Another 1st

Swimming World and Junior Swimmer, Nov 2002 by Jacob, Judy

The National Club Swimming Association showed it's committed to the juniorlevel athlete by following up its successful short course junior nationals last March with its first long course meet in August.

Buoyed by the success of its first national-level short course meet in March, the National Club Swimming Association held its inaugural Junior National Long Course Swimming Championships, Aug. 5-9, on the campus of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Fla.

Even though USA Swimming did not allow the times to qualify for the following week's senior national competition, approximately 280 of the best 18-andunder swimmers in America came together for five days of exciting swimming. At the end of the competition, Rockville-Montgomery came out on top in the combined team race. It finished second in both the men's (365 points to Fort Lauderdale's 608.5) and the women's scoring (341 to Bernal's Gators' 377.5) for a first-place total of 706. Fort Lauderdale was second in the combined standings (610.5), followed by The Woodlands (521).

The meet had the atmosphere of a celebration, with exciting announcing, boisterous cheers and everyone having fun!

Men's Races

Fort Lauderdale's Bradley Ally, only 15, had what can only be described as a spectacular meet. He finaled in 10 individual events, winning three of them. Ally came from behind for his first title in the 200 meter back, 2:06.29, edging 18year-old Atlantis' Eric Bugby's 2:06.61. Ally also outtouched Bugby in the 50 back, 27.63 to 27.75. His third title came in the 200 IM, where he posted a 2:07.46 to CJ. Nuess' 2:10.21.

Ally also placed second in three events. Bugby gained a measure of revenge in the 100 back (58.68-59.74); Spokane Area's Nuess, 16, defeated him in the 400 IM (4:33.294:36.08); and Brian Shue of Swim Florida prevented Ally from winning the 200 fly (2:04.882:05.25).

Bradley also turned in third-place swims in the 50 fly (25.70 tie) and 100 fly (57.68); and was sixth in the 50 breast (31.14) and 50 free (24.40). As if that weren't enough, he swam on five relays -three of them, winners.

Bryce Clough, a 17-year-old who trains with Ally, was first in the 100 free (52.13) and captured the 100 fly in a close race with Southeast Texas Peter Smith, 55.81-55.99. Clough was just 2-hundredths shy of another title in the 50 fly, which was won in 25.57 by 17-year-old Chris Soniak of Occoquan.

Coral Springs' Vladislav Polyakov, 18, entertained the crowd with two remarkable championship swims. He recorded a 2:15.88 win in the 200 breast, and followed that up with the 100 breast title (1:03.71). Second in both races went to Dan Velez of Rockville-Montgomery. Velez, also 18, claimed the 50 breast by a mere 1-hundredth over 16-year-old Billy Jamerson of Georgia Coastal, 29.87-29.88.

You think you can't get any closer than that? Well, in the 50 free, 17year-old Poston Pritchett of Bull City tied 16-year-old John Sands of New Albany, each touching the wall in 24.06.

A trio of 16-year-olds were tops in distance freestyle events. The Dayton Raiders' John Koehler took the 400 free by 11-hundredths over The Woodlands' James Hard (4:05.30-4:05.41) and the 800 free in 8:24.12, ahead of Hard's teammate, Greg Stahl (8:26.96). Stahl was first in the 1500 free with his 16:10.71, ahead of Koehler (16:13.32) and Hard (16:14.09).

John Raatz, an 18-year-old representing Arizona Desert Fox, led from start to finish in his 200 free win (1:55.50).

Women's Races

The level of competition was equally high among the women. One need look no further than the first event, the 1500 free. Emilie Gratton, 13, of Arizona Desert Fox and Gabrielle Maddalena, 14, of The Woodlands stayed neck-and-neck for 1,450 meters. Emilie sprinted ahead during the last 50 to pull out the 17:32.4417:32.86 victory.

And, as with the men, there were several women's races that were decided by mere hundredths of a second. In the 50 breast, Star's Bridget McCoy, 18, nipped Parkway's Jill Bastien, 16, by 4-hundredths (34.40-34.44). Santa Maria's Megan Palera, 16, who was sixth at the 100 meter mark, used a 40.38 third leg to win the 200 IM by 14-hundredths over 14-year-old Emile Ewing of Pennyrile (2:21.39-2:21.53). And 17-year-old Cait Connealy from Arizona Desert Fox, primarily a sprint freestyler, came from behind to scrape out an 18-hundredths margin of victory in the 200 free over Rockville-Montgomery's Kassy Kugler (2:05.53-2:05.71).

Kugler had another close race in the 100 free, defeating Pine Crest's Christine Raleigh, 15, 58.21-58.47. Raleigh was tops in the 50 fly (28.25) over Megan Newell of Curl-Burke (28.83).

There were three double-event winners among the women. Blue Tide's Madeleine Stanton, 15, enjoyed victories in the 100 (1:05.38) and 200 back (2:19.42), but was stymied in her quest for a triple by Caroline Johnson, 16, of Springfield, who edged her in the 50 back, 30.64-30.97.

Victoria Genova, an 18-year-old representing Coral Springs, came in first in the 100 and 200 fly. In the 100 fly, Genova defeated Pine Crest's Raleigh, 1:02.231:02.82. She had a much easier time in the 200 fly, starting out over a second ahead at the first 50 to win in 2:16.27 over Nova of Virginia's Elizabeth Shaw's 2:18.61.