Gillilan Signs with Michigan State!!!

November 16, 2009....

Bradley Gillilan, a senior at Lebanon High School and a year-round swimmer with Excel Aquatics, signed a National Letter of Intent on November 11th to continue his swimming career at Michigan State University next Fall.

Gillilan, the most prolific distance specialist from Wilson County in recent history, weighed several offers from different schools before finally choosing Michigan State. Michigan State was one of the first teams to contact Bradley when recruiting opened up in July, and was the last place he visited in the process. Gillilan also visited Western Kentucky and the University of Alabama.

Excel Aquatics has been the one and only home for Bradley, training with the coaching staff in Gallatin for the past 12 years, and progressing through the different squad levels. Coach Mike Ballard trained Bradley for his first six years with Excel, taking a raw elementary school child and teaching Bradley the stroke basics which would make him one of the top distance swimmers in the nation. In Middle School, Bradley swam for Excel's Andreea Ianoli-Mitrofan, a former Romanian National Champion, who further refined Bradley into the Excel record holder in the 800 Meter and 1500 Meter Freestyles in the 11&12 age group category. At the start of High School Bradley moved up into Coach John Barnes' training squad.

While in Barnes' squad, Bradley has attained multiple qualifying times for the Southeastern Swimming Championships, Senior Sectional Championships, NCSA Junior National Championships, USA-Swimming Junior National Championships, and USA-Swimming Senior National Championships.

"Many schools were drawn to Gillilan because of the breakthrough swims he had as a Junior, as well as the 1,650 time he posted this Fall", Coach Barnes explained. "As of November 1st, Gillilan was ranked first in the nation among boys 15 to 18 years of age in the 1,650 Freestyle event for the 2009-2010 Short Course Season. His personal best time is 15:41.26, a pace of 57.04 seconds per 100 yards swam."

"Bradley wanted to make his decision in the early signing period this Fall, and get the process completed so he could focus on the upcoming Senior National Championships in Seattle WA next month. He limited his visits to just 3 of the allotted 5, and chose Michigan State in the end. State is an outstanding academic school, and their swim team is a force in the Big 10."

"I was really attracted by the opportunity to swim for the Spartans against Michigan and Indiana on a yearly basis", Gillian said. "The Big 10 Conference top to bottom has the best distance swimmers in terms of depth, and I look forward to being able to go to the next level of training and swim against the best of the best on a regular basis. My goal is to win a Big 10 Conference title before I graduate."

Gillilan will swim in the Fall of 2010 for Spartan's Head Coach Matt Gianiodis and Assistant Coach Tim Loeffer who is in charge of Distance training.

For more information on swimming opportunities, visit SwimWilsonCounty.com.

Victory at SES!

Gillilan Wins Southeastern 800 Meter Freestyle

July 23, 2009…. The Southeastern Swimming Long Course Championship started Thursday at the Centennial Sportsplex in Nashville. Southeastern Swimming consists of club swimmers from all of Tennessee and Alabama, and the Panhandle region of Florida.

Bradley Gillilan, a senior at LHS, won the Senior Men’s 800 Meter Freestyle in convincing fashion in a time of eight minutes, twenty-nine seconds and sixty-six hundredths of a second (8:29.66). He finished ahead of the second place finisher by nearly eight seconds.

The time was a 3.44 seconds from Gillilan’s best time in the event achieved last week at the Senior Sectional meet at UT-Knoxville, and qualified in the event for the USA-Swimming Short Course Senior National Championships in December.

This was Gillilan’s second Short Course Senior National cut, having achieved a cut in the 1,500 Meter Freestyle just four days earlier at Senior Sectionals.

“It’s hard to swim in back-to-back championship level meets just four days apart,” Excel Coach and Lebanon resident John Barnes noted. “Bradley had such a great meet last week with some emotional swims, and he really stepped it up this in the 800 Meters tonight.”

“His goal coming in the meet was to win the event and score points for Excel Aquatics, and he accomplished both on the first night. Nabbing a Senior National qualifying time in the process was just gravy on the mash potatoes.”

Gillilan continues to swim in six more events, two each day through Sunday. To follow results of the top distance swimmer in Wilson County swimming history, visit www.ExcelAquatics.org/age_group and click on “Real Time Results”.

Sectional Meet Wrap Up

Gillilan Qualifies for Senior National Swim Meet

July 19, 2009…. Lebanon High School’s Bradley Gillilan saved his best swim for last at the Summer Senior Sectional Championship Meet this past weekend at the University of Tennessee.

