Gillilan Breaks Team Record

Gillilan Shatters Excel Aquatics Team Record in 800 Meter Swim

May 29, 2005……Bradley Gillilan, a rising 8^th Grader at West Wilson Middle School, and a member of Excel Aquatics set a new Team Record for 11&12 Year Old Boy’s in the 800 Meter Freestyle. The old record, set in 2002, was 10:15.74, Bradley swam to a 9:54.83 at this past weekend’s Stars and Stripes Meet hosted by Excel Aquatics, a 20.91 second drop. Gillilan also had Personal Best Times in all 9 of his events this past weekend. Only 12 years old, Gillilan has firmly established himself as the top Distance Swimmer among Wilson County residents. “Swimming in distance events takes a lot of heart and guts.” Lebanon Resident and Excel Assistant Coach John Barnes stated. “It is difficult to train for, and something we emphasize to our kids to help make them great all around swimmers, and not one event wonders. To really excel in Distance Training, it takes a strong aerobic conditioning base and great technique to correctly maximize your energy efficiency. Think hydrodynamics combined with a powerful fuel efficient engine.”

“Coach Andreea Ianoli-Mitrofan is the coach in charge of Bradley’s training group, she is the former Romanian National Champion in the 800 Meter Freestyle.” Barnes commented. “Her technique work with the kids is the best I’ve seen in this area, she doesn’t neglect any facet of their development, and she knows how to get them to have fun as well. I’ve learned a lot from just being on deck with her.”

Also competing from Wilson County at the Stars and Stripes Meet were Stephen Claycomb (7 Personal Best Times), Conrad Claycomb (7 Personal Best Times), Meagan Maxwell (4 Personal Best Times), Hannah Morgan (3 Personal Best Times), and Austin Barnes. The Stars and Stripes Meet featured 520 swimmers, from 28 teams and 4 States.

Wilson County Swimmers who placed in the Top 16 of the Meet were:

Stephen Claycomb: 50 Free - 4^th Place; 100 Fly - 9^th Place; 100 Free - 13^th Place; 200 Back - 14^th Place; and 100 Back - 15^th Place.

Bradley Gillilan: 200 Free – 2^nd Place; 100 Breaststroke – 2^nd Place; 50 Breaststroke – 3^rd Place; 100 Free – 5^th Place; 50 Backstroke – 5^th Place; 50 Free - 6^th Place; 100 Backstroke – 6^th Place; 50 Fly – 9^th Place.

Conrad Claycomb: 100 Fly – 12^th Place.

For more information visit www.SwimWilsonCounty.com.

National Rankings for Wilson County Boys

Wilson County Swimmers Obtain National Ranking!

May 19, 2005……Two Wilson County 7^th Graders are part of a relay team that is ranked 13^th in the Nation for their age group. Bradley Gillilan and Taylor Wallace were members of the Excel Aquatics’ Boys 11&12 Year Old 200 Medley Relay that USA Swimming ranks 13^th in the Nation for the recently concluded 2004-2005 Short Course Season.

Wallace, a student at Mount Juliet Middle School, swam the Breaststroke leg; while Gillilan, a student at West Wilson Middle School, swam the Freestyle leg of the nationally ranked relay. “With Taylor and Bradley, Excel Aquatics continues to develop a strong tradition of nationally ranked swimmers coming from Wilson County.” Assistant Coach and Lebanon resident John Barnes stated. “They work hard, have fun, and learn about teamwork and sportsmanship from their participation on relays.”

For more information about swimming for Wilson County residents, visit www.SwimWilsonCounty.com.

7th Graders swim at UT Pool

Wilson County Swimmers Compete at the UT Pool

May 11, 2005……Two Wilson County 7^th Graders got to experience what it is like to swim at the University of Tennessee Aquatics Center in Knoxville this past weekend. As part of the Excel Aquatics Club swim team, Bradley Gillilan and Austin Barnes participated in the 17^th Annual Volunteer Invitational Swim Meet. The format of the meet was Long Course Meters, the same distance swam in International and Olympic Competitions.

Gillilan, a 7th Grader at West Wilson Middle School, had significant time drops in 8 of his 9 events. Gillilan’s most impressive swim was in the 400 Meter Freestyle, dropping over 19 seconds in time. He easily obtained a Southeastern Swimming Long Course Qualifying Boy’s 13&14 Year Old Cut with a time of 4:50.37, and is only 5.28 seconds away from a 15-16 Year Old Cut, even though he is just 12 years old. This is the fastest recorded 400 Meter Free time among any Wilson County resident over the past 4 Long Course Seasons.

Barnes, a 7^th Grader at Carroll-Oakland in Lebanon, had time drops in all 6 of his events. Coach Andreea Ianoli-Mitrofan noted that “Austin has very good techniques; with growth he will become stronger and faster.”

Both swimmers train with “Coach Andreea” who has solidly established herself as the new Coaching Gold Standard in Youth Swimming in the Wilson/Sumner County Sub-Region. Coach Andreea, a former Romanian National Champion, has trained more local swimmers to Southeastern qualifying standards than any other local coach this past year. The next meet for Wilson County swimmers will be the Excel Aquatics' Stars and Stripes Meet being held May 27th through May 29^th in Brentwood. Joining Excel Aquatics at the meet will be Nashville Aquatics Club, Pilot Aquatics Club Knoxville, Memphis Tiger Swimming, as well as many other teams. With 4 of the top 5 teams from last years SES LC Championships in the meet, it is going to be a highly competitive meet that will give good insights into what the competition will be like at this years' SES LC Championships at the end of July. For more information about swimming in Wilson County, visit www.SwimWilsonCounty.com.