TUPELO – Seeing Starkville Swim Team’s young aquatic athletes grab some medals and stand proud on the podium last week at the Mississippi Swimming Inc. Long Course Championships provided a powerful injection of cheer into what was a bittersweet day for head coach Melissa Hubley.
It was her last meet as head coach of the team, and what a meet it was.
Timur Gabitov, a 14-year-old Starkville High School student, and Evalyn Wu, an 11-year-old student at Partnership Middle School, both put on a podium placing display as they captured a combined two gold medals and six silver medals. Their performances earned them a trip to Orlando, Florida, to compete in the Southern Zone Age Group Championships, which begin on July 30. The two were joined at the meet by seven other Starkville Swimmers.
The Starkville Swim Team poses for a photo during the Mississippi Swimming Inc. Long Course Championships held in Tupelo last week. In the first row, from left, are Britten Whittington, Baraka Nyatta, Timur Gabitov and Cole Tucker; in the second row are Evalyn Wu, Effia Wu, AddyGrace Whittington, Axl Landers and Cooper Koehn. Right: The Starkville Swim Team competed at the Mississippi Swimming Inc. Long Course Championships last week in Tupelo. Hanging out in the pool, from left, are team members Cole Tucker, Cooper Koehn, Axl Landers and AddyGrace Whittington. Photos by Ashely McCain/Starkville Swimming
Gabitov placed first in the 400-meter individual medley and in the 200-meter butterfly. His two second place swims were in the 100-meter butterfly and the 400-meter individual medley. Wu notched four silver medals in the 50-meter breaststroke, 100-meter backstroke, 50-meter backstroke and the 50-meter freestyle.
“She’s talented,” Hubley said of Wu. “She, especially in her races, gives 100% every time. So, she’s exciting to watch and has a bright future as well.”
Cooper Koehn earned second place in the 50-meter breaststroke, Baraka Nyatta placed fifth in the 200-meter backstroke and sixth in the 100-meter backstroke, Effia Wu placed seventh in the 200-meter breaststroke, Britten Whittington notched 10th in the 200-meter backstroke, Axl Landers placed seventh in the 100-meter backstroke, Cole Tucker improved his best times in the 50-meter breaststroke and 50-meter backstroke at his first ever meet and AddyGrace Whittington helped the 200-meter freestyle relay team earn eighth place.
Hubley said Gabitov’s meet was especially exciting because he’s been battling back from a broken leg he suffered over a year ago that kept him out of the pool for a while.
“He was already starting to show his talent and his prospects for the future, and that kind of set him back. I just feel like since he’s come back it’s been this steady rise,” she said. “He comes into practice ready to work. If there is a part of the set where he can choose something harder he’ll choose that harder thing. … He just embraces that part of swimming. It’s difficult, it’s painful and he just does it everyday with a smile on his face. Any setbacks he’s ever had, whether they’re small or big, he can just brush them off. If he doesn’t have a good swim, he can forget about it, but when he is focused and is really feeling good in the moment – he is improving so rapidly and it’s exciting to see.”
It’s stories like that which make leaving the team hard for Hubley, a former Washington State University swimmer. She has spent four years with the team, the last 18 months as head coach, and helped guide the program from being a branch of Shockwave Aquatics in Tupelo to establishing itself as its own organization during her tenure, along with coaching her swimmers to many medals and podium finishes.
“I was really proud of that process to (become) a community team,” she said.
But as the full-time aquatics coordinator at Mississippi State University and mother to three children, the time commitment to the Starkville Swim Team had become too much to handle. So, standing on the side of the pool as the team’s coach for one last meet left her having to battle back some tears.
“I wasn’t so emotional all the time, but a handful of times during the meet it started to feel overwhelming because I put so much time and energy into these swimmers,” said Hubley, who also is the head swimming coach at Starkville High School. “And to see them exceed their goals and winning medals and getting best times, just seeing their joy and excitement of them reaping the benefits of their hard work, it was definitely emotional at times. I will miss being the one to see them through that process.”
But don’t worry. Hubley may not be the team’s head coach, Donald Williams is now the new man in charge, but she isn’t leaving Starkville. She’s still going to work at State and can still be found coaching swimmers at local pools. She said the Starkville Swim Team is primed for success under its new coach.
“I’m really happy with where the team is at, and it looks to have a bright future under (under Williams),” Hubley said.
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