North Baltimore Aquatic Club member Katie Hoff, a 17-year-old Towson resident, is a phenomenal world-class athlete. Last week, she enjoyed a great showing at the U.S. National Championships in Irvine, Calif.
But for Hoff?s NBAC peers that did not compete in last week?s national meet, this week?s 2006 Speedo Junior Championships in Irvine offer an opportunity for them to build towards their elite teammate?s level.
“A lot of our swimmers that went to this meet last year spoke to those colleges there, and here they are now going to those schools,” said NBAC coach Paul Yetter.
Yetter added that this event draws far more collegiate coaches than typical highschool state meets.
“The high school meets around Maryland pale in comparison versus the environment here,” Yetter said.
“Ninety-eight percent of the top [under-18] swimmers in the nation will compete in this meet,” he continued.
Hoff is in the other two percent that competed in nationals last week.
“It?s a neat situation for our guys because they get to compete against people their own age and see how they stack up,” said Yetter, who is working with Hoff as a member of the Pan Pacific Championship Team coaching staff.
“There?s really no team [that the Junior National competitors] qualify for,” Yetter said. “The purpose of this meet is to get some of the really great young swimmers together in the country that are all 18 and under.”
NBAC has decided to enter the junior nationalists in relays, something that the team didn?t do with the national competitors last week.
“This is almost like an 18-and-under championship meet,” NBAC junior coach Chris Caplan said. “This is close as we can get, so we?re doing the relays.”
So far in the meet, which ends Friday, the NBAC women?s 200-meter medley relay team has finished 11th, and the men?s 200-meter medley relay team took 12th.
Individually on Tuesday, Julia Kucherich finished sixth in the 200-meter backstroke, and Laura Harris took eighth in the 100-meter freestyle. Richard Hills came in 19th in the 200-meter breaststroke, and Andrea Staub finished 26th in the 200-meter butterfly.
On Monday, Allison Barnes placed 29th in the 800-meter freestyle.
THE JUNIOR NATIONALS
» Who: The nation?s top under-18 swimmers
» NBAC Girls: Kelly Peloquin, Julia Kucherich, Laura Harris, Andrea Staub, Allison Barnes and Emily Tipton
» NBAC Boys: Richard Hills, Andrew Clark, Jordan Kobb, Austin Surhoff, Kevin Marsteller, Connor Wills, Kevin Spath, Sean Roddy and Adam Bulkley
