Age Group Swimmer of the Year- 11-12

The 11-12 Age Group Swimmer of the Year Awards were relatively easy to hand out. Lauren Lonsdale from Sacramento Aquatics Club took the girl’s award with her top-10 swims in all but one event. The boy’s award went to Jude Burkhart of North Baltimore Aquatic Club who broke two NAG records over the course of the year.

11-12 Girls

Lauren Lonsdale, Sacramento Aquatics Club

Lauren Lonsdale currently holds the top time in eight events in the girls’ 11-12 age group for the 2024-2025 short course season, and she finished the long course season with six top times. Her 500-yard freestyle is almost 15 seconds faster than the next ranking 11-12.

Lonsdale primarily swims the distance freestyle and IM events, but she also holds top times in the 100 and 200 backstrokes, and she appears in the current season’s top 10 rankings in every event except the 50 backstroke which she hasn’t swam this season. In long course, she appeared in the top 10 in six other events. For those of you not keeping track, she has 14 top 11-12 times in the nation, and 15 other top 10 events—in other  words, she ranks in the top 10 in 29 out of 34 events.

She also appears on the all-time top-20 list in seven events across long course and short course, with her highest ranking coming in at 8th in the 200 freestyle.

#1 Ranked Events SCY:

• 200 Free- 1:51.13
• 500 Free- 4:56.49
• 1000 Free- 10:25.01
• 1650 Free- 17:19.20
• 100 Back- 58.36
• 200 Back- 2:04.21
• 200 IM- 2:06.38
• 400 IM- 4:25.89

#1 Ranked Events LCM

• 100 Free- 58.46
• 200 Free- 2:06.03
• 400 Free- 4:26.78
• 1500 Free- 9:21.54
• 200 IM- 2:23.82
• 400 IM- 5:01.21

Honorable Mentions:

• Ava DiPasquale, Sarasota Tsunami Swim Team: DiPasquale is now 13, but was 12 throughout most of 2024. She ended her 12-year-old season with a nation-leading time in the 100 IM in 59.47, and top-10 times in nine other events between long course and short course including the SCY 500 free (6th), 1000 free (3rd), 1650 free (8th), 200 fly (7th), 200 IM (2nd), 400 IM (3rd), and the LCM 400 (6th) free and 200 IM (6th).
• Zaryna Wardlay, Metroplex Aquatics: Wardlay currently holds three top times in the country in the 50 free (24.13), the 50 fly (26.25), and the 100 fly (58.43). She also has five other events where she sits in the top 10: the 100 free (2nd), 50 back (3rd), 100 back (2nd), 100 IM (3rd), and the LCM 50 back (7th).

11-12 boys:

Jude Burkhart, North Baltimore Aquatic Club:

Jude Burkhart is our Swammy winner on the boy’s side. Burkhart broke two 11-12 National Age Group records in 2024, one long course and one short course. He first broke the 800 free record in July of this year, going 8:48.44 to lower Matthew Hirschberger’s mark of 8:48.59 set in 2011.

During the short course season, Burkhart absolutely demolished the 1650 free NAG record, clocking 16:05.52 to break the previous record of 16:17.80 set by Nicholas Caldwell in 2006.

On top of the two NAG records, Burkhart currently holds the top time in the nation in six short course events and nine long course events, and many of these times put him in the top-20 all-time. He also has top-10 times in 10 other events, seven short course and two long course. One of these top-10 times is his 400 IM, which ranks 2nd this season, but is also 5th fastest all-time.

#1 Ranked Events SCY

• 100 Free: 49.59
• 200 Free: 1:47.18 ((All-time #19)
• 500 Free: 4:47.52 (All-time #14)
• 1000 Free: 9:42.79 (All-time #2)
• 1650 Free: 16:05.52 (All-time #1)
• 200 Fly: 1:57.80 (All-time #12)

#1 Ranked Events LCM

• 100 Free: 56.90
• 200 Free: 2:02.23 (All-time #8)
• 400 Free: 4:18.03 (All-time #11)
• 800 Free: 8:48.44 (All-time #1)
• 1500 Free: 16:49.15 (All-time #2)
• 100 Fly: 1:00.37 (All-time #8)
• 200 Fly: 2:15.95 (All-time #14)
• 200 IM: 2:18.25 (All-time #17)
• 400 IM: 4:51.36 (All-time #6)

Honorable Mentions:

• Ayden Tan, Crow Canyon Sharks: Tan actually holds more nation-leading short-course times than Burkhart does, with seven top times. He is currently ranked 1st in the 50 back (All-time #3), 100 back (All-time #7), 200 back (All-time #9), 100 fly (All-time #25), 100 IM (All-time #5), 200 IM (All-time #15), and 400 IM (All-time #4). He also holds top-10 times in 12 other events so far this short course season. He finished the long course season with seven top-10 times.
• Parker Wheeler, SwimAtlanta: Wheeler is only 11, but he has already made a significant impact on the 11-12 rankings, holding seven top-10 times for the season, and one #1 time in the 50 fly in 24.57. This time ranks him 58th all time. His other top-10 times come in the 100 free (3rd), 200 free (5th), 500 free (2nd), 1000 free (2nd), 1650 free (5th), 50 back (3rd) and 100 fly (5th). He had one top-10 time for long course in the 800 free, coming in at 8th.

PAST WINNERS