Atomic City Aquatic Club reflects on fall successes and looks toward 2025

Jessica Hill

 

(Oak Ridge, TENN.) Atomic City Aquatic Club swimmers had an incredible fall season and are ready to take on the new year. In Fall 2024, the team competed in four highly competitive meets and saw strong swims and personal wins. 

 

Red Piranhas Kick-off

In September, 35 athletes attended the 2-day Red Piranhas Kick-off in Morristown, Tenn. Overall the team took home 47 first place finishes, 39 second place finishes and 24 third place finishes. Highlights of this meet included: 

  • Emmy Zimmer (14), Jude Sayler (9) and Mateo Volcansek (12) took home the most points for ACAC; 
  • Celeste Gallo (14), Jude Sayler (9) and Hadley Sanders (11) saw huge time drops with Celeste improving swims by nearly 3 minutes, Jude dropping more than 2.5 minutes and Hadley besting previous swims by more than 1 minute

 

“Success in swimming is built on consistent effort and personal growth,” said ACAC Interim Head Coach Chris Franklin. “Every stroke, every lap and every challenge faced in practice contributes to the bigger picture. It’s the hard work and dedication put in today that lays the foundation for tomorrow’s achievements.”

 

The team focused on consistency in practice as they prepared for more fall racing. 

 

Barracuda Swim Club Pumpkin Patch Meet

More than 30 swimmers from ACAC participated in the October Pumpkin Patch Meet in Kingsport, Tenn. The team saw 19 first place finishes, 17 second place finishes and 11 third place finishes. Highlights at this meet included: 

  • Dorian Volcansek (14), Emmy Zimmer (14) and Sophie Volcansek (12) took home the. Most points for ACAC; 
  • Jude Sayler (9), Lucas Rhea (12), Annie Springer (11) and Lylah Martin (14) each dropped more than 30 seconds from previous swims

 

Tennessee Aquatics Fall Classic

In November 46 ACAC swimmers participated in the Tennessee Aquatics Fall Classic in Knoxville, Tenn. More than a dozen teams from Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia came together for a weekend of high intensity competition. With hundreds of swimmers, the Fall Classic is one of the largest meets ACAC attended during short course season. 

 

The team came home with 3 first place finishes, 5 second place finishes and 7 third place finishes.

 

During this meet several ACAC swimmers achieved Southeastern Swimming Championships, the next level of championship swimming, cuts: 

  • Charlie Houston (18): 200 Butterfly
  • Emmy Zimmer (14): 100 Butterfly
  • Mateo Volcansek (12): 50 Freestyle
  • Dorian Volcansek (14): 500 Freestyle and 1000 Freestyle
  • Dustin Luo (10): 100 Butterfly
  • Alex Guglielmo: 50 Backstroke

 

To prepare for the team’s final meet of 2024, Coach Franklin focused on strong practices and a tapered approach to ensure athletes were in prime condition. “Tapering is a crucial phase in preparing for a big meet—it’s about allowing the body to recover, rebuild and peak at the right moment,” said Coach Franklin. “When athletes combine proper training with strategic rest, they unlock their true potential.”

 

The team saw that training come to fruition at the Excel Meet of Champions. 

 

Excel Meet of Champions

Another large event, the Meet of Champions in Nashville, Tenn. provides an opportunity for many athletes to swim prelims in the morning and come back for finals if they finish in the top 16 of their event. Overall the team took home 7 first place finishes, 5 second place finishes and 7 third place finishes. Of the 27 swimmers who attended, 26 achieved personal bests in at least one race and several athletes dropped time in every race. Five swimmers qualified for Southeastern Swimming Championships: 

  • Amelia Carrell (13): 100 Freestyle and 50 Freestyle
  • Emily Dubes (17): 100 Backstroke
  • Sam Duby (14): 500 Freestyle and 200 Backstroke
  • Sophia Guglielmo (12): 100 Butterfly and 50 Butterfly
  • Charlie Houston (18): 400 Individual Medley 

 

ACAC will jump into 2025 with two more opportunities for athletes to swim and try to qualify for the Southeastern Swimming Championships. Up next is the Tennessee Aquatics Speedo Winter Invite in mid-January and the Baylor Region 2 Championships in mid-February. 

 

“I am incredibly proud of what our swimmers have accomplished,” said Coach Franklin. “Their dedication, discipline and hard work have led to some truly remarkable achievements. But this is just the beginning. We’ve laid a strong foundation and there’s still so much potential to unlock.”

 

ACAC is a year-round competitive swim team offering high quality professional coaching and technique instruction for all ages and abilities. The team’s goal is to provide every member an opportunity to improve swimming skills and achieve success at his or her level of ability, from novice to international competitor. Individuals interested in learning more about Atomic City Aquatic Club are encouraged to visit www.swim4acac.com or contact [email protected]. 

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