Spartans competing in upcoming sectional swim meet

With winter approaching, the swim season is wrapping up and members of the Spartan swim team are heading to the Birmingham Crossplex to compete in the Central Alabama High School Sectional Meet.

Nearly half of the Spartan team will be competing at the Crossplex, coach Brittany Wilson said. This is Wilson’s third year coaching the Spartan swim and dive team and she’s hoping to bring as many as possible to the state championship meet during the first weekend in December.

Of the 19 team members competing in grades 7-12, Wilson said there are a few that are slated to not only qualify for the state meet, but to place well in their events.

Going into sectionals, a selection of swimmers are seeded in the top 10, with a few breaking into the top five: senior Lauren Crabtree is ranked first in both the 100-yard butterfly and the 500-yard freestyle and sophomore Gaston Petznick is ranked sixth in the 200-yard individual medley and third in the 100-yard breaststroke. 

Freshmen Sarah Petznick and David Albright are ranked in the top five in one of their two events as well, the 100-yard backstroke and the 100-yard breaststroke, respectively. They also will both be swimming the 200-yard freestyle. 

The Mountain Brook relay teams — the girls and boys 200-yard medley, the 200-yard freestyle and the 400-yard freestyle relays — are also all seeded in the top 8. Wilson said they have one diver competing, too.

“This is the first year that we may win a couple of events since I’ve been here,” Wilson said.

Auburn High School usually wins the meet, as they are the reining state champions for girls high school swimming, Wilson explained. She said many of their swimmers are junior national qualifiers but Crabtree is as well. 

“It’s pretty competitive,” she said. “But really, these swimmers at the sectional meets are looking towards state … I’m hoping the majority of swimmers will move on.”

Sectionals will start at 2 p.m. on Nov. 17 with diving, followed by the preliminary swimming events at 5 p.m. Finals will take place the next morning with events beginning at 11 a.m. To follow results of the meet, click here.