IU swimmers display talent in regional meet

The IU Division of Recreational Sports presented the USA Swimming sanctioned 2004 Speedo Champions Series Zone Sectional 3 last week, which consisted of swim teams from four states: Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. The meet was held at the Student Recreational Sports Center's Councilman/Billingsley Aquatic Center Wednesday through Sunday and consisted of 17 men's and women's events.\n"We all want to do well at this kind of meet because the next level is nationals," said Cincinnati Marlin swimmer freshman Scott Tanner, who also swims on IU's varsity team.\nThe regional meet brought 464 swimmers from 35 clubs and comprised of swimmers from high school and college ranging in age from 14-22. The swimmers are very talented and all have potential to make names of themselves by means of swimming, Meet Director Anne Eakin said.\n"This (regional meet) is the first step to being an Olympic athlete," Eakin said.\nThe young swimmers at the meet proved to the audience that their names should not soon be forgotten, director of aquatics Emily Ward said.\n"These are younger kids who are very fast, and you will see them in four years (at the Olympic Trials)," Ward said.\nOne swimmer, Eliot Rushton, was at the Canadian Olympic Trials recently. He placed fourth in both the 400-meter and 1,500-meter freestyle, missing Athens by two places both times. He now has his sights set on the 2008 Olympics in China. \n"I think my chances will improve if I decide to keep swimming then," Rushton said.\nBy virtue of attending Kenyon College in Ohio, Rushton was eligible for the meet. Having to avoid missing too many days of work, he did not swim Wednesday's 1500-meter freestyle, but did win Saturday's 400-meter freestyle with a time of 4 minutes, 6.41 seconds.\nRushton also swam the 200-meter butterfly, coming in fifth, and the 400-individual medley, coming in sixth place behind IU's Richard Bryant, a junior, who won the race with a time 4:31.27 and also won the 200-meter freestyle at 1:57.09. With success at such prestigious swim meets, Bryant said he was more focused on representing the IU swim program at this home meet.\n"My victory does well for IU swimming," Bryant said. "It is good for recruiting."\nHe is one of several IU swimmers who keeps in physical and competitive shape swimming for clubs in the summer. Bryant swims for the Indiana Swim Team, which specializes in IU swimmers.\nBryant was not eligible to swim for the varsity team this past winter, but he plans to do so this upcoming season. He said the club is partly for IU swimmers who are currently not eligible for the varsity team but need to keep training hard and swimming competitively. The Indiana Swim Team is one of many club teams competing in the team competitions. \nThe Cincinnati Marlins, another club team, brought 31 high school and college swimmers, said assistant coach Jim Brower. This includes Tanner, an IU varsity swimmer and a Loveland, Ohio, resident. Tanner won the 100-meter butterfly with a time of 55.85 seconds.\n"We love coming," Brower said. "All of the kids have gotten into the spirit of the meet and are doing great."\n-- Contact staff writer Benjames Derrick at bderrick@indiana.edu .