Written By Patricia Rouzer
Westminster aquatic phenom Lyndsey Smith (see Carroll Magazine, April/May, 2005) has taken another step toward her goal of swimming for the U.S. at the 2008 Olympic Games. In early June she placed second in the women’s 100 meter breaststroke competition at the Councilman Classic in Indianapolis, a finish which assures her a slot in the 2008 Olympic trials.
Lyndsey finished the race, a U.S. Swimming Grand Prix event, in a blistering time of 1:12:22, just a fraction of a second behind the winner. Her next big race comes in Irvine, California in early August when she competes in the Summer National Meet.
Peggy Smith, Lyndsey’s mother, reports her daughter was excited about securing a lane in the trials. But with the trials a couple of years away her daughter is more excited right now about being recruited by colleges, Peggy says.
Lyndsey, who will begin her senior year at Westminster High School this fall, is an elite athlete who is expected to be eagerly sought by colleges with strong women’s swimming programs.
“Colleges are allowed to begin recruiting on the July 1 before a swimmer begins her senior year,” Peggy says, adding that Penn State (with a women’s swim team that is ranked 14th in the nation) and the University of Wisconsin (with the eighth ranked women’s team) have already informed Lyndsey that they will recruit her.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) allows swimmers to accept a maximum of five expense paid visits to schools that are recruiting them during their senior years. With Lyndsey’s ongoing success in the pool, she will undoubtedly be one of Westminster High’s most well-traveled seniors.
