Cougars advance to regionals

Clark swimmers brought their “A” game to the Northside Natatorium on Saturday, January 30^th for 28-5A District Swim Championships.  Arriving very early on that morning, Clark Cougars were ready to demonstrate what they had been working for since the first day of practice in August.

The day began with preliminary competition from 9 am – 1 pm, and the top 8 finishers in each event returned at 5 pm to warm-up for the 6:00 pm finals.   All 6 Clark relay teams returned for the finals and 29 lanes in the individual events were occupied by a Clark Cougar.At the end of finals, the Clark girls earned a 3^rd place district finish, and Clark boys placed 4^th.  This accomplishment was achieved in one of the most competitive Northside swim seasons.  Coach Tony Plummer said, “In our first team meeting, I alluded to the increased competition at the District level.  We all witnessed that on Saturday.  I want everyone to know how proud I am of the kids.  They never quit.  They never counted themselves out of any race.  That’s character and that will stay with them forever.”

A measure of team success is the number of personal bests achieved in a Championship meet. At Districts, 23 “single best” times were reached.  That is the fastest lifetime best for that swimmer in either prelims or finals.  And, 13 “double best” times were swum by Clark on Saturday, in addition to the single best.   A double best time is a swimmer achieving their fastest time in prelims and going back a few hours later to swim finals even faster in that event.  In total,  49 Clark personal bests were reached!   Coach Plummer concludes, “The personal best list is impressive.  Can a Coach ask for any more than that?   Go out and swim faster than you ever had before.  And these kids did.”

The top 6 finishers in every event at Districts go on to compete at Regionals on Feb. 12 and 13^th at the Josh Davis Natatorium (Blossom Complex.)   Prelims begin at 2 pm on Friday and finals are at 2 pm on Saturday.   Please come out and support the Clark Cougars at the Region VII- 5A meet!   Wear your black and white!

FULL RESULTS

PHOTOS