daytonraiders

The Dayton Raiders Represent at Speedo Sectionals

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 20:17:00 GMT

The Dayton Raiders Throwdown At Speedo Sectionals IN Indianapolis

The Dayton Raiders traveled to the 2026 Speedo Sectionals in Indianapolis at the end of March and delivered an outstanding performance on the national stage. Bringing a team of 12 girls and 6 boys, the Raiders returned home with an impressive collection of hardware and a long list of broken team records.

On the girls’ side, the team placed 4th overall and set 10 new team records. Those record-breaking performances included:

Girls Open 200 Free Relay – Michelle Dean, Elli McClure, Kennedy Nuttbrock, Brooklyn Talley
Girls Open 400 Free Relay – Michelle Dean, Ruri Lee, Kennedy Nuttbrock, Brooklyn Talley
Girls 15/16 50 Free – Brooklyn Talley
Girls 15/16 & Open 100 Free – Brooklyn Talley
Girls 15/16 200 Back – Kennedy Nuttbrock
Girls 15/16 & Open 100 Back – Kennedy Nuttbrock
Girls 11/12 100 Free – Francine Schoettmer
Girls 11/12 200 Free – Francine Schoettmer

The girls also made a strong impact in finals, with 10 of the 12 swimmers earning second swims in individual events.

The boys’ team made the most of their smaller roster, turning in an impressive showing as well. Three of the six swimmers qualified for finals, including first-time Sectional finalists. An exciting milestone for the program!

Congratulations to all of the Raiders who competed at Sectionals on an incredible meet and a great representation of the team!

Interested in Joining the Dayton Raiders?

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 19:36:10 GMT

Interested in joining our team? There are a variety of ways to join!

Looking to get involved in the water this season? The Dayton Raiders Aquatic Club offers something for everyone! Whether you're diving in for the first time or continuing your competitive journey, our aquatic programs provide structured training for athletes of all levels, from those building strong fundamentals to experienced athletes striving for peak performance.

The Dayton Raiders Swim Team offers a variety of ways for swimmers of all ages and experience levels to get involved. From developmental groups focused on technique and fundamentals, to competitive training squads designed to push performance to the next level, our program is built to support growth at every stage.

Beyond the swim team, we’re proud to offer a wide range of aquatic opportunities for our community. Our swim lesson program helps swimmers of all ages develop confidence, safety skills, and a love for the water. For those looking for a fast-paced, team-oriented challenge, our water polo program brings energy, competition and fun to the pool.

No matter your experience or goals, the Dayton Raiders Aquatic Club is a place to grow, connect, and be part of a supportive, passionate community. There’s a lane for everyone here. Come find yours today!

Dayton Raiders Age Group Program Ranked in Top 50

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 19:24:14 GMT

The Dayton Raiders were selected as the #16 small team age group program by the American Swim Coaches Association. The rankings were based on percentage of athletes ages 10-14 that met the qualifying AAA & AAAA+ time standards relative to their club size.

The Raiders were the only team in the Dayton area named to the list, and one of only 3 teams in Ohio to make a list.

Congratulations to our Dayton Raiders swimmers and staff!

Progression of the Athlete: STAC SwimFit

thos@oneelevendigital.com (Thomas Conner) — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 13:17:10 GMT

How to Evaluate a Swim Race at a Non-Focus Meet

When asking a swimmer how they thought a swim went or how they would rate their performance, coaches often hear some variation of the response “I added time, so it was a failure”. It is important for swimmers and parents to get out of that routine of black and white evaluation, especially as swimmers transition into senior swimming.

It would be great if swimmers could always drop time in 5 second chunks like they do when they first start competing. However, as swimmers get faster and the time gets lower, time drops get smaller. That makes it very important for everyone to have realistic expectations going into a meet based on the time of year and what they have been doing in practice. They must realize that there are many ways to evaluate a race besides having the final time on the scoreboard. Keeping everything in perspective for the long term can help swimmers appreciate the journey and path they are on.

The first thing swimmers should avoid is comparing end of season times from the previous year to mid-season times during their current season. For most senior swimmers we are focused on swimming fast 5 times a year (4 for Middle Schoolers): Music City, High School State Championships, Southern Premier, Summer Sizzler, and Southeastern Championships. Taking your time from October Open, after 7 weeks of practice, and comparing it to the Southern Premier, after 7 months of practice, is not a way to feel good about your swimming. It is important to mark points in time and compare them to the previous year or even 2 years prior.

Swimmers must also consider what they have been working on in practice during these mid-season meets. If time isn’t the evaluator, what can we learn? Plenty. Finishing with 4 underwater kicks off your last wall versus 2 or none the last time, having cleaner breakouts, taking less strokes, setting up the 200 pacing correctly are all things we look at as coaches for marks of improvement. Every swim is a dress rehearsal and a practice for the next time. We want swimmers to be focused on these things in practice every day, and then mark their improvement when they get more focused at meet time. This skill development and acquisition is not going to happen instantly. That is why we have 2 or 3 meets before the focus meet, and why there is 3 months of practice between the focus meets. Things worth doing and changing take time.

The next time your swimmer is down and out after a performance, we as coaches and parents can help reshape and reframe the conversation. A perceived bad swim does not define them as swimmers, but the attitude they have after and the focus on improvement and growth can be much more beneficial.

We want NAC swimmers to be smarter, happier, and faster for having been a part of the team and we think this can help in that pursuit.

“That Swim Stunk”

thos@oneelevendigital.com (Thomas Conner) — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 13:15:14 GMT

How to Evaluate a Swim Race at a Non-Focus Meet

We want NAC swimmers to be smarter, happier, and faster for having been a part of the team and we think this can help in that pursuit.

Resetting Goals After a Successful or Maybe Not So-Successful Season

thos@oneelevendigital.com (Thomas Conner) — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 13:08:29 GMT

Coming off the short course season and starting Long Course is a perfect time to take a deep breath and ask yourself as a swimmer

“OK. How am I doing? What have I done? Where am I going?”

Swimming can be just as mentally taxing as physically, so a healthy conversation and reflection on your achievements or disappointments the previous season is a great way to clear your head.

We can’t do anything about the previous season’s results. What can we do to exceed our accomplishments from the short course season or avoid a repeat of the feelings of disappointment?

The first thing to remember about a disappointing season is that everything in life can be a stepping stone or a cliff. That extends beyond the confines of a swimming pool. Failure or disappointment is not unique to swimming, and there will never be a single moment in your life where failure marks the end if you do not let it.

Taking tangible lessons from the season, August to March, can help shape these tough lessons into a positive outlook moving forward. An untimely injury or illness, a break in focus and consistency in practice due to outside stress, or performance anxiety can all lead to or compound this.

Did we work on our swimming weaknesses, be it technique or training , as much as our strengths? Could we be more open to making changes in our eating or sleeping habits to help our practices? Could we improve our time management so that school stress doesn’t affect us in the pool? Any number of changes can help lead a swimmer to a successful season. Identifying what may have held us back before is a great first step.

Sometimes it can be more difficult to reset the goals after a great season that ended on a high note. It could be a new time standard achieved, a State or Southern Premier title, or any long sought goal in your favorite event.

The question now is how can we sustain this momentum and replicate the success? Again, making note of what improvements we made to our training or habits may help identify not only what made this season so great, but show what other areas may need to be improved to supplement our improvements. Thinking about new stepping stone goals to go along with our new long term goal can help sustain that feeling that we are still succeeding, and that our next goal isn’t so much a mountain as it is a molehill.