Swimming Academic All-American

Powell and Ross are Swimming Academic All-Americans

May 26, 2009….Two graduating seniors from the Pope John Paul II High School Swim Team have been selected by the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association as Academic All-Americans for the 2008-2009 school year.

To be eligible for the award, swimmers must be graduating seniors having maintained an unweighted GPA of 3.75 through the first semester of their senior year. Additionally they must have also lettered in swimming for three years, including their senior year.

“Pope John Paul II High School has a tradition of academic excellence, and the swim team is proud of Ashley and Margaret having attained this national recognition for their academic success”, Pope John Paul II Swim Coach John Barnes commented. “They did a great job of balancing academics, athletics, and their leadership roles within Pope John Paul II; they are a fine example of the accomplished student-athletes which the high school produces each year.”

For more information on Pope John Paul II High School Swim Team, visit www.jp2hs.org

Excel Swimmers Shine at Spring Fling

Swimmers excel at Spring Fling Meet

April 26, 2009….It was the first Long Course swim meet of the year, and it was the Excel Aquatics Spring Fling Invitational in Brentwood TN. Long Course meets are held in 50 Meter pools, as compared to Short Course meets which are held in 25 Yard pools. The Olympics and most international meets are held in the Long Course format.

Swimmers from Excel Aquatics who train in Sumner County joined over 120 of their Excel teammates from two other training sites to swim in the Spring Fling versus teams from across the region.

Leading the way in terms of effort and personal best times for the Excel/Sumner County squad was 11 year old Allison Riley from Hendersonville and Indian Lake Elementary.

Riley dropped time in all 9 of her events, with a substantial 40 second drop occurring in the 11&12 Year Old Girl’s 400 Meter Freestyle and over 25 seconds in the 200 Meter Individual Medley (IM).The IM event consists of all four strokes: Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Freestyle in that order.

“Allie has had a great short course season, and it looks like it will continue into the long course season as well”, Excel Coach John Barnes commented. “She is a hard worker at practice, and is very coachable.”

Riley attained Southeastern Swimming (SES) Long Course Championship Meet qualifying time standards in the 50 Meter Breaststroke and 100 Meter Breaststroke.

Madison Kolbe and Paige Scheriger of Ellis Middle School recently aged up to the 13&14 Year Old Girl’s category; however that did not stop them from some Top 8 placements in the meet.

Kolbe placed in the 200 Meter Breaststroke (4th), 100 Meter Breaststroke (5th), 100 Meter Backstroke (6th), and 50 Meter Free (7th). Kolbe qualified for the Long Course Championship Meet in the 100 and 200 Meter Breaststroke events.

Scheriger placed in the 800 Meter Free (3rd), 200 Meter Breaststroke (2nd), 100 Meter Breaststroke (4th), 200 Meter Butterfly (6th), 200 Meter Backstroke (7th), and 200 Meter IM (7th). Scheriger qualified for the Long Course Championship Meet in the 100 and 200 Meter Breaststroke events.

“Aging up to the 13&14 year old category means that swimmers no longer will be swimming 50’s and 100’s in meets. Now their focus turns to 100’s, 200’s and longer distances in meets. As such training for those aging up needs to change accordingly if they are to keep pace with their peers in the state, and Excel Aquatics has a strong history in Sumner County of developing numerous teenagers into highly competitive swimmers over the past 15 years we have trained here.”

“Both Madison and Paige have been putting in more yards, doing some different things with their strokes, and are working hard in practice since they aged up. As the long course season progresses and they adapt to the change in training, we expect them to continue their improvements.”

Other Sumner County resident swimmers in the meet: Trevor Curtis, Kathryn George, Matthew Kastan, Gabby Salamone, Kelsey Wiese and Brittany Zobl.

For more information on swimming for Sumner County residents, stop by the Gallatin Civic Center and speak with an Excel coach in the early evening hours.

