Athletes of the Week - Chantilly

Congratulations to Jacob Roth and Anna Sullivan for being chosen as athletes of the week for our meet against Chantilly.

Jacob was named athlete of the meet after three consecutive weeks of strong performances. Jacob continues to work hard after missing the first week of practice due to injury. Since then Jacob has posted personal-best times in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke week after week. He also maintains a positive attitude during practice and is driven to continuously improve and get faster. He provides a positive example for his teammates and is an important reason for this season's success.

Anna earned recognition this week due to her performances in the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay. Anna swam a competitive race in the 200 freestyle and was able to out-touch the closest Chantilly swimmer by 0.2 seconds. She also swam her fastest 100 freestyle as the anchor leg in the 400 freestyle relay, narrowly missing out on sweeping Chantilly in that event. Anna possesses the drive to compete and race that helps make her successful and that others should aspire to.

There were a number of other athletes that earned honorable mention this week:

1. Kyle Wu - Kyle had a very strong meet, winning both the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke. He earned state cuts in both events, as well as a personal-best 1:55.39 in the 200 IM. Kyle also played an instrumental role in leading the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays to victory.
2. Men's 400 freestyle relay - All four members of the 400 freestyle relay posted strong splits to lead the team to victory. The relay also easily met the state cut for an event they will compete to win at states. Hat tips go out to all four members of the team: Patrick Kuhlkin, Michael Hynes, Cole Dyson, and Jack Galbraith.
3. Ciara Barrett - Ciara did another fantastic job tonight, lowering her personal-best time in the 100 butterfly to 1:06.53. More impressive is her willingness to step in and compete when one of her teammates was unable to swim the event. With only a minute of warning she not only performed splendidly but did so with a willingness to do whatever it takes to help her team be successful.
4. Bella Bulhoes - Bella is being recognized this week by the captains for her tireless support of teammates throughout the meet. Whenever she is not competing Bella is down at the end of the pool encouraging and motivating her teammates. No one puts more effort and energy into supporting her teammates than Bella. And her presence on deck is an important ingredient to our overall success.
5. Anna Miller - Anna Miller continued her strong senior season by shaving even more time off of her 50 and 100 freestyles. She continues to work hard at practice and it shows. She takes instruction well and continues to hone and improve her stroke.
6. Anna Keating - Anna returned to Madison for the first time this season after competing at both Winter Nationals and the NCAP Invitational. The team certainly benefited by having her back both in and out of the water. Anna leads by example with her dedication to excellence. But just as important is the leadership she provides out of the pool. When the coaches needed help distributing equipment, Anna was one of the first to step up and offer to help. That kind of can-do attitude establishes Anna as a true leader and demonstrates the kind of personal characteristics that help explain why she is so valuable to our success as a team.
7. Morgan Howat - Morgan may only be a freshman but she is rapidly establishing herself as a member of the starting lineup. She continues to set personal-best times in the 100 backstroke. Two weeks ago her personal-best stood at 1:13.36. After last night, however, her fastest time is now 1:09.56. 
8. Erin Crowley - Erin continued her quietly strong season with another second-place finish in diving. More importantly than her athleticism, though, is the leadership she provides to the younger divers on the team. When one of her teammates was having a difficult time on-deck, Erin provided her with the comfort and encouragement necessary to get things back on-track. Erin serves as an emotional rock for a group of divers that is almost entirely freshmen and sophomores.