By STEVE CORNELIUS, CJ Sports Editor
Somerset — For the third straight season, Somerset High School junior Callie Garner has topped the list of the Commonwealth Journal’s All-County Swim Team. For the second straight season, Garner became the only local swimmer to advance out of the tough Region 5 and compete in the KHSAA State Championships.
Garner has been named MVP for her Jumper swim team for five straight seasons, dating back to her seventh-grade year. Garner is the record holder of all individual swimming events at Somerset High School and a member of all record-holding relay teams. Likewise, Garner holds all the countywide female swimming records and is the holder of 10 Lake Cumberland YMCA Pool records.
Garner was a sliver medalist in the Region 5 50-yard freestyle and placed fourth in the 100-yard freestyle. Garner finished 8th in the 50 freestyle at KHSAA State At-Large Championships and placed 16th in the 100 freestyle at KHSAA State Championship Consolation finals heat. Garner won two gold medals in 50 freestyle and 500 freestyle at 2010 Lake Cumberland Winter Invitational and the Madison Central Invitational — where she broke both the meet records and the Telford YMCA pool records.
Garner participates in only swimming year round, and is a member of Wildcat Aquatics, WA Speedo Series Sectional Team and SPY Sharks Summer Team.
Also, named to the All-County Team was Southwestern sophomore Elise Garrett, who holds four Warrior school records. Garret has set best school marks in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, 100-yard backstroke and 100-yard breaststroke. Garret earned a silver medal in the 500-yard freestyle in the Lake Cumberland Winter Invitational and placed fifth in the 100-yard freestyle at the Indian Invitational. Garrett, a 4.0 honors student, is also a member of the Warriors soccer and track teams.
Southwestern High School’s Andrew Shults is a school record holder in both the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle. Shults finished 10th in the 50 freestyle and 11th in the 100 freestyle at the Indian Invitational.
Southwestern’s Aaron Stolze was also named to the 2010 All-County team. Stolze’s biggest meet of the year came in the Lake Cumberland Winter Invitational, when he picked up a gold medals in the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard backstroke. Stolze, also earned two more Winter Invitational wins in the 200 medley relay and the 200 freestyle relay.
Somerset High School sophomore Shelby Stevenson was the lone Jumper male swimmer selected to the All-County squad. Stevenson had a sixth place finish in the 100-yard butterfly at the Indian Invitational. Stevenson, who maintains a perfect 4.0 GPA in the Somerset classrooms, is a standout swimmer for the Lake Cumberland Hurricane swim team . For the Hurricanes last season, Stevenson picked up 8 first-place finishes.
Pulaski County High School junior Michael Eads triples a a speedster in the pool, on the cross country course and on the track. Eads holds school records in three events at Pulaski — 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle. Eads has knocked over 17 seconds off his best 200 freestyle time from a year ago and 6 seconds off his best 100 freestyle clocking.
Southwestern eighth-grader Breanna Bogle has a bright future ahead of her in the pool. Bogle had her best showing of the season with a second place finish in the 100 freestyle at the Lake Cumberland Winter Invitational. Bogle had a first place finish in the 100-yard backstroke in the County Swim Meet.
Pulaski County High School freshman Hannah Isaacs holds nearly every Lady Maroons’ school swim record. Isaacs holds school bests in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 butterfly and the 200 individual medley. Isaacs won gold in the 100-yard freestyle in the Lake Cumberland Winter Invitational and placed fourth in the 500-yard freestyle.
Two local swimmers — Morgan Crosslin and Brandi McNeely — just missed joining the All-County Team, but were named as Honorable Mention selections.
Crosslin, a Somerset junior, knocked 5.5 second off her 50 freestyle best and 4 seconds off her 100 freestyle. Crosslin sacrificed an individual race to swim on all three Lady Jumper relay teams, which score double points for the team. Crosslin had the best time cuts throughout the season and was a major contributor at every meet.
McNeely, a Pulaski eighth-grader, had a first place in the 200-yard freestyle at the County Swim Meet, and finished second in the 100 freestyle. McNeely had two fourth-place finishes in the Lake Cumberland Winter Invitational — 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly. Also, McNeely dropped 14 seconds throughout the season in the 200-yard freestyle event.