On Sunday, in the 1,500 Meter Freestyle, Gillilan moved up from being seeded 11^th to finish 4^th overall, in a time of 16:15.94, a drop of over 17 seconds.

The personal best time in the “Mile” as the 1500 is referred by, was a Short Course Senior National Qualifying Time Standard for Gillilan, the first Wilson County resident to qualify for Senior Nationals since former Mt Juliet resident Andrew Davidson did so. Davidson attended and swam for the University of Texas.

The 2009 Short Course Senior National Championships will be held in early December in Federal Way, Washington.

“The majority of swimmers who Bradley finished amongst in the 1500 Free at this meet were college swimmers. He was seeded next to a UNC swimmer, and left him after about 400 meters,” Coach John Barnes explained. “Bradley proceeded to chase the eventual event winner, a boy from the University of Louisville; and a boy from the University of Cincinnati.”

Gillilan finished third in his heat and fourth overall in the event.

“The time Bradley posted in the 1500 was also an Excel Aquatics team record at any age level. The record he beat was set by Shaun Phillips in 2001, Phillips eventually went on to swim at Stanford University, 2003-2007.”

On Saturday, Gillilan participated in the 400 Meter Freestyle. He entered the meet with an entry time of 4:18.56 and seeded 42^nd. During the Prelims swims, he turned a time of 4:12.54, good enough for 23^rd place going into the Finals. In the Finals that evening, he won the “C” Finals with a time of 4:07.79, and finished 17^th overall in the event.

“Bradley is set up great going into the Southeastern Swimming (SES) Long Course Championships this coming weekend. The SES Meet is not as prestigious as the Sectional meet; however Bradley will step up and work to score points for his team.”

For more information on competitive swimming, visit www.ExcelAquatics.com/age_group.

Gillilan 4th at Sectional Meet

Gillilan Fourth at Senior Sectional Swim Meet

July 16, 2009…. Lebanon High School’s Bradley Gillilan placed 4^th in the 800 Meter Freestyle at the Speedo Senior Sectional Swimming Championships at the University of Tennessee on Thursday. The Senior Sectional meet requires qualifying times to participate, and is a stepping stone in the progression pathway of swimming. Swimmers range from high school age swimmers to those in college.

Gillilan, a rising senior at LHS, and a member of Excel Aquatics, entered the meet seeded 12^th with an entry time of 8:43.42. After the race was over, Gillilan had moved up 8 spots to finish 4^th, with a final time of 8:33.59. The time is the fastest time posted by a High School aged swimmer in Middle Tennessee this summer.

Gillilan already had a Short Course Junior National Meet qualifying time in the event, and this new time today qualified him for the Long Course Junior National Meet to be held in Seattle in August. Junior National level meets are limited to those who are 18 years old and younger, and are just one level below US Nationals.

“Just a week ago a NCAA Division I coach visited Excel’s training site in Gallatin to watch Bradley train and to speak with Bradley about the university,” Excel Coach John Barnes commented. “The coach told Bradley that he would be watching the results of this meet this weekend, and it looks like Bradley has stepped up.”

Gillilan continues the meet on Saturday, competing in the 400 Meter Freestyle; and then concludes the meet with the 1,500 Meter Freestyle on Sunday.

For more information on competitive swimming, visit www.ExcelAquatics.com/age_group.

Wilson County Swimmers Travel to Ft Lauderdale

Swimmers Compete in International Meet in Ft Lauderdale

July 1, 2009…. Two Wilson County swimmers traveled to Ft Lauderdale for the International Age Group International Swim Meet, June 25-29. Bradley Gillilan, a rising senior at Lebanon High School and Alek Nochowicz, a Mt Juliet resident and rising senior at Pope John Paul II High School represented Excel Aquatics and Wilson County in the meet.

Gillilan placed in the 15&16 Boy’s Top 10 in 1,500 Meter Freestyle (5^th Place); 200 Meter Breaststroke (6^th Place); 400 Meter Freestyle (6^th Place); 200 Meter Individual Medley (8^th Place); and the 100 Meter Breaststroke (7^th Place).

He turned Personal Best Times in the 200 Meter Breaststroke with a 6 second drop; in the 200 Meter Individual Medley with a 3.16 second drop; 100 Meter Breaststroke with a 1.43 second drop; 200 Meter Backstroke with a 1.84 second drop; and the 200 Fly with a 1.35 second drop.

