By Braden Keith on SwimSwam
2023 Phoenix Winter Invite
- February 17-20, 2023
- Phoenix Country Day School, Phoenix, Arizona
- Short Course Yards (25 yards), Prelims/Finals
- Full Meet Results
Whether you’re a fan of age group swimming, Masters’ swimming, or anything in between, there was something for everyone last weekend at the 2023 Phoenix Winter Invite.
Delaney Barbee, 14, of the Arizona Dolphins, and Olympic gold medalist Roland Schoeman, 42, both came away as big winners in the sprint races, highlighting opposite ends of the age spectrum.
Barbee turned heads in November when, at 13, she split 21.59 in the 50 yard freestyle on a relay leg. A year prior, she set the Arizona 11-12 Record in the 50 free.
She aged up in December and has continued to excel in the sprint events. This weekend, that included victories in the 50 free (23.01), 100 free (50.75), 200 free (1:52.95), 100 fly (59.04), and 100 back (58.14) in the 13-14 age group events.
Along with a 4th-place finish in the 200 fly (2:16.51), those swims were all new personal bests for her.
The times in the 50 free and and 100 free are especially notable. The 50 ties her with US Olympian Kathleen Baker as the 55th-best US swimmer in 13-14 history with almost a full year (and multiple championship seasons) remaining before she ages up.
At the other end of the spectrum, Roland Schoeman swept the open-age sprint freestyle events at age 42. He won the 50 in 19.73 and the 100 in 43.75.
This is Schoeman’s third open meet since returning from a one-year FINA doping suspension. He is a four-time Olympian representing his native South Africa, swimming at the 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012 Games. That included three medals at the Athens 2004 Olympics: gold on the South African 400 free relay, silver in the 100 free, and bronze in the 50 free.
At December’s King Marlin Swim Club Pro-Am Classic, he swam 19.28 and 43.10 in the 50 and 100 free.
This meet was deep with talent on both sides of the pool, including a pair of Canadian star age groupers Mia West and Halle West from the Manta Swim Club who made the trip down for the meet. For both swimmers, this was their first short course meet, and a chance to show college coaches their abilities in the American pool.
Mia, who is scheduled to swim for Cal in fall 2024, swam 54.19 in the 100 fly, 1:59.13 in the 200 fly, and 2:01.79 in the 200 fly, all prelims, before scratching out of finals.
Halle West is a 14-year-old who last month broke a Canadian Age Group Record in the 100 breaststroke in short course meters. She likewise swam in prelims of the 200 back in 2:05.36, 200 breast in 2:14.48, and 200 IM in 2:04.57, scratching finals. She skipped her best race, the 100 breaststroke.
Eric Dupre, from the same Winnipeg-based club as the West swimmers, also raced in the meet. That included a win in the 1650 free in 15:50.78.
Dupre is an uncommitted junior who specializes in the distance freestyle events. His best long course times are 1:56.83/3:56.31/15:50.81 in the 400/800/1500 meter freestyles. That 1500 free best time came at the 2022 Junior Pan Pacific Games, where he placed 6th.
Other Meet Highlights:
- Kendall Gross from the Flagstaff Snow Sharks won 6 races in the 10 & under age group, including best times in the 100 free (1:03.59), 200 free (2:22.00), 100 back (1:08.43), 50 fly (31.40), 100 fly (1:12.49), and 200 IM (2:37.87).
- 25-year-old Marlies Ross, another South African international training out of the Phoenix Swim Club, won the open-age 100 free in 51.44, the 200 free in 1:50.39, the 500 free in 4:53.76, the 200 back in 2:00.57, and the 200 breast in 2:18.15. She represented the country at the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games.
SwimSwam: Delaney Barbee (14) and Roland Schoeman (42) Show Out at Phoenix Winter Invite
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