Freshman Angie Leach Made It To The State Meet In Four Events In Her First Year Of High School Swimming.
Leesburg coach Rene James couldn't have planned it better.
Tanya
Felton, who graduated from Leesburg last May and is now swimming for
the University of Tennessee, took with her a state championship in the
200-yard freestyle, a fifth-place finish in state in the 100 free and a school record in just about every stroke.
Though a freestyle specialist, Felton gave James the versatility to
compete in any event where she needed a swimmer and to guarantee the Yellow Jackets a high finish, if not a victory.
Enter Angie Leach, freshman.
She
was an inexperienced high school swimmer, but a seasoned veteran on the
Lake County Aquatics club team. She also was the answer to James' fears
about who would fill Felton's role. The comparisons are natural.
Leach,
The Lake Sentinel girls swimmer of the year, perhaps showing her age
for one of the few times this season, did not come up to Felton's
performances at last year's Class 5A state meet - finishing 28th in the 200 free (2:03.36) and 21st in the 500 free (5:24.44).
But she showed glimpses of a promising future.
Leach
posted Leesburg's fastest times of the season in every individual event
except the 100 backstroke, in which she didn't compete. She also
anchored Leesburg's fastest 200 and 400 free relay teams and swam on its
fastest 200 medley relay team.
''I don't mind the comparisons (to Tanya),'' Leach said. ''It is a compliment because she was so good.
''I
like swimming a bunch of different events, and I want to get a couple
of school records, but it is going to be hard to get many because of the
times that Tanya swam.''
James, who recently returned from a week's vacation in which she watched Felton swim for the Volunteers at the University of Georgia Invitational, also can't help but make the comparisons.
''Obviously,
Tanya was a person we could put in any event, and we knew she would do
well,'' James said.
''Angie moved into the spot that Tanya left, and she
gave us the ability to have quality in any event we needed.
James described Leach as a ''universal girl.''
''She is a talent in any event we put her in. It is great to have that kind of flexibility,'' James said.
Though
Leach is only a freshmen, she isn't far off of some of Felton's school
records, including in the 200 free - arguably Felton's best event. She
is just 6 seconds off Felton's best time in that event. Leach has gone a
1:58.78, and Felton won the state competition at 1:52.09.
''I
think Angie has the potential of being very competitive by her senior
year,'' James said. ''She, like Tanya, is very dedicated to the sport.
She is competitive and all, but she is still young.''
James said she hopes Leach will keep focused on scholarship possibilities.
However, Leach is limited by high school rules to competing in two individual and two relay events in each meet.
Her
list of the team's fastest times is quite impressive. Among some of her
team-leading times, she is 16 seconds faster than the next fastest time
in the 200 free, 9 seconds faster in the 200 individual medley, 4
seconds faster in the 100 free, 39 seconds faster in the 500 free and 4
seconds faster in the 100 breast.
Leach said the season was what she expected.
''Being
a freshman and the team leader was kind of different, but everybody
looked at each other about the same, so it didn't really matter.''
Leach
showed her quality at the district meet, one of the fastest districts
in the state, when she won the 500 free and was second in the 200 free.
She
also helped Leesburg's 200 free and 400 free relay teams qualify for
state, meaning that as a freshman she competed in the maximum number of
events allowed at state - four.
''Coming in as a freshman, she did a good job,'' James said.
She
said Leach recorded personal-best times when she finished as district
champion in the 500 at 5:12.61 and second in the 200 with a time of
1:58.78.
''I was hoping all along that she would win district in
the 500 free. In the back of my mind, that was my goal for her - to win
district in one of her events.
''One thing nice about her being a
freshman is that I could kind of hide her because a lot of high school
coaches didn't know her.''
Now there is little chance of Leach laying low.
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