The Superior YMCA Whalers Swim Team will be sending three swimmers to the 53rd annual AAU Junior Olympic Championship July 25-28 in Greensboro, N.C.
Eighteen swimmers from the Superior YMCA qualified for the event, which will take place at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.
Whalers attending the championships will be Madden Stone, 10; Aiden Pagnucci, 10; and Paolo Pagnucci, 12. The three will compete in six events each.
Paolo enters the championships as the No. 1 seed in the 100-meter breaststroke for 11- to 12-year-olds. He will also compete in the 100 freestyle, 50 free, 50 breaststroke, 50 butterfly and the 200 IM.
“I’m looking forward to a new experience,” Paolo said. “I’ve never been to this meet before, and I’m looking forward to the experience of swimming there regardless of how well I do.”
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He went on to say he hopes to get in the top 10 overall in an event. But to do so, he will have to qualify for the finals, which will then include the top 16 times from the preliminary races. Only the top eight preliminary times will qualify for a chance at first place.
As for Madden and Aiden each race is a timed final meaning they get one chance per event.
“I’m looking forward to watching other people swim really fast and learning from them,” said Madden, who is seeded No. 5 in the 100 breaststroke and No. 4 in the 50 breaststroke.
Madden, who will also compete in the 50 and 100 backstrokes, and the 50 and 100 freestyles, went on to say that individually he “hopes to drop more seconds off his breaststroke.”
Aiden is seeded as high as No. 4 in the 50 backstroke. He also advanced in the 50 butterfly, 50 breaststroke, 50 free, 100 backstroke and 100 free.
“I am most looking forward to coming home knowing I swam in the Junior Olympics and the experience, and hopefully placing well,” Aiden said. “I want to place in the top 15 and hopefully beat my times.”
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The Whalers are coached by Stefan Pagnucci, Max Rubesch, Shawn Pagnucci, Val Poynter and Jodi Johnson.
“I’m extremely proud of our whole team, of all three of these boys, and the other 15 kids who qualified to swim in the meet,” Stefan Pagnucci said. “All three boys are great swimmers and great leaders. Each comes to practices for younger kids to volunteer to help teach, and that self-less interest in mentorship on our team is just one of the many reasons I love coaching this great group of Whaler swimmers. You are never too young to help others.”
The Whalers will start their primary competitive season Sept. 30.
For more information, visit superiorymcawhalers.weebly.com or superiorymca.org .
NOTES: Aiden Pagnucci and Madden Stone recently teamed up with David Melander and Dane Bird to win 400-meter free relay at the YMCA state meet with a team-record time of 5:37.88. … Paolo Pagnucci was on two winning relays at state. He swam with Evan DeMars, Travis Elling and Mason Larsen in the 200-yard free relay and helped set a team record in the 400-yard free relay with Elling, Bird and Larsen. … Elling and Larsen competed in the 2018 AAU Junior Olympic Games in Des Moines. … The entire AAU Junior Olympics is expected to draw an estimated 16,000 athletes and 2,500 coaches and account for roughly 34,000 hotel room nights from July 24 to Aug. 3. … The 2020 AAU Junior Olympics will be held in Norfolk, Va., followed by Houston, Detroit and Des Moines.