Nochowicz swam in 9 events, and had personal best times in 8 of the events. Best times came in the 1,500 Meter Freestyle with a 7.58 second drop 200 Meter Freestyle with a 2.75 second drop; 100 Meter Backstroke with a 1.54 second drop; 200 Meter Breaststroke with a 3.74 second drop; 200 Meter Individual Medley with a 1.63 second drop; 100 Meter Breaststroke with a 2.23 second drop; 400 Meter Freestyle with a 7.46 second drop; and 100 Meter Freestyle with a 1.54 second drop.

“Both boys did very well.” Coach John Barnes noted. “This was a large meet with 60 teams, of which 10 teams were from foreign nations, as far away as South Africa. There was just shy of 900 swimmers in the meet, and it was a fast, competitive meet. The boys traveled to the meet as part of our team, and despite the numerous distractions that a city like Ft Lauderdale presents to teenage boys; they stepped up, remembered why they were there, and performed well.

The next meet for Excel Aquatics is the Senior Sectional Championships in Knoxville TN, July 16-19; followed the next week by the Southeastern Swimming Championships in Nashville.

For more information on competitive swimming, visit www.ExcelAquatics.com/age_group.

Swimming Academic All-American

Powell named as Swimming Academic All-American

May 26, 2009….Ashley Powell, a Mt Juliet resident and graduating senior from the Pope John Paul II High School Swim Team, has been selected by the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association as an Academic All-American for the 2008-2009 school year.

To be eligible for the award, swimmers must be graduating seniors having maintained an unweighted GPA of 3.75 through the first semester of their senior year. Additionally they must have also lettered in swimming for three years, including their senior year.

“Pope John Paul II High School has a strong tradition of academic excellence, and the swim team is proud of Ashley having attained this national recognition for her academic success”, Pope John Paul II Swim Coach John Barnes commented. “Ashley did a great job of balancing academics, athletics, and her leadership roles within Pope John Paul II; she is a fine example of the accomplished student-athlete which the high school produces each year.”

For more information on Pope John Paul II High School Swim Team, visit www.jp2hs.org

Spring Fling Meet produces Wilson County winner

Lebanon Swimmer wins 4 events at Spring Fling Meet

April 26, 2009….It was the first Long Course swim meet of the year; it was the Excel Aquatics Spring Fling Invitational in Brentwood TN. Long Course meets are held in 50 Meter pools, as compared to Short Course meets which are held in 25 Yard pools. The Olympics and most international meets are held in the Long Course format.

Lebanon High’s Bradley Gillilan, participating for Excel Aquatics, swam to victories in the Senior Boy’s 400 Meter Individual Medley (IM), 400 Meter Freestyle, 100 Meter Breaststroke and 800 Meter Freestyle.

The 400 Meter IM consists of 100 Meters each of Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Freestyle, in that order. Due to the distance, it allows those who may be weak in one stroke to be able to make up for the deficiency in other strokes.

In the IM, Gillilan was in 4^th place after the Butterfly leg, and moved up into 2^nd after the Backstroke, trailing by only 40-hundreths of a second. During the pullout phase at the beginning of the Breaststroke leg Gillilan looked left and made eye contact with the teammate he was trailing, who also happened to be looking over to see where Gillilan was. Gillilan at that point knew the race was his to win. Gillilan blasted out to a lead of 7.69 seconds after the Breaststroke and cruised home in four minutes 58 seconds and 91-hundreths (4:58.91), winning by over 5 seconds. The time was a personal best time for Gillilan, besting his old mark by 6.76 seconds.

“Bradley is one of the top distance freestylers in Tennessee, and as such has the confidence he can wear down the competition in the 400 Meter IM”, Excel Coach John Barnes explained. “He swam the race smart, and we knew that if he was close after the backstroke, then he had an excellent chance to win.”

“It’s all about strategy and then executing that strategy.”

In the 400 Meter Freestyle, Gillilan was seeded second going into the event, and was ahead at the first turn (50 Meter split) by 9-hundreths of a second, the closest anyone would be to him. After that he took over the race and never looked back. Gillilan had a full body length lead and a 1.92 second lead after the 200 Meter split. Gillilan won in a time of 4:19.18, a 3.27 second margin of victory.

“The 400 Meter time was about a half-second over his best time”, Barnes commented. “That is not a problem; he is exactly where we expect him to be at this point in training. He will improve as the summer progresses.”

The 100 Meter Breaststroke was a surprise victory, touching out the competition by less than a second. Gillilan turned a personal best time in the event, finishing with a 1:17.29, good enough for a Southeastern Swimming Long Course Championship Meet qualifying time.

