CLUB OLYMPIA TAKES 4TH AT THE 2023 FAST SANTA CLAUS CLASSIC IN FISHERS INDIANA
Nearly 40 local athletes spent this past weekend in Fishers, Indiana competing for Club Olympia Swim Team in the FAST Santa Claus Classic hosted by the Fishers Area Swim Team. Fifteen teams from Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Ohio and Indiana gathered at the Fishers High School Aquatic Center for the pre-holiday meet which annually attracts some of the best swimming talent from around the Midwest. By the close of the three day event, Club Olympia had secured fourth place overall, outscoring several much larger teams, despite the fact that many of its swimmers elected not to compete in finals on Saturday and Sunday evenings.
Joshua Pendleton won the boys 11-12 high point award and ran the table capturing 1st place in all eight of his events including the 100, 200, 500, and 1650 (mile) yard freestyle, 50 Fly, 50 & 100 Back, and 200 IM. Shreyan Kulkarni won the boys 9-10 high point award finishing no worse than 5th place in his individual events including the 1650 (mile) free where he competed in the open division and was the only 10 year old competitor in that distance event. Kulkarni placed 1st in the 50 Back, 2nd in the 100 Free & Back and 200 Free and IM, 3rd in the 50 Fly and 100 Breast, 4th in the 50 Breast, and 5th in the 50 Free. Vivan Shah placed 2nd in high points amongst the 8&U boys by winning the 50 Back, taking 2 nd in the 25 Free, Breast, and Back, 50 Free, Breast, Fly and 100 IM, and 3rd in the 100 IM.
Camila Mejia Murguia, competed in the girls 9-10 division where she was 4th in High Points despite not swimming in two events Friday evening. She placed 2nd in the 50 and 100 Fly, 3rd in the 50 & 100 Free, 4th in the 50 Back, and 5th in the 100 Back and Breast. Eight year old Sarthak Deshmuk was 3rd in the 25 Back, 4th in the 50 Back and Fly, 100 IM, and 5th in the 50 Breast with three other top 10 finishes. Myra Jaryal (7), placed 2nd in the 50 Breast, 3rd in the 25 Breast, 4th in the 100 IM, and four additional top 10s. Rebeca Mejia Murguia finished 4th in the 50 Fly & 100 Breast and 5th in the 50 Breast and 100 Free, with four other top 10s. Misha Machavariani competing in the boys open division grabbed 4th in the 200 Fly and 5th in the 1650 (mile) Free with four other top 10s. Lily Pendleton in the 9-10 girls was 4th in the 200 IM and 5th in the 100 Fly with three additional top 10s. Connelly Furnish competing in the 13-14 girls division claimed 5th in the 1650 (mile) Free, with four other top 10s. Chad Pendleton placed 2nd in the 8&U 100 Free with an additional top 10. Arjun Agarkar claimed two top 10s in the 10U boys division. Aahan Gupta and Neeti Gujarathi both claimed top 10 finishes in individual events.
Club Olympia relay teams placed well throughout the weekend claiming eight top five finishes. In the boys Open 200 Medley Relay, Judah Nickoll, Misha Machavariani, Todd Hundley, and Cavan Stilson placed 6th while the team of Nickoll, Machavariani, Stilson, and Ethan Hall finished 5th in the 200 Free Relay. Zoie Chandelkar, Sanaa Kulkarni, Nandini Kondhare, and Connelly Furnish were 8th in the 13-14 200 Medley Relay. Camila and Rebeca Mejia Murguia along with Lily Pendleton and Kay Payne were 3rd in the girls 9-10 200 Medley Relay, while Cali Gray and Myra Jaryal teamed up with the sisters Mejia Murguia for 5th in the 200 Free Relay. Shreyan Kulkarni, Adir Joshi, Aahan Gupta, and Arjun Agarkar finished 4 th in the 10&U boys 200 Medley. Kulkarni, Joshi, Gupta and Turner Mellencamp placed 3rd in the 200 Free Relay. The Club Olympia 8&U girls relay teams were 5th in the 100 Medley and 3rd in the 100 Free Relays and included Bella Zhang, Neeti Gujarathi, Myra Jaryal, and Aahana Ingole. The 8&U boys were 4th in both the 100 Medley and 100 Free Relays and included Chad Pendleton, Vivan Shah, Sarthak Deshmukh, Max Tempest, and Arash Thokade.
For the weekend overall, Club Olympia swimmers added nine new Divisional Cuts, one new Age Group State Cut, and a Senior State Cut by Josh Pendleton whose 1650 (Mile) Freestyle time was second fastest in the nation so far this season by an 11-12 year old boy.
