KICKING THE SEASON OFF: Stringrays open year with 2nd place finish
Published 12:05 am Tuesday, June 4, 2019
- The Andalusia Stingrays picked up second place finish at Waterworld in Dothan. Courtesy Photo
The Andalusia Stingrays swim team put forth solid efforts as they came in second place overall in the 2019 Waterworld swim meet in Dothan.
Pensacola’s swim team came away with a slim victory as they totaled 628.5 points.
Andalusia came in second place with a total score of 626.5.
Enterprise was third with a total score of 304.5.
Lael Owens was the top Andalusia swimmer with a total of 59 points.
Stella Landreneau had a big day as she totaled 54 points.
Cooper McKinney was impressive in the pool as he finished with 53 points.
Brycen Owens had fast times and finished with a total of 49 points.
Emma Younce was on top of her game as she totaled 45 points.
Connor Tillman had a big hand in the strong day with a total of 30 points.
Eliana Forry had a solid performance as she finished with 27 points.
“Some may look at this and see it as a heartbreaking loss by just a couple of points,” coach Darren Forry said. “We faced competition that swims year round from three states and we have only been in the water for four weeks. I cannot be prouder of our returning swimmers’ leadership and how fast our newcomers are learning. Swimming is a process that you must buy into. I think not only our kids see that, but the parents see that also. It’s a great group of kids and a strong future for swimming in our area.”
Stingrays head coach Gavin Donaldson said he was proud of his team.
“Our team is respected in our area and now by other teams from Florida and Georgia,” Donaldson said. “We are a class act that represents Andalusia and Covington County with pride. These kids work hard for coaches and teammates every practice. There is much to be said about this program. From the board, to the coaches and to the parent support.”
Coach Brian Shepard was also impressed with the way the team performed.
“This team competed against some of the best swim teams in the south eastern region and swam to a second place overall finish,” Shepard said. “Not to mention some of the individual awards. These kids work their tails off and never give up. The City of Andalusia should be proud of the way these kids represented our town.”