“With the performance in the 100 Breaststroke, Bradley now has 9 qualifying times for the SES LC Championships, to go along with his 3 cuts for the Summer Senior Sectionals, 3 cuts for the NCSA Junior Nationals, and 2 cuts for the USA-Swimming Junior Nationals.”

The final event of the meet was the 800 Meter Freestyle, and Gillilan was in firm control of the event the entire distance, winning by over 7 seconds and finishing in a time of 8:52.07.

“The second seeded swimmer in the 800 is a talented kid and a fantastic competitor, and we have seen him make a charge in the back half of distances races before, and Bradley went into the swim aware of that. As a result Bradley conserved energy on the first half of the race for a second-half charge that never materialized by the other swimmer, thus his time was a little off his best.”

Gillilan also placed in the Senior Boy’s 200 Meter IM (2^nd Place); 200 Meter Freestyle (4^th Place); 200 Meter Breaststroke (4^th Place); 100 Meter Butterfly (5^th Place); and the 100 Meter Freestyle (8^th Place).

The next Long Course meet is May 29-31 in Brentwood TN at the Williamson County Indoor Sports Complex.

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

Gillilan 30th at Junior Nationals!

Gillilan 30^th in Mile at Junior National Swimming Championships in Orlando

March 22, 2009….He followed his older brother Travis in the water to train, and has seemingly never left. Lebanon High School junior, Bradley Gillilan appears to be more at home in the water than he is on land, and as a Junior at Lebanon High School, he has probably swam more yardage than his classmates have combined.

A payoff to Gillilan’s hard work and intense drive occurred this past week at the NCSA Junior National Swimming Championships. Over 1,500 swimmers from across the nation attended the highly competitive meet. Gillilan is the first swimmer from Lebanon to attend the annual meet.

In his final event in the meet, the 1,500 Meter Freestyle, Gillilan was seeded 56^th out of 64 swimmers entered in the event. Gillilan turned three best times in the single event, on his way to moving up 26 spots and finishing in 30^th Place.

Best times were achieved in the 400 Meter Freestyle, where he turned a legal split time of 4:18.56. At the 800 Meter split, he set a best time of 8:43.32. Hitting the wall at the finish with a time of 16:33.55, Gillilan knocked 27.83 seconds off his previous best time.

The time in the 1,500 Meter Free was a qualifying time standard for the 1,650 Yard Freestyle at the USA-Swimming Short Course Junior National Meet to be held in December at Ohio State University.

“Bradley qualified for the USA-S Junior National Meet in the 1,000 Yard Freestyle earlier in the week, and this is his second cut”, Coach John Barnes stated. “He is close to a cut in the 500 Yard Freestyle, and we expect him to get that mark by the time the meet comes around in December.”

Gillilan time trialed the 500 Yard Free two days before the 1,500 Meter Free, and turned a 4:41.49, a drop of 4.23 seconds from his time at the Southeastern Swimming Short Course Championships three weeks earlier.

“Bradley chose to taper for Jr Nationals, and even though he had a good Southeasterns meet, he was not fully rested then. He was tapered for this meet, and had some great swims. He gets back in the water this week, and will focus on the coming summer competitions. What is done is done; now we move towards the future.”

In the Fall of 2009, as a senior at Lebanon High School, Gillilan is scheduled to compete at the Grand Prix Meet in November at the University of Minneapolis, followed four weeks later by participating in the Junior National Meet at Ohio State University.

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

Gillilan Swims at Junior Nationals!

Gillilan Moves Up at Junior National Swim Meet

3/18/09 Orlando FL.....More than 1,500 swimmers from across the nation are participating in the National Coaches Swimming Association (NCSA) Junior National Swimming Championships. Lebanon High School junior Bradley Gillilan qualified for the meet, and is representing Excel Aquatics.

Gillilan's first event was on Tuesday the 17th, and it was the 1,000 Yard Freestyle. Gillilan entered the meet seeded 81st for the event.

Gillilan took out the swim strong in the first half, turning a 1:50.20 in the first 200 yard split, and hitting 4:42.32 at the 500 yard split.

"That 4:42 was a legal best split time for Bradley, and it beat his previous best time in the 500 by over three seconds", Excel Aquatics coach and Lebanon resident John Barnes noted. "When a swimmer does a best time in a split like that, we know something good is going to happen in the rest of the race."

Gillilan's second 500 of the race came in at 4:53.24, for a final time in the 1,000 of 9:35.56. It was a best time for Gillilan, a 12.00 second drop in the event; and good enough for a 58th place finish.

