Point Swimming gearing up for Nationals this week
WEST POINT, Ga. (Feb. 27, 2023) - This week serves as another week of representation in the Skyhawk community as the NAIA Swim Championships begin this week at the Columbus Aquatic Center in Columbus, Ga. on Wednesday, March 1st, and will conclude on Saturday, March 4th. Point University will have three swimmers to represent the institution at Nationals after a fantastic season each swimmer had individually.
Teagan Jose
Jose started her Point University career with a bang as she shattered over seven school records in her freshman year. She will compete in the 200 IM, 100 Breaststroke, and 200 Breaststroke. Earlier this season at the Prelims, Jose broke the school record for the 200 IM with a time of 2:16.76. The 100 and 200 Breaststroke at Point University also has her name in the record books as she finished with a time of 1:10.81 in the 100 Breast and a time of 2:28.40 in the 200, which was broken on the same day. Resulting from that, she earned herself the honor of AAC Women's Swimmer of the Week. Fast forwarding to now, she will be competing on the National Stage this Thursday and Saturday.
Coach's Quote about Teagan
Head Coach Derek Kite was high on Teagan before she even swam her first meet for Point. He said, "I see her breaking numerous records for this program, and she works hard at her craft." Although Coach Kite is not a psychic, he knows what results can be produced through training and consistency.
Rojas is another freshman on the team who started his swimming career with Point University, being noticed as a game changer. In the first meet he competed in, Rojas broke the school record in the 200 IM with a time of 2:06.66. He followed that success by breaking another school record in the 200 Fly with a time of 2:01.48. Rojas believes in looking ahead one meet at a time which showed as he broke his record in the 200 IM at the AAC Tournament with a time of 2:03.61. Gonzalo will compete in the 200 Fly at the National Championships and look to break more records in his career. Coach Derek Kite is ecstatic for Gonzalo as he served as the voice of reassurance for Rojas. "I told Gonzalo that he has to believe in himself each time he competes, and it will pay off." Rojas will now show his skills on the National Stage as he competes this Saturday.
Coach's Quote about Gonzalo
Head Coach Derek Kite has seen Gonzalo work hard from day one and knew what kind of player he could be if he worked hard for what he wanted. "He is a fighter and has the whole team behind him because of his will to put himself out there." Kite reminded Rojas to keep training after the conference meet because he knew Gonzalo had a chance at Nationals, which was correct.
Yuri Prokopchuk
Yuri has caught the attention of the Skyhawk Community in a short period. There have been sayings like "He's built different" or "He's a stud" that define what kind of swimmer he is and how much he contributes to the program overall. Prokopchuk helped break the school record at the conference meet in the 200 Medley Relay with a time of 1:37.86. That would only be the beginning of winning as he finished first overall in the 100 Breaststroke with a time of 56.05 at the conference tournament. That day, his humble attitude of putting his head down and working hard was fully displayed. Yuri will now have the chance to compete in the 100 Breaststroke and 200 Breaststroke on Friday and Saturday.
Coach's Quote About Yuri
Head Coach Derek Kite sees Yuri as a stud who motivates the entire team with his work ethic and is willing to lead by example. "He made our team better and had the team smiling when he won first place at the conference." Kite wants nothing but the best for him and is genuinely excited to see what he can do on the National Stage.
Days of Competition
Teagan Jose will compete in the 200 IM on Thursday, March 2nd. Jose will compete in the 100 Breaststroke on Friday, March 3rd, and the 200 Breaststroke on Saturday, March 4th.
Gonzalo Rojas will compete in the 200 Fly on Saturday, March 4th.
Yuri Prokopchuk will compete in the 100 Breaststroke on Friday, March 3rd, and the 200 Breaststroke on Saturday, March 4th.
Information about the Meet
The Meet will occur at the Columbus Aquatics Center in Columbus, Georgia, starting on Wednesday, March 1st, and ending on Saturday, March 4th. The morning session will begin at 9:00 A.M. Est. each day, and the evening session will start at 5:00 P.M. Est. The NAIA will live stream on the NAIA Network daily for the events.
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