Epic Battle at Meet of Champs

Blackwell and Gillilan engage in epic battle at the Excel Aquatics Meet of Champions

December 4, 2006……Twelve of Wilson County’s youth swimmers competed in the annual Excel Aquatics Meet of Champions in Brentwood TN Dec 1^st -3^rd. This “Championship” formatted meet consisted of both Preliminaries and Finals swims. The Meet of Champions has turned into one of the fastest meets in the South heading into the Holiday Season. This year 674 swimmers from 26 clubs spread across Alabama, Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Mississippi converged to see who the best among the best was.

Wilson County residents competing in the meet were Chelsie Barlettano, Dallas Barlettano, Luke Blackwell, Madison Blackwell, Samuel Blackwell, Conrad Claycomb, Stephen Claycomb, Kelsey Copeland, Josh Deardorff, Bradley Gillilan, Alek Nochowicz, and Taylor Wallace. All twelve train with Excel Aquatics.

Luke Blackwell an 8^th Grade Home School student from Lebanon, competing for Excel Aquatics was the only one of the Wilson County Twelve to win an event, the Boy’s 13&14 Year Old 1650 Yard Freestyle.

“The Mile” as the event is known was an exciting race to watch, as both Blackwell and his Excel teammate Bradley Gillilan (Gillilan is a Freshman at Lebanon High School) battled to the end, with both boys averaging in the vicinity of 1 minute 6 seconds per 100 yards throughout the entire race. Blackwell pulled ahead towards the end to win the event in 18:10.31. Gillilan placed Second with a time of 18:19.31.

“The Mile is an exhausting event, and in the past 6 years no male swimmer from Wilson County has gone under 20 minutes in the event, and in this one event on Sunday, we had two.” Excel Assistant Coach John Barnes commented. “Bradley beat Luke in the 200 Yard Freestyle and the 500 Yard Freestyle earlier in the Meet, and Luke turned around and won the 1650. These boys have 3+ years left of training together at Excel, and it will be exciting to witness, one I’m sure both of them will step up to and commit themselves to achieve further successes while feeding off of each other. Swimming is a sport where success breeds success, and we are looking forward to seeing all of these swimmers raise the quality of swimming here in the near future.”

Josh Deardorff, an 11^th Grade Home School student from the Possum Town area northwest of Lebanon, dropped over 3 tenths of a second off of his 50 Yard Freestyle. “When you are at the speed that Josh is at on his 50 Free, usually the drops are measured in hundredths, not tenths. He did great.”

Mount Juliet swimming prodigy, Taylor Wallace, also in the 13&14 year old category, had the most overall success in the meet among Wilson County swimmers, with Top 8 finishes in all 8 of his events. “Taylor will have a huge impact on the success of MJ High School (where he is a Freshman) this season, and be a tremendous asset to Coach McCabe and the rest of the talented young men on that High School team.” Kelsey Copeland, a Sophomore at MJHS, continued dropping time in her signature event, the 500 Yard Freestyle, and will be making a significant contribution to the MJHS Girls Swim Team again this season.

Lebanon’s Stephen Claycomb, a Senior at JPII HS, finished 3^rd in the Senior Men’s 50 Yard Freestyle, with a time of 0:22.30, in his continuing training efforts geared towards qualifying again for Finals at the State High School meet to be held in February. Alek Nochowicz of Mt Juliet, and a Freshman at JPII HS had drops in all of his events, and “has a full understanding” of what he has to do to qualify for the State High School meet in the 500 Yard Freestyle. Conrad Claycomb, a Sophomore at JPII HS is on track to achieve a qualifying time for the State High School Meet in the 100 Yard Backstroke.

Among the Elementary and Middle School age swimmers from Wilson County, Chelsie Barlettano of Watertown dropped over two seconds off of her time in the 100 Yard Backstroke, while brother Dallas Barlettano dropped over 7 seconds in his 50 Yard Backstroke.

Madison Blackwell, who recently aged up to the 11&12 Year Old Category made large strides in accomplishing her short term goals of qualifying for the Southeastern Championships. “Madison is doing great in all of her events, and she will become a tremendous competitor in the Individual Medley events.”

