our all-time team records in the 13-14 age group this weekend were not only both in the 50 Breast................they are both only 13 years old! How great is that? Kyla Hallam and Chad McGuire are proving time and time again that they are two of the best breaststrokers this team has ever seen. And the best part is that you ain't seen nothin yet! :) Great job guys!
New Team Records
Kyla Hallam 13-14 Girls 50 Breast (40.13) breaks Fallon Gelsleichter (40.79) in 2012
Chad McGuire 13-14 Boys 50 Breast (37.45) breaks Paul Erben (38.33) in 1999
Three Tsunamis Win Events in Mobile!
It is no coincidence that I keep repeating many of the same names. When you work hard to achieve your goals, the benefits come in great packages. Kyla Hallam, Chad McGuire both won the 50 Breaststrokes in the 13-14 division, events in which they also broke the PCST team record. On top of that though, Reid Metcalf proved that he isn't just one of the best backstrokers in PCST history, he is one of the current best backstrokers in the region!
Event Wins
Reid Metcalf (11-12 Boys): 50 Back
Kyla Hallam (13-14 Girls): 50 Breast
Chad McGuire (13-14 Boys): 50 Breast
Over 3/4 of the PCST Team in Mobile Finishes in Top 6!
Although we did not travel to Mobile with a huge force of swimmers behind us, clearly the swimmer we had were terrific ones! Just look at how many of the 16 swimmers that competed in the meet finished in the Top 6 overall in at least one individual event. Pretty awesome huh? Congratulations to the following swimmers who were among the best at the meet in Mobile over the weekend.
Top 6 Individual Swims
Peyton Baranowski, Portia Baranowski, Hamp Brasfield, Pate Brasfield, Zacary Chamness, Gretchen Freisthler, Kyla Hallam, Ben Hicks, Chad McGuire, Reid Metcalf, Alex Phlegar, Hannah Retheford, Cole Tillman
Hallam's 50 Back Enters All-Time Top 10 List!
The up and coming, hard working 13 year old showed the swimming world that her breaststroke is not her only great event. The 50 backstroke that Kyla Hallam swam over the weekend also broke her into the All-Time Top 10 List for ALL AGES with the Tsunamis! That is a heck of an accomplishment for a 13 year old with so many great years ahead of her. Well done Kyla!
New All-Time Top 10 Swims
Kyla Hallam: 50 Back 9th (36.57)
Six Different Tsunamis Improve All-Time Age Group Top 10 Swims!
In addition to Kyla, Reid, Chad and Alex who we have mentioned already that had many fantastic swims, we had two other Tsunamis who improved times in the Age Group All-Time Top 10 list for the history of PCST. Hannah Retherford showed how quickly she can battle back from illness to put herself in the Top 10 list for the 50 Breast, while Gretchen Freisthler marked herself as one of the best backstrokers we have ever had for the 8 & under girls! Awesome job to all of you!
New Age Group All-Time Top 10 Swims
8 & Under Girls: Gretchen Freisthler 100 Back (10th)
11-12 Boys: Reid Metcalf 50 Back (6th), 100 Back (9th)
13-14 Girls: Kyla Hallam 50 Back (3rd), 50 Breast (1st), 50 Fly (4th), 200 IM (9th); Hannah Retherford 50 Breast (8th)
13-14 Boys: Chad McGuire 1500 Free (10th), 50 Back (9th), 50 Breast (1st), 100 Breast (7th), 200 Breast (5th); Alex Phlegar 1500 Free (7th), 50 Back (5th), 50 Fly (6th)
Next up for the Tsunamis is the GPAC Distance Challenge this coming weekend at the University of West Florida in Pensacola! Thirteen of our seniors will travel to compete in events ranging from 200 meters to 1500 meters. Wish them luck and be sure to sign up for both the Short Course Coast Aquatics Meet on May 26th in Destin, as well as the Long Course Coast Aquatics Meet here at home in Panama City Beach on June 1-3.
CATCH THE WAVE!
Coach Jonathan
