Eagle Swim Varsity, JV Swimmers Take Top Spots in First Swim Meet Action
It wasn’t a complete mystery that WCA’s Varsity swim contingent was going to be able to not only compete, but potentially win events this season and frequently. Freshman Kaitlyn Sullivan and sophomore Lainey Flanagan are, after all, year-round swim participants who have also been to Virginia State Swimming Championship meets, while Zane Eckols has joined year-round swimming just recently as well. But expectations met reality on Saturday when Coach Anne Anderson’s Eagle Swimmers participated in their first varsity swim meet as a program, with incredible results.
Competing against behemoth programs from the Seton School from the DC area, Fredericksburg Christian Academy, and St. Catherine’s and St. Christopher’s from Richmond, Eagle Swimmer Sullivan handily secured first place overall in both the 100-yard Breaststroke (1:11.10), and the 50-yard Freestyle (24.72). Teammate Lainey Flanagan followed with a 2nd place finish out of 58 participants in both the 100 freestyle (57.71) and the 100-yard Backstroke (1:04.58). On the Boys side, Zane Eckols finished 14th in both the 50 Free (28.83) and 100 Free (1:04.26).
The Junior varsity team also competed last Saturday at the Candy Cane Invitational in Richmond. Our JV team of 6 swimmers competed against large schools such as the Collegiate School and St. Michael’s in Richmond, as well as Veritas and other Richmond area schools. The JV team is largely new swimmers to Eagle Swim this year, including two of our Chinese International Program students. Seventh-grader Delaney Gibbons came away with a first-place finish in the 100-yard Freestyle (58.82) and two second-place finishes in the 200-yard Freestyle (2:05.40) and the 50-yard Backstroke (30.43). All returning participants from 2016-2017 had personal bests in almost every event, and our new swimmers had strong first efforts as well.
The Varsity Eagle Swim team will travel to Richmond again on December 15th to compete at the Trinity Episcopal Invitational, where they will face TES as well as ChristChurch and Hampton Roads Academy.
Eagle Swimmers Shine in Club Meet
Three of our Eagle Swim Team Members participated in an Elite level, the TAC Blizzard Blitz in Cary, NC with their club swim team, 757swim. With a field that was composed of over 500 of the fastest swimmers in Virginia and North Carolina, this meet was a prelim and final meet, meaning all swimmers participate in the morning preliminary qualifying heats, and the top swimmers move on to a finals session in the evening. Sophomore Lainey Flanagan had an incredible meet in the 15 & over division, swimming personal bests in all but one event of eight swum. Included in these was her very first State Championship qualifying time in the 100 Backstroke.
Freshman Kaitlyn Sullivan swam eight personal bests as well in nine races in the 13 & 14-year-old division, qualifying for three finals in which she was in the top 8 qualifiers (50 Free, 100 Breast, 100 Free), and four others where she placed 8th through 16th in prelims (200 Free, 200 Breast, 200 Back, 200 IM). In the finals races, Kaitlyn swam a third-place finish in the 50 Free, earning her a qualification for the National level USA Swimming Futures Championship Meet next summer, as well as 6th-place finishes in the 100 Breast and 100 Free, 10th place in the 200 Breast, 13th place in both the 200 Back and 200 Individual Medley, and 14th in the 200 Free.
WCA 7th Grader Delaney Gibbons also had a statement meet in the 11&12-year old division. Gibbons made 5 finals by placing in the top eight of the 50-yard backstroke, 100-yard individual medley, 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard backstroke, and 50-yard butterfly. Delaney started out in the first day coming within 0.07 seconds of being the event winner in the 50 backstroke, settling for a well-earned 2nd place overall finish. She also swam to a 6th place finish in the 100IM. Her second day started out well, with finals qualifying races in the 50 free and 100 Back, before she substantially aggravated a pre-existing back strain, causing her to withdraw from the 500 Freestyle mid-race. After relaxing and some treatment, however, Gibbons not only pressed on to the finals, but dropped time in both events. She would wind up 6th in the 50 Free, and another 2nd place finish in the 100 Backstroke. On the final day, Gibbons placed 8th in the finals of the 50 Fly.
