MEET RECAP -- 2019 USMS SPRING NATIONALS (SCY) MESA, AZ
Eight Club Tribe swimmers competed last week at the 2019 USMS Spring National Championships in Mesa, Arizona, finishing 25th among 245 local clubs and also out-scoring nine of the 19 regional conglomerate teams.
We had a great time on deck, in our tent city retreat, and in various ASU establishments post-meet. It was an immersive bonding experience and I think it’s fair to say that each of us came away even more enthusiastic about 2020 Spring Nationals in San Antonio and 2020 Summer Nationals in RICHMOND (!!).
Many, many thanks to those of you who supported us from afar, following our progress on the livestream, sending us encouraging texts and e-mails, and reminding us just how many people have our backs. A special thanks to Mick Tingstrom and Vince Romano for leading our virtual cheering section; we felt the love every session.
The team’s performance is recapped below and there’s also a lot of fun stuff floating around Facebook and Instagram. The USMS YouTube channel is full of race videos, and a number of these races are definitely worth a watch.
Click here for complete meet results.
MIXED RELAYS
We fielded “A” and “B” teams in both the Mixed 200 Free Relay and Mixed 200 Medley Relay. The 35+ Mixed 200 Free Relay of Rich Williams, Katie Grier, Kraig Gass and Krista Gass battled to a thrilling 2nd Place finish (1:37.95), emerging from a large pack and touching out The Olympic Club for silver. The same foursome earned a 4th Place finish in the 200 Medley Relay in 1:48.68.
The 25+ Mixed 200 Free Relay of Doug Bergen, Shannon Greene, Kyle Ahlgren and Michele Choe crushed their seed time by 5 seconds, finishing 21st. The same four swimmers finished 34th in the 200 Medley Relay – special kudos to Doug Bergen for handling the breaststroke leg on a relay without a breaststroker (and to Coach Rich for figuring out that that was by far the fastest combo!).
CLUB TRIBE WOMEN
The Club Tribe Women (Katie Grier, Krista Gass, Shannon Greene and Michele Choe) rose to the occasion in the hotly-contested championship heats of the 25+ 200 Free Relay and 25+ 200 Medley Relay, finishing 7th in the former and 8th in the latter on the strength of eight excellent splits.
Katie Grier (40-44) led the women with 62 individual points, winning four individual national championships (50 FR, 24.00 (VA Record); 100 FR, 52.19; 200 FR, 1:57.95 (VA Record); and 100 IM, 1:00.40 (VA Record)), along with a pair of 2nd Place finishes (50 Fly, 26.41; 100 Fly, 59.38). Katie also established a new VA Record in the 50 BK (27.97) leading off the Women’s Medley Relay.
Krista Gass (40-44) had a tremendous meet, scoring in all five of her individual events and dropping one big relay split after another. Krista had Masters PRs in the 50 FR (25.76, 5th), 100 FR (57.56, 9th), and 50 Fly (27.96, 7th) and also scored in the 50 BR (6th) and 100 IM (8th).
Shannon Greene (30-34) swam a huge program and scored in four individual events, with 5th Place finishes in the 200 Fly and 500 FR, a 6th Place finish in the 400 IM, and a 9th in the 200 FR. Shannon also smashed her Masters PR in the 100 FR, dropping over a second to 57.42.
Michele Choe (40-44) swam to high finishes in all five of her individual events, cracking the podium with Masters PRs in the 50 BK (31.62, 7th) and 50 Fly (28.87, 9th). Michele also swam Masters PRs in the 100 IM (1:07.58) and 100 Fly (1:07.41).
CLUB TRIBE MEN
The Club Tribe Men (Doug Bergen, Rich Williams, Kraig Gass, and Kyle Ahlgren) had a blast on the 35+ 200 Free Relay and 35+ 200 Medley Relay, finishing 20th in the former and 16th in the latter.
Doug Bergen (55-59) had a spectacular Club Tribe debut, establishing new VA Records and scoring in all three of his individual events: 200 Fly (2:13.78, 3rd); 100 Fly (58.29, 7th); and 50 Fly (26.34, 9th). We also had the honor of cheering for Doug’s father, Lee Bergen of Ocean City Swim Club, who won the national championship in the Men’s 85-89 100 FR, 200 FR and 500 FR, and finished second in the 50 FR.
Rich Williams (40-44) brilliantly navigated health and logistical challenges this season and closed with an outstanding meet. Rich scored in four of his five individual events, with a Masters PR and 7th Place finish in the 50 BK (27.49), an 8th Place finish in the 200 BR, and a pair of 9th Place finishes in the 50 BR and 100 BR. We closed the meet in the perfect way: blowing our lungs out cheering for Coach Rich in the 100 BR as he dropped a huge 1:03.86.
Kraig Gass (35-39) stepped up in a big spot on the Mixed 200 Free Relay with a Masters-best split of 24.54, and also swam five Masters PRs: 100 IM (1:03.75); 50 BK (29.18 in both the individual event and leading off the relay); 50 FR (24.86); and 100 BK (1:03.18). Kraig also dominated the Matt Grevers fanboy competition : )
And finally, yours truly (Kyle Ahlgren, 40-44). I got the bell (a rare treat for me!) and won a wild heat of the 1,000 FR. I also had big drops in the 500 FR and 400 IM, where I picked up a 7th place finish as the team cheered so loudly behind my lane that I (almost) forgot the pain.
Gooooooo, Club Tribe!!