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SCAT swimmer wins Jr. National title

In the fall of 2002 the Southern Crescent Aquatic Team had an impressive senior group. There were national qualifiers and many other swimmers that had a taste of age group success. One swimmer in particular caught the eye of the new head coach, Jamey Myers, going by the name Noah Copeland. There was a way that Copeland presented himself when it came to his work ethic and, quite frankly, his lack of experience that sparked a glimmer of hope. Little did Coach Myers know that Copeland’s naïvete would be the culprit to his unforeseen accomplishments.

The first time Copeland pushed off the wall and flailed his lanky arms out of the water it was thought that it would be a long road ahead. Constant attempted stroke correction didn’t seem to result in efficient technique, but the willpower and determination more than made up for his unflattering freestyle. All that could be done was fight the on-going battle of reinforcement and hard-work, not unlike any other swimmer.

As Copeland matured the sky began to clear, but there were still clouds lingering above. In the winter of 2004, he was less than a second off qualifying for the Junior National Championships in the 200 yard free. Over the course of the season Copeland had dropped a total of seven seconds in the 200 yard distance, an impressive drop for any swimmer. After the winter season, Myers began to believe that Copeland would soon sit atop a podium. The summer of 2004 was a successful season for Copeland as he qualified for Junior Nationals in the 200 meter free while competing as a member of the Georgia State Zone Team. In short, the fun had just begun.

Anticipation was the word that could sum-up the mind-set of the coaching staff regarding the 2004-2005 season for Copeland. He continued to grow as a swimmer both mentally and physically. There was sarcastic talk between Myers and Copeland that if he worked hard enough he may be able to break B.J. Jones’ team record in the 200 yard free of 1:38.9. Jones is a very accomplished swimmer who represented Auburn (this year’s NCAA Division I Men’s Champions) and is considered as one of Auburn’s most valuable middle distance swimmers.

At the conclusion of the fall season of 2004 Copeland had produced a 1:40.2 in the 200 distance. The previous sarcastic talk of a new team record began to take a more serious tone. In the middle of the winter of 2005 he finally broke the 1:40 barrier and swam to a second place finish with a 1:39.99 at Georgia High School State Championships. The Junior National Championships in Orlando would be the last meet for Copeland’s 2005 short-course season. His preliminary swim of the 200 free in Orlando was discouraging primarily because he barely made the championship final by less than 2 tenths of a second. Myers began to think that maybe the tank had run dry for the season and if Copeland could swim a best time then it would rap the season on a positive note.

Before the championship final Copeland explained to Myers that he would swim as fast as he could from the start. Representing the team from lane 8, he was ready for battle. When Copeland jumped in for the race Myers knew that if he was ahead halfway through the race he would become a Junior National champion because his freestyle looked incredibly strong. Myers was correct and Copeland lead the race from start to finish touching in a time of 1:38.59 breaking B.J. Jones’ team record, winning the championship final, and qualifying for Senior Nationals (all in one swim).

Copeland’s 200 freestyle swim at the Junior National Championships is truly one of the most phenomenal performances from any swimmer representing the Southern Crescent Aquatic Team.