PAIGE & PEYTON COSTA, TAYLOR SHAW AND CHRIS NOLAN WIN HIGH POINT AT RIDGECREST

Forty-one TNT swimmers were among the 154 athletes competing at the Ridgecrest meet during the last weekend of January earning combined points totaling 1,451 to outscore the nine teams present, including the host IWV by over 200 points. Team points were led by four TNT high point recipients, beginning with the youngest brother-sister duo, Paige and Peyton Costa. Six-year old Paige Costa took home the honors by scoring 88 points in the 6-under division while the runner up from Bakersfield accumulated a distant 58 points. Paige was the event champion in nine of her ten events winning the 50 free (44.16), 50 back (57.53), 50 fly (59.49), 100 IM (2:05.09), 100 free (1:42.84), 25 back (24.92), 25 free (19.42), 25 fly (23.43) and 25 breast (30.20). On the boys’ side of the 7-8 age division, brother Peyton Costa led the group with 84 points. Peyton became the event champion in seven of his ten events winning the 50 free (32.85), 50 fly (42.99), 500 free (7:19.13), 100 free (1:17.02), 25 back (19.79), 25 free (15.52) and 25 fly (18.10). The top five male point getters in the 7-8 division were all TNT swimmers with Peyton leading Toby Jones, Jayce Ford, Daniel Magargee and Mason Amble respectively.

celebrating Paul Alexander Lerro's 9th birthday

The top two scorers for the 13-14 girls were also TNT swimmers with Taylor Shaw taking home the honors in leading Megan Nino as runner up. Taylor was the event champion in the 200 fly (2:29.56) and 400 IM (5:12.87) events. The top two point getters for the 15-18 boys were also both TNT swimmers, with Chris Nolan taking home the honors, along with Javiar Morales as runner up. Our two led the ten male swimmers in the division in points. Chris was the event champion in five of his eight events winning the 200 free (1:50.96), 100 back (1:00.10), 100 fly (54.67), 200 IM (2:05.99) and 50 free (23.53).

Other event champions included Danielle Albright who won the 9-10 500 free (5:51.20), 14-year old Owen Ansel won the 200 free (2:03.20) and 100 breast (1:14.70); 6-year old Damien Brown won the 25 free (22.67); 9-year old Skylar Ford won the 50 breast (39.90); 14-year old Katelyn Herrera won the 200 breast (2:50.03), 200 IM (2:20.83), 200 back (2:24.62), 50 free (27.03), 100 breast (1:21.05) and 400 IM (4:56.75); 8-year old Toby Jones won the 50 breast (47.35), 100 IM (1:36.78) and 25 breast (21.99); 11-year old JD Koster was the event champion in the 500 free (6:18.29), Devan Marshall took the first in the 17-18 200 breast (2:21.79), 14-year old Khloe McCarthy won the 200 free (2:05.43), 100 back (1:05.37), 100 fly (1:06.76), 100 free (59.00), 50 free (27.31) and 200 fly (2:28.99), 15-year old Megan Nino won the 100 back (1:07.37), 500 free (6:04.61) and 200 back (2:26.41); and Jeremiah Santillana was the champion in the 13-14 100 free (56.42) and 50 free (25.59) events.

(not pictured - Taylor Shaw)

Nine meet records were set by four TNT swimmers at the meet, and these were led by Paige Costa who reestablished records in four events beginning with the 6-under 50 fly. Her time of 59.49 in the 6-under event was well under the 1:07.61 previously held by Emma Steele of Fresno, and set in 2001. Paige’s 2:05.09 in the 100 IM was nearly 30 seconds faster than the preexisting record held by Grace Williams set in 2007. Paige went under 20 seconds for the first time with her 19.42 in the 25 free, thereby swimming well under the 21.04 time swam by Ashley Flatman in 2004. Finally Paige swam 23.43 in the 25 fly which was fast enough for the record that was held by Emma Steele set in 2001 as 23.95.

Peyton Costa is now the record holder in the 50 free, swimming 32.85 which was under the 33.61 record that our very own Dax Korenwinder had set in 2009 while swimming in the 7-8 division. Eight-year old Peyton also swam the 500 free for the first time, and his 7:19.13 was under the 7:59.73 record that was held by Kenneth Flatman and set in 2003. Finally, Peyton swam 15.52 in the 25 free to edge under the 15.72 record set by Dax Korenwinder in 2009.

Two additional records were reestablished by TNT swimmers, and both were in the 15-18 male division. Visalia swimmer Devan Marshall entered his first meet as a TNT swimmer, and earned his first meet record by swimming 2:21.79 in the 200 breaststroke, which was nearly 10 seconds under the 2:31.50 record set in 2004 by Fresno swimmer Nicholas Rocca. Our High Point winner Chris Nolan set a new record in the 100 fly with a time of 54.67 which was under the 55.65 record set by Ross Long of Bakersfield in 2002.

