Allatoona’s Noah Smith became a state champion in the 50-yard freestyle and finished second in the 100 freestyle in the Class AAAAAA state swimming championships.
For his efforts, Smith was named the Boys Swimmer of the Year by the Cobb Swim Coaches Association.
“I’m super grateful to have received such a high award,” Smith said. “I’m really glad I had amazing friends and crazy good competition to make this year even better.”
Although Allatoona placed ninth overall, which included a sixth-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay and 10th in the 400 freestyle relay, Smith was excited to participate in any way to help the team.
“I love my team,” Smith said. “They’re fun to compete and work with. It all ends up being really fun to do with my team, and I’m glad I’m part of it.”
Smith, the second-ranked swimmer in the class of 2024 by Swimcloud, reflected on his past and the steps he took to earn his honor.
“I started competitively swimming after performing well at my first couple of state meets at age 11-12,” Smith said. “I signed up for (Tidal Wave Swimming) after seeing I had a few friends on the team, and it would be a great way to keep active all year.”
The 6-foot-6 sophomore continues to swim year-round, currently with the Stingrays under coach Ian Goss, who has been with the program for 32 years, has coached two Olympians and was USA Swimming National coach three times.
“Noah is a very competitive swimmer,” Allatoona coach Jennifer Dorrough said. “His energy and drive to compete for first is unmatched. He wants to help his team win, and he gives the inspiration and encouragement to do so. He’s all around a great kid and deserved every accolade he’s gotten.”
Smith said he started looking into going further into his competitive swimming last year.
“I’ve been looking into colleges in Division I, and a few in Division II,” he said. “I’ve learned from others who graduated these past few years that waiting until the last second to commit is not the move.”
When asked about the potential of becoming an Olympic swimmer, Smith said it is one of his long-term goals.
“The Olympics would be amazing, but that’s going to take a lot of work and I’ve got a year-and-a-half to at least make the first-wave trials cut in order to give it a shot,” Smith said. “My coach believes that, with the right amount of technical work and training, I could make it.”
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