Campbell Steps Up For Rogers High Swim Team

ROGERS -- Evan Campbell is making up for lost time in a big way.

Campbell took a two-year break from the pool and club swimming, but the Rogers High sophomore decided to give the sport another try when he joined the Mounties' swim team as a freshman.

"I just decided to give it up for awhile,"he said. "But I was missing it and one of my old coaches encouraged me to tryout for high school swim."

Campbell didn't post the best of times in individual events last year, but he did earn a spot on two Rogers relay teams that qualified for the state meet. With a boost in confidence this season, Campbell is in striking distance of hitting a qualifying state time in the 100 free and the 100 backstroke.

Swimmers can qualify for the state meet by meeting the qualifying time during the regular season, finish in the top two in an event at the conference meet or have one of the best 16 times in the state in the event.

"Evan is getting stronger every day," said Rogers coach Rob Bray. "He is working hard, and he is focused on what he has to do to qualify for the state meet. He is very, very close. It is just flip turns, managing the walls and the starts that are the big things. If he can be more efficient at the edges of the pool, Evan should be able to get there."

Campbell, who also swims for the Sharks club team out of Bentonville, basically trains 52 weeks a year now and that dedication is starting to payoff off. He is just one second off the qualifying time in the 100 free and five seconds off the mark in the 100 backstroke.

"I swim almost every day and that is helping me with my speed and my endurance," he said. "I have a really good club team that is also helping me get faster. I just have to go a little faster and cut some bad stuff out that is affecting my times."

Bray said that Campbell has emerged as a leader in and out of the water, and he expects the sophomore to qualify for the state meet.

"Evan does the right things, he takes charge of stuff," Bray said. "Evan has expectations for himself and others. Evan shows that demeanor everyday in practice. He is real close. He was a lot farther away last year, but he worked hard this summer and he trains daily. That has made the difference."

Campbell said the experience of swimming as a freshman encouraged him to be a leader on a team that has just two seniors.

"The reason I took on a leadership role is because the seniors last year pushed me hard to be better," Campbell said. "I was one of only two freshmen that swam last year with the varsity seniors. I felt after that experience that I needed to step up and be a better swimmer and help my team get better.

"That experience swimming at the state meet really helped me this year."

Paul Nielsen can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAPaul