Three more swimmers for the First Presbyterian Christian Academy’s swim team recently qualified for the state meet, which is Jan. 31 at Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
At a meet Jan. 10 at Georgia Tech, according to FPCA swim coach Jonnie Larson the Magan brothers, Will and Jackson, qualified for state in 100-yard freestyle and 50-yard breaststroke. Will Magan also qualified in 100 individual medley, while Jackson Magan qualified in 50 butterfly.
Xavier McCartney, the lone varsity swimmer on the team, qualified for state in the 100 breaststroke, the 100 freestyle and the 200 freestyle events.
The coach said the junior-varsity girls improved their times dramatically.
“In the world of competitive swimming, swimmers will rejoice when they drop three milliseconds off their race time,” she said. “These junior-varsity girls have been dropping between three to seven seconds off their race time at each meet they compete in. The girls swam their hearts out in Saturday’s meet, and they will continue to swim past their comfort zone until they achieve the qualifying time for state.” 

On Jan. 16, the FPCA swim team hosted a Swim-A-Thon at the YMCA to help cover the team’s expenses.
Four FPCA swimmers qualified earlier in the season. The coach said her seven FPCA swimmers swam a combined total of 657 laps. One lap was the equivalent of one length on the YMCA’s Olympic-sized pool.
“That is a total of 16,425 yards,” Larson said. “The parents tallied the laps and cheered the swimmers on from the bleachers.”
Larson said Lily Floyd, a third-grader at FPCA, attended the event and encouraged the swimmers to keep swimming.
“When Lily enters the sixth grade, she plans to join the school swim team,” the coach said, adding that Floyd currently trains and swims for YMCA swim team coach Donna Hooe.
Larson said the Swim-a-Thon will be an annual event for the team to raise funds and to display the athletes’ skills.
The team is collecting the funds but believes it brought in at least $500.
The FPCA swim team will be in the pool again Friday at Morgan Country Aquatics Center in Madison for its final meet before the state competition. Friday’s event is the last chance for swimmers to qualify for state.

Results
Jan. 10 in Atlanta
JV girls
50 freestyle: Sasha Barbour-Hatfield (35.99), Gia Sabalboro (39.7)
100 freestyle: Barbour-Hatfield (1:23.36), Sabalboro (1:27.85), Mariana Foster (1:32.00)
100 individual medley: Mackenzie McCartney (1:28.44), Foster (1:52.46)
50 backstroke: McCartney (40.2), Sabalboro (45.38), Foster (48.11)
50 breaststroke: McCartney (48.03), Barbour-Hatfield (50.86)
JV Boys
50 freestyle: Luke Chalfont (41.79)
100 freestyle: Will Magan (1:09.44), Jackson Magan (1:12.28)
100 individual medley: Will Magan (1:25.06)
50 fly: Jackson Magan (40.19), Chalfont (53.56)
50 breaststroke: Will Magan (41.98), Jackson Magan (46.7), Chalfont (59.7)
Varsity boys
100 freestyle: Xavier McCartney (59.23)
200 freestyle: McCartney (2:13.58)
100 breaststroke: McCartney (1:16.17)