West Austin Aquatics

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Important Dates

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WFLY May 9th Time Trial Meet is posted.  Entries are due this Sat.  Parents please plan to help at the meet.

Sat. Practice 8-10 am

Long Course Registration

Registration continues!! 
New Swimmers must bring birth certificate to complete registration!
 

April:
19-20   - Longhorn Long Course Kickoff @ UT
May:
9- WFLY TT
17        – End of School Splash @ UT
June:
5-8 - Sr. Circuit Champs @ UT
14-15     -  BEAT Valero Unclassified @ Corpus Christi

June 29^th-July 6 – OLYMPIC TRIALS – Nebraska

July:
10-13      - STAGS @ Palo Alto in S.A.
11-13        - Senior Champs in S.A.
16-19        - Sectionals @ UT
19-20        - C Championship @ Belton
23-27        - TAGS @ UT

July 29^th-Aug 2^nd   -   NATIONALS

July 29^th-Aug 2^nd -     ZONES

Aug:
2-3             - JO’S – Corpus Christi
4-8             - Jr. Nationals
9-16        - OLYMPICS – CHINA

Please mark your calendars with the above dates but note that there will be many more to added.

Area Swimmers Shine at Championship Swim Meets

Late March was the end of the short course swim season for age group athletes in Texas.  Six weeks of action in championship meets for all levels of swimmers was completed with the state meet, TAGS held in Dallas.  West Austin Aquatics, a USA Swimming team, which practices at West Austin Athletic Club in Travis County showed off its breath and depth by placing swimmers in all championship meets held at the end of the short course season.  The Junior Olympic team competed in Belton. WFLY JO swimmers were Morgan Johnson (Valley View Elem), Hannah Rowley (Menchacca Elem), Sophie Werkenthin (Valley View Elem.), Eloise Smith (Homeschool), Mary Catherine Doyal (Lake Pointe Elem), Lauren Mamrosh (Rooster Springs Elem), Alicia Morales (St. Gabriel’s), Kathleeen Shea (St. Gabriel’s), Ava Mamrosh (Rooster Springs Elem), Chloe Larsen (Rooster Springs Elem), Hunter Bishop (Lake Travis Elem), Megan Johnson (Valley View Elem), Rachel Pedley (Barton Creek Elem), Taylor Bishop (Lake Travis Elem), Julia Trowbridge (Lake Pointe Elem), Sedera Zbranak (Lake Pointe Elem), Victoria Glomb (Morgen Academy), Emily Shepard (Veritas Academy), Annie Holcomb (Eanes Elem), Kaitie Kudlac (Trinity Episcopal), Kendall Miller (Lake Travis MS), Jacquelyn Zbranak (Lake Travis MS), Keely Ratliff (Lake Travis MS), Blaine Oldham (Small MS), Matt Davis (Lake Travis MS), David Doyal (Lake Travis MS) and Matthew Pedley (Westridge MS). These swimmers swam so well that they achieved a 3^rd place team finish behind Temple and COTA and ahead of other Austin area teams.  JO champions in individual events included Morales (50 free), Bishop, T (200 free), Holcomb (500 free, 100 back), Kudlac (100 back, 50 fly, 200 IM), Zbranak, J (100 free, 200 fly, and 100 IM), Oldham (50 free), and Doyal (400 IM).  Relay champions for the 200 free and medley relays were Pedley, Bishop, H, Johnson, M, and Morales.

