Riley Gaines is taking the County by Storm!!!

Gaines Making Splash on County Swimming Scene

February 7, 2010….Weather may have postponed the annual Excel Aquatics Mardi Gras Meet by a week; however it only served to give Riley Gaines another week to prepare for the meet.

Gaines, a 9 year old swimmer who trains with Excel Aquatics in Gallatin, stepped up and added two more qualifying times to her total for the upcoming Southeastern Swimming (SES) Short Course Championships at the end of February in Nashville; while adding her first Age Group Sectional Championship cut for that meet which is held in Charlotte NC in March.

Swimming in the 9-10 year old Girl’s category, Gaines added SES times in the 100 Yard Individual Medley (1:21.04) and the 50 Yard Freestyle (0:32.16).  Gaines had gained previous SES cuts in the 100 Yard Backstroke, 50 Yard Backstroke and 50 Yard Butterfly.  It was in the 50 Butterfly that Gaines added an Age Group Sectional cut with a time of 0:34.88.

“Riley joined Excel this Fall, and has made an immediate impact on the county swimming scene,’’ Excel Site Coordinator Shereé Zobl noted.  “She was initially in Coach Mike Ballard’s training squad where she worked to refine her stroke skills, while adding some conditioning and did very well there.”

“After Christmas, the decision was made that based on her performances to move her into Coach Andreea Ianoli-Mitrofan’s squad, and despite being 2 years younger than her new squad mates, Riley hasn’t missed a beat, and she now has 5 SES cuts total.  The AGS cut was a great achievement.”

Other swimmers who made a SES Short Course Championship time cut: Paige Scheriger – Senior Girl’s 200 Yard Backstroke; Allie Riley - 11&12 year old Girl’s 50 Yard Freestyle and 200 Yard Individual Medley; Schuyler Daniel - 11&12 year old Girl’s 100 Yard Backstroke and 50 Yard Backstroke; Kathryn Cole - 11&12 year old Girl’s 500 Yard Freestyle, 50 Yard Backstroke and 200 Yard Freestyle.

In addition to Gaines, those who made Short Course Age Group Championship time cuts: Paige Scheriger - 13&14 year old Girl’s 200 Yard Backstroke; Allie Riley – 11&12 Girl’s 100 Yard Backstroke; Kathryn Cole – 11&12 Girl’s 200 Free and 100 Back.

Bradley Gillilan attained a Senior Sectional Championship time cut in the Senior Boy’s 400 Yard Individual Medley.

Event winners were Madison Kolbe in the 13&14 year old Girl’s 50 Yard Breaststroke; Bradley Gillilan in the Senior Boy’s 200 Yard Individual Medley, 200 Yard Freestyle, and 400 Yard Individual Medley; and John Mainland in the Senior Boy’s 500 Yard Freestyle.

12 Sumner County swimmers from Excel Aquatics placed in the Top 8 in a cumulative total of 63 events.  They were:

Madison Kolbe: 13&14 Girl’s 50 Breast (1^st); 100 Breast (2^nd); 50 Fly (4^th); 200 Breast (4^th); 50 Back (5^th); 100 Back (6^th); 200 IM (8^th); 50 Free (8^th).

Bradley Gillilan: Senior Boy’s 200 IM (1^st); 200 Free (1^st); 400 IM (1^st); 100 Breast (2^nd); 200 Back (3^rd); 100 Free (5^th); 100 Back (5^th); 50 Free (8^th).

Paige Scheriger: 13&14 Girl’s 50 Breast (2^nd); 200 Back (2^nd); 200 Breast (2^nd); 50 Back (2^nd); 50 Fly (3^rd); 200 IM (4^th); 200 Free (6^th); 50 Free (7^th).

Kathryn Cole: 11&12 Girl’s 500 Free (4^th); 50 Fly (5^th); 200 Free (5^th); 50 Free (5^th); 200 Breast (5^th); 50 Breast (6^th); 100 Free (6^th); 100 Back (6^th).

Riley Gaines: 10&U Girl’s 50 Fly (2^nd); 100 Back (4^th); 50 Back (5^th); 100 IM (6^th); 100 Free (7^th); 50 Free (8^th).

Allie Riley: 11&12 Girl’s 100 Breast (4^th); 50 Free (4^th); 200 Breast (4^th); 100 Back (5^th); 100 Free (7^th); 200 Back (7^th).

John Mainland: Senior Boy’s 500 Free (1^st); 50 Breast (3^rd); 50 Back (3^rd); 200 Free (6^th); 100 Back (7^th).

Austin Beech: 8&U Boy’s 25 Breast (6^th); 25 Fly (6^th); 50 Back (6^th); 50 Free (8^th); 25 Free (8^th).

Bryce Anderson: Senior Boy’s 200 IM (2^nd); 100 Fly (5^th); 100 Free (7^th).

Maggie Coley: 8&U Girl’s 50 Breast (5^th); 100 IM (8^th); 25 Breast (8^th).

Schuyler Daniel: 11&12 Girl’s 200 Fly (4^th); 200 Back (8^th).

Leigh Ballard: 10&U Girl’s 100 Back (7^th).

The next meet for swimmers working to attain an SES qualifying time will be the District Championship in Brentwood on Feb 20-21.  For those with SES cuts, the SES Short Course Championship is Feb 25-28 in Nashville.

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