The Liberty County YMCA Heat swim team swam in its final short course yards meet of the season at the 2011 Southeastern Georgia Sectionals in Brunswick on March 25-27.
While all the Heat swimmers placed well, Sandra Scott brought home 12 first-place finishes.
On the first day of the meet, Scott swept the 200-meter individual medley and the 500-meter freestyle. On day two, she swept the 100-meter freestyle, 50-meter breaststroke, 100-meter backstroke, 50-meter butterfly and the 100-meter individual medley.
She set a new team record in the backstroke, clocking in at 1 minute and 8.87 seconds. On the final day of the meet, Scott won the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter breaststroke, 50-meter backstroke, 100-meter butterfly and the 200-meter freestyle events.
Once again, she set new team records in the 50-meter freestyle, finishing in 26.84 seconds, and the 100-meter breaststroke, coming in at 1:18.63. Coach Donna Hooe said Scott won the 11-12 age group High Point Trophy.
In the 11-12 age group, 20-meter relay swimmers Madison James, Lexie Huffman, Scott and Harlee Sandford ran away with first place. Hooe said the 200-meter freestyle relay was exciting and that Heat swimmers Sandford, Mikayla Zopfi, James and Scott came from behind to beat a tough Augusta team for first place.
James also placed fourth in the 200-meter individual medley and shaved four seconds off her time, the coach said. James placed third in the 100-meter backstroke, shaving a second off her previous best time. She placed fifth in the 100-meter freestyle, bettering her time to 1:07.22, and she placed seventh in the 100-meter individual medley by dropping 2 seconds off her previous time.
Huffman placed fifth in the 200-meter individual medley, the 500-meter freestyle and the 50-meter butterfly, improving her previous time by 4 seconds.
Huffman placed sixth in the 50-meter breaststroke and the 100-meter individual medley and seventh in the 100-meter freestyle, shaving off four seconds from her previous time.
Jorge Melendez finished sixth in the 200-meter individual medley, setting a new 10-and-under team record of 3:17.54. He took fourth in the 500-meter freestyle and eighth in the 100-meter freestyle.
Melendez also set team records in the 100-meter individual medley with a time of 1:29.06, finishing fifth; the 50-meter backstroke by clocking in at 40.74 seconds to place fifth; and qualified for the state championships this summer in the 200-meter freestyle, where he placed third with a time of 2:45.52.
Sandford started racing in the 11-12 age group, where she dropped 5 seconds in her 100-meter freestyle and dropped 7 seconds in her 100-meter individual medley.
Mikayla Zopfi placed sixth in the 100 breast, dropping 13 seconds from her previous mark, eighth in the 50 free and eighth in the 200 free, where she dropped a whopping 15 seconds.
In the 10-and-under division, Abbey Huffman placed sixth in the 100-meter freestyle, dropping 12 seconds. She finished sixth in the 50-meter breaststroke, dropping 4 seconds from her previous time, and seventh in the 100-meter IM.
Competing in the 8-and-under group, Brayden Huffman placed second in the 50-meter freestyle with a new team record of 38.68 seconds and third in the 25-meter fly with a time of 22.05.
Zopfi placed eighth in the 25-meter freestyle, setting a new team record of 19.97, and fourth in the 25-meter backstroke with a time of 24.55.
The Heat’s youngest swimmer, Trent Huffman, competed in the 6-and-under age group and placed third in the 25-meter breaststroke and seventh in the 50-meter freestyle.