Paseo Aquatics set 15 team records and 12 personal-best times at the Men’s Division Speedo Winter Junior National West Swimming Championships on the campus of the University of Texas Austin– where they placed 11th against some of the top swimmers in the nation.

Paseo Aquatics, who practice at The Paseo Club in Santa Clarita, was invited alongside more than 200 top-scoring teams and coaches after meeting a qualifying time that placed them in the top 10 percent of all swimmers nationwide, according to Paseo Aquatics.

“It’s all part of our team culture,” said Paseo Aquatics head coach Chris Dahowski. “I watched these athletes daily pushing each other to that next level of swimming. Their commitment across the board was obvious. There was just this mystery of silence, poise and confidence amongst them as they stood as a team and rose to the occasion when it mattered the most.”

By the end of the championships, Paseo Aquatics finished third among Southern California swimming clubs and 11th against some of the top clubs in the nation, according to officials.

Dahowski reported that Paseo Aquatics narrowly missed placing in the Top 10 in the men’s division with 100 total points.

“These kids earned every point they scored,” Dahowski added. “They raced their hearts out daily fighting to be in the scoring rounds of top 16. At this caliber of swimming, it does not come easy, but I knew we had a great group of kids and that we were going to do very well in the relays and steal points from teams that were seeded better than we were and we did.”

Bryce Halterman placed fifth overall in the 100 fly and earned a spot in USA swimming All-Time Top 100 Age Group Swims in the 17-18 age category, according to Paseo Aquatics officials.

Paseo’s relay results ultimately led them to their 11th-place finish, according to Dahowski.

Halterman, Luke Bezanilla, Thomas Hadji and Michael Andrizzi finished 14th in the men’s 200 Medley Relay, but that was only the start.

“The 200 Medley Relay got us some points but at 14th it put them outside of the coveted Junior National Medals which go out to Top 8 team,” Dahowski said. “I could see it in their eyes and their demeanor that this was not enough. I also knew that the training was there.”

Paseo Aquatics took fourth overall in the men’s 200 Free Relay, sixth in the 400 Free Relay and seventh in the 400 Medley Relay.

“What is most amazing about this feat is their highest pre-meet ranking in any of these relays was 35th place,” read a statement from Paseo Aquatics.

To learn more about Paseo Aquatics, click here.

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