Casey has been on the swimming scene with YOTA since September of 2016. The month right after Hannah Aspden was representing YOTA in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio and bringing home a Bronze Medal and American Record in the 100m Backstroke (S9). Casey came to us as a 9-year-old at the time joining the Chapel Hill site. She is now 17, and a rising senior in the West Senior 1 Group, representing YOTA herself on the National and International Para Swimming stages with 2028 Paralympics in LA in her sights.

Casey was born missing her femur and has been walking with a prosthetic her entire life. She loved swimming from the first time she ever hopped in the water. She would go to every single swim meet even though she knew she was going to come in last every time and knew all eyes were going to be on her, she NEVER missed. Para swimming is no different than able-bodied swimming. Each athlete has strengths, weaknesses, and limitations when it comes to the sport. In Para swimming there is a class system in order to create as level of a playing field possible for athletes that all have their own stories. Generally speaking, the lower the number the more impactful the disability has on performance. There are 14 categories from S1-S14. Casey is an S9 as are most athletes with an amputee.

Casey just got home from Minneapolis, Minnesota where she competed in her 2nd US Paralympic Trials Swimming (87 total athletes). She was the youngest athlete at her 1st go in 2021. Like able bodied swimming, Para has different levels of recognition. Most athletes are trying to qualify for national level competitions such as The World Para Events and Can-Am Games. Casey is currently a member of the US Emerging Team which is really the jump-off point for the future Paralympic hopefuls. Her next step in the National C Team…National B Team…and lastly the National A Team.

We are so proud of our latest Para swimmer in the YOTA Swim Team and we can’t wait to see what she does in the future!!

Highlights:
-US Para Emerging Team Member
-US Para Emerging Team Camp (US Olympic and Paralympic Committee)
-2 Time Scholastic All American
-2 Time National Champion in the 200 Bk (S9)
-Y National Qualifier the last 2 years
-2 Time Para Trials Qualifier
-Girl Scouts Ambassador

Meet Recaps

SwimRVA Invite

Over the weekend of June 14-17, 207 YOTA athletes made the trip up to Richmond, Virginia for the 2024 SwimRVA Invite. This meet is always a great opportunity to race swimmers from outside of our LSC and race some of their best events before heading into championship season. Throughout the weekend, YOTA athletes swam 1,478 races, earned 927 best times, and scored 6,472.5 points. For the third year in a row, YOTA raised the championship trophy on Sunday night and brought it back home to the Triangle safely. That’s a THREE PEAT ladies and gentlemen!

Olympic and Paralympic Trials

David Wahlen proudly represented YOTA at Olympic Trials in his main event, the 100 backstroke. He had a great swim and achieved his 2nd fastest time ever (fastest ever in prelims) while also moving up 5 spots from his original seeding. David was also able to race in 2 time trials while he was at the meet. In addition to his racing, David took in the full trials experience! From visiting the Aqua Zone, participating in autograph signing sessions, watching every session that he was not competing in, live (including seeing 2 world records), plus taking advantage of all the amenities available to participating athletes, the event was totally awesome, incredibly overwhelming and just amazing to be able to experience.

A week later, Casey attended her 2nd US Paralympic Team Trials at the University of Minnesota. She waas one of only 87 Para athletes in the country to qualify for this prestigious event. She swam 5 events, and made finals in 4 of them. She was able to pull 3 best times and bettered her morning time in almost every race. She placed 6th in the 100 Back, 5th in the 400 Free, 7th in the 200 IM, and 6th in the 50 Free. The event was televised on Peacock and is still streaming there if you are interested in seeing her dawn the YOTA cap!

YOTA 1500

On Saturday June 22, 59 YOTA swimmers took over the Willis R Casey Aquatic Center at NC State to race the 1500 together. The 1500 is the longest race that swimmers can compete in and it is not offered at many meets. Even when it is offered, it is not usually offered during a session that has the flexibility needed for swimmers who are looking to swim it for the first time. We are grateful to be able to offer this opportunity to our swimmers so that they can gain more distance swimming experience, without the stress of a full meet weekend. BIG congratulations to everyone who took advantage of this opportunity and BIG thank you to everyone who volunteered to time and count for them.

TAC Long Course Qualifier

169 YOTA athletes raced at the TAC Long Course Qualifier in a final effort to punch their ticket to their long course championship meet. Of the 472 swims, YOTA had 259 best times, 71 new time standards achieved, and 23 new Age Group Championship qualifiers. From Green Group to Senior 1, YOTA athletes looked great in the water and made it known they are ready for championship season!

SwimStrong Dryland Test-Out Results

As we close out the second year of being a SwimStrong Dryland team, we wanted to highlight the most recent test-out results. For those that are unaware, there are 4 body weight exercises that SSDL uses to test each athlete every 3 months. Those exercises are pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups and a standing broad jump. From June 2023 to June 2024, the YOTA team average for reps of each exercise have gone up tremendously, with the biggest improvements coming in sit-ups, with over 14% more reps in 2024 than in 2023. This is a huge success in our strength and conditioning and it has transitioned to the water effectively! We have also been keeping up with certified YOTA team records in the test-out exercises found HERE.

Pick 'Em Results

From Saturday, June 15-Sunday, June 22, we focused on the fastest swimmers in the country to see who will move on to represent the United States in Paris this summer at the 2024 Olympic Games. In the Pick 'Em Contest, we shared with you the top-8 swimmers that headed into finals in each event. Then, it was your job is to do your best to research and make your predictions for which swimmers would qualify for the Olympic Team. With 119 people participating, congratulations to our top 3 athletes: Isaiah Pearce (247pts), Helen Cheng + Kira Schneider (240pts), and Allie VanderBroek (229pts). You can find the full scores HERE. Be on the lookout for more Pick 'Em contests as the Summer Olympics in Paris approach!

Safe Sport Recognition

We are excited to announce that YOTA is a USA Swimming Safe Sport Recognized club once again! This continued recognition shows our dedication to making the sport of swimming a healthy and positive environment, free from abuse for our athletes. We hope all teams will strive towards this status so we can continue to make this a sport of the future. The process to become recognized is not easy but we believe it is our responsibility to provide the best environment for our athletes, coaches, and parents. Thank you to everyone who helped us accomplish this! GO YOTA!

NC Courage x USA Swimming

There is still time to get tickets for the NC Courage Game this Sunday (Tickets: HERE)! YOTA Families will be tailgating in lot D starting around 2:00. The Olympic Q&A will be from 3:00-3:30pm and the game will start at 4:30pm. Olympians in attendance will be: Chase Kalisz, Ryan Held, Katharine Berkoff, and Hannah Aspden. We hope to see you there!

Survey Results

In May, YOTA parents filled out a survey that assessed their overall satisfaction with our team. We have compiled these results and summarized them for you to view HERE! Thank you to everyone who participated.

2024-2025 Program Fees

Program Fees for the 2024-2025 season can be found HERE. Be on the lookout for registration links coming soon!

Looking Ahead

July 11-14: NCS Age Group Long Course Championships at the Triangle Aquatic Center [Qualified Age Group Level Athletes]
July 24-27: Orlando Last Summer Splash in Orlando, Florida [Qualified Senior Level Athletes]
July 27-28: Titans Long Course Closeout at the Triangle Aquatic Center [Age Group Level Athletes]
July 30-August 3: YMCA Long Course Nationals in Ocala, Florida [Qualified Senior Level Athletes]
August Letter From The Director: Annual YOTA 'Year In Review' Flipbook

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