The youngest Blackwell sibling, 7 year old Samuel, competed in his first Meet of Champions, and finished 25^th in the Boys 10&Under category in the 50 Yard Breaststroke.

“I encourage all of my fellow Wilson County neighbors interested in swimming to contact us at Excel. If anyone knows one of the families who attended this meet, feel free to ask them about the qualitative difference gained from training with Excel.” For more information about swimming opportunities for Wilson County youth, visit www.SwimWilsonCounty.com, or call Coach Barnes at 443-4115. The next meet for swimmers from Excel Aquatics’ will be the Baylor Invitational in Chattanooga TN in January.

Dozen Dazzle at Thoroughbred Meet

Wilson County Dozen Excel in Brentwood

November 5, 2006……Twelve residents from Wilson County and Excel Aquatics took to the pool at the annual Excel Aquatics’ Thoroughbred Invitational November 3-5 in Brentwood TN. Leading the way and placing in the Top 8 were Luke Blackwell, Madison Blackwell, Samuel Blackwell, and Bradley Gillilan of Lebanon; and Taylor Wallace and Kelsey Copeland of Mt. Juliet. Also competing were Chelsie Barlettano, Dallas Barlettano, Josh Deardorff, Makensie Moses, Taylor Moses, and Alek Nochowicz.

Those winning events were Taylor Wallace (13&14 Year Old Boy’s 400 Yard IM) and Bradley Gillilan (13&14 Year Old Boy’s 500 Yard Freestyle). Wallace finished the 400 Yard IM with a time of 4:33.34, over a 10 second drop in winning the event; and followed that up with Top 5 finishes in his 6 other events. Wallace is a freshman at Mount Juliet High School and will be competing in the High School season under the guidance of Kathy McCabe.

Kelsey Copeland, a Sophomore at MJHS, finished in the Top 8 in the 13&14 Year Old Girl’s 200 Yard Freestyle, 100 Yard Backstroke, and 200 Yard Backstroke.

Gillilan won the 500 Yard Free in a time 5:20.21, an 8.79 second drop. He followed up that performance with a 2^nd Place finish in the 1000 Yard Free with a time of 11:05.92, missing first place by a scant 0.83 seconds. Gillilan placed in the Top 8 in 8 of his 9 events, and improved his times in all 9 events. Gillilan is a freshman at Lebanon High School and is coached by Jaymie Reynolds during the High School season.

“This was a great meet for our kids. Of 74 events competed in by these 12 swimmers, there were 61 best times.” Excel Assistant Coach John Barnes noted. “Chelsie Barlettano of Lebanon competed in her first meet and did very well. Her brother Dallas had a very nice time drop in the 10&Under Boy’s 50 Yard Free.”

“Our two 7 year old swimmers, Makensie Moses of Mt Juliet and Samuel Blackwell of Lebanon made their mark as future forces to be reckoned with. Makensie continued improving her times in all of her events, and Samuel placed 6^th in the 25 Yard Breaststroke in the first time he has competed in a meet.”

Makensie’s older brother Taylor competed in the 11&12 Year Old Boy’s events. Notably he dropped over 18 seconds in the 500 Yard Freestyle, although he was battling an injury. “Taylor is a tough kid, I was glad that he gutted it out and swam his events.” Barnes observed.

Luke Blackwell was 10 for 10 in improving his times, with notable drops coming in the 13&14 Year Old Boy’s 400 Yard IM (7^th Place and over a 22 second drop); and the 1000 Yard Freestyle (3^rd Place and over a 15 second drop). Younger sister Madison Blackwell placed 8^th in the 11&12 Year Old Girl’s 50 Yard Backstroke, and 8^th in the 200 Yard IM.

“I was really pleased with Madison in her Butterfly events. Her technique continues to improve, and as she gets stronger, I’m confident that Fly will be one of her better events.” Barnes stated.