"Bradley moved up 23 spots between his seed placement and his final placing", Barnes commented. "It was a great swim, and it sets the stage for the rest of the week."

The time by Gillilan also was a USA-Swimming (USAS) Short Course Junior National qualifying time for the 1,000 Yard Freestyle. USAS Junior Nationals are the next step in the progression of swimmers after the NCSA Junior Nationals. The USAS Short Course Junior National Meet will be held December 10-12, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio.

"There is a tremendous upside in Bradley for any college team that pursues him. He is the top distance swimmer with Excel Aquatics, and the top 1,000 Yard Freestyle swimmer in Middle Tennessee. He has accomplished this without having touched weights, nor has he done two-a-days with his practices. We teach more strategy in our training compared to others, and Gillilan has understood and implemented the focus on each set in practice."

Gillilan will swim in the 1,500 Meter Freestyle on Saturday, the 21st.

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

State High School Swimmers from Wilson County

Eight Swim at State

February 15, 2009….8 WilsonCounty residents participated in the Tennessee High School Swimming Championships in Knoxville over the weekend. The meet was held in the new Alan Jones Aquatic CenterUniversity of Tennessee on the campus.

Representing Wilson County and their respective schools: Kelsey Copeland and Spencer Bracey from Mt Juliet High School; Luke Blackwell and Rachel Sandoval from Friendship Christian; Zac Morgan from Lebanon High School; and Conrad Claycomb, Alek Nochowicz, and Ashley Powell from Pope John Paul II High School.

Copeland, a senior in her last meet for the bears, finished with best times in both of her events. In the Girl’s 50 Yard Freestyle, Copeland dropped 8-hundreths of a second, and finished 63^rd in a time of 0:27.17. In the 100 Yard Backstroke, Copeland dropped 1.09 seconds and finished 39^th in the meet with a time of 1:05.84.

Copeland will continue her training with Excel Aquatics in order to be prepared for her swimming career with King College, which starts in the Fall.

Bracey, a freshman boy with MJHS swam in the 100 Yard Backstroke, dropping 2.40 seconds and finishing 75^th in a time of 1:03.16.

Blackwell, a sophomore at FCS, finished the highest among the Wilson County boys in final standings. In the 200 Yard Freestyle, Blackwell dropped 0.71 seconds to finish 22^nd with a time of 1:50.13. In the 100 Yard Backstroke, Blackwell finished 26^th overall.

Sandoval is a junior at FCS and qualified for the meet in the Girl’s 50 Yard Freestyle. Sandoval finished 66^th in the meet in the event.

Morgan, finishing up his swimming career at LHS, participated in the Boy’s 50 Yard Freestyle and the 100 Yard Freestyle. In the 100 Free event Morgan dropped 0.01 seconds and finished 60^th in the event in a time of 0:53.84. In the 50 Free event Morgan finished 64^th.

Claycomb, a senior at Pope JPII HS and a Lebanon resident, clocked in impressive drops in both of his events. In the 100 Yard Freestyle, he posted a time of 0:52.43, dropping 0.48 seconds and finishing in 41^st place. In the 100 Yard Backstroke, 2.67 seconds fell off his best time when he hit the wall in a time of 1:01.07 seconds, good enough for 50^th place.

Nochowicz, a junior at Pope JPII HS hailing from Mt Juliet, placed 33^rd in the 500 Yard Freestyle when he swam to a personal best time of 5:12.21, a 2.69 second drop. In the 200 Yard Freestyle, Nochowicz finished 56^th.

Powell, a Mt Juliet resident who is a senior at Pope JPII HS is better known as a cross country star in the region, qualified for two events for the State Swim Meet. There, Powell placed 41^st in the 100 Yard Breaststroke, clocking a time of 1:15.21, a 1.09 second drop off her personal best time.

Earlier in the year in a dual meet versus Riverdale HS, Powell swam the 500 Yard Freestyle for the first time in her career, and posted a State qualifying time. At State she swam it for only the second (and final) time and dropped 2.09 seconds finishing in 66^th place with a time of 6:08.20.

“Ashley is a tremendous athlete who steps up and is not afraid to compete,” Coach John Barnes noted. “She had the benefit of training this year with not only Claycomb and Nochowicz from Pope JPII HS, she also had Copeland and Blackwell in those lanes every day pushing her.”

“Three of those 4 also had qualifying times in the 500 Free, and we decided that after she got her annual cut in the 100 Breast, we would go after the 500 Free. She got great advice from those she trains with, and went out there and stunned the crowd when she got the cut in her first try.”

