GPAC’s Brooke Ferrara, in her third consecutive appearance on the Southeastern Swimming Zone Team, took the medal stand six times, four for relays and twice individually, at the 2013 Southern Zone Age Group Championship held in Greenville, SC July 30-August 3.

Ferrara, 15, was the lead-off swimmer for both the 400m freestyle relay and the 200m freestyle relay for Southeastern Swimming that won gold. Her swim in the backstroke leg of the medley relay was just .38 seconds off her best time posted at Southeastern Championships two weeks prior, and her lead-off freestyle leg was a best time and a USa Swimming Junior National B Standard. This was the second consecutive victory for Southeastern Swimming’s 400 medley relay with Brooke swimming the lead leg. The Southeastern Swimming teams also collected a silver medal in the 400m medley and a bronze in the 200m medley relay.

Individually, Brooke claimed two silver medals. Her preliminary swim in the 100m backstroke had her seeded first going into finals, just off her best time. She was first at the turn, and touched a scant .15 seconds behind the swimmer from Team Florida. Although she did not improve her best time, her swim at SES Championships qualified her for Junior National Championships held in December.

Brooke’s final individual swim of the meet was perhaps her best. Qualifying for the finals, Brooke had a tremendous race that evening, dropping over a half second to grab silver for the team, and setting her second Junior National qualifying time (26.98).

The Southeastern Swimming zone team is made up of applicants in each age group, whose best swims earn “power points” that are added to establish the best swimmer in each event.  These swimmers are then ranked, and then selected to represent the LSC in this competition.  The Zone Championship meet is attended by “all-star” squads from across the Southeast, from West Virginia and Kentucky, to Louisiana and Northern Texas.

GPAC is very proud of Brooke and her representation of our team and Southeastern Swimming at the Zone meet this summer.