NOVA News
October 16th, 2023
July is one of my favorite months of the year—and for good reason! We kick things off with fireworks, cookouts, and celebrations that bring family and friends together to honor the birth of our nation. The energy, the pride, the unity—it’s the perfect launchpad for what comes next: the most exciting stretch of our swim season.
That’s right—the long-course championship season is officially here!
This is the moment we’ve been building toward all year. Every early morning, every tough set, every stroke, turn, and finish—it’s all been leading to this. Now is the time to channel that hard work, focus your energy, and rise to the occasion.
Use every remaining practice to push your limits. Fine-tune the details. Sharpen your mindset. Trust your training, trust your coaches, and most importantly—trust yourself. You’ve earned this moment, and now it’s time to make it count.
July is packed with opportunities to shine:
Long Course District Champs – where swimmers from across the program unite to kick off the championship run with energy and excitement.
Virginia Swimming Senior Champs – a showcase for our 15 & over athletes to compete at the highest level in the state.
Virginia Age Group Champs – where our qualified 14 & unders bring their best to the blocks and show what they’re made of against the fastest swimmers in the state.
And for those who qualify, the season culminates with the NCSA Junior National Championships, USA Summer Junior Nationals, and the Eastern Zones Age Group Championships—elite meets that represent the pinnacle of summer competition.
These are more than just a swim meets. They are a celebration of your journey, your growth, and your resilience. It’s a chance to race with heart, to compete with pride, and to leave it all in the pool.
So dig deep. Stay focused. Swim with purpose. And remember—you’re not just racing for a time. You’re racing for your team, your coaches, your family, and yourself.
The day is yours—make it unforgettable.
Go NOVA!
NOVA Families,
Since our Wall Breaking Celebration and the launch of the Matching Grant Challenge, we’ve just passed a major milestone—over $100,000 raised toward our goal!
We’re working to raise $350,000 in pledges by July 31st to unlock $250,000 in matching grant funds from the Mary Morton Parsons Foundation and the Cabell Foundation. Every dollar you give gets us closer to completing the NOVA-Regency Aquatics Center and securing these critical funds for our team and our future.
We need every NOVA family to take part. A $2,500 pledge gets your family’s name on an individual brick on the ELEVATE donor wall, and leaves a lasting mark on this next chapter of NOVA’s story.
Let’s keep the momentum going. Please make your pledge by July 31st! The link below will take you directly to our pledge form.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeta6GWWsD8aONoySPxKS5eHJbgyxJDSIg6cFDTd46bRCaC6w/viewform
Check out our GIVING BENEFITS, and pledge today!
Leigh
NOVA's 11/12 swimmers headed to Lynchburg on a team travel trip to compete in the VA Commonwealth Games on June 19-22. These swimmers tackled the tight prelim/finals turn around in the meet with confidence and showed everyone how tough they really were. Fast swimming, supportive teammates, and lots of fun highlighted the weekend. Way to go NOVA!
June 26-29 NOVA swimmers of all ages raced hard at the NOVA Firecracker Invite. Swimmers lit up the pool in our last meet held in at Regency before our expansion project is completed. New time standards, new cuts and too many best times to count made the weekend one to remember!
Novice Bronze, Novice Silver, Novice Gold, Age Group Dev. Bronze, Age Group Dev. Silver, Age Group Dev. Gold, Age Group Bronze, Age Group Silver, Age Group Gold, Senior Dev. Bronze, Senior Dev. Silver, Senior Dev Gold, Senior Bronze, Senior Silver
NOVA's Senior and Senior Dev swimmers headed up 95 to race of of the regions best at the NCAP Elite Invite. Swimmers crushed it in the pool swimming in both the prelim/finals session and the timed finals session. New cuts, new time standards and many new best times highlighted the weekend.
Senior Dev. Gold, Senior Bronze, Senior Silver, Senior Gold, National
Now that the Firecracker Classic meet is behind us, construction activity has ramped up in a serious and very visible way on the 1st floor. We want to keep everyone informed and aware of closures and limited access to areas at Regency we have not experienced so far during construction.
First, please refer to the Pool Map. This is subject to change but is representative of where we stand today through early September.
This week, our General Contractor EDC, is building multiple temporary walls on the pool deck to ensure construction and regular NOVA programming can continue in a safe way for all involved. Walls will be constructed between the Warm-Up Pools & 50m pool, along the West side of the facility, and between the large bleachers and the 50m pool.
The following changes are the result:
- Very limited seating for parents on deck. The bleachers closest to the Coach's office are currently available however there will be no view of the 50m pool. The Lobby will remain partially open.
- Due to very tight deck space remaining open for Coaches and swimmers, there is no parent seating available in the 50m pool area.
- 1 section of bleachers remains in the 50m pool area for swimmers and gear. This bleacher is set up between the bathrooms under the record boards.
- Senior Team rooms will be closed in the near future.
- Large bathrooms / Changing rooms / Water fill stations will remain open.
- There will be 3 locations for swimmers to pass through the temporary walls where EDC is constructing secure passageways. These locations will be between the WU Pools and 50m Pool (look for blue stars on map).
We are committed to providing our swimmers the training space needed to crush the remainder of their Long Course seasons but it will require some patience from all of us. Our number one priority is to ensure a safe training environment but we need your help. Please make sure your swimmer is aware of these changes.
Please never hesitate to reach out to me directly or your child's coach with any questions or concerns. This will be a very exciting few months for NOVA!
Drew Hirth
Director of Operations
On June 28th, 14 NOVA swimmers headed out to the Blacksburg Quarry to participate in the 2025 VSI Open Water State Championship. Swimmers are eligible to compete in up to four different distances, the 5K, 3K, 1.5K, and the 500m swim. Swimming in the quarry is not simple, with the longer swims requiring multiple laps. This can make navigating race traffic just as difficult as the swim itself! NOVA swam great with both our new and experienced swimmers swimming tough races in the 5k, 3k, and 1.5k. Way to go NOVA!
-Coach Sean
5K Women
Claire Stuhlmacher- 2nd 58:00.51
5K Men
Caleb Coyne- 15th 1:02:00.80
Bryson Worthington- 19th 1:04:00.28
Jackson Mueller- 20th 1:04:00.52
3K Women
Orielle Hall- 1st 36:00.53
Nora Francis- 5th 40:00.23
Maddie Goodman- 6th 41:00.19
3K Men
James Wallin- 1st 36:00.00
Xavi Cornelius- 2nd 36:00.51
Colston Worthington- 9th 39:00.49
Tyler Melson- 10th 40:00.02
Cole Stuhlmacher- 12th 42:00.55
1.5K Women
Fergy Ferguson- 2nd 20:00.39
1.5K Men
Trent Abbott- 1st 18:00.44
Will Wallin- 3rd 20:00.52
13 and over PPOW
12 and under PPOW
This week's 12 & Under Practice Performer of the Week is Lily Fatt from Age Group Dev. Gold. Lily has been leading the way in practice, setting the bar high every single day with her work ethic and determination. Her recent performances have been nothing short of impressive—tearing through time standards and adding several more AAAA times to her name. She’s also earned a spot on the NOVA 9–10 year old All-Time Top 10 list!
What truly sets Lily apart, however, is not just her speed in the pool, but her humility and team spirit. She consistently demonstrates the qualities of a great teammate—supportive, focused, and driven. We’re proud of all she’s accomplished and excited to see what’s next!
