YOUNG sensation Zaneta Alvaranga opened her season with a flourish at the Amateur Swimming Association of Jamaica (ASAJ) Dean Martin Memorial ‘AB’ Long Course Swim Classic, setting four of the 39 records established at the National Aquatics Centre over the weekend.

Alvaranga, who represents Y-Speedos swim club, also accomplished two national age-group records with all her times meeting the highest standard, as the ASAJ opened its swim season after a four-month hiatus.

The event allowed swimmers and coaches an opportunity to assess their work over the past months and measure themselves against international counterparts using the time standards.

Each year, United States Swimming establishes time standards, or “Cuts” for each of its major meets, from BB or age group meets through to Olympic Trials.

Swimmers are always striving to make their next cut, and the time standards allow swimmers and coaches to know current positions and to move up to the next level.

In order to qualify for national selection, swimmers must first post a qualifying time during the qualifying period and the Dean Martin Memorial ‘AB’ Long Course Swim Classic provides just that. The time standards range from the highest level of AAAA with B being the lowest.

The 10-year-old Alvaranga got her day rolling in event 13, the girls’ 9-10 50-metre backstroke where she achieved a fast AAAA time of 35.98 seconds, lowering the previous mark of 37.51 seconds. Corey Westerborg of Stingray swim club won the boys’ equivalent also with an AAAA time of 36.65 seconds, erasing the previous mark of 36.71 seconds.

Alvaranga then returned to erase the national age-group record of 34.84 seconds, with a fast 33.09 seconds to win the girls’ 9-10 50-metre butterfly event, achieving another AAAA standard time. Soon after, she comfortably clocked 1:09.86 minutes in event 19, the 100-metre freestyle to pull down the old mark of 1:12.06 minutes.

Westerborg once again followed suit in the boys’ equivalent with a time of 1:07.29 minutes, bettering the old time of 1:09.16 minutes.

And like she did on two previous occasions, Alvaranga once again lowered the national age group record in the girls’ 9-10 50-metre freestyle event. After clocking 30.61 seconds to erase the previous mark of 30.88 seconds back in May, she went even faster, clocking 30.23 seconds at the Nestle Championships, but returned on Sunday to clock a blistering 30.09 seconds to end the day on a high.

Westerborg also ended on a high topping the boys’ equivalent in a fast 30.34 seconds to lower the old mark of 31.02 seconds.

Anjuii Barrett, Ivana Chang, Stefani Webley and Octavia Gray also established new records in their respective age group events.

Barrett won the girls’ 13-24 50-metre freestyle in an AAAA standard time of 28.76 seconds, lowering the previous 28.80 seconds, while Chang topped the 17-18 equivalent with an AAAA time of 29.81 seconds to pull down the old mark of 32.53 seconds. Webley, who was second in the event, also went below the old mark with a time of 30.24 seconds.

Gray then easily took the 19 and over event in a fast 30.09 seconds to wipe out the old mark of 32.69 seconds.