Congratulations to the Bainbridge High School Bearcats and Lay Cats swim teams on winning the Region 1-AAAAA championship.
Lady Cat Tara Stevens will advance on to the state meet this weekend at Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
Bearcats and Lady Cats swim coach Gretta Conner and her swimmers have all done an outstanding job. They are strong swimmers in both the boys and girls event.
State competitor Tara Stevens leads the Lady Cats team. She participates on the 200-meter medley relay and 400-meter freestyle relay teams.
Joining Stevens on the 200-meter medley relay team were Kay Bush, Lynsey Waddell, and Taylor Bush. Joining her on the 400-meter freestyle relay team were Taylor Bush, Jennifer Cerone and Kay Bush.
Stevens was also strong in the individual events, excelling in the 100-meter freestyle and the 100-meter backstroke.
Taylor Bush and Lynsey Waddell were strong in the 200-meter individual medley and the 100-meter breaststroke.
Top Bearcats swimmers are 200-meter medley relay team members Nour Hasona, Eric Conner, Carson Harrell and Josh Morehead.
Conner and Moorehead were also on the Bearcats 400-meter freestyle relay team with Hema Hasona and Stanton Long.
Bearcats turning in strong individual event efforts were Eric Conner in the 400-meter and 400-meter freestyles and Carson Harrell in the 100-meter breaststroke.
I have been covering swim teams at Bainbridge High School, the Bainbridge Decatur County YMCA and the Bainbridge Leisure Services Department for many years and I know the kind of a great work effort and strong dedication swimmers have.
My good friend and Bainbridge High School athletic director Stan Killough put their effort and dedication in perspective when I talked to him to him Thursday.
“Our swimmers have as much team spirit as any sports team that I have ever been around,” Killough said. “When they are not in a race themselves they are competing hard and when they are not competing they are there cheering for their teammates who are competing.”
That is what swimming is all about.