After four days of intense competition with swim teams from throughout the State of South Carolina, Mount Pleasant Swim Club (MPSC) has returned to the Lowcountry with three State Championships, including Overall Team, Women’s and Men’s Long Course titles.
The 2014 meet of the South Carolina Long Course Championships marks the first time a Lowcountry swim team has won the Overall Team title. Spartanburg Aquatics has won the title for the past 13 consecutive years.
Of the 878 swimmers competing at the University of South Carolina Natatorium, MPSC entered 98 swimmers, scoring a total of 1588 points over the course of the four days. High scorers on the team included:
- Robby Gourdie in the 11/12 age group earning 106 points
- Elysse Pardus in the 11/12 age group earning 87 points
- Micah Bohen in the senior girls group earning 79 points
- Jeremiah Bohan in the senior boys group earning 52 points
Swimmers breaking state records included:
- Robby Gourdie in the 200m breast and 400m individual medley
- Gabi Reed in the 50m fly
- Elysse Pardus, Tara McCaskill, Gabi Reed, Kaitlin Healy in the 11/12 400m medley relay
- Jackson Seith, Patrick Sullivan, Cooper Pitts, Carter Brzezinski in the 15/16 400m medley relay
The MPSC trains in North Charleston at the Danny Jones Pool, which was recently enclosed to allow for year-round swimming. North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said, “Danny Jones has become a true community asset. The investment to upgrade the pool has given new opportunities, such as athletic training and educational swim lessons for residents in North Charleston and our surrounding communities. I congratulate the swimmers, coaches, and parents of the MPSC for their hard work and dedication.”
“As a team we have been working extremely hard this summer and all of our hard work paid off this weekend,” said MPSC swimmer Danielle Morrin. “Even though we train at three different pools we raced our hearts out and came together as a family.”
“Our unprecedented team spirit raised our swimmers to a level of competition that guided us to the State Championship title,” said MPSC Head Coach Dave Horton. “I thank the City of North Charleston and the Town of Mount Pleasant in helping us reach our goal through the use of their aquatic facilities.”
Former world-ranked swimmer and local community leader Marco Cavazzoni said, “This is another step of the vision to provide a life-long swimming experience in the Lowcountry, from learn to swim programs for underprivileged children (through LAPS) to world-class competitive swimming at MPSC and Master’s and Seniors swim programs for lifelong health and water safety. Congratulations to all the swimmers and coaches at MPSC!”
Last November, five swimmers of the MPSC held a commitment signing for colleges and universities throughout the Southeast. Although all were Mount Pleasant swimmers, they chose to announce at Danny Jones in North Charleston, where they had put in countless hours of training.
Video: Danny Jones improvements, year-round swimming, water safety
Photos: Swim lessons at Danny Jones
To find out more about the Mount Pleasant Swim Club, visit www.mountpleasantswimclub.com.
The Danny Jones pool is open seven days a week and can be accessed by public during open and lap swim times. For specific hours of availability, visit https://www.northcharleston.org/aquatics.