6 COMPETE - 6 FINAL AT FRESNO JUNIOR MEET

Seven TNT swimmers competed at the Fresno trials and finals meet over the last weekend of January. Nathan Rhea place no lower than second in any one of his six events winning the 200 breaststroke (2:14.06), 100 breaststroke (1:01.76) and 200 back (1:59.60) events. Colin Landweer swam away with wins in both the 100 free (48.79) and 200 free (1:45.76) events.

Sectional qualifier, Joseph Cobarrubias, swam to four championship finishes with his highest placing of 2^nd in the 100 free (51.04). Our youngest swimmer at age 13, Morgan Coddington, had three championship swims with her highest place of 4^th in the 200 breaststroke (2:46.64). Now 15-year old Chris Hansen also earned three championship swims earning two 3^rd place finishes including the 200 breaststroke (2:31.17) and 400 IM (4:55.37) events.

Although not returning to finals, daughter of local swimming phenom Scott Jett, Sierra Jett, finished 2^nd during the preliminary heats in the 200 back (2:32.33).

CCS PLACES 3rd AT ALL STAR MEET

Nine TNT swimmers joined forces with other qualified All Star swimmers from throughout Central California Swimming to compete against All Star teams representing Sierra Nevada Swimming and San Diego Imperial Swimming over the January 21-22 weekend. Congratulations to our nine swimmers who qualified for the team: Janessa Bringe (age 10), Morgan Coddington (13), Skylar Ford (9), Kyle Grissom (14), Noah Haworth (14), Jackson Huckabay (9), Jonas Huckabay (11), Preston Niayesh (11) and Satoshi Shinkawa (11).

Five of our nine swimmers placed among the top eight with both Kyle Grissom and Jackson Huckabay both placing top eight in five of their six events. Kyle finished 3^rd in the 100 fly (57.40), 4^th in the 200fly (2:14.29), 6^th in both the 50 free (24.35) and 100 back (1:04.54), and 7^th in the 200 back (2:21.63). Jackson finished 5^th in the 50 free (30.82), 6^th in both the 50 breast (41.80) and 50 fly (36.13), and 7^th in both the 50 back (37.59) and 100 fly (1:24.53). Skylar Ford finished in the championship position in four of her six events including a 4^th place finish in the 50 back (36.43), a 5^th place finish in the 50 breast (39.98) and two 6^th place finishes in the 50 free (30.23) and 100 back (1:17.16). Noah Haworth and Preston Niayesh each had two top-8 finishes with Noah finishing 3^rd in the 200 fly (2:14.07) and 6^th in the 200 IM (2:19.20), while Preston finished 4^th in the 200 breast (2:51.36) and 5^th in the 100 breast (1:20.78).

EMILY GOODBAR BREAKS TEAM RECORD AT FULLERTON

Seven TNT swimmers swam to an 18^th place team finish among 37 teams that scored at the 2012 Southern California Swimming Senior Meet hosted by Fullerton Aquatic Swim Team in Fullerton. After setting the team record in the 13-14 girls 200 fly as a 2:11.55 at the Terrapin meet this past November, fourteen year old Emily Goodbar of Selma swam to a consolation finish of 14^th place, and smashed her previous record with a 2:09.67. Her time currently ranks 71^st in the National Age Group top-10 ranking among 14-year old girls for 2012.

Chris Nolan led our team in the number of second swims earned with two consolation swims that included a 12^th place finish in the 200 fly (1:57.02) and an 18^th place finish in the 200 breaststroke (2:16.64), along with two bonus finishes: 22^nd place in the 100 fly (54.84) and 28^th place in the 100 breast (1:03.89). Mallory Korenwinder led the team in points from individual events with her two consolation finishes: 12^th in the 100 breaststroke (1:07.70) and 17^th in the 200 breaststroke (2:28.12). Our two additional swimmers earning second swims included 13-year old Mia Newkirk who finished 25^th in the 100 back (1:02.37) and 14-year old Khloe McCarthy who finished 26^th in the 100 breaststroke (1:12.24) events.

Our girls’ team competed in three relays, and scored a total of 66 points when combining the scores from all three relays. Our highest scoring relay was an 8^th place finish in the 400 Medley Relay (4:10.93), and was composed of Mia Newkirk, Mallory Korenwinder, Emily Goodbar and Bre Abell. The 800 free relay finished 11^th and was composed of Bre Abell, Mia Newkirk, Emily Goodbar and Katelyn Herrera. The final 400 free relay of Mia Newkirk, Katelyn Herrera, Mallory Korenwinder and Bre Abell finished 13^th overall.