Sharks prepare for state meet

July 24, 2008 10:42 pm

— MOULTRIE — The Moultrie Sharks 15-18 boys relay teams have spent plenty of time the last two weeks working on their exchanges and Coach Pierre Rogers hopes the extra attention will pay off in medals at this weekend’s state swim meet.
Austin Dorminey, Jared Hanna, Chris Phillips and Connor Walsh will swim in the relay events for the Sharks in the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association’s state B/C meet, which will run today and Saturday at the Baldwin Drive Aquatic Center in Tifton.
Eleven Sharks qualified for the state meet at the District III meet, held July 12, also at the Tifton pool.
Also swimming for the Sharks this weekend will be Ashlee Paramore, Andy Alekseichuk, Nicholas Cordista, Darien Irby, Jessica Price, Amber Phillips and Austin Vines.
The 15-18 boys quartet turned in first-place finishes in both the 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard medley relay events at the District III meet.
“They’ve been doing a lot of starts, a lot of exchanges, so they’ll be ready,” Rogers said. “They’ve become more of a team now.
“They’ve got a purpose. They have the potential to go real fast.”
In the medley event, Dorminey will swim the butterfly; Hanna, the breaststroke, Phillips, the freestyle; and Walsh, the backstroke.
Phillips is expected to swim the anchor in the freestyle event. Rogers said he was unsure of what order his swimmers will compete in in the freestyle relay.
Dorminey, who will swim at Darton College next season, is the stabilizing influence on the relay teams, Rogers said. He also will swim in the 50-yard backstroke event.
Walsh also will swim in the 100-yard individual medley and 50-yard backstroke events.
“He is really starting to come into his own,” Rogers said of Walsh.
“He’s a lot stronger this summer. He’s setting the stage for the high school season. He’ll be a team leader.”
Like Dorminey, Paramore will be swimming in her final GRPA events on Saturday.
She also will swim at Darton next season.
“She’s been a great contributor during her long career with us,” Rogers said. “And she’s helped coach our young swimmers this summer.”
Paramore will compete in the 15-18 girls 100-yard freestyle and 50-yard backstroke events.
Vines will swim with a bit of a handicap this weekend after breaking his foot.
Although he is walking with a protective “boot,” Vines has been cleared to swim in the 13-14 boys 100-yard individual medley and 50-yard backstroke.
“And he just moved up in age group,” Rogers said of Vines. “But he swims with a lot of emotion. He could have breakout swim at any time.”
Alekseichuk, in 11-12 boys, will swim the 50-yard freestyle and 50-yard breaststroke.
Cordista, also in 11-12 boys, will swim the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard individual medley.
Irby swam his first meet at District and qualified for state in the 13-14 boys freestyle.
Price will swim in the 15-18 girls 50-yard freestyle and 50-yard breaststroke.
Amber Phillips will swim in the 15-18 girls 50-yard freestyle.
Asked how he expected his swimmers to do at the state meet, Rogers said, “It’s hard to say. But we’ll put some kids in the finals for sure.”
The 8-and-under and 9-10 events will be held today. The 11-12, 13-14 and 15-18 events will be held on Saturday. Competition will begin at 9 each morning.