Four SaddleBrooke residents brought home individual and/or relay gold medals from the US Masters Swimming National Championship Meet held Thursday, April 27, to Sunday, April 30, in Irvine, California.
Swimming together must be good for married couple Jack and Jill Fritz, as they each won one or more individual events, while Doug Springer built on his long string of championships with another five individual gold medals. Doug also teamed up with former Swim Club President Lyn Moreno and other Arizona Masters swimmers Craig Shaffer and Mary Ann Case to set two national records for the 75+ age group in both the 200-yard mixed freestyle and mixed medley relays. These records were previously set in 2018 and 2009 respectively and were broken by a whopping four and three seconds each!
The competition at this USMS National Championships meet included close to 2,500 elite swimmers from across the nation. Most competitive swimmers in the country cannot swim fast enough to make the challenging qualifying times for each age group…but the SaddleBrooke Swim Club had more than a dozen of its members qualify! Not everyone who qualified was able to attend this meet, but those who did performed extremely well!
Below are Individual Finishes by SaddleBrooke SwimmersJack Fritz, at 90-years young, came home with three first places: 100 free, 50 back, and 50 free, second in 50 breast, and third in 200 free.
Jill Fritz, swimming in the 80 to 84 age group took first in 1,650 free (yes, 66 lengths), third in 200 free, fourth in 500 free, sixth in 100 free, and nineth in 50 back.
Theresa Ashton, also swimming in the 80 to 84 age group, came home with four second place medals! She earned them in 50 fly, 100 IM, 50 back, and 100 back, and a third in 50 free.
Craig Shaffer, swimming in the 75 to 79 age group took fourth in 400 IM and 200 fly, fifth in 200 back and 100 fly, and eighth in 1,650 free.
Doug Springer dominated the 75 to 79 age group taking 1st in all five of his events: 100 breast, 200 IM, 200 breast, 400 IM, and 50 breast.
Lyn Moreno (75 to 79) took fourth in 200 breast, fifth in 200 back, sixth in 100 back, and seventh in both 50 back and 50 free.
Samantha Martoni (60 to 64) placed fifth in 50 and 100 breast, sixth in 200 breast and 200 fly, and twelfth in 200 IM.
Noelle Minck (60 to 64), competing in her first ever National meet, bettered all of her times and took 13th in 50 fly, 16th in 50 back, 22nd in 50 free and 32nd in 100 IM.
Congratulations to all who participated!
