Blackwell is Runner-Up High Point Winner at SES

Blackwell places 2^nd Overall at Swimming Championships

February 24, 2008…. 5 Wilson County swimmers from Excel Aquatics participated in the Southeastern Swimming (SES) Short Course Championships this past weekend. Taylor Wallace, Luke Blackwell, Madison Blackwell, and Alek Nochowicz of Mt Juliet joined Lebanon’s Bradley Gillilan in the meet.

The SES meet requires qualifying time cuts and consisted of 955 swimmers from 52 teams from Tennessee, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. Swimmers are divided up by gender into 4 age group categories: 10&Under Age Group, 11&12 Age Group, 13&14 Age Group, and Senior level swimmers. Swimmers are also limited to a maximum of 7 individual events in the meet.

Luke Blackwell, led off the swims for Wilson County residents by placing 1^st in the 1,000 Yard Freestyle in the 13&14 Boy’s category on Thursday night. From there Luke placed 2^nd in the 200 Yard Backstroke, 2^nd in the 1,650 Yard Freestyle, 3^rd in the 500 Yard Freestyle, 5^th in the 200 Yard Freestyle, 6^th in the 200 Yard Individual Medley, and 6^th in the 100 Yard Backstroke.

In the process, Luke scored 110 individual points in the meet, good enough for a second place finish overall in total points scored by all 13&14 Year Old Boys. Luke also was part of a 3^rd Place 400 Yard Freestyle Relay, and a 1^st Place 400 Yard Medley Relay.

“Luke had a great meet, it was his last Short Course championship in the 13&14 Year Old category, and he has one Long Course season left before he ages up to the Senior category” Coach John Barnes noted. “He swam in a total of 14 events over the 4 day meet, and performed at a high level until the end.”

Luke achieved a USA Swimming Senior Sectional Meet qualifying time standard in the 1,000 Yard Freestyle in the meet, joining teammate Gillilan in the event in two weeks.

“The Senior Sectional cut was Luke’s first, and we’re proud of his achievements.”

Gillilan participated in the Senior Boy’s category and swam in the 200 Yard Free, 400 Yard Individual Medley, 200 Yard Butterfly, and 200 Yard Breaststroke.

“We held Bradley out of his best events by design since he will be swimming them at the Senior Sectional Meet, we did not want him to over-swim them before Sectionals,” Barnes explained. “Bradley has qualified for Senior Sectionals in the 500 Yard Freestyle, 1,000 Yard Freestyle, and the 1,650 Yard Freestyle.”

During the SES Meet, Madison Blackwell achieved Age Group Sectional (AGS) Qualifying Time Standards in the 11&12 Year Old Girl’s 100 Yard Backstroke, 50 Yard Backstroke, and the 100 Yard Butterfly. Madison was also part of a First Place 200 Yard Medley Relay for her Age Group. “Madison already had her AGS cuts in the 50 Butterfly and 200 Butterfly, and she had a really good SES meet, dropping times in all 6 of her events she participated in.”

Nochowicz swam in one event, the Senior Boy’s 1,650 Yard Freestyle having qualified the previous weekend under the 15&16 Year Old Time Standard. Nochowicz dropped 14 seconds in the event at SES. His final time of 18:21.86 was good enough for a SES Senior Boy’s qualifying time in the event.

Taylor Wallace dropped 0.44 seconds in the Senior Boy’s 100 Yard Butterfly, turning in a time of 0:56.92. “Taylor has gone from being primarily a Breaststroke swimmer to one of the top “Flyers” in the Southeast.”

“These swimmers represent what can happen when you train hard, work on improving the fundamentals of stroke techniques, and having fun in the process. The combination leads to championship caliber swimmers, a hallmark of Excel Aquatics training of Wilson County swimmers since the days of Andrew Davidson.”

For more information on swimming in Wilson County visit www.SwimWilsonCounty.com.

Blackwell is SES Champion in 1,000 Free

Luke Blackwell Wins 1,000 Yard Freestyle at Southeastern Swimming Championships

February 21, 2008…. During the first day of competition at the Southeastern Swimming Short Course Championships, Mount Juliet Resident Luke Blackwell won the 13&14 Year Old Boy’s 1,000 Yard Freestyle in a time of ten minutes, twelve seconds, and 26 hundredths (10:12.26). Blackwell pulled away from the field by going out in the first 500 in 5:00.66, and held on to win by over 12 seconds to the 2^nd place finisher.

