Smoky Mountain swimming standout Allie Lewis has
signed to continue her career at UNC-Wilmington.
Lewis also considered Western Kentucky and Clemson before settling
on the Seahawks.
"Basically, UNC-Wilmington fit my personality better,"
Lewis said. "I had a chance to get to know some of the
team members, and the girls were really nice. I also like that
it's at the beach."
Lewis said she is happy to be following a family tradition by
swimming collegiately. Her brother, Nat, earned All-American
honors at Arizona and participated in the 2000 Olympic Trials.
Her sister, Abigail, is a junior on N.C. State's swim team.
Smoky Mountain's Allie Lewis has signed to continue her swimming
career at UNC-Wilmington. She is flanked by her parents, Jim
and Johanna Lewis. Standing are Bob Floerchinger (left), her
aquatic club coach, and SM Athletic Director Si Simmons. Her
mother is also her high school coach. - Herald photo by Carey
King
She joined her older siblings on the Jackson
County Swim Team at age 5.
"I started because Nat and Abigail were swimming,"
she said. "I didn't really enjoy it until I was 12."
While her brother was a little too old to have a swimming rivalry
with, she said her sister would often push her in practice.
Lewis considers the 200 individual medley her best event. She
also expects to swim the butterfly in college.
"I'm always wanted to swim in college," she said.
"It just came up really fast. I'm glad I will have a career
in swimming four more years."
As for her final high school campaign, her goal is to become
an All-American. That's based on achieving certain times in
various events. She's within about a second in the 100 fly,
but she noted a second is a lot in that event.
"It would be nice to win a state championship, but I'm
more focused on All-American because I can control that,"
she said. "I can't control the times of my competition."
Bob Floerchinger has coached Lewis the past two and a half years
with the Smoky Mountain Aquatic Club in Waynesville. He said
he noticed a change in her attitude about a year ago.
"I think she finally started realizing some of her potential,"
he said. "She decided to stop playing soccer and concentrate
on swimming year round. It's the first time she's really been
serious about taking it to the next level."
Lewis agreed with that assessment.
"I finally realized if I was going to college I needed
to focus on one sport," she said.
"If she keeps the positive attitude, I think she will do
really well in college," Floerchinger said.
Lewis is the daughter of Jim and Johanna Lewis of Cullowhee.
Her mother is her high school coach.
"I'm really pleased she has the opportunity to work with
such a long-established program and to work with such an experienced
coach as Dave Allen," Coach Lewis said. "I'm excited
for Allie to have the opportunity to continue her swimming career,
and I know she is too."
Coach Lewis credited the Jackson County Swim Team, the Smoky
Mountain Aquatic Club and the high school swim team for preparing
her daughter for the "wonderful opportunity" to swim
in college.
