RECAP: 2016 USMS SCY NATIONALS (GREENSBORO, NC)
Sixteen months after we dreamed up this crazy idea and a year after a few of us first hung the Club Tribe banner at a USMS national meet, we brought a team of 20 to Greensboro for 2016 USMS SCY Nationals and made some gigantic waves. We did it with joy, with style, and most of all we did it together. We’ll have a lot to say in the coming days about the path forward, but for now I just want to try to capture – for those of us who were there and for our teammates who weren’t able to make it this time – what just happened.
The headlines are as follows:
Club Tribe finished 7th overall among 219 standard teams (including the UCs and teams that did not score), and we beat all but 4 of the regional conglomerate clubs.
We won two relay national championships in national record time: 18+ Mixed 400 Free Relay, 3:14.92 (Gallagher, Loughran, Grier, Mizerak); and 18+ Women 200 Free Relay, 1:35.66 (Mizerak, Shaner, Hurtubise, Grier).
We won another relay national championship in VA state record time: 35+ Mixed 200 Medley Relay, 1:44.12 (Grier, Williams, Lovett, Hurtubise).
We were one of a very few teams in the nation able to compete for relay championships in multiple age groups – and we did it all weekend long, with a number of extremely fast relays with high podium finishes.
Kristen Harris (100 BR, 1:09.09), Gabby Mizerak (100 IM, 59.49) and Sidney Glass (200 BK, 1:54.11) each won national championships in individual events.
Overall, we established new VA state records in 24 individual events and 9 relays.
We stayed out until 3:30 AM after the final session (well, at least the people born in the 70s. And Shaner).
I have reproduced far below the three daily recaps I posted to the W&M Swimming Alumni Facebook Page, which take a deeper dive inside the numbers. We were so great across the board that there’s no way I’m not missing something. And as I say a couple times in the recaps, the stats don’t really do justice to what we’ve done and how fun it has been; I witnessed an MVP moment from every single Club Tribe swimmer at Nationals. So here’s the first thing that comes to mind when I think of what I saw from each of you last weekend (these may not be your personal highlights – they’re just what happened to strike me):
Keith Driscoll: You handled two high-pressure relay spots like someone who played age-group basketball but swam in college. You didn’t judge when you realized that the 35+ crowd still parties like we’re 18-24.
Chris Fay: You decided to become an elite sprint breaststroker at the last minute. You ignited a monster rally in that Mixed 400 FR Relay.
Kevin Gallagher: You rolled out a big 20.61 to spark our Men’s 200 FR Relay. You blasted a 22.40 fly split through heavy chop in the Mixed 200 Medley Relay. You recommended perfect bars for the Sunday night crew in Greensboro and dealt with a barrage of annoying and redundant texts and emails as the night – ahem – matured.
Sidney Glass: I saw you right at the moment when you made your move in the 200 BK, and it was awesome. You came off a draining work week and gave us everything you had for three sessions, including a ridiculous 100 IM (51.86) that was impressive from start to finish.
Shannon Greene: You repeatedly stepped out of your comfort zone to give us big relay legs in sprint events. You took the 200 Fly out essentially at your 100 Fly time because you are a total animal : ). You are my Club Tribe distance partner-in-crime.
Katie Grier: You are the most dependable elite relay swimmer I’ve ever known about, and I am a total swimming nerd. We should have relay names like Indian names. Your relay name is Mama Spider. Or Flying Shark. Pure numbers are sometimes enough to convey something important in swimming: you dropped a 23.3 and 51.8 on relays. You’re 37. And female.
Kristen Harris: As always, you came up huge in the biggest spots. You got to a 30-point on a ladies’ relay that I loved for its’ mixing and matching of the generations. You got Barton to a 17-hour swim meet. You still have that Kristen stroke, and I’ve never seen another one quite like it.
Tom Holmberg: You closed your 200 BR with a tough-as-nails 40.8. You raised the Tribe towel behind our lanes and your cheering for Slater gave me goosebumps – you guys been teammates for 40 years . . . some rivers run very deep.
Courtney Hurtubise: You blasted that 100 IM and then you cracked that annoying 25-second barrier in the 50 FR again, again and again. You came as a package deal with an indefatigable support crew that filled our sails all weekend. You worked extremely hard all season, which inspires me to work hard. Your relay name is Rocky Top Rocket.
Tyler Joiner: After being twice snake-bitten in the hundredths column, you led off your Medley Relay on Sunday by smashing the VA record. You cracked 2:20 and got to the podium in the 200 BK with another VA record when you could easily have scratched, called it a successful meet, and hit the road.
