SPIRE Swim turned in a strong team performance at the 2025 Speedo Winter Junior Championships East, held Dec. 10–13 at the Indiana University Natatorium.

Competing against one of the deepest junior fields in the country, SPIRE finished 21st out of 71 scoring teams. The result was highlighted by top-10 relay finishes, impactful individual performances, and meaningful progress from last season.

The SPIRE men’s relay group of Erkhes Enkhtur, Beaudin Schad, Minh Hoang, and Gabe Bosler-Kilmer led the way throughout the meet. The quartet placed eighth in the 200-yard medley relay and ninth in the 200-yard freestyle relay, while also racing together in the 400-yard medley relay and 400-yard freestyle relay.

Individually, Enkhtur paced the SPIRE squad with a ninth-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke. He also competed in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard freestyle, contributing points across multiple events.

Hoang competed in both butterfly events, finishing 21st in the 200-yard butterfly and also racing in the 100-yard butterfly.

Schad and Bosler-Kilmer each competed in the sprint freestyle events, racing the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle, while also playing key roles across all four relays.

On the women’s side, Elizaveta Pazukha represented SPIRE in the breaststroke events. She raced in both the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke, earning a 19th-place finish in the 200.

“I am very proud of our swimmers and the work they did just to qualify for this event,” said Coach Thad. “For SPIRE to improve by 500 percent from last year is amazing. Many coaches and spectators commented on the impact SPIRE swimmers had on the meet. They did great, and we look forward to our next competition.”

“For four of our five athletes, this was their first experience competing at a meet of this level, and they all performed well,” said Coach Molly. “Racing at that level for the first time can be intimidating, but all five athletes gave it their all and left everything in the pool. The meet was definitely a success.”

The Speedo Winter Junior Championships East is one of the premier short-course meets for junior swimmers, providing a national stage and valuable championship experience. SPIRE Swim now returns to training with momentum as the team looks ahead to the remainder of the season.

Learn more about SPIRE Swim.