Alek Nochowicz of Mt Juliet, a freshman at Pope JPII High, went 6 for 6 in his improving of times, with a notable drop of over 6 seconds in the Senior Boy’s 100 Yard Breaststroke, and placing 9^th in the 500 Free. Josh Deardorff of Lebanon, a 11^th Grade Home School student, dropped time in the Senior Boy’s 50 Yard Freestyle as a good measurement of where he is in his preparation for the High School State Championship Meet.

For more information on year-round competitive swimming options in the Mid-State Region, as well as contact information on High School swimming in Wilson County, visit www.SwimWilsonCounty.com.

Fall Fest 2006 Meet Notes

Wilson County Swimmers take to the Water in Swim Meet

October 1, 2006……Nine Wilson County Residents, ranging in ages from 7 to 17 competed in the Excel Aquatics’ Fall Fest Swim Meet in Brentwood, the weekend of September 29^th thru October 1^st. The Wilson County 9 joined their 220 other teammates from Excel Aquatics to compete against 10 other swim teams from Mississippi, Alabama, East Tennessee, and Kentucky who traveled to Brentwood TN for the meet. 545 swimmers were entered in the meet.

Leading off in the Friday night competition were the Claycomb Brothers of Lebanon, Stephen and Conrad. Stephen, a Senior at Pope John Paul II placed 3^rd in the Men’s 50 Yard Freestyle in a time of 22.61. Conrad, a Sophomore at Pope John Paul II, dropped his personal best time in the 50 Yard Freestyle by 3.44 seconds, finishing in 26.01.

Saturday competition featured 7 more Wilson County residents. Dallas Barlettano, Madison Blackwell, and Luke Blackwell are all from the Lebanon area, while Makensie Moses, Taylor Moses, Taylor Wallace, and Kelsey Copeland are all from the Mt. Juliet area. “We saw some significant swims out of all of these swimmers on Saturday. They will continue to work on their technique, pacing and speed work.” Lebanon resident and Excel Assistant Coach John Barnes noted. “Several of the swimmers recently aged up to more difficult age groups, and overall we were pleased with the way in which they responded to the higher level of competition.”

On Sunday, all 9 swimmers participated in the meet, and were led by Stephen Claycomb. Claycomb placed 6^th in the 200 Yard Individual Medley, and within a time span of 15 minutes was back in the water swimming in the 100 Yard Freestyle where he placed 7^th. “Stephen went all out on the IM swim, set a best time in that and was exhausted. He had very little time time to recover before his 100 Free. Later in the morning, after having some time to recover, he came back and placed 4^th in the 100 Fly while swimming to a personal best time.” Coach Barnes noted. “The way Stephen is swimming right now when having proper rest between events is almost where he was last Spring at the High School State Meet, and we are early in the season. This bodes very well for the State Meet when he will be more conditioned and tapered. He will be an early season favorite to medal at High School State this year.”

For full Fall Fest Meet Results visit www.ExcelAquatics.com. Excel Aquatics is a nationally ranked USA Swimming team, and offers the closest training facility with a full range of training times for Wilson County residents.

Luke Blackwell Places 2nd at Championship Meet

Blackwell Places Second at Swimming Championships

July 31, 2006……Wilson County residents Luke Blackwell, Madison Blackwell, and Taylor Wallace traveled this past weekend to Knoxville TN as members of nationally ranked Excel Aquatics to represent Wilson County at the Southeastern Swimming Long Course Swimming Championships.

Leading the way in scoring points for the Wilson County contingent was 12 year old Luke Blackwell of Lebanon. Luke scored points by placing 2^nd overall in the 11&12 Boys 800 Meter Freestyle, and 7^th in 400 Meter Freestyle. Luke had Top 16 finishes in the 200 Meter Free (11^th), 100 Meter Free (16^th), and the 50 Meter Free (16^th). Luke also participated in the 50 Meter Backstroke (27^th Place) and 100 Meter Backstroke (22^nd Place). In the 800 Meter Freestyle, Luke missed placing first by a scant 62 hundredths of a second, a extremely tight finish after racing for a little over 10 minutes. The next closest competitor was over 6 seconds behind the leaders. “Luke almost chased the boy down in the last 50 meters of the race, but simply ran out of room” Excel Assistant Coach and Wilson County resident John Barnes noted. “Luke backs down from no one in his races, or in his training. This Fall we are going to be changing some of his stroke mechanics to make it more efficient, and if Luke dedicates himself to learning and applying those changes as well as he does in working on his set intervals, then we expect to see greater things out of Luke.”