Kyle Loughran: You masterminded the Mixed 400 FR Relay championship & national record, which I think set the tone for our entire meet. You also took down all the teams in striking distance on the Men’s 200 Medley Relay with a thrilling anchor leg.
Lindsay Lovett: You dropped the bottom out of your 50 FR (32!) because you were anchoring a relay and you are a teammate and a fighter. You had the courage to tackle the 200 FR which is an awful, horrible event that no one should ever swim. You took a day off that you probably don’t have just to be with your team.
Michael Lovett: When our 35+ Men’s 200 FR Relay seemed just out of reach of a whole bunch of teams, with the water torridly chopped up by wildly flailing massive middle-aged man flesh, I turned to Shannon Greene and told her that you were about to do something crazy on the anchor leg because you were in a foxhole and you like foxholes. 21.23 seconds later, Club Tribe was on the podium with a 3rd place finish. You swam an incredible meet (and season) in the midst of a crucial, exciting, but challenging time for a company that you created and are completely responsible for.
Gabby Mizerak: You busted a powerful, jaw-dropping 56.22 in the 100 Fly. Several times over the weekend, you made me realize that those lethal underwaters require talent and skill, but at the end of races they’re about toughness. And you’re really, really tough. You taught Katie how to Bitmoji, and I don’t know what that is or even if it can be used as a verb.
Nate Moyar: You handled an ironman program amid day & night studying obligations. Right before your own 400 IM, you cheered for my entire 400 IM (which is a major time commitment) and helped me swim faster (I heard you at every block-side wall). You were incredibly flexible with relays and your 200 IM looked great.
Sara Shaner: You told us that you just want to look pretty when you swim. You looked exceptionally pretty in that second leg of the national record 200 Free Relay, holding off The Olympic Club and dropping a 23.6. You also looked fierce and powerful and on top of the water. At the end of a really long meet, you quietly rolled out a very swift 100 BR (which was also pretty). And once again, you stayed out late with the 35+ team.
Doug Slater: You cracked the 1:00 barrier in the 100 BK, dropped a couple 23s in the 50 FR, and emptied the tank on a whole bunch of relays. As a top swimmer in your obscenely competitive age group, you did us the honor of switching over from NCMS and wearing the Green & Gold again.
Suzy Sleman: You boosted all of your relays with the best swimming you’ve done in Masters. You fought back twice as hard when you had couple fluky touch pad issues. You straight hammered that 100 IM.
Rich Williams: You won a national championship on a relay that was comprised of your fast split, plus three fast splits from people you coached. Right before that relay, even though you were doubling relays at the end of a long session, you approached the 200 FR Relay as though it was your only event of the meet. You also paid for dinner.
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Day 1&2 Recap
With two days of competition remaining at US Masters Nationals, Club Tribe is sitting 8th among 166 local teams and leading all but 5 of the regional conglomerate teams. Last night’s session was capped by a thrilling national championship and national record in the 18+ Mixed 400 Free Relay (3:14.92: Kevin Gallagher (’10) 45.86, “Coach Kyle” Loughran (Penn ’10) 45.72, Katie Grier (’00) 51.85 and Gabby Mizerak (’13) 51.49. The 18+ Mixed 200 Free Relay of Gallagher, Loughran, Sara Shaner (’14) and Mizerak finished 2nd with a new VA record (1:29.14), and the 35+ version of the same relay also smashed the VA record in a 2nd Place finish (1:33.01: Courtney Hurtubise (Tenn ’03), Michael Lovett (’00), Rich Williams (’98), and Grier).
Earlier in the day, Gabby Mizerak became Club Tribe’s first individual National Champion in the 18-24 100 IM (59.49) and finished 2nd in the 50 BK (26.87). Other Club Tribe podium finishers were as follows: Doug Slater (’80) – 50 BK, 3rd (27.64); Michael Lovett – 100 IM, 2nd (53.70); Katie Grier – 50 BK, 3rd (27.94) and 100 Free, 2nd (52.29); Shannon Greene (Caltech ’07) – 1650 FR, 2nd (18:43.36); Kevin Gallagher – 100 FR, 3rd (45.81); and Sidney Glass (’13) – 100 IM, 2nd (51.86) and 50 BK, 2nd (23.45).
Other great swims were in abundance.
Action continues from 8AM to 5PM today and tomorrow. The link to the live video stream is below — we’re easily identified on the scoreboard by our team code (1693).