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

Wilson County Swimmers Shine at High School Region Meet

Wilson Five Place at Region Swim Meet

January 30, 2009….Five WilsonCounty residents placed in the Top 16 at the MTHSSA Region High School Championship Meet on Friday in Nashville. 52 high schools were represented from across the mid-state region, with 666 athletes competing.

There were 37 swimmers who live in Wilson County in the meet, representing 5 high schools, Friendship Christian, Lebanon, Mt Juliet, Pope John Paul II, and Wilson Central.

Placing in the Top 16 in their individual events were Luke Blackwell (FCS); Kelsey Copeland (MJHS); Christian Roberts (MJHS); Alek Nochowicz (JP2); and Ashley Powell (JP2).

Blackwell, who lives in Mt Juliet and is a sophomore at FCS, took home a 7^th place finish in the Boy’s 500 Yard Freestyle in a time of 5:03.43, and an 8^th place finish in the 100 Yard Backstroke (0:59.45).

Copeland, a MJHS senior who will be swimming at King College next Fall, took home a 13^th place finish in the Girl’s 100 Yard Backstroke (1:07.17).

Roberts, a junior at MJHS, placed 16^th in the Boy’s 100 Yard Freestyle (0:53.62), good enough for a High School State Championship Meet qualifying time.

Nochowicz, a junior at JP2 who lives in Mt Juilet, placed 12^th in the Boy’s 500 Yard Freestyle (5:18.25).

Powell, a JP2 senior who lives in Mt Juliet, placed 14^th in the Girl’s 100 Yard Breaststroke (1:16.51).

“Luke was not rested for this meet, and was coming off a heavy workout the night before,” FCS Coach Christy Blackwell stated. “He also trains year round with Excel Aquatics and Coach Barnes is going to taper him for the State meet in a few weeks. We were pleased with his performance and where he is at in his training plan.”

Copeland, Nochowicz and Powell all train with Excel Aquatics, and Coach Barnes reports that they were in a similar situation as Blackwell.

“Coach Blackwell is absolutely right. All Excel Aquatics swimmers who had previously qualified for the High School State Championships understand that Region is a warm-up for that meet,” Coach Barnes explained. “We will taper for State, they train hard with this as a goal, and too long of a taper can be counter-productive.”

“Some schools tapered for this meet, for many it was their championship meet, and they did great. From looking at the results of the county swimmers, many made strides towards State times, and with some hard work and a training plan this off-season, more from Wilson County should be making State next year.”

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

MJHS Cruises to Victory in County Swim Meet

MJHS Wins Wilson County Swimming Championships

January 24, 2009….The Jimmy Floyd Center in Lebanon was the site of Wilson County’s first County Championship Swim Meet. Participating schools were Friendship Christian School, Lebanon High School, Mt Juliet High School and Wilson Central High School.

Mt Juliet handily won the boy’s competition and combined competition, and just edged the girl’s team from up and coming Wilson Central.

5 swimmers were multiple individual event winners.

Mt Juliet senior Kelsey Copeland was coming off signing day with King College and won two individual events, and was on two winning relays. Copeland pulled away from the field in both the Girl’s 100 Yard Butterfly and 100 Yard Backstroke, as the MJHS fans screamed her on.

To date, Copeland leads all girl swimmers in the county with seven qualifying times for the State of Tennessee High School Swimming Championships to be held in Knoxville, February 13^th and 14^th. She is qualified to swim in the 50 Yard Freestyle, 100 Yard Freestyle, 200 Yard Freestyle, 500 Yard Freestyle, 100 Yard Backstroke, 100 Yard Butterfly and 200 Yard Individual Medley.

MJHS junior Christian Roberts, won the Boy’s 100 Yard Butterfly and 100 Yard Backstroke, events which he had already qualified for the State Meet in. Roberts was also on two winning relays for MJHS.

Zac Morgan, a senior at Lebanon High School, won his two events, handily winning the Boy’s 100 Yard Freestyle and just edging out MJHS junior Taylor Wallace in the 50 Yard Freestyle. Morgan’s victory in the 50 Yard Freestyle ignited the crowd as they realized it was also Morgan’s second State Meet qualifying time of the year. Morgan has the honor of being the only boy on this year’s LHS swim team with qualifying times for State.

Luke Blackwell, a sophomore at FCS, cruised to victories in the Boy’s 200 Yard Freestyle and 500 Yard Freestyle, winning by a total of 127 seconds between the two events. Blackwell has six qualifying times for the State swim meet in the 50 Yard Freestyle, 100 Yard Freestyle, 200 Yard Freestyle, 500 Yard Freestyle, 100 Yard Backstroke and 200 Yard Individual Medley.