Madison Blackwell competed in two events in her first Championship level meet. In the 10&Under Girl’s 50 Meter Breaststroke Madison placed 25^th, and in the 50 Meter Backstroke she placed 18^th. “Madison has trained well these past 7 months she has been with Excel Aquatics, and she did great at this meet. This meet tends to stress out a lot of swimmers because of it’s championship level status, and Madison responded wonderfully.” Coach Barnes commented.

Taylor Wallace, a rising 9^th Grader at Mount Juliet High School, participated in 4 events. Wallace place 21^st in the 13&14 Boys 100 Meter Breaststroke, 21^st in the 100 Meter Butterfly, 23^rd in the 50 Meter Freestyle, and 36^th in the 200 Meter Individual Medley. “Wallace is a great competitor, and this was his second meet in 7 days. Last week he placed as a High Point Winner in the Top 5 of the Nashville Swim League Championship Meet, and then turned around and continued to drop times at the SES Championship Meet.” Barnes stated. “Typically it is hard to compete at two meets of that caliber in back to back weekends, it drains you mentally and physically.”

For more information on year-round competitive swimming options in the Mid-State Region, as well as contact information on High School swimming in Wilson County, visit www.SwimWilsonCounty.com.

Madison Blackwell Gets 1st Qualifying Time Cut

Madison Blackwell Qualifies for Southeastern Swimming Long Course Championship Meet!

July 9, 2006……Lebanon’s Madison Blackwell, a 10 year old Excel Aquatics swimmer has qualified for her first Southeastern Swimming Championship Meet. Blackwell qualified in the 50 Meter Backstroke this past weekend during a swim meet in Chattanooga. Madison will be participating in the SES Long Course Championship Meet in Knoxville, July 27-30.

“Madison came over to Excel this past Fall, and has been training with Coach Andreea Ianoli-Mitrofan, a former Romanian National Champion.” Excel Assistant Coach John Barnes commented. “Madison will be joining her older brother Luke at the meet, who has also qualified for the SES Long Course Meet.”

Going into the meet, Madison was 2.30 seconds away from a qualifying time in the 50 Meter Backstroke, and finished her race in 10^th place with a time of 0:43.20, well under the qualifying time by more than a second. Madison also participated in the 50 Meter Butterfly, 50 Meter Freestyle, 50 Meter Breaststroke, 100 Meter Backstroke and the 100 Meter Breaststroke, dropping time in all of them.

“I was ecstatic to see Madison’s 50 Meter Butterfly time, it was amazing.” Coach Barnes stated. “Her Butterfly stroke has improved quite a bit, and she just barely missed the SES cut time in the event, and this was the first time she had swum Butterfly in the Long Course format. She has the rhythm down, now she needs to work on conditioning in that event.”

Two other Wilson County swimmers representing Excel Aquatics participated in the meet. Luke Blackwell and Bradley Gillilan. Luke continued with his time drops in preparation for the SES Long Course Meet, and Bradley Gillilan made a qualifying time in the 400 Meter Individual Medley.

“Gillilan is a distance swimmer, and has his SES Long Course cuts in the distance events.” Coach Barnes noted. “Getting this cut in the 400 IM was significant because many believe it to be the hardest event to participate in for the Long Course format, and Bradley has been training hard this summer. His achievements are well deserved. He should easily break the 500 Yard Freestyle record at Mount Juliet High School this coming fall when he enrolls there as a Freshman.”

For more information on swimming opportunities at all levels, visit www.SwimWilsonCounty.com.

Pouget Qualifies For Championship Meet

Pouget Qualifies for Southeastern Swimming Long Course Championships

June 26, 2006……Amy Pouget of Lebanon traveled with the Excel Aquatics Travel Team to Bloomington Indiana this past weekend to swim at the Indiana University Cheeseburger in Paradise Invitational Long Course Meet. Pouget, a rising Senior at Pope John Paul II High School who placed 16^th last year at the State of Tennessee High School Swimming Championships, qualified during the meet for the Southeastern Swimming Long Course Championships to be held at the end of July in Knoxville TN, in the 50 Meter Freestyle. In the 50 Free Pouget turned a time of 0:30.11 seconds. She also competed in the 100 & 200 Free, and 100 & 200 Back.

