2020 Swammy Awards: Age Group Swimmer of the Year – 10 & Under

To see all of our 2020 Swammy Awards, click here.

2020 Honorees: Lexi Sereno and Spencer Belbot

10 & Under Girls

Lexi Sereno – Pacific Swim (Poway, CA) / Front Range Barracudas Swim Club (Thornton, CO)

Sereno achieved 13 top-ten times in the 10-and-under age group during the truncated 2020 swim year, finishing among the six fastest swimmers in the country in all her events. She earned her best SCY times in the first few months of the year as a member of Pacific Swim in the San Diego-Imperial LSC. By August, she had moved to Colorado and was attached to Front Range Barracudas Swim Club, where she added several LCM bests before aging up to the 11/12s.

Sereno led the nation for 10-and-under girls in the SCY 100 fly, 100 IM, and 200 IM, and the LCM 100 fly; she was #2 in the SCY 500 free and 100 back; #3 in the SCY 100 free and LCM 100 back; #5 in the SCY 50 back and 100 breast; and #6 in the SCY 50 free and 200 free and LCM 100 free.

She wrapped up the 2019-20 SCY season with the #1 IMX ranking for 10-year-olds girls.

Runner-Up

Rylee Erisman – Laker Swim (Orlando, FL): Erisman aged out of the 10-and-unders in the spring but she still finished the year with 14 top-ten performances for the age group. Although she swam her LCM times in January 2020, she remained #1 in the country until the end of the year in the LCM 50 free, 50 back, 100 back, and 50 fly. She ranked #2 in the SCY 50 back and LCM 200 free, 100 fly, and 200 IM; #3 in the SCY 100 back and LCM 100 free; #4 in the SCY 50 free; #5 in the SCY 500 free; #7 in the SCY 200 free; and #9 in the SCY 100 free.

Honorable Mention

In alphabetical order:

• Selena Nicor-Pereira – Clearwater Aquatic Team-FL: Nicor-Pereira was another swimmer whose early performances, in the first quarter of the year before the pandemic shuttered the pools, kept her near the top of the age group through December. She notched 11 top-ten times, including the #2 LCM 50 back and 100 back; #3 LCM 200 free and 50 fly; #6 SCY 100 back and LCM 50 free; #6 SCY 100 fly and LCM 100 fly and 200 IM; #8 LCM 100 free; and #9 SCY 50 back.

• Ava Richardson – Pearland Aquatics-GU: Richardson knocked out most of her top performances in January but she still wrapped up 2020 with 10 top-ten times for the age group. She was the 2nd-fastest 10-and-under girl in the LCM 400 free, 50 breast, and 50 fly; she was 5th in the LCM 100 free and 100 fly, 6th in the LCM 50 back, 7th in the LCM 50 free, and 8th in the LCM 100 back. Richardson also made the top-ten lists in the SCY 50 breast and 100 IM, finishing the year 8th in both.

10 & Under Boys

Spencer Belbot – North Baltimore Aquatic Club (Baltimore, MD)

In the first half of the year, while he was still 10 years old, Belbot clocked 13 top-ten times in 23 possible 10-and-under events. He wound up with the most number 1 swims in the age category for 2020. In SCY, he led the nation in the 100 breast while in LCM he was the fastest in the 100 free, 200 free, 100 back, and 200 IM. Belbot also finished with the 3rd-fastest times in the SCY 200 free and 200 IM and LCM 50 back, 50 breast, and 100 breast. He was 4th in the SCY 100 IM, 8th in the SCY 500 free, and 10th in the SCY 50 breast.

He was the #3 10-year-old in IMX rankings for the 2019-20 short course season.

Runner-Up:

Jack Maddan – Dad’s Club Swim Team (Spring Valley, TX)

Unlike most of the award winners in this age group, Maddan swam the lion’s share of his top performances in October, November and December. He had 11 top-ten swims, including the #1 LCM 100 breast and 100 fly; #2 SCY 50 breast; #5 LCM 100 free; #6 SCY 50 free, 50 fly, 100 fly, and 100 IM; and #10 SCY 100 breast and 200 IM and LCM 200 free.

Maddan ranked #1 among 9-year-old boys in IMX scores for the SCY season that ran from September 2019 to August 2020.

Honorable Mention

• Luke Vatev – Hornet Age Group Swim Club-IL: Vatev dominated the age group at the start of 2020 and registered nine performances in January and February that remained in the top-ten for the rest of the year. He posted the #1 SCY 50 free, 200 free, 50 back, and 100 back times, as well as the #2 SCY 50 fly and 200 IM; #3 SCY 100 fly and 100 IM; and #4 SCY 100 free. Vatev was ranked 2nd for 10-year-old boys in IMX points for the 2019-20 SCY season.

• Luka Mijatovic – Santa Clara Swim Club-PC: Mijatovic was another early leader in the age category, swimming times from January and February that remained in the top-ten until the end of 2020. He was the fastest 10-and-under in the SCY 500 free and 200 IM; 5th in the SCY 50 fly; 6th in the SCY 50 breast; 7th in the SCY 100 free; 8th in the SCY 100 IM; 9th in the SCY 50 back; and 10th in the SCY 50 free and 100 fly.

• Aiden Yeo – Rose Bowl Aquatic Club-CA: Yeo was still another example of swimmers whose January and February performances kept them in the top-ten all year. He was the 2nd-fastest10-and-under in the SCY 100 free, 200 free, 500 free, 50 back, and 100 back; 3rd in the SCY 50 free and 50 fly; 4th in the SCY 100 fly; and 7th in the SCY 100 IM, for a total of nine top-ten swims.

• Cayden Thomson – Cypress Fairbanks Swim Club-GU: Thomson notched nine top-ten swims, too, but his were all in LCM, from meets swum in August and October. He finished the year ranked 2nd in the LCM 200 IM; 4th in the 50 breast; 6th in the 100 fly; 8th in the 200 free and 100 breast; 9th in the 50 free and 100 back; and 10th in the 100 free and 50 fly.

Past Winners