Saturday, April 21, 2012

Leesburg's Leach Shows Real Promise, December 14, 1997

Freshman Angie Leach Made It To The State Meet In Four Events In Her First Year Of High School Swimming.

December 14, 1997|By Joe Williams of The Sentinel Staff
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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