“It has been 3 years since Amy competed in the Long Course meet format, and she is a little rusty. Competing in a 50 Meter pool is a lot different than swimming in the 25 Yard Short Course pools used in the High School format. However, Amy is a great competitor; she loves to race, and has been working this summer on improving her conditioning.” Excel Assistant Coach, and Lebanon Resident, John Barnes commented. “I was quite pleased that she was able to achieve a Qualifying Cut during this meet, it bodes well for the rest of the summer, and her Senior year in High School. Amy has been noticed by several colleges of late, and she has committed to herself to work hard so that she can improve her opportunities to swim in college.”

Pouget is the 5^th Wilson County Resident swimming for Excel Aquatics to qualify for the Southeastern Swimming Long Course Championships in July. Joining Pouget in qualifying for the meet are Lebanon’s Luke Blackwell and Stephen Claycomb; and Mount Juliet’s Taylor Wallace and Bradley Gillilan. Excel Aquatics is a Nationally Ranked Silver Medal Level Club within USA Swimming.

For more information on swimming opportunities at all levels, visit www.SwimWilsonCounty.com.

WC Swimmers swim at UT Pool

Excel Swimmers Have Impressive Showing At Knoxville Swim Meet

May 8, 2006……Three Wilson County swimmers took to the water at the University of Tennessee Aquatics Center in Knoxville this past weekend competing against over 480 swimmers from 20 teams in the most competitive swim meet to date in the early Summer Long Course Season. As part of the Excel Aquatics Club swim team, Luke Blackwell, Madison Blackwell and Taylor Wallace participated in the 18^th Annual Volunteer Invitational Swim Meet. The format of the meet was Long Course Meters, the same distance swam in International and Olympic Competitions.

Luke Blackwell, a 12 year old Home School student, attained Southeastern Swimming (SES) Long Course Championship Qualifying Times in an astounding 8 events. The maximum number of events that a swimmer can compete in at the SES Championships is 7. “These were Luke’s first SES Qualifying Times in the Long Course format, and to attain 8 cuts is a great achievement. Right now Luke is the top 11-12 Year Old Boy swimmer in the county.” Excel Assistant Coach and Lebanon resident John Barnes noted. “Coach Andreea has done a great job with him working on his pacing and technique.”

Blackwell achieve SES cuts in the 50 Free, 100 Free, 200 Free, 400 Free, 800 Free (using 400 Free time), 50 Breaststroke, 50 Back, and the 100 Back.

Madison Blackwell, a 10 year old Home School student, swimming in her first Long Course meet ever, turned in some nice times, finishing in the middle of the pack for her age group. “Madison had some good times in her events, and did great in her first meet in this long of pool. As long as she keeps pushing herself in practices and doing what Coach AJ and Coach Andreea tell her to do, she will keep improving. Madison has been training with a strong group of 10 year old girls this past Winter and Spring and her times are a great indication of what good training partners will help you achieve.” Barnes noted. Both Blackwells travel to Gallatin to train with Excel Aquatics.

Wallace, a 14 year old who is an incoming Freshman for Mount Juliet High School, showed why he will be a force in local High School swimming for the next 4 years. Wallace placed in the Top 16 in all 7 of the events he competed in, and attained new SES Long Course Qualifying times in 5 new events to go along with the two he already had. New SES cuts: 200 IM, 100 Free, 100 Back, 100 Fly, and 50 Free. Wallace trains with Coach Karen Shedron in Brentwood.

For more information about swimming in Wilson County, visit www.SwimWilsonCounty.com. Excel Aquatics is a Silver Medal Level Club within USA Swimming and finished the Short Course Season ranked 94^th in the Nation. For more information on Excel Aquatics visit www.ExcelAquatics.org.

