Swimmers qualify for state meet

Lakeside senior Sara Davison has been through her share of ups and downs. Saturday was no different.

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Davison qualified for the state meet in the 50-yard freestyle at the Panther/Pack Invitational at Augusta Aquatic Center, then she just missed making state in the 100 free by .02 seconds.

But her greatest success came after the meet was over. She got her acceptance letter to Georgia Tech.

All this despite the constant pain of tendinitis and rotator cuff problems in her shoulders.

"Today was a bad shoulder day," Lakeside girls coach Jessica Hales said. "But it worked out pretty well."

And not just for Davison.

Eleven local teams and 18 other individuals qualified for the state championships in February.

"I was ecstatic," Davison said. "I've been trying so hard. I'm so happy I could share it with all my friends, teammates and my coach."

Two of Davison's teammates also had state qualifying times. Austin Banks made the 100 breaststroke and Rebeccah Houston qualified for the 200 individual medley.

For Hales, the success of Davison and Houston on the girls side is a sign of how far the team has come.

"We only had one girl qualify individually for state last year," Hales said. "We have five or six, plus a couple more that are really close to making it (this year). We have a good strong team."

Davison's problems have been ongoing since her freshman year. But through physical therapy, her doctor's care and lots of pool time - she was finally able to overcome her hurdles.

 •  Greenbrier senior Alex Trakowski had to overcome only a time hurdle.

Last year he missed qualifying for state in the 500 freestyle by a half-second.

He already qualified this year by more than six seconds in the 500, and he picked up another individual spot at state in the 200 free Saturday.

Even after another successful meet Trakowski didn't allow himself time to revel at a celebratory meal at an area restaurant.

"It never really ends," he said. "You just have to keep training."

The overall meet was dominated by Collins Hill High School out of Suwanee, which won both the boys and girls titles.

Reach Raymond Beasock at (706) 823-3221 or raymond.beasock@augustachronicle.com.