NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — A dozen local high school swimmers will get a taste of collegiate competition this week in Columbia, Mo.
The Northwest Arkansas Aquatics and Razorback Aquatic Club teams are sending several swimmers to the Speedo Champions Series Central Section Region VIII Championships.
The sectional event features the top swimmers from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska, and college swimmers will be entered in the field.
“They’re all good swimmers to be at this level,” RAC coach Scott Berry said. “It’s good for the high school kids to have these older kids to chase after. It’s a lot of fun.”
The four-day event starts today at the University of Missouri’s Mizzou Aquatic Center.
NWAA coach Steve Duwel said the competition will be a good experience for Sharks swimmers Jim Parker, Pearson Gean, Jessie Nemesi, Clara Bracy and Justin Potter, who are all entering their senior years.
“They’ve all had colleges contact them and they all have good leads on places they want to go,” Duwel said. “This is the kind of level that they’re heading into. It will be a great experience.”
Lauren Tininenko, Joey Nemesi and Chris Hyatt will also represent the Sharks this week.
Duwel said Bracy carried a solid winter season into the summer session.
“She came out this summer on fire,” he said. “She took it upon herself to not really take much of a break between short course and long course (seasons). It showed in her results immediately.”
The other Sharks are building momentum toward the end of the summer. Nemesi is making his first trip to the sectional meet and Hyatt is working hard before returning to Missouri State for his senior season.
Michael Haefner is also home from college, working out with the AquaHawgs before returning to Big East champ Louisville for his sophomore season.
“It’s fun to have him back,” Berry said. “Swimming in college is a goal of a lot of the younger kids on the team. It’s good to have him around to see what they can achieve some day if they work hard and dedicate themselves like Michael has.”
Sasha Hall, Jimmy Burch, Gage Crosby, Jenny Holtzen, Austin Hunt and Dexter Thomas will also represent the AquaHawgs.
Hall will continue to train with the AquaHawgs while attending Arkansas, Berry said, while the others return to high school this year.
Crosby and Holtzen both competed in the spring sectional meet in March and won events.
There are a few meets left this summer, including next week’s Arkansas Swimming, Inc., Age Group Championships in Fayetteville, but the sectional has been a goal for these local swimmers.
“They’ve worked all year toward this meet,” Berry said. “This is one that these kids have really been focusing on and training for.”
Haefner and former AquaHawg swimmer Ellis Miller, who is now training in Baltimore, will both swim at the 2010 ConocoPhillips National Championships in California next month, and Crosby and Holtzen are qualified for their first Speedo Junior National Championships.
Gean also qualified for the Junior Nationals but likely won’t compete as his senior football season at Bentonville begins.
Gean, Tininenko and Parker already have cuts for next spring’s Junior National meet.