Jordy Groters may have been a little jet lagged but showed no signs of letting up Saturday at the Suns High School Swimming and Diving Invitational at Nova Southeastern Aquatic Complex.
Groters, 16, a senior at University School, returned from Peru Thursday night after competing in the five-day South America Youth Games where he won a silver medal and two bronze medals in the 50, 100 and 200 meter breaststroke events for Aruba.
Groters shook off fatigue to win two individual events including the 100-yard butterfly in a lifetime-best. He was also a member of two winning relays to lead the defending champion Suns team to the boys’ and combined team titles.
“This morning when I woke up I was feeling a little ill, I was very tired from the meet and before that I had junior world championships,” Groters said. “In warm-up I felt really bad but I knew I had the weekend to rest so I just gave it my all today.
“I still wanted to try and get good times in as well,” Groters said. “I did not expect to go a best time in my butterfly at all. I was very happy about that, it is the highlight of my meet. I am very pumped and happy to be swimming fast again.”
Groters won the 200-yard individual medley in 1:55.19, nearly nine seconds ahead of Matheus Borgas of Sagemont (2:04.67) and younger brother Patrick Groters, an eighth grader at University School (2:09.27). The two brothers competed side-by side.
“The last time I swam against him was when I was 9 years old,” Groters said with a laugh. “And he beat me in the 50 back in Aruba. I wasn’t going to let him beat me this time.”
Groters won the 100-yard butterfly in a best time 51.98, bettering his previous time of 53.15. It is the fastest time in the county this season.
The Suns won the 200-yard medley relay (1:41.03) with Marco Hosfeld, Jordy Groters, Daniel Pereira and Mathew Lyn and 200-yard freestyle relay (1:29.75) with Lyn, Nicolas Oberndorfer, Patrick Groters and Jordy Groters.
“Everybody has improved and gotten better from last year,” Groters said. “With these times I am pretty sure we can medal at states in the relays and individually. It’s a great team and I love that I am a part of it.”
Groters, a 2016 Olympic hopeful for Aruba, said he would like to be the first swimmer from his country to qualify. No swimmer has earned a spot other than a wild card. “It would be a big honor,” he said. “I am close to the “B” cuts and in three years I think I can do it.”
Groters is being recruited by Louisville, South Carolina, Utah and Florida State.
Sagemont’s Daniella van der Berg, also coming off the South American Youth Games for Aruba where she took a bronze in the 800-meter freestyle, won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:58.16. Sagemont teammate Nilza Costa won the 100-yard butterfly in 1:03.03.
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