Pattern Units: A Have a look at the Work Of NAG File-Breaker Luka Mijatovic and Rising Expertise Tim Wu
Faculty coaches are within the thick of the recruiting season. Two names you gained’t see this 12 months within the Swimcloud rankings are Pleasanton Seahawk swimmers Luka Mijatovic (14) and Tim Wu (15). Regardless of, they’ve already served discover that they’re gamers on the nationwide age group stage.
On the finish of the summer time, Mijatovic had amassed seven NAG information. That included besting Jesse Vassallo’s 47-year-old 1500 meter free time of 15:31.03, the longest standing 13-14 NAG mark. His three SCY free requirements are first on USA Swimming’s all-time Prime 100 SCY listing. These occasions are: 500 (4:22.50), 1000 (8:59.29) and 1650 (15:00.95). He’s additionally third within the 200 free (1:38.21), tenth within the 200 IM (1:49.93) and seventeenth within the 400 IM (3:55.73).
Be aware: Mijatovic not too long ago added new NAG information to his resume.
Finally summer time’s lengthy course Speedo Junior Nationals, he added 4 NAG 13-14 requirements by posting document freestyle occasions within the 200 (1:50.40), 400 (3:52.01), 800 (7:59.64, youngest swimmer to clear 8:00) and 1500 (15:27.38). Different LC high 100 placings have him ninth within the 400 IM (4:30.79), eleventh within the 200 IM (2:06.73), forty sixth within the 100 fly (56.90) and 83rd within the 200 again (2:08.78).
With the arrival of fall, Mijatovic continued to excel. In early November on the Pleasanton Seahawks Quick Course Senior Open, he posted scintillating occasions. For starters, he gained the five hundred yard free in 4:17.07—5 seconds away from his March NAG document of 4:22.50—a time that might rank him seventh all-time within the 15-16 age group. His 1000-yard 8:55.41 was additionally an NAG mark. Different PBs had been within the 200 free (1:37.57), 200 again (1:48.74), 200 fly (1:49.25) and 200 IM (1:49.08).
And though he didn’t document any private bests in December’s U.S. Open in Greensboro, N.C., Mijatovic—because the youngest of 63 opponents—did log a 3:53.37 LC 400 free that was good for fourth.
Coaching accomplice Wu has SCY high 100 13-14 listings that embody third within the 100 fly (47.56) and 200 IM (1:47.93), fourth within the 200 fly (1:47.56) and fifteenth within the 400 IM (3:55.04). Lengthy course, he stands sixth within the 100 fly (55.53) and thirteenth within the 200 IM (2:06.89).
Wu has had a formidable fall as nicely. By the Pleasanton meet, he has now achieved new finest occasions within the 100 yard free (44.94 from 46.17), 200 free (1:38.78 from 1:39.71), 500 free (4:24.09 from 4:35.10) and the 100 fly (47.50 from 47.56). On the long-course U.S. Open in Greensboro, he swam the 100 fly and recorded a finest time within the 400 free (4:00.92), the place he was one in all two 15-year-old opponents.
FUN FOR EVERYONE
“Luka is a enjoyable younger man who moved into my group—together with an ideal buddy and coaching accomplice, Tim Wu—in September 2022,” says Pleasanton head coach, Steve Morsilli. “Each had been within the 13-14 age group at the moment. He and Tim have enjoyable just about each follow, and so they take pleasure in racing one another each time attainable. They each keep superb attendance: 96-97% cumulative for the 12 months. Nobody is ideal, and Luka is not any exception. He has loads of technical factors he can enhance to maintain dropping occasions.
“Luka may be very high-energy in follow. He’s not often sitting nonetheless on the wall between units and even between repeats. He’s very fashionable along with his lane mates, group mates and teammates. Apparently, he’s additionally very lively on-line and has associates in every single place. He’s a really optimistic affect in follow. After we speak about targets, he’s fairly fearless. He’ll get a time in his head and ask what he must do to perform it,” says Morsilli.
