Claycomb 3rd at State

Claycomb Places 3^rd at State High School Swimming Championships

February 26, 2007……Stephen Claycomb, a resident of Lebanon and a Senior at Pope John Paul II High School finished his High School swimming career this past weekend at the State of Tennessee High School Swimming and Diving Championships in Nashville by placing 3^rd in the 50 Yard Freestyle and 8^th in the 100 Yard Freestyle, scoring a total of 27 points in the process for Pope John Paul II.

In placing third in the Finals on Friday night, Claycomb attained a time of 0:21.56 in the 50 Yard Freestyle, becoming the first Wilson County resident to earn a Top Three finish at the State Championships since Mt Juliet’s Andrew Davidson did so in 2001.

On Saturday night, Claycomb returned to the Finals and placed 8^th in the 100 Yard Freestyle with a time of 0:47.75. In the 2006 State Championships, Claycomb placed 10^th in the 100 Yard Freestyle.

Fellow Lebanon resident and Pope John Paul II Senior Amy Pouget also finished her career by returning to swim in the Consolations Finals this year as a member of the JPII Girl’s 400 Yard Freestyle Relay who placed 14^th in the State. This was Pouget’s third year of swimming in the Consolations Finals, having done so in each of the prior two years in individual events.

Conrad Claycomb, a sophomore at JPII, competed in his first State Meet by qualifying in the 100 Yard Freestyle. Mt Juliet resident and JPII freshman Alek Nochowicz competed in his first State Meet in the 200 Yard Individual Medley and 500 Yard Freestyle.

Mardi Gras Meet 2007

Blackwell Excels in Mardi Gras Swim Meet

February 18, 2007……Wilson County resident Luke Blackwell added to his total of Southeastern Swimming Short Course Qualifying Times with three new cut at the Excel Aquatics Mardi Gras Swim Meet this past weekend. By achieving new cuts in the 200 Yard Freestyle, 100 Yard Backstroke and 400 Yard Individual Medley, Luke brought his total of qualifying cuts to 7 in the 13&14 Year Old Category; joining fellow 13&14 Year Olds Taylor Wallace (MJHS) and Bradley Gillilan (LHS) with 7 or more qualifying times.

Joining Luke Blackwell at the Mardi Gras meet were fellow Wilson County swimmers Samuel Blackwell, Madison Blackwell, Kelsey Copeland, Taylor Wallace, Dallas Barlettano, Alek Nochowicz, Andrew Barnes, and Austin Barnes, all of Excel Aquatics.

“Luke continues to drop some nice chunks of time in his progress and development with Excel.” Assistant Coach John Barnes of Lebanon noted. “He is not afraid of anyone he swims against, and has a strong desire to try to win. At next months SES Championship Meet we expect Luke to make his mark in the distance events even though he will be one of the youngest swimmers in his age group.”

Barletanno, a 9 year old from the Watertown area, had nice time drops in the 100 Yard Individual Medley and 50 Yard Breaststroke. Madison Blackwell, 11 years old, dropped over 31 seconds in the 500 Yard Freestyle, and swam in the 400 Yard Individual Medley for the first time. Samuel Blackwell, 7 years old, continued his streak of time drops in all of his events.

“Overall, our kids had great swims. The younger swimmers used it as a meet in which they applied what they have been learning by their specific stroke drills designed to improve their technique, and the pacing strategies to improve their endurance. Our older High School swimmers (Wallace, Nochowicz, and Copeland) used the meet as a tune-up by working on specific portions of their races, in preparation for next week’s State High School Championship Meet.” Barnes stated. “The coaches at Excel are proud of all of them and how they performed.”

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