Athletes of the Week - Chantilly and Hayfield

This weekend was filled with several standout performances throughout our team. It takes an entire team effort to have the level of success we enjoyed. Winning so many events and scoring so many points only happens when athletes are performing at the top of their games. The coaching staff would like to recognize the following athletes for their stellar performances this weekend:

• Sean McCormack - Sean had a breakout night on Friday, posting personal-best times in both the 50 free and 100 breast. His time in the breast was more than 11 seconds faster than the time he posted in tryouts. Sean is one of our team's hardest workers and his success this weekend shows what comes of it!
• Kevin Rice - Kevin continued his strong season with another stead performance this weekend. His split in the 200 medley relay was strong and his time in the 100 breast was just off his personal-best from last season.
• Sam Deege - Sam's 100 free on Friday night set a new standard for what he can accomplish. His time in that event represented a drop of more than 4 seconds from tryouts. Sam started his Madison career by establishing himself as a solid distance swimmer. This season he is showing he can be a sprinter, too!
• Men's 200 Freestyle Relay - The men's relay on Friday put up their fastest time of the season, with impressive splits by John Klein, Benham Cobb, Brayden Philpott and Owen Dyson.  
• Maggie Shi - Maggie continues to look invigorated as she enjoys a real break-out season. She won the 200 IM and 100 fly on Friday with times that were just off her personal bests. Her split in the 400 free relay was also one of the best swims she's enjoyed during her time at Madison.
• Regan Hau - Regan is establishing herself as an elite breaststroker with her performances each week. Her times on Friday in the 200 IM and 100 breast were right off her best times from last season. It will be exciting to see what she can accomplish when we get to the post-season!
• Sophia Brown - Sophia is another of our young leaders who is continuing to grow and improve in each of her events. Her 200 IM and her split in the 400 free relays were especially encouraging. She looked as strong as ever and is also readying for championship season.
• Caitlynn Hastings - Like so many of our teammates, Caitlynn also set a personal best over the weekend. In her case, it was in the 100 backstroke where she improved by more than 2 seconds from her time in tryouts.
• Lucy Silverstein - Lucy may be a freshman, but she dives with the skill and confidence of a more seasoned athlete. Her performances on both Friday and Saturday night were steady and strong. She is consistently finishing in the top 3 and will be an important part of our future success.
• Camille Jacobs - Camille works hard every week to grow and improve as a diver. She has a can-do attitude and is willing to try new dives each week. Her hard work is paying off as she continues to improve her scores from week to week.
• Michael Reed - Michael continues to impress the coaches with his versatility and willingness to try new events. His positive attitude and humble, hard work are also refreshing. This past weekend he set new personal-bests in three different events: the 200 free, the 500 free and the 100 fly.
• Adam Hammoud - Adam posted a very strong and encouraging 200 free this past weekend during our meet against Hayfield. Despite suffering through shoulder pain and discomfort, Adam persevered and won the first event of his Madison career.
• Will Bush - Will is another young man who willingly faces any challenge put before him. This weekend he took on the 200 free and 200 IM and set new personal-best times in the process. Will's smile and positivity light up the deck and help explain why he is such a respected member of our team.
• PJ Pearson - PJ joined the parade of athletes setting personal-bests this weekend. In this case it was in the 50 free, where he dropped another second from his previous best-ever swim.
• Owen Dyson - Owen is already known as one of the premier sprinters in the area. His time in the 100 free on Friday certainly validated that reputation. But he added a new element on Saturday by winning the 500 free with a time of 4:56.62. That time was a 46 second drop from his previous-best time (though, admittedly, that was back when he was 14!).
• Ian Wisnewski - Like many of his teammates, Ian is a hard worker who continues to improve his times from week to week. On Friday he set a new personal-best in the 100 free. And then on Saturday, he established a new standard for himself in the 100 fly by more than 3 seconds.
• Sydney Guthrie - Sydney was consistently strong throughout the meet on Saturday night. Her times in the 200 IM and 100 free were just off her personal-bests. More importantly, her swims looked strong and fluid.
• Hannah Carmen - Hannah competed for the first time this season and wasted no time in leaving her mark. She won the 500 free and looked strong in the 200 free as well. Then she posted one of best 100 fly swims on Saturday night. She's a leader who demands the best of herself at all times.
• Anabel Huffstutler - Anabel also had the opportunity to compete for the first time this season. She looked especially strong in both the 100 breast and 500 free on Saturday night. She is moving in the right direction as we begin preparing for the post season.
• Vera Korff - Vera did a tremendous job stepping into the 100 back at a moment's notice and posting a time that was 2 seconds faster than tryouts. She maintained a positive attitude while stepping into an unexpected event. She handled the situation well and did a great job of supporting her teammates.
• Adira Asner - Adira is quietly having a very strong season. She started the weekend setting a personal-best time in the 200 free. Then she finished the weekend with a blistering split in the 400 free relay. 
• Meera Doran - Meera swam in her first meets of the season this weekend and showed great improvement from one night to the next. She dropped 10 seconds in her 500 free on Saturday night as compared to Friday.  
• Lilly Allred - Lilly had a strong night on Saturday, continuing to improve her times in the 50 free and 100 free from last week. She continues to bring a positive attitude to the pool each day, and it shows each week.