Euclid Resident, Samantha Lisy, Medals in Four Events at the 2010 USA Central Zone Championship Meet in Lincoln, Nebraska

Samantha Lisy with her swim coach, John Elliott

Euclid resident Samantha Lisy, 14, was selected to be a member of the Lake Erie Zone Team that competed in the 2010 USA Central Zone Championship Meet in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Zone Meet showcases top swimmers who qualified with AAA National times. This event invites qualifying swimmers from nine states representing 10 local swim committees throughout USA Swimming’s Central Zone region. Participating teams include Lake Erie (Ohio), Midwestern (Nebraska), Arkansas, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri Valley, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ozark, and South Dakota. This year’s event took place Aug. 6 through 8.

Samantha competed in six individual events and four relays where she posted four Top Ten finishes. She placed sixth in the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:31.33; third in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:28.01; and second in the 400 individual medley with a time of 5:10.43, giving her a top 50 national ranking in this event. Samantha was also a member of the 400 medley relay team, swimming backstroke, which placed first overall with a winning time of 4:38.96 to take home the gold medal.

The times posted at this meet have qualified Samantha for participation in the 2011 Long Course Sectional Meet, to be held in Indianapolis, In., on March 24-27, 2011.

This experience has poised Samantha for a potentially successful high school swim career at Euclid High School where she will be a freshman this year. Samantha’s coach is John Elliott, founder and head coach of the Euclid Marlins. Elliott is also the head coach of the Euclid High School swim team where he was recently honored as the Lake Erie League Girls Swim Coach of the Year for the 2009-2010 academic year.

Samantha is a member of the Euclid Marlins, a USA sanctioned swim club based in Euclid. The Euclid Marlins have gained significant recognition recently for developing a swim program that is producing top performing athletes at the Zone, sectional and junior national levels. For more information regarding the Euclid Marlins, please visit its website at www.euclidmarlins.org .