Monday, March 10, 2008

Two Girls go to Spring Sectionals Championship Meet


Zobl and George drop times at Senior Sectional Swimming Champoinships

March 9, 2008…. Two of Sumner County’s top swimmers who train with Excel Aquatics in Gallatin, participated in the USA Swimming Spring Senior Sectional Championship Meet this past weekend in Nashville. The meet featured some of the top swimming talent in the South. Traditionally only the Top 10% of swimmers nationwide achieve Senior Sectional Qualifying Time Standards.

491 swimmers, representing 76 teams from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, West Virginia and Kentucky took part in the meet this past weekend in Nashville TN, and hosted by Excel Aquatics.

“Senior Sectionals consists of swimmers as varied as collegiate swimmers using it as a last-chance meet to attain NCAA qualifying time standards, to swimmers who have already signed with colleges to swim next year, to swimmers who are no longer in college and are still training for the Olympic Trials, to swimmers who are starting to emerge as some of the top talent in the South.” Excel Assistant Coach and Lebanon resident John Barnes explained. “This year we are swimming the meet in the Long Course format because many of the swimmers at the meet are in the midst of preparing for the Olympic Trials, and this is another meet in that progression of preparation for them.”

College coaches from numerous Division I schools are in attendance to watch and evaluate some of the younger talent that showed up.

Brittany Zobl, a Hendersonville resident and an 8th Grader at Gallatin’s Sumner Academy qualified for the meet in the 100 Meter Backstroke, and finished with a time of 1:14.04, a 1.82 second drop off her personal best time. Brittany has done great this past short course season, and has started the long course season off in a nice way with her time drop,” Barnes noted. “This was Brittany’s second year to attend Spring Sectionals, and she was much more relaxed, even though she was still one of the youngest swimmers in the meet.”

Zobl has been selected to be the lead off swimmer on Excel Aquatics’ 400 Medley Relay that is traveling down to Orlando for the NCSA Junior National Swimming Championships in two weeks. While there she will also swim in time trials for the 50 Yard Freestyle and 100 Yard Backstroke.

Kathryn George of Gallatin and a 10th Grader at Pope John Paul II High School participated in two events, the 100 Meter Butterfly and the 200 Meter Butterfly.

George went out and dropped 5.15 seconds in the 100 Meter Fly, turning a time of 1:08.08 on Friday and then swam the 200 Fly on Saturday, dropping 5.77 seconds, finishing in a time of 2:33.84.

“This was KK’s first Sectional Meet and she was not fazed by the competition at all,” Barnes explained. “The 200 Fly is a physically and mentally grueling race, one that tests your technique and endurance. Most swimmers try to shy away from it, however KK steps up and loves to swim it.”

“Both of these girls reflect what is great about today’s youth. They excel in a sport that is physically demanding and are in better shape than 99% of their colleagues in school. They work on their technique constantly, they set the example for our younger swimmers who aspire to these higher level meets, they challenge the coaches to become better at what we do, and like the rest of our Excel swimmers, they are a joy to coach.”

For more information on swimming in Sumner County visit www.ExcelAquatics.org/age_group or call John Barnes at 615-400-6792.

· Contact Person: John Barnes 400-6792 coachbarnes@charter.net