FCS teammate Rachel Sandoval won the Girl’s 100 Yard Freestyle and 100 Yard Breaststroke. Sandoval is qualified for the State Meet in the 50 yard Freestyle.

The next meet for Wilson County swimmers is the MTHSSA Region Championship Meet in Nashville on January 30^th. Swimming at the Region Meet requires swimmers achieve a Region qualifying time standard, generally much easier than State Meet times. The Region meet is their last chance to qualify for State this year.

Event Winners:

Boys:

200 Yard Medley Relay – Mt Juliet HS (Spencer Bracey, Taylor Wallace, Christian Roberts, Tyler Marudas), 1:57.74.

200 Yard Freestyle – Luke Blackwell, FCS, 1:52.67.

200 Yard Individual Medley – Spencer Bracey, MJHS, 2:27.97.

50 Yard Freestyle – Zac Morgan, LHS, 0:24.20.

100 Yard Butterfly – Christian Roberts, MJHS, 1:00.22.

100 Yard Freestyle – Zac Morgan, LHS 0:54.55.

500 Yard Freestyle – Luke Blackwell, FCS, 5:06.41.

200 Yard Freestyle Relay – Mt Juliet HS (Christian Roberts, Tyler Marudas, Spencer Bracey, Taylor Wallace), 1:43.55

100 Yard Backstroke – Christian Roberts, MJHS, 1:08.35

100 Yard Breaststroke – Taylor Wallace, MJHS, 1:12.61.

400 Yard Freestyle Relay – Mt Juliet HS (Andrew Brown, Elijah Spencer, Philip Calkins, Gabe Edmondson), 4:58.79.

Girls:

200 Yard Medley Relay – Mt Juliet HS (Carly McMahon, Meredith Martin, Kelsey Copeland, Lauren Lavery), 2:18.74.

200 Yard Freestyle – Katie Atwood, WCHS, 2:32.30.

200 Yard Individual Medley – Caitlin Sexton, WCHS, 2:51.58.

50 Yard Freestyle – Rose Davis, WCHS, 0:29.35.

100 Yard Butterfly – Kelsey Copeland, MJHS 1:09.50.

100 Yard Freestyle – Rachel Sandoval, FCS, 1:01.05.

500 Yard Freestyle – Annie Horn, LHS, 6:43.07.

200 Yard Freestyle Relay – Mt Juliet HS (Kelsey Copeland, Meredith Martin, Abby Curtis, Lauren Lavery), 2:01.20.

100 Yard Backstroke – Kelsey Copeland, MJHS, 1:08.92.

100 Yard Breaststroke – Rachel Sandoval, FCS, 1:22.93.

400 Yard Freestyle Relay – Wilson Central HS (Tiffany Vanderpool, Andie Hailey, Samantha Major, Katie Atwood), 4:55.10.

Team Scores:

Boys: MJHS 79, LHS 35, WCHS 18, FCS 12

Girls: MJHS 66, WCHS 60, LHS 15, FCS 12

Combined: MJHS 145, WCHS 78, LHS 50, FCS 24

Frienship Christian School Swimmer Dominates Swim Meet

FCS Swimmer Dominates Swim Meet

January 20, 2009….Luke Blackwell, a Sophomore at Friendship Christian School traveled to Manchester TN for a MTHSSA Division I High School Swim Meet on Friday the 16^th. Also swimming for FCS at the Middle School level was Madison Blackwell, an 8^th Grader.

Luke participated in the 200 Yard Freestyle and 500 Yard Freestyle, winning both in convincing fashion.

In the 200 Yard Freestyle, Luke was leading by over two seconds after the first 50, and the lead grew to five seconds by the half-way point in the race. At the end, Luke turned a 1:53.39 (one minute, 53 seconds and 39 one-hundredths), winning by nearly a full length of the pool and just under 12 seconds in front of the second place finisher.

30 minutes later, Luke participated in the 500 Yard Freestyle, the longest event in High School swimming. By the end of the first 100 yards, Luke was in the lead by over 6 seconds, and by halfway that lead had grown to 17 seconds. Cruising home in 5:04.63, Luke lapped the competition and won by over 35 seconds.

“Luke backed off early in the race, knowing that he had the win secured. His all time best time is 11 seconds faster than what he did,” FCS Head Coach Christy Blackwell explained. “We left this meet and traveled to Knoxville for a USAS Meet on Saturday where he swam for Excel Aquatics, and we wanted him to still be fresh for that meet.”

