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Nevada swimmers qualify for state
By Eric Wade and Gloria Tucker
Nevada Daily Mail
The Nevada Lady Tigers swim team entered the season with high hopes as three-time state qualifier Grace Reichard anchored what was to be a strong roster of 20 athletes. Now that the regular season has come to an end, those hopes have been realized for Reichard and seven other athletes from head coach Amyl Bishop's squad as they will be making the trip to St. Peters, Mo., for the 2014 MSHSAA Girls' Swimming and Diving Championships.
"Going to state feels awesome," Bishop said. "It is so much fun. The girls put in a ton of hard work over the course of this season and to have such a climactic conclusion makes it all worth it. They're so excited and so am I."
In her first two seasons with the team, Reichard qualified for state in all eight of her events and seven her junior year. This year's total is also seven, but she will be competing in just three of those events, placing her focus on the 100 breaststroke, 100 freestyle and the 200 freestyle relay.
"My hope for Grace would be to medal," Bishop said. "Is that a reality? Absolutely.
"She's seeded very high. We anticipate doing very well with her.
Though she is going to the biggest swim meet of the year and competing against the state's toughest competition for the fourth time, the excitement of the opportunity still hasn't waned.
"Going to state is great," she said. "It's really exciting because last year it was just me and this year, we get to take a team of nine girls."
What has changed are Reichard's expectations. With her experience and level of talent, Reichard will enter this year's Championships expecting far more than to just put on a solid show.
"I would really like to make finals on Friday, so I can swim both on Friday and Saturday and hopefully, come home with a medal or two," she said. "I think, personally, this has been my favorite swim season with the team that we have. This is a great way to end the season and I'm excited to see what we do."
Reichard will be able to just look to herself and rely on her own personal performances in her quest for medals in two of her three events, but such won't be the case in the relay, where she will be just one of four athletes competing in the same race. Though that relay team includes two first-time state qualifiers in Mikayla Mohrmann and Ashton Eador, hopes are still high for a solid showing in that event, as well.
"With the relay, I think they can do it," Bishop said. "I hope we have a great time."
Though their hopes are high, nerves have begun to set in among those first-time qualifiers.
"I hope we make finals," Mohrmann said. "We're nervous because it's our first time."
Those nerves aren't nearly the issue they could be, however, since the Lady Tigers have spent the majority of the season knowing they had a very good chance at making the qualification cut. On top of that, alternate Maddi Gordon said the support the team has received from its coach has also made for a substantial amount less pressure and nervousness.
"Going to state is awesome," she said. "I'd like to see the relay beat their personal-best time. We have an amazing coach who supports us and is always there for us."
Gordon will join Aly Lunkenheimer, Abbie Landoll and Morgan Ernsbarger as members of the Lady Tigers swim team who are making the trip to state as alternates.
This year's Missouri State High School Activities Association Swimming and Diving Championships are scheduled to begin Friday, at the St. Peters Rec-Plex, in St. Peters, Mo. Ticket sales and admission gates open for the preliminary events at 10:30 a.m.