Eagle Swim Varsity, JV Swimmers Take Top Spots in First Swim Meet Action
It wasn’t a complete mystery that WCA’s Varsity swim contingent was going to be able to not only compete, but potentially win events this season and frequently. Freshman Kaitlyn Sullivan and sophomore Lainey Flanagan are, after all, year-round swim participants who have also been to Virginia State Swimming Championship meets, while Zane Eckols has joined year-round swimming just recently as well. But expectations met reality on Saturday when Coach Anne Anderson’s Eagle Swimmers participated in their first varsity swim meet as a program, with incredible results.
Competing against behemoth programs from the Seton School from the DC area, Fredericksburg Christian Academy, and St. Catherine’s and St. Christopher’s from Richmond, Eagle Swimmer Sullivan handily secured first place overall in both the 100-yard Breaststroke (1:11.10), and the 50-yard Freestyle (24.72). Teammate Lainey Flanagan followed with a 2nd place finish out of 58 participants in both the 100 freestyle (57.71) and the 100-yard Backstroke (1:04.58). On the Boys side, Zane Eckols finished 14th in both the 50 Free (28.83) and 100 Free (1:04.26).
The Junior varsity team also competed last Saturday at the Candy Cane Invitational in Richmond. Our JV team of 6 swimmers competed against large schools such as the Collegiate School and St. Michael’s in Richmond, as well as Veritas and other Richmond area schools. The JV team is largely new swimmers to Eagle Swim this year, including two of our Chinese International Program students. Seventh-grader Delaney Gibbons came away with a first-place finish in the 100-yard Freestyle (58.82) and two second-place finishes in the 200-yard Freestyle (2:05.40) and the 50-yard Backstroke (30.43). All returning participants from 2016-2017 had personal bests in almost every event, and our new swimmers had strong first efforts as well.
The Varsity Eagle Swim team will travel to Richmond again on December 15th to compete at the Trinity Episcopal Invitational, where they will face TES as well as ChristChurch and Hampton Roads Academy.
Eagle Swimmers Shine in Club Meet
Three of our Eagle Swim Team Members participated in an Elite level, the TAC Blizzard Blitz in Cary, NC with their club swim team, 757swim. With a field that was composed of over 500 of the fastest swimmers in Virginia and North Carolina, this meet was a prelim and final meet, meaning all swimmers participate in the morning preliminary qualifying heats, and the top swimmers move on to a finals session in the evening. Sophomore Lainey Flanagan had an incredible meet in the 15 & over division, swimming personal bests in all but one event of eight swum. Included in these was her very first State Championship qualifying time in the 100 Backstroke.
Freshman Kaitlyn Sullivan swam eight personal bests as well in nine races in the 13 & 14-year-old division, qualifying for three finals in which she was in the top 8 qualifiers (50 Free, 100 Breast, 100 Free), and four others where she placed 8th through 16th in prelims (200 Free, 200 Breast, 200 Back, 200 IM). In the finals races, Kaitlyn swam a third-place finish in the 50 Free, earning her a qualification for the National level USA Swimming Futures Championship Meet next summer, as well as 6th-place finishes in the 100 Breast and 100 Free, 10th place in the 200 Breast, 13th place in both the 200 Back and 200 Individual Medley, and 14th in the 200 Free.
WCA 7th Grader Delaney Gibbons also had a statement meet in the 11&12-year old division. Gibbons made 5 finals by placing in the top eight of the 50-yard backstroke, 100-yard individual medley, 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard backstroke, and 50-yard butterfly. Delaney started out in the first day coming within 0.07 seconds of being the event winner in the 50 backstroke, settling for a well-earned 2nd place overall finish. She also swam to a 6th place finish in the 100IM. Her second day started out well, with finals qualifying races in the 50 free and 100 Back, before she substantially aggravated a pre-existing back strain, causing her to withdraw from the 500 Freestyle mid-race. After relaxing and some treatment, however, Gibbons not only pressed on to the finals, but dropped time in both events. She would wind up 6th in the 50 Free, and another 2nd place finish in the 100 Backstroke. On the final day, Gibbons placed 8th in the finals of the 50 Fly.
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