“Luke likes to set the pace and wear down those who try to stay with him early on, ” Excel Assistant Coach John Barnes commented. “This was Luke’s first Senior Sectional Qualifying Time Cut, and he will be joining Lebanon’s Bradley Gillilan in the 1,000 at that meet in two weeks.”

955 swimmers from 52 clubs in Tennessee, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle are participating in the Southeastern Swimming Short Course Championships. Qualifying Times are necessary in order to participate in the meet. From Wilson County, Luke Blackwell, Madison Blackwell, Bradley Gillilan, Taylor Wallace, and Alek Nochowicz are swimming, all members of Excel Aquatics.

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

Nochowicz attains first SES Time Standard

Nochowicz swims to a Southeastern Qualifying Time and a First Place finish in the Mile

February 17, 2008….Alek Nochowicz, a 16 year old Mt. Juliet resident, traveled to the Southeastern Swimming Western District Swim Meet this past weekend on the campus of The University of Memphis in a quest for his first Southeastern Short Course Championship Meet qualifying time.

Going into the meet, Nochowicz’s best shot at getting a qualifying time was the 1,650 Yard Freestyle. The “Mile” as the 1,650 is known in the swimming world was to be the last event of a two day meet. First Nochowicz had to swim 5 other events. Events designed to test his conditioning and prepare him mentally for the “Mile”.

Nochowicz, swimming in the Senior Boys category, led off Saturday with a 5^th Place finish in the 100 Yard Backstroke, finishing in a time of 1:04.29, a 2.71 second drop. The time is also a High School State qualifying time cut.

“Alek really attacked the Back, his stroke was smooth and long, and his turnover was improved. I don’t think he swam the 100 Back at all this past High School Dual Meet season for Pope John Paul II.” Excel Aquatics and Lebanon resident John Barnes noted. “His high school coach is going to have to have some good options as to what events Alek will participate in next year during dual meets.”

Next up was the 200 Yard Breaststroke, where Nochowicz again dropped time, finishing in 2:42.59, good enough for a 2^nd Place finish.

The last event on Saturday was the 500 Yard Freestyle, an event which Nochowicz had swam the previous weekend at the High School State Championships. Nochowicz continued his streak of dropping times, finishing in a 5:18.56, a 6.06 second drop, and placing him 2^nd in the event. The time under 5:20 means that Wilson County now has 4 boy swimmers under 5:20, all of whom train with Excel Aquatics.

“Alek trains daily with Bradley Gillilan and Luke Blackwell and is nipping on their heels,” Barnes explained. “We have implemented some new training techniques this year, in terms of pacing, stroke work, unique equipment usage, and of course yardage conditioning. Overall the response by the boys has been real strong. This is the first time that Wilson County has seen 4 boys (Nochowicz, Gillilan, Blackwell, and Taylor Wallace) under 5:20 in the 500 at the same time. Wallace of Mt. Juliet trains at a different training location than the trio who train together at our site.”

Coming back on Sunday morning, Nochowicz began with the shortest event, the 50 Yard Freestyle Sprint. Once again a new personal best time was achieved when Nochowicz hit the wall in 0:25.31, and finishing in 4^th Place.

The next event was the 200 Yard Butterfly, an event which Nochowicz had never attempted, and an event that is arguably one of the hardest in swimming. Nochowicz finished in 3^rd Place, with a respectable time of 2:29.28.

“Alek was a little hesitant about the 200 Fly, however he went out there and gave it his all” according to Barnes. “He then had time to cool down and rest before the 1650, and I knew from the way he was swimming this weekend that he had a good shot at getting his qualifying time cut.”

The last event of the weekend was the Mile. Nochowicz needed to average 1:08.36 per 100 yards throughout the race to get the qualifying time. The only other time Nochowicz had swam the event he turned in a 18:57.46 back in December, a mere 9.47 seconds away from the cut.

Nochowicz went out strong, averaging 1:07.36 through the first 500 yards, before settling into a pace of 1:07.91 to 1:08.70 through the next 1000 yards. With 150 yards to go, Nochowicz picked up his pace and finished strong, hitting the wall at 18:35.94. The time was a time drop of 21.52 seconds, and 12.05 seconds under the time needed for the SES qualifying time cut. Nochowicz also finished First in the event.

The Southeastern Swimming Short Course Championships will be held February 21^st through the 24^th in Nashville TN. Nochowicz will be swimming the 1,650 on Sunday the 24^th. Joining Nochowicz from Wilson County at the SES Championships will be Madison Blackwell, Luke Blackwell, Gillilan, and Wallace.

