SPIRE Academy swim athletes recently competed in Washington, DC at The Black History Invitational Swim Meet, which took place February 17–19.

While in the nation’s capital, SPIRE athletes enjoyed a very successful meet, and SPIRE swimmers Yassen Eltaranisy and Mia Corrado placed as High Point Champions within the competition. Both the women’s and men’s teams dominated, coming in first place in a number of relay events, specifically:

• Women’s 200yd Medley Relay:
  • Mia Corrado
  • Yasmine Abdelnasser
  • Clara Peris
  • Dakota Townley

• Men’s 200yd Medley Relay:
  • Adham Montasser
  • Andre McCloud
  • Omar Sherif
  • Arsenni Nikitin

• Women’s 400yd Medley Relay:
  • Mia Corrado
  • Yasmine Abdelnasser
  • Clara Peris
  • Dakota Townley

• Men’s 400yd Freestyle Relay:
  • Yassen Eltaranisy
  • Andre McCloud
  • Evan Kowalczyk
  • Omar Sherif

• Men’s 200yd Freestyle Relay:
  • Omar Sherif
  • Andre McCloud
  • Daniel Claxton
  • Myles Givans

The decision to attend this special meet occurred as one of the swimmers in the SPIRE family, Daelynn Haywood, expressed how she wished to see more African-American swimmers competing in the sport. Haywood described the event by saying, “As a team, we performed very well at this meet. We had several great races, and our team atmosphere was incredibly positive and supportive. I have attended this meet many times, and I love how welcoming and accepting the environment feels each time I come. I believe this meet is a great opportunity for athletes like me to compete against a large group of swimmers that all come from diverse backgrounds that are similar to my own.”

SPIRE’s athletes made the most of their time in DC, by taking part in all the swim competitions and also taking advantage of all that the nation’s capital has to offer. From visiting The Black History Museum, The National Holocaust Museum, and The Smithsonian Air & Space Museum to checking out both the Lincoln and the Washington Monuments, the swim team enjoyed a packed weekend competing and learning.

In addition to the swimming competition, the purpose of the trip was centered around focusing on SPIRE student athletes as individuals and broadening their perspectives on the sport. This important event created a great opportunity for our student athletes to see others of all different races and backgrounds, competing and participating in this event together.