Catholic swimmers help GTAC succeed |
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Monday, 07 September 2009 05:00 |
TOLEDO—The Greater Toledo Aquatic Club (GTAC) begins its 37th year as one of the top swim teams in the Midwest. It recently completed its best season to date, with the largest number of swimmers ever in its ranks.
With more than 200 competitors age 5 to 23, GTAC swimmers were one of the dominant teams in Ohio and the Midwest. Here are the highlights:
GTAC’s youngest swimmers (8 and under) all achieved personal bests at the Ohio State Mini-Champs, winning the Girls 200 Medley Relay (Regan Bohm, Lial, Maumee; Catherine Kight, Ottawa Hills; Katie Kreger, Lambertville; Samantha Sucheck, Maumee) and the Boys 6 and under 25 yard breaststroke (Joseph Barnes, Maumee).
GTAC’s age-group swimmers (age 14 and under) won both the Short Course (25 yard) and Long Course (50 meter) Northern Ohio Regional Championships by more than 1,000 points each time, then went on to achieve the top score among all northwest Ohio teams at the Ohio State Age-Group Championships.
At the State Championships in March, GTAC won first place in the 11-12 Girls 200 Free Relay (Kennedy Bohm, Lial, Maumee; Zhada Fields, Ottawa Hills; Maria Murillo, Perrysburg; Haley Rosiak, Maumee) and the Boys 10 and under 100 back (Matt Kaminski, Toledo Our Lady of Perpetual Help).
At the State Championships in July, two GTAC swimmers won High Point Awards: Kelsi Berry (Ottawa Hills), who won the Girls 10 and under 50 free, 100 free, 200 free (setting a GTAC record) and 100 fly; and Matt Kaminski (Our Lady of Perpetual Help), who won the Boys 10 and under 50 back, 100 back, 100 free and 200 free (setting a GTAC record). Zhada Fields (Ottawa Hills) won the Girls 11-12 50 backstroke. GTAC took 6th place overall, its best ever showing in the large team category.
Moving to the next faster meet, GTAC had 15 age-group swimmers (age 14 and under) qualify for the Central Zone (which covers 14 midwestern states) Championships, making them eligible to compete for Team Ohio: Matt Kaminski (Our Lady of Perpetual Help), Austin Carter (Ottawa Hills), Justin Carter (Ottawa Hills), Noah Peeps (Toledo Christ the King), Zhada Fields (Ottawa Hills), Kelsi Berry (Ottawa Hills), Nadia Ayad (Ottawa Hills), Jessica Sucheck (Maumee), Connor Trimble (Toledo St. Joan of Arc), Maria Murillo (Perrysburg), Adrienne Kinor (Maumee), Alex Richards (Ottawa Hills), Tara Vermandere (Lambertville), Al Sutter (Lambertville) and Haley Rosiak (Maumee).
Thirteen GTAC swimmers did compete, and scored more points for Team Ohio than any other Ohio club. Kelsi Berry earned the Girls 10 and under Central Zone High Point Award and Matt Kaminski won the Central Zone championship in the Boys 10 and under 100 backstroke.
Moving to the older swimmers, at the Speedo Sectional Championships at Miami University in Oxford, which featured more than 40 teams of high school and college-aged swimmers from across the Midwest, GTAC’s senior swimmers came in sixth place overall, and were the second fastest club team in the Midwest.
Jacy Dyer (University of Toledo) won the women’s high point award and set two pool records in the 800 meter and 1500 meter freestyles. Roman Willets’ (Toledo St. Francis de Sales High School) time in the 100 meter free, 50.88, made him the fastest 18-year-old in the country in that event, while Rowan Williams (St. Francis de Sales High School) achieved his first Senior National cut.
All of GTAC’s swimmers achieved personal best times and helped the team to score so well.
Finally, at the fastest 18 and under meet in the country, U.S. Junior Nationals, Roman Willets (St. Francis de Sales High School) achieved all personal best times and Olympic trials cuts when he earned a fourth place finish in the 100 meter free (50.65), 10th place in the 200 meter free (1:52.23) and 23rd place in the 50 free (23.77).
GTAC was again honored as a USA Swimming National Club of Excellence for the sixth time since that program’s inception in 2002, and has also been given the highest designation for club management, Level 4 under USA Swimming’s Club Recognition Program.
GTAC’s Swim School was chosen as a Regional Liaison to USA Swimming’s Make A Splash Program for its outstanding swim lesson program and outreach as the area Special Olympics swim training site and facilitator of the award-winning Josh Project central city swim lesson program.
HBO’s “Real Sports” has produced a special segment about the Josh Project at St. Francis de Sales High School pool, which will be aired in mid-September.
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For more information about GTAC, visit www.gtacswim.com or call 419-531-2800.
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 02 June 2010 19:05 |
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