44 Top 8 Finishes at Mardi Gras Meet

44 Top 8 Placings by Wilson County Swimmers at Mardi Gras Meet

February 3, 2008….Ten swimmers from Wilson County took in a combined 44 Top Eight Finishes at the recent Excel Aquatics Mardi Gras Invitational Swim Meet in Brentwood TN this past weekend.

Swimming for Excel Aquatics from Lebanon were Spencer Ford, Austin Barnes, Andrew Barnes, and Bradley Gillilan. From Mount Juliet were Kelsey Copeland, Taylor Wallace, Alek Nochowicz, Samuel Blackwell, Madison Blackwell, and Luke Blackwell.

Placing in the Top Eight in the meet by Age Group:

Samuel Blackwell, 8 & Under Boys: 2^nd Place 100 Yard Individual Medley; 4^th Place 50 Yard Backstroke; 5^th Place 25 Yard Breaststroke; 6^th Place 50 Yard Butterfly; 6^th Place 25 Yard Backstroke; and 7^th Place 50 Yard Freestyle.

Madison Blackwell, 11&12 Year Old Girls: 1^st Place 200 Yard Butterfly; 2^nd Place 100 Yard Butterfly; 5^th Place 400 Yard Individual Medley; 6^th Place 50 Yard Freestyle; and 7^th Place 100 Yard Freestyle.

Austin Barnes, 13&14 Year Old Boys: 8^th Place 50 Yard Backstroke.

Luke Blackwell, 13&14 Year Old Boys: 1^st Place 50 Yard Backstroke; 2^nd Place 200 Yard Breaststroke; 2^nd Place 50 Yard Butterfly; 2^nd Place 50 Yard Breaststroke; 4^th Place 50 Yard Freestyle; and 5^th Place 100 Yard Butterfly.

Kelsey Copeland, Senior Girls: 2^nd Place 200 Yard Individual Medley; 2^nd Place 50 Yard Freestyle; 2^nd Place 50 Yard Backstroke; 3^rd Place 100 Yard Backstroke; 4^th Place 200 Yard Freestyle; 5^th Place 50 Yard Butterfly; 5^th Place 100 Yard Butterfly; 5^th Place 100 Yard Freestyle; and 7^th Place 100 Yard Breaststroke.

Spencer Ford, Senior Boys: 7^th Place 500 Yard Freestyle.

Alek Nochowicz, Senior Boys: 4^th Place 200 Yard Breaststroke; 4^th Place 200 Yard Backstroke; 5^th Place 200 Yard Individual Medley; 5^th Place 500 Yard Freestyle; and 7^th Place 200 Yard Freestyle.

Bradley Gillilan, Senior Boys: 3^rd Place 200 Yard Butterfly; 4^th Place 100 Yard Butterfly; 5^th Place 50 Yard Backstroke; 6^th Place 100 Yard Freestyle; and 7^th Place 50 Yard Butterfly.

Taylor Wallace, Senior Boys: 1^st Place 50 Yard Breaststroke; 2^nd Place 500 Yard Freestyle; 3^rd Place 50 Yard Butterfly; 4^th Place 200 Yard Freestyle; 4^th Place 50 Yard Freestyle; and 6^th Place 50 Yard Backstroke.

“Most of these older boys have the High School State Meet this next weekend. Because of that we put them in events they normally do not swim in. Bradley, Luke, and Taylor all skipped their best events so as not to be overworked in them. Alek did swim the 500 Free, which he will be doing again at State, however we worked on some specific things and after he improved his best time by around 3 seconds he realized that he can swim faster at State.” Excel Aquatics Coach and Lebanon resident John Barnes noted.

“Madison swam the 200 Fly for the first time, and won the event in her age group. The time of 2:37.44 was good enough for an Age Group Sectional Meet Qualifying Time. That meet will be held in Charlotte, NC next month.”

Excel swimmers from Wilson County will participate in five meets over the next six weeks. Next up is the State of Tennessee High School Swimming Championships in Nashville, followed by the Southeastern Swimming Districts meet in Memphis, the Southeastern Swimming Short Course Championships in Nashville, the Southern Senior Sectional Championships in Nashville, and the Age Group Sectional Championships in Charlotte NC.

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