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The banners
gracing the walls of the NOVA Aquatics Center tell part of the NOVA
story: championships captured, excellence
achieved. They chronicle the swift ascent of a
team whose name has been synonymous with fast
swimming.
In 1987, NOVA’s very
first year of existence, a largely age group team won the State
Championship. NOVA was different then, a composite team comprised
of three branches located at Woodlake, Burkwood and University of
Richmond. The composite team remained united for several very
successful seasons, then broke apart as each wing decided to embark
on a new
direction.
While the old
NOVA ceased to exist, the name endured and was inherited by the
University of Richmond branch of the program.
The new NOVA program prospered and grew despite losing access to
all evening time at U of R. A three-year move
across town to the North Richmond YMCA ended with the building of
the NOVA Aquatics Center, two ten lane 25 yard swimming pools in
Richmond’s Far West
End.
Over the years, the team has
grown from ninety swimmers to over five hundred
fifty. And, as the State swimming records
clearly indicate, NOVA has made its share of splashes in the pool
of Virginia Swimming.
A list of the achievements of
NOVA swimmers:
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Olympic Trials
Qualifiers
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Olympic Trials
Finalist
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Individual Senior National
Champion
-
National “A” and “B” team
members
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National Junior team
selectees
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Multiple Junior National and
Junior Championships Southeast
Champions
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Multiple Top Ten Team finishes at Junior
Champs
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More individual Senior National qualifiers than
any team in Virginia Swimming in the
1990’s
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Multiple All Metro
Honorees
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Multiple All Metro Swimmers of the
Year
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Multiple National Age Group Top 16 qualifiers and
honorees
-
National Age Group Record
breakers - relay and
individual
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Multiple Academic All
Americans
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Multiple Virginia State Record breakers - relay
and individual
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Multiple Eastern Zones
qualifiers and champions
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A tradition of leadership evidenced by an
astounding percentage of NOVA swimmers going on to become captains
of their college squads
As noted
previously, NOVA families and swimmers also succeeded in a race
that offered only their own doubts and fears as an obstacle: a race
to build their own fully owned and operated
Natatorium. Thanks to these efforts, NOVA is a
shining star on a local, state, regional and national
level.
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