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Mitchell Takes Small District Step

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By CHRIS ERRINGTON Tribune correspondent

Published: October 22, 2007

PALM HARBOR - Ask Mitchell swimming and diving coach Regina Drum about her thoughts concerning the Mustangs' recent move to Class 3A-District 5 and she doesn't hesitate to answer.

'I'm not at all happy being in this district,' the coach says.

Drum cites more difficult competition due to Pinellas County schools having multitudes of club swimmers in their lineup, a benefit rarely found in Pasco County. Still, with the way her team performed during Friday's district meet at the Palm Harbor YMCA, the third-year coach knows the talent gap may be closing quickly.

'I knew going into the meet that it would be hard for us to send anyone to regionals in individual events,' Drum said. 'That's why I'm extremely happy with the way our relays finished. I'd definitely rather be in our own district because we competed very well there, but there's nothing you can do about it, so the kids just have to keep working hard.'

Though the team standings showed Mitchell's boys finishing sixth in the 10-team field with 106 points and the girls seventh with 78, Drum knows her program's rise within the district is more about small steps than giant leaps. The Mustangs will send eight boys and six girls to Saturday's regional meet at Sarasota's Shelby Aquatics Center: Sarah Salchert and Nichole Holm qualified as members of the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays, Christina Clayton and Paige Hammer will go as members of the 200 medley relay, Natasha Obara (three relays) and Caitlin McCaffrey (200 free and 200 medley). On the boys side, John Payne and Drew Presley (200 medley), Gavin Rynard and Sam Rockwell (medley and 400 free), Alex Wegner and Colin Callahan (200 and 400 free) and Anthony Lilienthal and Chris Cropanese (200 medley) will be at regionals.

Now, with the pressure of district gone and a season nearly complete, Drum said it's not difficult to understand the team's most important goal for Saturday.

'The kids are very excited about going to regionals and it's an accomplishment for them just to get to this point,' the coach said. 'But, we also know we're most likely not going to get past this, so it's the final big meet of the year for them and it's time just to go out and have fun.'

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