Madison Blackwell, Luke’s younger sister, swam as “exhibition” in the meet since she is only in Middle School and cannot score in High School meets.

Madison competed in the 100 Yard Butterfly and 100 Yard Backstroke. In the Butterfly event she won the event with a time of 1:10.66, out touching the second place finisher by a mere 0.09 seconds.

In the 100 Yard Backstroke, the tables were turned on Madison as she placed second in the race, by 0.07 seconds, and finishing in 1:08.93.

“Even though Madison is not eligible to compete at State this year, she has accumulated 5 State Qualifying Times, second only to current MJHS Senior Kelsey Copeland in the number of State Cuts achieved,” Coach Blackwell noted. “So next year as a Freshman, we anticipate that she will have an immediate impact on swimming in Wilson County.”

“Our next meet is the Wilson County Championships (WCC) on the 23^rd, and Luke will be one of the early favorites in whatever events we decide to place him in.”

After the WCC, the Mid-State Region Meet will follow on January 30^th in Nashville, with the State Meet being held in Knoxville on February 13^th and 14^th.

After High School season ends the Blackwell siblings will turn their attention towards the Southeastern Swimming Championships in Nashville at the end of February, and the Senior Sectional Championships in North Carolina in March. When not swimming for FCS, the pair train year round for Excel Aquatics under the guidance of Lebanon’s John Barnes.

Excel Hosts High School Invitational

Wilson County Swimmers Excel in High School Invitational

January 10, 2009….Wilson County Swimmers representing Mt Juliet HS, Lebanon HS, Friendship Christian and Pope John Paul II HS participated in Excel Aquatics’ High School Invitational. 35 high school teams comprising 453 swimmers from the Mid-State area, Memphis, and Chattanooga competed in the highly competitive meet.

“Excel hosts this meet each year as a way to show our support for the local High School swimming community”, Excel Assistant Coach and Lebanon resident John Barnes explained. “It is the largest and most competitive High School Invitational Swim Meet in Middle Tennessee, and as such gives the kids a great perspective as to what they can expect at the Region Championships at the end of the month.”

Wilson County saw 8 swimmers from all four schools break into the Top 16 scoring spots. Those who finished in the Top 16:

Alek Nochowicz (JPII HS) – 4^th Place 500 Yard Freestyle; 9^th Place 200 Yard Freestyle.

Luke Blackwell (FCS) – 4^th Place 100 Yard Freestyle; 12^th Place 100 Yard Breaststroke.

Zac Morgan (LHS) – 6^th Place 100 Yard Freestle; 13^th Place 50 Yard Freetsyle.

Christian Roberts (MJHS) – 13^th Place 100 Yard Backstroke; 14^th Place 50 Yard Freestyle.

Conrad Claycomb (JPII HS) – 10^th Place 100 Yard Freestyle.

Kelsey Copeland (MJHS) – 7^th Place 50 Yard Freestyle; 9^th Place 100 Yard Backstroke.

Rachel Sandoval (FCS) – 10^th Place 50 Yard Freestyle; 12^th Place 100 Yard Freestyle.

Ashley Powell (JPII HS) – 8^th Place 100 Yard Breaststroke.

Nochowicz was the top scoring boy for Wilson County in the meet with a 4^th and 9^th Place finishes; while Copeland was the top scoring girl out of Wilson County with a 7^th and 9^th Place finishes.

One Wilson County resident attained a new qualifying time standard for the State High School Swimming Championships in February. Zac Morgan of LHS achieved a cut in the 100 Yard Freestyle.

To date, Kelsey Copeland has 2009 State Qualifying Time Cuts in 7 events; Blackwell has cuts in 6 events; Nochowicz has cuts in 5 events; Taylor Wallace has cuts in 2 events; while Morgan, Powell, and Sandoval each have one event with a time cut.

Barnes noted that “Wilson County has some great swimmers that will swim at the next level in college. Copeland is a senior and will soon sign with a college, while juniors Nochowicz and Bradley Gillilan will draw interest as well as they head into next year. Luke Blackwell is a sophomore and will garner attention in due time as a result of his success.”

Swimming in the separate Excel Aquatics Middle School Invitational Meet on Saturday was FCS 8^th Grader Madison Blackwell. Madison placed 4^thth in the 100 Yard Butterfly. in the 100 Yard Backstroke, and 12 Andrew Barnes, a Lebanon resident who attends Sumner Academy participated in the 50 Yard Freestyle and 100 Yard Freestyle.

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