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Senior swimmer Keicey Johnson: the final lap
By Millie Carter '
Staff Writer
She steps up to the starting block,
shaking her muscles loose. The whistle
blows and she adjusts her goggles snugly
in place, taking her mark. She is senior
swimmer and co-captain Keicey Johnson,
and she is gearing up for her last season
and final lap as a Qu^er swimmer.
A veteran swimmer, Johnson has been
swimming for twelve years, throughout her
school years and on competitive summer
league teams. Just how did Johnson dip her
feet into the pool for the first time?
"In generd, I always tried to maintain a
positive attitude while trying to encourage
Keicey to do the best she could," said
William Johnson, her father. "I made sure
that my encouragement was aligned with
her gods."
Kelcey's goals? To be the best she could
be for herself and for her team.
Johnson's favorite race differs.
"It's probably a tie between the 100 free
and 100 breaststroke," said Johnson. "I
love the length of each of them. The event
is long enough to stretch out, but short
enough to sprint."
For the 2011-12 season, she has already
raced all four strokes — freestyle, breast
stroke, backstroke and butterfly — at
various distances.
How, exactly, has this swimming all-star
come so far?
"We (her family) encouraged her to try
the swim team at the local pool, where
she made lots of friends and improved
dramatically," said Johnson's mother, Anne
Wentling. "They called her 'the terminator'
because she swam on a relay with spme
girls who were physically smaller than her
and she just dominated in the water for her
age group."
"I clearly remember a point in sixth grade
(she had begun in fifth) where something
clicked and she found an ability to really
dig in and succeed," said Wentling.
Wentling's memories of Johnson as a
swimmer before attending Guilford do
not stop there.
"When the local summer league team,
dejected with the idea of almost certain
defeat, sat quietly on the bench, Keicey got
up and moved into cheerleader mode,"
Senior Keicey Johnson strokes her way
to the finish at a meet against Greensboro.
said Wentling. "She began urging them
on to 'Get up and make some noise.' That
captures Kelcey's spirit for me."
Although she has been successful
during the season and summer, often
plaang in the top three of each race,
Johnson believes swimming is something
more than just a way to compete.
"I love the sport. I've never ... not
trained for a sport, so I enjoy the structure
it provides me. It has also taught me
perseverance, dedication and hard work,"
Johnson said.
But why does she wake up at 6:30 to get
in the pool and drill?
"It's hard, I assure you. I definitely
don't wake up every morning and feel
rejuvenated," Johnson said. "But if I want
my teammates to come to practice, I know
I can't just tell them to come to practice. I...
have to practice what I preach."
Last season at the final home meet
against Greensboro College, she won the
100 freestyle.
"I remember her being very focused
behind the block and she was determined
to give her best," said head coach Emily
Wilson. "The look on her face when she
realized she won was priceless."
Johnson's most memorable race this
season was when she placed third against
Greensboro and Bridgewater in the 100-
yard breaststroke.
"It was a very close race which gives me
motivation to keep getting better," Johnson
said.
This motivation exemplifies Johnson's
work ethic in the eyes of others. When
asked to describe Johnson in one word,
Wentling replied, 'Tenacious."
"I am just so proud of how far Keicey
has come," said Wilson. "She has really
matured and grown into an excellent
leader. I am thankful to be her coach."
As Johnson closes her swimming career
at Guilford, her work ethic will be sure
to follow her in any future swimming
endeavors.
"I eventually want to train for a triathlon
which involves a swimming segment."
Johnson said. "I think swimming is in my
near future."
As a co-captain her final year, Johnson
will be sure to make more splashes into
the spotlight this season, for more reasons
than one.
'To her, it's more about the strength of
character you show to others when the
chips are down, not just the end point
of the performance," Wentling said. "You
hold your head up high and compete until
the end, knowing that you gave it your
all."
Fall sports review ef 2011 Quaker teams
By Charlotte Hudson
Staff Writer
Women’s Volleyball
The Quakers finished the season with a 12-15 overall record
and 5-5 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Guilford
struggled out of the gates, losing 12 of its first 16 games.
However, the Quakers did not lose faith as they finished
the season on a good note winning their last five regular
season games. Although they lost to Lynchburg in the ODAC
quarterfinal, the team is expected to take the lessons learned
into next season.
Laura Kopald led the team in total kills with 219, Taylor
Whitley in total assists with 814, and Taylor Phillips with 450
total digs. The Quakers, as a team, averaged 9.8 assists per set,
10.6 kills per set, 1.9 service aces per set, and 14.7 digs per set.
Women’s Soccer
The women's soccer team finished the season with the most
wins since 2006, with a 10-8-2 overall and 5-4-2 in the ODAC.
The two draws were against Washington and Lee 0-0 and at
Emory & Henry 1-1. Both matches went into double overtime.
The Quakers completed the season with 38 goals in 20
games,, and averaged 13.6 shots per game. First-year forward
Hannah Schlitz led the team with 10 goals. As for goalkeeping,
senior Amy Baker led the way with 67 saves for the season.
Men’s Soccer
The men's team finished the year with a 6-9-2 overall record
and 3-7 in the ODAC. Both of their draws went into double
overtime against N.C. Wesleyan 0-0 and Greensboro College
2-2 respectively.
The season was up-and-down in terms of wins and losses
but flashes of a good year to come were evident in the play
of junior Freddy Gomez. He led the team in total shots and
scored 11 goals, three of which were game winners. The team
scored 23 goals in 17 games averaging 1.4 goals scored per
game on 15.7 shots on goal per game. Goalkeeper Peter Truitt,
senior, made 67 saves over the course of the year and finished
with a 5-8-2 record.
Football
Guilford football, albeit with a 2-8 record, improved greatly
from last year's winless season. The Quakers' offense averaged
338 yards per game of total offense and 103.8 rushing yards,
finishing as fifth best team in the ODAC on the ground and
fourth best in the ODAC, averaging 234.5 yards, through the
air.
The defense led the ODAC in sacks with 25 for 158 yards,
ranked seventeenth nationally in that department and tied for
forty-second nationally in sacks per game with 2.50, according
to ncaa.com. The Quakers also finished second in the ODAC
in time of possession with an average time of 32:32 per game.
First-year head coach Chris Rusiewicz expects as many as
51 letter-winners back next year, including 19 starters. So, the
Quakers can expect to keep improving heading into next year.
Check out photos of spikesvheaders and touchdowns
at www.guilfordian.com
SPORTS
ker
Pla
Brittany Drew
38 points - 18 rebounds - 9
assists - I steal
Will Freeman
49 points - 23 rebounds - I
assist - I steal
Jazlyn Gibbs
49 points - 18 rebounds
- 10 assists ^11 steals -
block
Morgan King
32 points - 24 rebounds
- 10 assists - 4 steals - 7
blocks
Gabnel Lowder
71 points - 15 rebounds - 7
assists - 6 steals
Brad Monroe
25 points - 39 rebounds -
10 assists - 6 steals
Jaclyn Nucci
30 points - 32 rebounds - 9
assists - 6 steals - 3 blocks
Gabby Oglesby
63 points - 32 rebounds - 3
assists - 6 steals - 6 blocks
^ Josh Pittman
^^71 points - 19 rebounds
13 assists - 16 steals
Carson Sullivan
52 points - 32 rebounds -
18 assists - 7 steals
Players are listed in alphabetical order. Individuals'
statistics are from the past week's games.
Photos couptesy of GuiLFORDOUAKEfts.coM