AquaDawgs honored

By TJ MAXWELL

Cove Leader-Press

The Copperas Cove AquaDawgs swim team held an informal picnic this week at Copperas Cove’s City Park to recognize their athletes’ efforts this season. It was a banner year for the program. They took major strides - breaking school records and setting personal best times - en route to qualifying 10 swimmers for the Region II-6A meet in Rockdale in February. The Dawgs graduate six seniors. All six of which helped tie or break a school record during their senior seasons. “The AquaDawgs had a great 2014-15 season and I am proud of everyone’s progress,” said head coach Trish Stoddard. “The varsity seniors, Kyle Helmer, Joanna Legare, Hannah Legare, Laurel Byrd, Chris Hastings & Tarrah Strickland, will be missed. Their record-breaking performances will be proudly displayed on the AquaDawgs record board at (Copperas Cove High School). Their work ethic and character has been a great example to the underclassmen and I expect them to follow in their footsteps.” The seniors were among those honored during the banquet. Seniors Kyle Helmer and Joanna Legare were selected for the Coaches’ award. Helmer and Legare both qualified for regionals in four different events. Helmer anchored the medley relay team that broke a school record with a time of 1:53.37 and the Mary Jobe Classic. Legare set a personal record and a new school record with a 2:36.30 time in the 200 individual medley at the 12- 6A District meet. Seniors Laurel Byrd and Hannah Legare were voted as the Outstanding Girl Swimmers while junior Joseph Hotz and senior Christopher Hastings were voted Outstanding Boy Swimmers. Receiving the Shark award was sophomore Paul Muniz for the boys and senior Tarrah Strickland for the girls. Byrd and H. Legare, along with J. Legare and Strickland, tied a school record in the medley relay with a time of 2:11.61 at the district meet. Byrd and H. Legare also set personal best times in the 100 freestyle (1:00.63) and 100 backstroke (1:09.85), respectively. Hotz, Hastings and Muniz were on the school record-setting 200 freestyle relay with Helmer set at the district meet. Hotz and Hastings were also on the record-setting medley relay team at the Mary Jobe Classic. The Most Improved award went to junior Simeon Carr for the boys and sophomore Lacee Gamel for the girls. Carr and gamel will each return for the AquaDawgs in 2015-16. Finally, freshman Emmanual Thompson was voted as the Newcomer of the Year. Thompson was the fourth member of the record-setting medley relay. The AquaDawgs will return 13 swimmers each from this year’s boys’ and girls’ rosters and even more incoming freshmen are to be added for next year. “I am excited that there are quite a few incoming freshmen registered to join the swim team for the 2015-16 school year. We will begin summer practices June 29th at CTC.” For more information on the team, please contact Coach Stoddard at Stoddardt@ccisd.com.