The local swim

teams competed in the state meet last weekend and represented Fayette

County well. in fact, Sandy Creek's Billy Jamerson won the school and

the county's first ever individual state championship.

Sandy Creek's

swim team, coached by Joe DeGennaro, made the finals in five events, finished

in the top 15 of teams competing in the AAAA/AAA/AA/A meet. The team set

16 personal records, 10 school records and one automatic All-American

time.

Jamerson was

named state champion of the 100 yard breaststroke with a time of 58.22

, a time good ewnough for All-American Honors. Jamerson finished third

in the 50 with a time of 22.03 , a new school record. Angela Gellatly

became the school's first female finalist by winning the consolation final

and placing ninth in the 100 backstroke in a school record time of 1:02.03.

She also set two other individual school records durng qualifying in the

100 backstroke (broken in the finals) and the 100 freestyle with a time

of 56.79.

Two Patriot

Boys relay teams made the state finals, a first in the history of Sandy

Creek swimming. The 200 medley relay team of Jamerson, Corey Little, Stephen

Lawson and Drew Duncan set new school records in the qualifying and consolation

finals. The team placed 13th overall with a time of 1:50.27. The 200 freestlye

relay team of Lawson, Duncan, Jamerson and Cliff Turner also set new school

records in qualifying and consolation finals. The team dropped over two

seconds off their time during the finals and placed 11th overall with

a new school record of 1:36.32.

Two Patriot

Girls relay teams qualified for the state meet, improved on their times

and ranking during qualifying but did not qualify for the finals. The

200 medley relay team of Gellatly, Janine Raasch, Jessica Pratt, and Sara

Harper set a new school record of 2:05.50 and finished 17th, one place

out of the finals. The 200 freestyle team of Gellatly, Raasch, Pratt and

Jessica Harper set a new school record with a time of 1:53.53 while finishing

25th overall.

This marks

the end of the best season ever for the Sandy Creek High School Patriot

Swim Team. The Patriots set an increible 149 personal records and 38 school

records, while garnering 10 state qualifiers and six state finalists.

This season also produced the school's first ever metro champion, state

champion and All-American swimme. With only five seniors graduating from

this year's squad, the team is poised to improve even more and make another

successful run at the state championships next year.

Starr's Mill's

swim team swam well at the 2003 GHSA AAAAA State Swimming Championships

this past weekend. 827 swimmers from 54 teams throughout Georgia competed

at Westminster on Feb 13 and 15. The Panthers were up against some of

the biggest teams in the state. They swam a total of fifteen events in

the meet, and of those nine made it to the finals session on Saturday.

This year,

Coach J.B. Campbell took a total of 14 swimmers to the state meet. Four

individual swimmers and two of the relay teams placed in the top 16 overall.

This is up from last year when the Panthers sent two individual swimmers

and one relay team to the finals. Furthermore, the Panthers had many personal

best swims.

Junior Brittany

Stevens placed sixth in the 100 butterfly (59.39) and 10th in the 50 freestyle

(25.27). Her free time is a personal best, bettering her county record

time (25.66). Senior Kenny Jubb was seventh in the 50 free (22.59) which

is a personal best for him. Jubb placed eighth in the 100 free (49.71)

a fraction higher than his personal best time swam in preliminaries (49.64).

Sophomore Noah Copeland placed 14th in the 200 free (1.51.89) and 16th

in the 500 free (5:05.72). He had even better swims during the prelims

where he had personal best times in both events. Freshman Mackenzie Garrot

placed 16th in the 100 breaststroke (1:12.09) but swam a personal best

in prelims with a time of 1:11.70.

The two relay

teams that placed at finals were the boys 400 freestyle relay team of

Copeland, senior Josh Strickland, junior Haynes Finney and Jubb (14th,

3:30.99) and the girls 200 medley relay team of freshman Georgia Highsmith,

Garrot, Stevens and senior Samantha Hudson (16th, 2:00.06).

During the

preliminaries session Highsmith swam the 100 backstroke with a personal

best time of 1:03.76 placing 19th. Garrot also swam a personal best time

in the 100 freestyle (57.17) placing 17th.

Four other

relay events were swam during prelims. The boys 200 medley relay team

of freshman Scott Adams, senior Chris Frederick, Strickland and Jubb placed

19th (1:49.81). The girls 200 free relay of Garrot, Brittney Wester, Hudson

and Stevens also placed 19th (1:49.02). The boys 200 free relay team of

Adams, Finney, Frederick and Strickland placed 27th (1.39.31). Hudson,

senior Laurel Surratt, junior Libby Hardison and freshman Heather Highsmith

placed 30th in the 400 free relay (4:15.29).

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