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Local swimming troupe shines at Americus event

• Albany’s Flint River Rapids club swim team — also Georgia's only Level 2 USA-Swimmingtroupe — won the Kirt Myers Blue Tide Classic in Americus last Saturday.

Derek Barichello

AMERICUS — If nothing else, the Flint River Rapids showed they are ready for the state championships coming up in July.

The Albany-based swimming club, which is Georgia's only USA-Swimming Level 2 team, finished in first place for the second year in a row at the Kirt Myers Blue Tide Classic last Saturday, placing ahead of runner-up Americus Blue Tide by 33 points.

"This was an excellent tune up meet for us," Rapids head coach Jeff DeMott said. "This is the longest running contest in Southwest Georgia and this is the fifth time in 10 years we've won this. So we feel proud about that."

And for those who don't know, just exactly what does it mean to be a Level 2 team?

"It's a way for U.S.A. swimming to rank the degree of Olympic-level performance for that particular team," DeMott said. "There is only one Level 4 and one Level 3 in Georgia (both Atlanta-based) and about six or seven Level 1 teams. To be (ranked) in Level 2, which there are only 20-25 in the country, is an outstanding achievement."

Leading that charge in the upper age divisions for the Rapids last Saturday was Megan Schoenberger, who came away with five top finishes. She swept the 25-yard, 50 and 100 freestyle events, along with the 50 backstroke and the 50 breaststroke.

Rounding out the top girls performers was Lee County's Haley Kerrey, who dominated the 100 individual medley.

Setting the tone for the boys, meanwhile, was Taylor Withers, who took home two first-place medals — one in the 25-yard freestyle and one in the 100-yard freestyle.

With their wins, Schoenberger, Withers and Kerrey now have all qualified for the Georgia Senior Championship, which will be held in mid-July in Savannah. DeMott also noted the top finishers from the Georgia state championships make up the "Zone" team, which competes in a developmental meet for national performance.

In juniors, Flint River’s Nicole Fye — ranked No. 1 in Georgia in the 400 freestyle among nine-year olds and third in the U.S. in 200 butterfly – earned first-place finishes in the 25 backstroke and 100 freestyle, setting a team record in the 25 and a meet record in the 100.

Fye also qualified for seven events in the Georgia Junior State Championships.

Junior boys swimmer Collin Cooper went home with five first-place honors after he won the 25, 50, and 100 freestyle events, as well as the 50 breaststroke and 100 individual medley events.

Casey Schoenberger, who is Megan Schoenberger's younger sister, also grabbed five first-place finishes in the 13-14 year old girls division, winning the 25 freestyle, 50 backstroke, 50 freestyle, 50 breaststroke and 100 freestyle.

Hannah Goodman and Reese Fye, both six years old, each won their divisions by taking wins in four events. Both Goodman and Reese Fye won titles in the 25 freestyle, 25 backstroke, 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle.

And with all its recent success, DeMott says the future is bright for Flint River — especially with the state title meet looming.

"We think we'll be able to do well at the state championships," DeMott said. "There has been some great progress with us."

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