Day 3 Recap
Heading into the final day of competition at US Masters Nationals, Club Tribe is 7th among 176 standard teams and is also leading all but 4 of the regional conglomerate teams. Our 18+ Women’s 200 Free Relay led the way today with a spectacular national championship and national record of 1:35.66 (Gabby Mizerak (’13) 24.38, Sara Shaner (’14) 23.65, Courtney Hurtubise (Tenn ’03) 24.31 and Katie Grier (’00) 23.32). Club Tribe’s other national championship today came from the 35+ Mixed 200 Medley Relay of Grier, Rich Williams (’98), Michael Lovett (’00) and Hurtubise, who won a heart-stopping race by 0.04 and broke the Virginia record with a 1:44.12.
Three other Club Tribe relays reached the podium: Men 18+ 200 Free Relay, 2nd (1:23.73 — Kevin Gallagher (’10), Kyle Loughran (Penn ’10), Chris Fay (UVA) and Sidney Glass (’13)); Men 35+ 200 Free Relay, 3rd (1:32.88 — Doug Slater (’80), Williams, Keith Driscoll (Holy Cross) and Lovett); Mixed 18+ 200 Medley Relay, 2nd (1:39.74 — Mizerak, Glass, Gallagher, Shaner).
Individual podium finishers were as follows: Kristen Harris (’98) — 50 BR, 2nd (31.75); Mizerak — 100 Fly, 2nd (56.22); Grier — 50 FR, 3rd (24.02); Gallagher — 50 FR, 3rd (20.81); Nate Moyar (Mary Washington ’14) — 200 IM, 3rd (2:04.40); and Tyler Joiner (UVA ’07) — 100 BK, 3rd (1:03.98).
These stats don’t really begin to capture all of the great swimming we’re doing as a team, and of course I’m leaving out many awesome individual and relay performances. And it’s an absolute blast to be on deck with this team. On to the final session tomorrow. Gooooooo, Tribe, Go!!
Day 4 Recap
With full hearts, tired legs, and frayed vocal cords, Club Tribe finished off a phenomenal swim season yesterday at US Masters Nationals. Team 1693 placed 7th among 181 standard teams and beat all but 4 regional conglomerate clubs.
In the final event of the meet, Kristen Schnittger Harris (’98) won the national championship in the 100 BR (1:09.09), pushed the whole way by our teammate and 2nd place finisher, Courtney Hurtubise (Tenn ’03) (1:10.10). Sidney Glass (’13) also took home a national championship in a rafter-rattling 200 BK (1:54.51).
The Green & Gold punctuated a spectacular meet-long relay effort with smoking fast 2nd place finishes in the Women’s 200 Medley Relay (1:47.62 – Gabby Mizerak (’13), Schnittger Harris, Katie Grauman Grier (’00), and Sara Shaner (’14)) and the Men’s 200 Medley Relay (1:33.86 – Glass, Chris Fay (UVA), Kevin Gallagher (’10), and Kyle Loughran (Penn ’10)).
Katie Grauman Grier and Gabby Mizerak closed out epic meets, with Grauman Grier 2nd in the 200 FR (1:57.30) and 3rd in the 50 Fly (27.11) and Mizerak 2nd in the 50 Fly (25.53) and 3rd in the 200 FR (1:54.11).
Tyler Joiner (UVA ’07) crushed the 200 BK for a 3rd place finish (2:19.89) and Michael Lovett (’00) capped an awesome season with a 3rd place finish in the 50 Fly (23.70).
Reporting anything more than podium finishes would make these posts endless, but I’m leaving out literally dozens of great swims and personal triumphs.
We are awed and inspired by our amazing support team, who had our backs throughout multiple long sessions.
Click here for complete results.
We go forward from here. This team has been built over the past 16 months by the tireless spirit and effort of every single team member, and the momentum continues to build.
If you are considering becoming a part of this, take that first lap and send us an email (clubtribealumni@gmail.com) — we want you on this team! If these times and results seem daunting or intimidating, please know that we have team members of all ability and commitment levels and this whole thing is really just about having fun in the pool, loving swimming, and making and nurturing friendships. If you are concerned about limited capacity to train, we have the benefit of extremely competent virtual coaching from Rich Williams (’98), who has designed highly specific and effective methods for training busy adults. Again, send us an e-mail & we’ll get started.
Finally, many thanks to all of you who have followed and supported our progress. We are ONE TRIBE !!