Local swimmers ready for challenge of state meet

By Staff
Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
Hartselle’s Matt Ramey will compete for a state championship this week for the first time.
For several other local athletes, the trip to the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s State Swimming and Diving Championships at the James E. Martin Aquatic Center on the Auburn campus will be a chance to keep the championship dream alive.
Ramey and fellow Hartselle swimmers Taylor Bean, Jordan Bruner, Jess Horton, Sarah Roark and Katie Kohlenberg have all qualified for this weekend’s state meet.
So has Everett Sorrells of Priceville and Falkville’s Faith Vest.
All of the swimmers - with the exception of Ramey - compete during the offseason with the Decatur Aquatic Club, coached by Mark Sorrells.
Ramey, a freshman diver, is expected to challenge for the diving championship in his first season of competitive diving.
Ramey took up the sport last year, but did not compete for the first time until after the high school season had ended.
Hartselle will also bring five female swimmers to the state meet - with two relay teams and two individual events.
Eighth grader Jess Horton qualified in three events this year, but will only compete in the 50 free and the 100 free.
Horton qualified earlier in the season, but has continued to improve her times.
Freshman Sarah Roark will swim in the 100 backstroke. She qualified for the event early in the season.
Jordan Bruner, Taylor Bean and Katie Kohlenberg will swim in relay events.
Hartselle’s 200 free relay team will consist of Bruner, Bean, Kohlenberg and Horton. The Lady Tigers finished 19th in last year’s state meet in the 200 free relay with the same foursome.
The Lady Tigers’ 200 medley relay team will feature Roark, Bruner, Bean and Kohlenberg.
Last year, the Lady Tigers finished 22nd overall in the same event.
Everett Sorrells had two top 15 finishes last year in the state meet. He was 13th in the 100 breaststroke and added a 15th place finish in the 100 butterfly.
Vest is Falkville’s lone representative in the state meet and is returning to the meet after finishing 26th overall in the 100 backstroke and 28th in the 100 butterfly last year.
This year’s state meet could be the start of a strong run of swimmers for the Hartselle program. Several talented swimmers are still a year or two away from varsity competition.
Hartselle had two boys just miss qualifying in their first year of eligibility for the state meet: seventh graders Clay Austill and Brandon Long.
Pittman hopes that more swimmers will qualify in the future as they gain experience at the varsity level.