2015 Swammy Awards: Age Group Swimmer of the Year – 10 & Under

Check out all of our 2015 Swammy Awards here.

2015 Honorees: Miriam Sheehan and Ronald Dalmacio

10 & Under Girls

Miriam Sheehan – Phoenix Swim Club, Phoenix, Arizona

2015 was an absolutely extraordinary year for girls’ 10-and-under swimming in the United States. 17 of a possible 23 individual short- and long-course national age group records went down. The only six not to change hands were the 50/100y breast, 100y IM, 50/100m breast, and 200 IM. Miriam Sheehan broke nine of the 17, four in short-course season and five long-course season.

Sheehan also finished the 2014-15 short course IMX season ranked number 3 overall, and was the number one 10-year-old in the country at the end of the long course IMX season. In individual event year-end finishes, Sheehan’s name made 16 top-ten lists. She was the year’s fastest swimmer in the 50m free, 50/100y back, 50/100m back, 50/100y fly, 50/100m fly, and 200m IM. She was the second-fastest in the 100y free, 100m free, 100 yard, IM, and 200 yard IM. She also placed third in the 50y free and ninth in the 200m free.

Short Course NAGs:

50 back – 27.27 – 9/12/15
100 back – 57.96 – 9/19/15
50 fly – 26.64 – 4/12/15
100 fly – 59.67 – 9/20/15

Long Course NAGs:

50 free – 28.52 – 7/19/15
50 back – 32.10 – 8/2/15
100 back – 1:09.36 – 6/28/15
50 fly – 29.48 – 8/1/15
100 fly – 1:07.42 – 8/2/15

As an 11-year-old, Sheehan will close out the year as the top-ranked girl of her age category in the 50/100m free, 50y back, 100m back, 50/100y fly, 100m fly, and 200m IM; she will also have top-ten rankings in the 50y free (4), 100y free (10), 100y back (2), and 100y IM (3).

Runners-Up

Claire Tuggle – Yosemite Marlins Swim Club (CA)/Clovis Swim Club (CA): Although currently attached to Clovis, Tuggle spent the lion’s share of the year –including all five of her NAG record-breaking performances– with the Yosemite Marlins. In addition to her first-place finishes in the 200/500y free and 100/200/400m free, Tuggle earned top-ten mentions in 50y free (5), 50m free (5), 100y free (3), 100y IM (5), and 200y IM (6).

Short Course NAGs:

200 free – 1:58.20 – 4/12/15
500 free – 5:13.74 – 4/9/15

Long Course NAGs:

100 free – 1:01.86 – 6/28/15
200 free – 2:16.30 – 5/31/15
400 free – 4:37.41 – 6/19/15

Swimming for CLOV this fall, Tuggle has achieved top-ten times for 11-year-old girls in the 50/100/200/500/1000 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, 200 IM, and 400 IM. Of those, she is at the top of the list in the 200/500 freestyles.

Zoe Skirboll – Pine Richland Aquatics (PA)/Franklin Area Swim Team (PA): While swimming for PRA, Skirboll broke a pair of sprint freestyle national age group records in 2015, and finished the year with 14 top-ten swims in the 10-and-under age group. Her IMX rankings were #2 for SCY and #4 for LCM.

Skirboll ended up number one for the year in the 50/100y free, 50y breast, and 50/100m breast. She was second in the 50m free and 100y breast. In addition, she made top-ten in 100m free (3), 50y fly (4), 50m fly (3), 100y fly (7), 100m fly (3), 100y IM (3), and 200y IM (5).

Short Course NAGs:

50y free – 24.90* – 4/11/15
100y free – 54.89 – 4/10/15

* Tied with Lia Neal.

Currently a member of FAST, Skirboll recently aged up to the 11/12 age group and already sits atop the 11-year-old category in the 50y free and 100y breast. Her other top-tens include 100y free, 50y breast, 50y fly and 100y IM.

