Swim Charleston finishes strong at state championship competition!

Swim Charleston, the year-round competitive swim team that helped to heat Pierce Park Pool on Daniel Island for residential use in the winter, sent 32 swimmers to compete in the SC Short Course Yards State Championship in Greenville Feb. 14-18.

Finishing 11th in the state, Swim Charleston had two Daniel Island residents who placed in the Top 3 in the state – Merritt Zieminick and Ellie Chalupsky. Merritt, 12, claimed a bronze medal in the 50 breaststroke, finishing with a time of 34.73. She is qualified to compete at the ESSZ Southern Zone 14/u Sectional Championship in Atlanta, GA on March 14-17. Ellie, 10, claimed eight individual titles in the 50 free, 200 free, 100 fly, 50 back, 100 back, 100 IM, 200 IM and a silver medal in 50 fly, bringing home the high point award by scoring 189 points. She will join Merritt at the ESSZ Southern Zone 14/u Sectionals attended by teams from eight other states.

In addition to these exceptional performances of individuals, Swim Charleston is celebrating a 3rd place finish by the 10/under girls’ free relay team of island residents Ellie Chalupsky and Hayden Wilmot, who were joined by Ruby Lanza and Scarlett True.

Other island residents on Swim Charleston's state team include: LJ LeVeen, Connor Good, Brady Evin, Gabe Grimm, and Emma Guerin (who put forth an amazing performance in the 100 breaststroke, and is qualified to compete at Senior Sectionals in Cary, N.C. March 7-10). All of these local swimmers finished in the top 20 in the state in one or more individual events.

In addition to the year-round competitive team, Swim Charleston offers swim lessons on Daniel Island to all ages.