Wilson Trio at SC Championship Meet

Wilson County Trio at Short Course Championships

March 19, 2006……Three boys from Wilson County, and representing Excel Aquatics, participated in the 2006 Southeastern Swimming Short Course Swimming Championships this past weekend in Nashville TN. Southeastern Swimming comprises year round swim teams from the State of Tennessee, Alabama, and the Panhandle of Florida. The Short Course Championships requires qualifying times in order to be able to participate.

Leading the way was 12 year old Luke Blackwell of Lebanon, competing in his first Southeastern Championship Level Meet. Blackwell rocked the house on Saturday, dropping over 40 seconds in the 11&12 Year Old Boy’s 1000 Yard Freestyle, finishing Third with a time of 11:35.39. Blackwell also competed in the 500 Free (10^th Place), 100 Free (26^th Place), 100 Back (24^th Place), 200 Free (10^th Place), and the 100 Breast (29^th Place). “Luke has had a great Short Course Season this year, and we look forward to his Long Course Season this summer.” Excel Assistant Coach John Barnes noted. “Although Luke trains under the tutelage of former Romanian National Champion Andreea Ianoli-Mitrofan, he does not do a lot of practice yardage as one might assume from his success in the distance events. His success in all of these events is coming from listening to Coach Andreea and learning how to swim his races properly. Coach Andreea has been a real blessing for all the swimmers that train with her.”

Competing in the 13&14 Year Old Boy’s Category were two Mount Juliet Middle School students, Taylor Wallace and Bradley Gillilan. Wallace competed in the 100 Breaststroke, 400 Individual Medley, 200 Individual Medley, 50 Freestyle, 100 Butterfly, 200 Breaststroke, and the 100 Backstroke. Gillilan competed in the 400 Individual Medley and the 1000 Freestyle.

For more information on year-round competitive swimming options in the Mid-State Region, as well as information on Summer League Swimming in the County, visit www.SwimWilsonCounty.com.

Barnes Named to MTHSSA Board of Directors

Barnes elected to Regional High School Coaching Association Board Position

March 4, 2006……Wilson County resident and swim coach John Barnes has been elected to the position of Vice-President of the Middle Tennessee High School Swim Association (MTHSSA) Board of Directors. The MTHSSA serves as the governing body of High School swimming in the Mid-State region. As Vice-President of MTHSSA, Barnes will primarily assist the current MTHSSA President in carrying out her duties; as well as serving on the MTHSSA Review Committee and providing guidance on the MTHSSA website. Barnes becomes the First Wilson Country Resident to be on the Board for High School Swimming.

Barnes, who was the Head Coach for the first swim teams at Lebanon High School, Mount Juliet High School, and Wilson Central High School in the 2001-2002 inaugural season, is currently a volunteer Assistant Coach and Site Coordinator with Excel Aquatics, a USA Swimming Silver Medal Level Club.

JPII Swimmers Place at State

Claycomb and Pouget place in Top 16 at State High School Swimming Championships

February 25, 2006……Lebanon residents Stephen Claycomb and Amy Pouget, both Juniors at Pope John Paul II High School, placed in the Top 16 at the State of Tennessee High School Swimming Championships this past weekend in Nashville. Claycomb, placed 10th in the Boy’s 100 Yard Freestyle with a time of 48.58 seconds in the evening Finals, after doing a time of 49.59 in the morning Preliminaries. Claycomb is the first male swimmer from Wilson County to place in the Top 16 at the State Championships since Mt. Juliet resident Andrew Davidson did it in February of 2001.

Pouget, placed 16th in Girl’s 100 Yard Freestyle with a time of 56.22 seconds in the evening Finals, after doing a time of 55.27 in the morning Preliminaries. Last year as a Sophomore swimming for Lebanon High School, Pouget had placed in the Top 16 in a different event, the 50 Yard Freestyle.

“Both of these swimmers are exciting to watch. Their techniques are similar, they love to sprint, and both are fierce competitors,” JPII Head Swim Coach Adam Towsley stated. “Amy and Stephen have a lot of potential to do greater things, and I’m proud of both them and their teammates who helped them achieve these accomplishments this season.”

