North Gwinnett High School Swimmer Emma Reiser Voted ITG Next Georgia Female Athlete of the Month for February 2023
Congratulations to Emma Reiser of North Gwinnett High School, our February 2023 ITG Next Georgia Female Athlete of the Month, presented by Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance. Emma was one of four nominees selected for their outstanding accomplishments recently, and she received the most votes to win the award.
Emma won the state championship in the 500-yard freestyle, her second consecutive state title in the event. She also won a state title as a member of North Gwinnett’s 200-yard medley in this year’s state swim meet at Georgia Tech’s Aquatic Center. She finished third in the 200-yard freestyle event.
Her efforts in winning the state title this year also paved the way for her North Gwinnett swim team to capture its first-ever team swim state championship. The Bulldogs defeated rival Brookwood to capture the GHSA Class 7A state championship.
“Emma is hard to defeat in the water, especially in the 500-yard freestyle event,” said her coach, North Gwinnett head swim coach Paul Callis. “The fact that she’s won it two years in a row just underscores how good she is.”
The Bulldogs swim coach said that in addition to her two state titles, Emma has also broke two school records.
“She owns the school 500 freestyle record and anchored the 4×100 free relay for a school record,” he said.
Last year, as a sophomore, Emma finished second in the state in the 200 freestyle. She was the county champion in that event, as well as state champion in the 500.
Callus recalls first seeing Reiser swim when she joined the team as a freshman. Now he considers her to be one of the best at North Gwinnett.
“Emma is already one of the top two or three girls to ever come through North Gwinnett, and we’ve had some of the best,” Callis said, mentioning past North Gwinnett swimmers Marianne Allard and Caroline Kenny as two of the school’s top alumni. “Emma has one more season here at North Gwinnett, and she has a real chance at becoming the GOAT of NGHS.”
Emma was delighted when informed of the award
“Winning the ITG Next Georgia Athlete of the Month is a huge honor for me,” she said. “I am very grateful for my teammates and coaches who I couldn’t have done it without. It’s very exciting and rewarding to see my hard work pay off.”
That hard work has indeed paid off in a big way.
Reiser committed to the University of South Carolina late last year, but the North Gwinnett junior says there is still work to be done as she returns for her senior season with the Bulldogs swim team, including capturing that elusive 200 freestyle championship.
“I am hoping to win another title in the 500 free and win the 200 free for the first time,” she said. “I also hope to win the state again as a team.”
