Clovis swimmers shine in Special Olympics meet

Andy Binford competes in the 800-yard freestyle May 3 at the Special Olympics qualifying swim meet

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The annual Special Olympics state qualifying swim meet at Clovis High keeps getting bigger, and the host coach couldn't be happier.

"It's huge. Every year we get more athletes," said Michele Carmichael, who volunteers as Fresno County's head coach, of the 104-athlete event May 3. Last year's meet had 94 participants. "They like coming here. Each year, each team brings back more, and we grow."

With a new team -- Tuolumne -- joining Tulare, Madera, Webster's and Fresno squads already participating, Carmichael's athletes had a little more competition.

Several swimmer's from Clovis contributed first-place finishes for Fresno County, with 2000 Clovis High graduate Jared Schmidt winning the 100-yard breaststroke (1 minute, 43.91 seconds) and swimming a leg for the winning 400-free relay team (6:11.49) in the 22- to 29-year-old division.

Clovis High sophomore Melody Ghalamkarpour took first in the 16 to 21 division of the 25 backstroke (40.87) and the 50 free (1:20.24), while 2000 Buchanan graduate Megan Bollinger won the 25 butterfly (42.25) and the 50 free (1:15.77) in the 22 to 29 division.

The athletes were vying for a berth in the Special Olympics Northern California State Summer Games June 6 to 8 in Berkeley.

"We're going to insist they work hard. We're going to insist they have the right technique," Carmichael said. "We're never going to sell these guys short. The athletes at the state meet, they know their times. They have goals."

Carmichael said gold-medal winners weren't automatically qualified for the state games -- which includes events such as track and field, bocce ball, tennis and volleyball -- but she did say winners who are able to attend will have first right of refusal for the 20 spots Fresno County was allotted.

Andy Binford, a 1998 Clovis High graduate, may not have won his heat of the 800 free, but he was plenty happy to find out he'd taken 5 minutes off his time.

"I just kept going. Don't stop," said Binford, who clocked a 17:23.99 in the 22 to 29 division.

Another happy swimmer was 2002 Clovis West graduate Maggie Hernandez, who has only been with the swim team for about a year. Hernandez won her heat in the 50 free (49.82) and the 50 backstroke (1:11.89) in the 22 to 29 division.

"Swimming's a good sport," said Hernandez, who will join Schmidt in February in Boise, Idaho, to take part in the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games. "It's just real fun to do."

Other local winners were Buchanan freshman Wesley DeVoe-Peterson (16 to 21 division, 100-free relay team, 2:22.35), Clovis resident Danny Lopez (16 to 21 division, 50 backstroke, 1:05.0) and Clovis Adult School student Stephanie Cruz (22 to 29 division, 200-free relay team, 3:32.31).

E-mail David Witte at dwitte@clovisindependent.com.