Mardi Gras Meet 2006

Mardi Gras Magic

February 19, 2006……The weather outside was snowing one day, sleeting the next. But the action inside the Brentwood Indoor Sports Complex was steaming as 7 boys from Wilson County took to the water in the annual Excel Aquatics Mardi Gras Invitational Swim Meet. Lebanon residents Luke Blackwell and Austin Barnes joined Mount Juliet residents Bradley Gillilan, Alek Nochowicz, Tay Needles, Taylor Moses, and Taylor Wallace. All 7 boys are members of Excel Aquatics, a USA Swimming Silver Medal Level Club.

Blackwell (12 years old) and Nochowicz (14 years old) turned up the heat as their times were dropping as fast and as furious as the snow outside.

Blackwell, having caught the attention of the Wilson County swimming community in January with his first Southeastern Swimming Qualifying Time, caught the attention of all of the Mid-State area with 4 additional new SES Qualifying Times. The new events he added to his qualifying total were the 100 Free, 100 Breaststroke, 100 Backstroke, and 500 Free. “We were really stunned by the 500 time, at 5:45.43, it was a 31 seconds under the qualifying standard needed.” Excel Aquatics Assistant Coach John Barnes stated. “This was his first time swimming it, and we knew he would get the time, the only question was by how much. Luke has been working hard, listening to Coach Andreea, and challenging his teammates in practice everyday. When these boys push each other in practice every day, it makes all of them better and faster. That time Luke did in the 500 would qualify for the High School State Championship Meet if he was old enough, and puts him in the Top 5 swimmers among Wilson County boys, and he’s the youngest of that Top 5.”

Nochowicz continued his streak of meets where big time drops were turned in. In the 500 Free, Nochowicz dropped 11 seconds; and a further 6 seconds in the 200 IM. “Alek will be swimming for Pope John Paul II High School next year, and will be a major contributor for them from the very first meet if he keeps working hard.” Barnes commented. “Like all Excel Aquatic swimmers, he is learning the full spectrum of swimming, from sprinting to long distance swims. He’s not backing down from any challenge.”

Rounding out the 7 swimmers from Wilson County are Austin Barnes (COE 8^th Grader), Bradley Gillilan (MJMS 8^th Grader), Taylor Moses (Home School 5^th Grader), Tay Needels (MJES 5^th Grader), and Taylor Wallace (MJMS 8^th Grader).

For more information on year-round competitive swimming options in the Mid-State Region, as well as information on Summer League Swimming in the County, visit www.SwimWilsonCounty.com.

Baylor Swim Meet 2005

Blackwell Storms Chattanooga

January 15, 2006……5 boys from Wilson County traveled down to Chattanooga TN and competed at the Baylor School Tyr Invitational Swim Meet this past weekend. Lebanon residents Luke Blackwell and Austin Barnes joined Mount Juliet residents Bradley Gillilan, Alek Nochowicz, and Taylor Wallace. All 5 boys are members of Excel Aquatics, a USA Swimming Silver Medal Level Club.

Blackwell, a 12 year old swimmer who joined Excel in May, achieved his first Southeastern Swimming Short Course Championship Qualifying Time at the meet, placing 5^th in the 200 Yard Freestyle with a stunning 2:17.38. “That was the first time Luke has swam the 200 Free, and to achieve a SES Qualifying Time is nothing short of amazing.” Excel Assistant Coach John Barnes stated. “Luke has been training with former Romanian National Champion Andreea Mitrofan-Ianoli, and together they are making some significant changes to his stroke techniques. Luke has responded very well to the changes, and his times this weekend were a result of his paying attention to details.”

In addition to his 5^th place finish in the 200 Free, Blackwell dropped times in all of his events, with the following placings in the meet: 100 Yard Individual Medley (14^th Place), 100 Yard Breaststroke (11^th), 50 Yard Free (10^th), 100 Yard Butterfly (13^th), 50 Yard Breaststroke (10^th), 100 Yard Freestyle (10^th), and 50 Yard Butterfly (22^nd).

For more information on year-round competitive swimming options in the region, visit www.SwimWilsonCounty.com.