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

2008 High School State Results and Participation

Caulkins Places at High School State Swim Meet; Gillilan attains another Senior Sectional Qualifying Cut

February 12, 2008….It is Ava Caulkins senior year at Mount Juliet High School, and her final State of Tennessee High School Championship Meet. Universities from Gardner-Webb to Ohio University have been recruiting Caulkins to come swim for them next year, and the State meet was another chance for Caulkins to showcase her skills she has been working on since she was 10 years old and joined a swim club.

Competing with over 900 swimmers from 106 High School from across Tennessee, Caulkins placed in the Top 16 in both of her individual events, the first time a Wilson County girl swimmer has placed in two events in one Championship meet.

On Friday, the first morning of competition, Caulkins qualified for the “B” Finals, and that evening finished 10^th Place overall in the 200 Yard Individual Medley. Caulkins returned on Saturday morning and again qualified for the “B” Finals in the 100 Yard Breaststroke, finishing in the evening again in 10^th Place overall.

Caulkins previous best showing at the State meet occurred in 2007 with a 16^th Place finish in the 100 Yard Butterfly.

In the Boy’s pool, Bradley Gillilan, a Sophomore at Lebanon High School, led all Wilson County boys with a 21^st Place showing in the 500 Yard Freestyle, with a time of 4:53.21 which qualified him to swim in the upcoming USA Swimming Senior Sectional Championship Meet. The 500 Yard Freestyle is Gillilan’s third Senior Sectional event he has qualified in. The 21^st Place showing was the highest finish ever by a boy from LHS at a State Meet. Gillilan also placed 34^th in the 200 Yard Freestyle.

Swimmers from Wilson County who participated in the State High School Championship Meet:

Tommy Bailey, SO, MJHS – 50 Yard Freestyle, 100 Yard Freestyle, 200 Yard Medley Relay, 200 Yard Freestyle Relay

Andy Barton, SR, MJHS – 50 Yard Freestyle, 200 Yard Medley Relay, 200 Yard Freestyle Relay

Brandon Bishop, SR, WCHS – 200 Yard Individual Medley

Luke Blackwell, FR, MTHEA – 200 Yard Freestyle, 500 Yard Freestyle, 200 Yard Medley Relay, 200 Yard Freestyle Relay

Rachel Calkins, SR, MJHS – 200 Yard Medley Relay, 200 Yard Freestyle Relay

Ava Caulkins, SR, MJHS – 200 Yard Individual Medley, 100 Yard Breaststroke, 200 Yard Medley Relay, 200 Yard Freestyle Relay

Conrad Claycomb, JR, Pope JPII HS – 200 Yard Freestyle, 100 Yard Freestyle, 200 Yard Free Relay, 400 Yard Free Relay

Kelsey Copeland, JR, MJHS – 100 Yard Butterfly, 100 Yard Freestyle, 200 Yard Medley Relay, 200 Yard Freestyle Relay

Bradley Gillilan, SO, LHS – 200 Yard Freestyle, 500 Yard Freestyle, 200 Yard Medley Relay, 200 Yard Freestyle Relay

Paige Mason, SR, LHS – 100 Yard Butterfly, 100 Yard Freestyle

Zac Morgan, JR, LHS – 200 Yard Individual Medley, 100 Yard Freestyle, 200 Yard Medley Relay, 200 Yard Freestyle Relay

Alek Nochowicz, SO, Pope JPII HS – 200 Yard Individual Medley, 500 Yard Freestyle, 200 Yard Free Relay, 400 Yard Free Relay

Matt Norman, SR, LHS – 200 Yard Medley Relay

Johanna Otten, SR, MJHS – 200 Yard Individual Medley, 100 Yard Backstroke, 200 Yard Medley Relay, 200 Yard Freestyle Relay

Ashley Powell, JR, Pope JPII HS – 100 Yard Breaststroke, 200 Yard Medley Relay, 200 Yard Freestyle Relay

Phillip Price, SR, LHS – 200 Yard Freestyle Relay

Andrew Puryear, SR, LHS – 100 Yard Butterfly, 200 Yard Medley Relay, 200 Yard Freestyle Relay

Christian Roberts, SO, MJHS – 100 Yard Butterfly, 100 Yard Backstroke, 200 Yard Medley Relay, 200 Yard Freestyle Relay

Taylor Wallace, SO, MJHS – 200 Yard Individual Medley, 100 Yard Butterfly, 200 Yard Medley Relay, 200 Yard Freestyle Relay

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