As the temperatures continue to rise, swimming season is back for Arizona teams.

On March 24, local swimmers Andrew Tate, Emma Warner and Carlos Lattanzi partook in the 2019 Speedo Western Region Four Corners Sectional Championship and did not disappoint.

“Leading into the meet, we didn’t feel any pressure because it was a high level meet with top swimmers from five different states,” Swordfish coach Daniel Morse said. “Andrew and Emma competed for the Sedona Swordfish, while Carlos represented Swim Neptune from Phoenix.”

The Four Corners meet is hosted by the Phoenix Swim Club at the Phoenix Country Day School Aquatic Center.

Emma swam the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:34.49 and the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:08.82.

“Getting to this meet and doing so well was a year-long process,” Morse said. “Emma, Andrew, Carlos and the rest of the Sedona team displayed great work ethic and mental fortitude.”

Andrew competed in the 100-yard Freestyle [10:03.18] and the 200-yard fly [2:03.39].
Carlos swam the 500-yard Freestyle in 4:51.97.

“Our mentality was to enjoy being at such a fast meet and to be competitive.”

After an intense offseason, the Swordfish were more than ready for the competition.

“We have been training all winter throughout the cold and snow and I believe our team has become a very tough group from facing that kind of adversity.”

Morse said. “Emma, Andrew and Carlos were not overwhelmed by the level of competition; they stayed calm and went after their races and all three of them were able to achieve lifetime best times.”

The Swordfish emphasized ironing out their kinks during the offseason.

“Our entire team has been training hard and focusing on improving our strong points but really tried focussing on our weaknesses this winter,” Morse said.

The Swordfishes persistence paid off as they awaited the regular season.

“Our spring session just began, so we are excited to get them to their first competition. We have some new swimmers register for the team and we cannot wait to get them up to speed,” the coach said.

Morse believes the Swordfish will have more representatives at upcoming meets.

“I’m extremely proud to be the coach here and I believe we will get some other swimmers to more high level competitions in the future,” Morse said.

Up next for the Swordfish is the Chipotle Night Fundraiser on Tuesday, April 16.

Say you are with the Sedona Swordfish and a portion of the revenue will assist our team in fees,” Morse said. “Proceeds go towards pool heating and hopefully some equipment for our kids.”

“Anyone interested in swimming in April please feel free to contact me,” Morse said. “All ages and levels are more than welcome.”

The Swordfishes next meet is the Beat the Heat swim meet on Friday, May 17.

“For Beat the Heat, we are going to long course season, which means we have to increase the overall volume of yards each week and try to get some training sessions in at the [Northern Arizona University] facility with their Olympic size pool.”

“We have a great relationship with the Flagstaff teams, as they have always been accommodating to us,” Morse said.

This meet is hosted by the LJAX Swim Club at the NAU Pool in Flagstaff.

Morse values the Swordfishes’ relationship with their competition.

“We have welcomed several of their athletes to our facility for joint training sessions so it works out for everyone,” Morse said.

Morse expects the swimmers to gain vital exposure from this meet.

“For the experienced kids, this meet is a good training competition,” Morse said. “Our newer swimmers however, are going to have some fun and enjoy the experience.”