Brittany Zobl nabs 3 Sectional Cuts

Zobl attains Sectional Time Cuts at Swim Meet

March 6, 2009….Brittany Zobl, a Freshman at Pope John Paul II High School, and a member of Excel Aquatics, joined over 80 of her Excel teammates at the recent Southeastern Swimming Short Course Championship Meet in Nashville, Feb 26-March 1.

Zobl had qualified for the meet in 4 events, the Senior Girl’s 50 Yard Freestyle, 100 Yard Freestyle, 100 Yard Backstroke, and 200 Yard Backstroke.

It was in the Backstroke events where Zobl shined.

In the 100 Yard Backstroke, Zobl dropped 0.81 seconds, turning a 1:00.43 (one minute, zero seconds and 43 hundredths of a second). The time was good enough for a USA Swimming Senior Summer Sectional Meet qualifying time. Zobl had already achieved a Spring Sectional Meet time cut in the event.

In the 200 Yard Backstroke, Zobl dropped 7.47 seconds, turning a 2:11.20, good enough for a 15th Place finish in the event. The time was a new time standard met for Zobl in both the Spring and Summer Sectional Meets.

“Brittany qualified for the first time in events for the Summer Sectional Meet, and added to her Spring Sectional total,” Excel Aquatics’ John Barnes noted. “She has been working on some technique issues with her backstroke, and they started to pay off in this meet.”

“Her Freestyle events were right on best times, and we expect things to really pop there as we move into Long Course season.”

The USA Swimming Senior Summer Sectional Meet will be held July 16-19, 2009 in Knoxville TN at the new Alan Jones Aquatics Center, and will be conducted in the Long Course 50 Meter format.

For more information on competitive swimming choices in Sumner County, visit www.ExcelAquatics.com, or visit the Gallatin Civic Center and speak with a coach.

3 Qualify for SES Championships

Trio Post Qualifying Times for Southeastern Swimming Championship Meet

February 22, 2009….Three Excel Aquatics swimmers from Sumner County qualified over the weekend for the upcoming Southeastern Swimming (SES) Short Course Championship Meet.

The SES District Meet was held Saturday and Sunday in Brentwood. Districts is considered a last chance meet for qualifying for the Short Course Championship Meet.

Allie Riley of Hendersonville swam to a qualifying time in the 11&12 Year Old Girl’s 100 Yard Breaststroke, turning a time of one minute, twenty seconds and twenty-nine one-hundredths of a second (1:20.29). This was Riley’s second SES qualifying time, having already achieved a cut in the 50 Yard Breaststroke, despite having just ageing up to the older category.

Abbie Wood, a sophomore at Pope John Paul II HS, and a Hendersonville resident, took to the water in the Senior Girl’s 1,650 Yard Freestyle, commonly referred to as “the mile”. In only her second time of swimming in the event, Wood turned a time of 19:48.61, nearly 10 seconds under the qualifying time for 15&16 Year Old Girls.

“Abbie did a phenomenal time,” Excel Coach John Barnes noted. “She had consistent splits, going 5:54, 6:07, and 6:03 in the first three 500’s in the event. She is a hard worker in practice, and it shows up in the meets.”

This qualifying time by Abbie was her first ever SES Short Course Qualifying time in any event.

Bryce Anderson, also known as “The Intimidator”, is a freshman at Station Camp High School and is a resident of Gallatin. Anderson achieved a qualifying time standard in the Senior Boy’s 1,650 Yard Freestyle and the 15&16 Boy’s 1,000 Yard Freestyle.

Anderson added these events to his total, which already included a SES qualifying time in the 500 Yard Freestyle at last week’s High School State Championships.

“Bryce has been very impressive this year”, Coach Barnes added. “He is now the fourth boy in his training group to achieve a SES time standard in the 1,650.”

For more information on competitive swimming choices in Sumner County, visit www.ExcelAquatics.com, or visit the Gallatin Civic Center and speak with a coach.