The South Texas Championship team for 14 and younger swimmers consisted of Sedera Zbranak, Taylor Bishop, Julia Dansby (Barton Creek Elem), Jessica Conrad (Barton Creek Elem), Hunter Bishop, Rachel Pedley, Laurie Prinz (Valley View Elem), Emily Shepard, Kendall Frenkel (Lake Travis MS), Bridget Boushka (St. Gabriel’s), Jacquelyn Zbranak, Kaitie Kudlac, Kendall Miller, Jessica Shepard (Veritas Academy), Rebekah Harvey (Homeschool), Madison Tomasek (Bailey MS), Mitchell Beckage (Barton Creek Elem), Ben Rodgers (Bee Cave Elem), Audie Embestro (Cedar Creek Elem), Adam Brunn (Lake Pointe Elem), Ty Anderson (Lake Travis MS), David Doyal, Joseph Martinez (St. Gabriel’s), Paul Corbae (Hill Country MS), Reese Bishop (Hudson Bend MS), Matthew Pedley, Timothy Wylie (Dripping Springs MS), and Chris Johnson (Bowie HS).  These swimmers competed in San Antonio with the fastest 14 and younger swimmers in the area of Texas from Temple south including teams in Austin, San Antonio and Corpus Christi.  STAGS finalist included Zbranak, S., Conrad (who won the 50 breast, 100 breast, and 100 fly), Boushka, Shepard, J., Harvey, Tomasek, Rodgers, Embestro (who won the 200 IM), Martinez (who won the 50 free, 100 free, 200 free, and 200 IM), Corbae (who won the 100 br and 200 br), Bishop, R., Wylie, and Johnson (who won the 200 IM).  This team came in 5^th place of all teams at the competition.  The same weekend Maria Petty (Lake Travis HS), Mallory Pernell (Westlake HS), Rachel Thomas (Lake Travis HS), Ryan Holody (St. Andrew’s), Robert McWilliams (Westlake HS), and Jonathan Chambers (Lake Travis HS) competed in Senior Champs in San Antonio. Petty and Holody returned back for finals.

TAGS was in Dallas and attracts the top 14 and younger swimmers of the state.  The WFLY team consisted of Jessica Shepard, Bridget Boushka, Sedera Zbranak, Jessica Conrad, Laurie Prinz, Timothy Wylie, Reese Bishop, Joseph Martinez, Paul Corbae, Audie Embestro, and Ben Rodgers.  Finalists at this meet were Wylie, Martinez, and Embestro. 

Sectionals is a national meet of which these WFLY swimmers qualified and competed:  Maddie Locus (Dripping Springs HS), Brandi Townsend (Dripping Springs HS), Andy Hoffmann (Lake Travis HS), Kyle Wilson (Lake Travis HS), Chris Griffin (Lake Travis HS), Drew Cauthorn (Lake Travis HS), Alex Etz (Austin High), Chris Johnson (Bowie), Ryan Holody, and Nathan Michaud (St. Andrew’s teacher) The meet was held at Texas A & M and attracted the fastest swimmers from the southern zone of the US.  These swimmers had a sneak preview of the long course season as finals were swum in the long course pool letting coaches gauge Olympic hopefuls. Hoffman placed 18^th in the 200 breast, Michaud placed 16^th in the 50 free, Griffin placed 4^th in the 200 fly and 10^th in the 200 free, and Locus was 3^rd in the 50 free.

 Three swimmers had a change of pace with the American Long Course Champs at UT which brought out the best swimmers in the country including Michael Phelps and Amanda Weir. All of the swimmers at this meet have, or are close to Olympic Trial cuts.  WFLY had three swimmers qualify for this meet, Nathan Michaud, Maddie Locus, and Chris Griffin.  Locus swam to a 12^th place in the 50 free, 19^th in the 100 free, and 16^th in the 100 breast.  Griffin placed 13^th in the 200 fly and 16^th in the 400 free.

West Austin Aquatics is led by former University of Tennessee All American Janet Risser.  “These kids have swum so well this season.  We have trained hard and had fun and I am proud of each one of them.”  Coach Risser is already planning the summer training schedules which includes long course competitions.  She will again have swimmers at all levels, including Locus and Griffin who have qualified for Nationals.  Besides the USA Swimming team, West Austin Athletic Club also offers swim instruction through its Developmental program of lessons, Guppy classes, stroke clinics, REC Swim teams, and summer camps.  Assistant Coach John Walsh says he sees one of the strengths at West Austin Athletic Club is that swimmers of all ages and abilities are welcome and there are programs with experienced coaches to accommodate both the fitness swimmer and the fierce competitor.  “Coming out of championship season it is great to have seen so many great personal performances with life-time best times.  The smiles and spirit of this team is incredible,” stated Walsh, “the coaches and swimmers can’t wait to get back in the pool and start the next season.” Complete results of these meets can be found at www.stswim.org.  Information about West Austin Aquatics can be found at www.wfly.com.

WFLY is now a USA Swimming Recognized Club, Level 1! To achieve this recognition a swim team must show excellence in: Business and Organizational Success, Parent & Volunteer Development, Coach Development & Education, and Athlete Development & Performance.