Honorable Mention

In alphabetical order:

• Allie Hathaway – Rochester Swim Club Orcas (MN): Hathaway was the number one 10-year-old in the IMX rankings for the 2014-15 short course season. She finished the 10-and-unders with 13 top-ten times: 200/500 free, 400m free, 50/100y back, 50/100m back, 100y breast, 50m fly, 100y fly, 100/200y IM, and 200m IM.
• Mia Tandingan – Pikes Peak Athletics (CO)/Colorado Springs Swim Team (CO): Tandingan, who has only just moved into the 11/12 age group, broke the NAG in the girls’ 10-and-under 200y IM (2:14.30) while swimming for PPA. Tandingan’s 2015 ended with number one finishes in the 100y breast and 100/200y IM, and top-tens in the 50/100/200y free, 400m free, 50y breast, 100m breast, and 50y fly.

10 & Under Boys

Ronald Dalmacio – Rose Bowl Aquatics, Pasadena, California

Dalmacio earned the SOY title in a year with quite a bit of competition in the 10-and-under division. Although there were others with stronger overall credentials, Dalmacio stood out with six national age group records. Even more impressive was the way he crushed the records, setting new marks by rather large margins. He became the first 10-year-old boy to break 27 seconds in the 50y back and 31 seconds in the 50m back, as well as 59 seconds in the 100y back.

Dalmacio was 2015’s fastest 10-and-under boy in the 100/200/500y free, 200m free, 50/100y back, 50/100m back, 100y IM, and 200m IM. He was number 2 in the 200y IM, #3 in the 100m free, #6 in the 50y free, and #10 in the 100y fly.

Short Course NAGs:

50y back– 26.91 – 5/1/15
100y back – 58.62 – 4/11/15
100y IM – 1:01.21 – 4/12/15

Long Course NAGs:

50m back – 30.95 – 5/1/15
100m back – 1:07.40 – 5/2/15
200m IM – 2:31.87 – 5/2/15

Dalmacio leads the nation this short course season for 11-year-old boys in the 50/100/200y free, 50/100/200y back, 50/100y fly, and 100/200y IM; he is also top-ten in the 500y free.

Runner-Up:

Andrew Rogers – Arkansas Dolphins Swim Team, Little Rock, Arkansas

Rogers was our 10-and-under swimmer of the year in 2014, and nearly made it two-in-a-row with his NAG record in the 100m fly, 16 top-ten performances, #1 IMX ranking for long-course season, and #3 for short course. Before he aged out of the age category, Rogers clocked the nation’s top times in the 400m free, 100y fly, and 100m fly. His other top-ten finishes included: second in the 50m fly and 200m IM; third in the 200y free, 200m free, 100m back, and 200y IM; fourth in the 100m free; fifth in the 50m back; sixth in the 50m free, 100/500y free, and 100y IM; and seventh in the 50y fly.

Long Course NAGs:

100m fly – 1:05.98 – 6/13/15

Rogers only aged up to the 11/12 group this fall, but already he has established himself among 11-year-old boys as the second-fastest in the 100y fly, and 400y IM. He also ends the year with top-ten times in the 200y free, 200y fly, and 200y IM.

Honorable Mention

In alphabetical order:

• Cooper Lucas – Lakeside Aquatic Club (TX): With 12 top-ten finishes, Lucas established himself as one of the top 10-and-unders of 2015. He ended the year with rankings in the 100/200/500y free, 100/200/400m free, 50/100y fly, 50/100m fly, 200y IM, and 200m IM.
• Adam McDonald – Cincinnati Marlins (OH): McDonald broke two national age group records in 2015: 50y breast (31.09) and 100y breast (1:06.95). He had the fourth overall IMX score for the SCY season, and finished the 10-and-unders with five top-10 times before aging up in the spring: 200y free, 50/100y breast, and 100/200y IM. As an 11-year-old he wound up with top-ten times in the 50 breast and 400 IM.
• Josh Zuchowski – Flood Aquatics Swim Team (FL): Besides unofficially owning the national age group record in the 100m back (1:09.07) for a day last April, Zuchowski was a steady all-around top performer in the age category all year. He had the nation’s top IMX score in short course yards, and notched 12 top-ten times: 100y free, 50/100y back, 50/100m back, 50/100y breast, 50/100y fly, 100/200y IM, and 200m IM. As an 11-year-old, he is top-10 in the 50/100/200y back and 100y IM.