As for Tim, Morsilli says, “He’s a lot quieter than Luka and has a dry humorousness. When Luka goes loopy with continuous speaking, Tim will make one remark—normally very humorous—and convey him again all the way down to earth. Tim has nice underwaters, and I consistently problem Luka to stick with him as a lot as attainable.”
PRACTICE SCHEDULE
“We follow Monday by way of Friday afternoon plus Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings. Our afternoons are at all times quick course yards and 98% of our mornings are lengthy course meters. We common 6,500 yards within the afternoon and 5,000 meters within the mornings. Saturday mornings we go a bit much less since this can normally be an extended relaxation dive set follow. We use Jon Urbanchek’s shade charts to assist decide coaching speeds. We additionally started utilizing the TritonWear units within the spring final season. I attempt to key in on mid-distance freestyle and IM coaching. Everybody will swim all strokes routinely, and they’re all required to swim each occasion every season in meets.”
MIJATOVIC/WU SAMPLE SETS
(with performances that impressed Coach Morsilli)
Jan. 11, 2023 (SCY)
11 x 250 @ 3:30, 150 at 1650 tempo plus 100 EZ (Mijatovic averaged 1:20 for the 150; Wu 1:23)
Jan. 20, 2023 (SCY)
3x:
1 x 100 @ 1:05
1 x 200 @ 2:00 (Mijatovic 1:51, 1:51, 1:52; Wu 1:55, 1:55, 1:56)
1 x 300 @ 2:55 (Mijatovic 2:50, 2:48, 2:45; Wu 2:55, 2:55, 2:56)
2 x 50 EZ @ :40
1-minute relaxation
Feb. 22, 2023 (SCY)
Coach Morsilli: “I bought (the next exercise) from Ed Spencer, and I attempt to get them to maintain the descend tight. I encourage swimmers to guess how briskly #13 will probably be, then begin #1 12-15 seconds nearer than that.”
Descend 1-4, #5 average (Mijatovic 3:03, 2:58, 2:57, 2:55; Wu 3:04, 3:03, 3:01, 2:57)
Descend 6-8, #9 average (Mijatovic 2:52, 2:50, 2:48; Wu 2:55, 2:54, 2:52)
Descend 10-11, #12 average (Mijatovic 2:45, 2:43; Wu 2:51, 2:47)
Blast #13 (Mijatovic 2:41; Wu 2:43)
June 14, 2023 (SCY)
Similar as earlier set
Descend 1-4, #5 average (Mijatovic 2:59, 2:55, 2:54, 2:53; Wu 3:00, 2:56, 2:56, 2:54)
Descend 6-8, #9 average (Mijatovic 2:50, 2:49, 2:46; Wu 2:52, 2:52, 2:49)
Descend 10-11, #12 average (Mijatovic 2:43, 2:42; Wu 2:48, 2:45)
Blast #13 (Mijatovic 2:40; Wu 2:42)
Could 23, 2023 (SCY)
3x:
12 x 50 @ :50, average, mixing strokes, good type
3 x 100 @ 1:00, minimal 500 velocity/400 velocity if LC
(Mijatovic 50.5, 51.5, 51.8; 50.8, 51.2, 52.5; 51.2, 51.0, 50.0)
(Wu was not at follow)
June 6, 2023 (LC)
Similar as earlier set
3x:
12 x 50 @ :50
3 x 100 @ 1:10
(Mijatovic 59.0, 1:00, 1:01; Wu 1:03, 1:04, 1:04)
(Mijatovic 58.0, 59.0, 1:00; Wu: 1:02, 1:03, 1:02)
(Mijatovic: 58.0, 59.0, 59.0; Wu: 1:00, 1:02, 1:01)
Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Stage 5 coach, golf and swimming author. His critically acclaimed coming-of-age golf novel, “Too A lot Loft,” is in its third printing, and is accessible from retailer.Bookbaby.com, Amazon, B&N and ebook distributors worldwide.
