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Wildcat wants to make waves
By STEVE LEE © St. Petersburg Times, published August 25, 2000 WESLEY CHAPEL -- Autumn Yanchunis has plenty of club team victories, but, to her, nothing compares with qualifying for last November's state high school swim meet. "It felt great," Yanchunis said of competing in the Class A state meet at the Orlando International YMCA Aquatic Center. "I felt really proud to be the only one there to represent Wesley Chapel." Yanchunis, who excels in the 50-yard, 100 and 200 freestyle races, is in the history books as the first Wildcat to reach states. She qualified for the state meet by winning the 100 free and placing third in the 50 free at the Class A, District 3 meet. At states, Yanchunis finished in the top 30 in those events. "This year, I hope to do better and maybe make it to the consolation (rounds)," she said enthusiastically. "That would be awesome." Wesley Chapel coach Kristi Frye felt Yanchunis was a leader from the outset. That role, the coach said, fueled the junior to swim faster as the season progressed. "She saw our team as maybe her second team," Frye said of Yanchunis comparing the first-year Wildcats to Team New Tampa, her club team. "Then, as we went through the meets she saw herself as a leader. By states, she was just pumped." Confident in her ability as well as being outspoken, Yanchunis relishes the leadership role. "It's fun to go into practice and tell people, "Oh, when you do it this way it might help,"' Yanchunis said. Upon hearing some Wildcats speak of how Yanchunis seems to glide through the water faster than any of her teammates, Frye was quick to quell the notion that swimming comes easy to her. "I want the other swimmers to look at her and see what the hard work brought her," Frye said. "She's got the talent, but it's not coming to her so easily and that's what I want to other kids to see." What they see is Yanchunis swimming four legs of a relay against four teammates splitting up a race during practice. And nine out of 10 times, Frye said, Yanchinis touches the wall first. "(Yanchunis will) swim the whole race herself and there's somebody fresh so they can push her," the coach said. "That's the way she has to get pushed. There's no other way to do it." Aside from Wesley Chapel's high school schedule, Yanchunis will compete in area and regional swim meets for Team New Tampa this fall. She swims twice daily to prepare for the load, practicing with the Wildcats at 5:30 a.m. then with her club team at 4:30 p.m. "She's always happy, gung-ho, smiling, hard-working," Frye said. "You never have to fight at 5:30 in the morning to get her going." Having her father, Jim Yanchunis, as an assistant coach, also helps. But Autumn would be at both practices regardless of her father's status, because she simply has a burning passion for the sport. "I get tired sometimes when I have really hard practices," she said, "but the next day I feel energized to go again." The two-a-days as well as competing for two teams have Yanchunis believing that she will be a state contender this year, not just a qualifier. "It will take a lot of double practices and doing what I am now; getting up at 4:30 and then swimming again (after school)," she said.
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