USDS Swimmers, Marcus Titus and Rebecca Meyers Share 2011 USADSF Sportspersons of the Year

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Posted by USADSF Staff | 31.01.2012

Copied from the official press release from USADSF:

Sioux Falls, SD - January 31, 2012

Two United States swimmers have been chosen as the 2011 Male and Female Sportsperson of the Year by the USA Deaf Sports Federation. Marcus Titus and Rebecca Meyers both outshone the competition at the World Deaf Swimming Championships last summer in Portugal to earn this distinction.

Titus has been amongst the USA’s top breaststrokers for the past several years. His best finish/time occurred at the August 2011 ConocoPhillips Nationals, where he clocked 1:00.80 in the 100m breaststroke and finished 3rd. At the World Championships, Titus earned nine medals, including five golds, at the Championships in Coimbra, Portugal.

Meyers finished off a stellar year by winning six total medals – including four golds – and she twice lowered world championship records in both the 400m and the 800m freestyle races.

Meyers was also part of the United States' 800m freestyle team that set an overall deaf world record. She swam the anchor leg of the 800m freestyle relay to finish in 8:49.55, as she, Peggy Liang, Kristin Ates and Samantha Elam edged the previous world record of 8.50.09 set two years ago by Russia.

All of Titus’ 100m breaststroke times at 2010-2011 national-level meets bettered the Olympic Trials qualifying time standard of 1:04.69. He is currently ranked, in the world, 19th in the 50 LCM breaststroke and 29th in the 100.

To add further perspective about the quality of Titus' performances, the 8th place time in 100m breaststroke at the 2011 FINA World Championships in Shanghai was 1:00.52. His 100m breaststroke time is also impressive in comparison to the Deaf World record of 1:03.11 established at the 2000 Sydney Olympics by Terence Parkin from the Republic of South Africa.

Titus owns the World Deaf Swimming long course meters records in the 50m freestyle (23.83), 100m freestyle (51.42), 50m breaststroke (28.47), and 100m breaststroke (1:00.00). He currently holds American Deaf Swimming long course meters records in the 50/100 freestyle, 50/100/200 breaststroke, and 50 butterfly, as well as short course yards records in the 50 freestyle and 100/200 breaststroke, along with the 4x100 freestyle relay.

Just recently at the 2011 AT&T Winter National Championships, Marcus finished 2nd in the 100m breaststroke, behind the decorated Olympian, Brendan Hansen but ahead of the events’ reigning 2004 and 2008 Olympic Champion Kosuk Kitajima.

Meyers, who is a high school junior, helped her school, Notre Dame Prep, (Baltimore, Md.) win the IAAM A Conference championship earlier this year and also swims for Loyola Blakefield Aquatics. She also won a bronze medal two years ago at the Deaflympics in Taiwan.

Titus is a graduate of the University of Arizona and also swims competitively for his local club, Tucson Ford Aquatics.

Information in this article was obtained from the Baltimore Sun and from the USA Deaf Swimming Association.

To obtain more information please contact Chris Kaftan, the Communications & Media Specialist at kaftan@usdeafsports.org.

About USADSF USADSF is the only national athletic association in the United States that coordinates the participation of American deaf and hard of hearing individuals in international sport competitions. The Federation is affiliated with the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) and has hosted the Summer Deaflympics in 1965 (Washington, DC) and 1985 (Los Angeles), and the Winter Deaflympics in 1975 (Lake Placid, NY) and 2007 (Salt Lake City). The Games Preparation Committee, a standing committee of the Federation, coordinates with the Executive Board and each National Sport Organization to organize and prepare U.S. teams for the Deaflympics, Pan-American Deaf Sports Organization (PANAMDES) Games and World Championships

Click the PDF below to view the official announcement from USADSF:

 

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