Hargrave Aquatics sent five members of its team to the SEVA 12 & Younger Christmas Championships December 5-7, 2003, in Ft. Eustis, Virginia. Over 500 athletes and 31 teams from around the state attended the championship.
Swimming for Hargrave included Jessica Abbott, age 11, of Republican Grove, Halifax, Jacob Conner, age 12, of Danville, Jesse Conner, age 9, of Danville, Morgan dePaulo, age 12, of Chatham and Jason Reese, age 10, of Gretna.
Jesse Conner managed to win the male nine and under 500y Freestyle event with a 6:24.48. His time also qualified him for a national AA time standard, which is a very difficult achievement at his age. He remained extremely motivated during the meet, he again earned another AA time standard in the 50y Backstroke by dropping over 2.5 seconds from his previous best and placing 3rd in the state. He also captured 3rd in the 100y Backstroke with a 1:18.17.
Jessica Abbott, Jacob Conner and Jason Reese consistently placed top ten in numerous events. Abbott’s highest finish earned her a 4th in the 200y Freestyle with a perfect 2:15.00. Conner’s highest placed finish was a 3rd in the 500y Freestyle with a 5:35.17 with a very pronounced 16.69 second drop in overall time. Reece’s highest finish included a 5th in the 100y Freestyle with a blistering 1:07.09.
Morgan dePaulo, while not scoring in the top ten, managed several impressive swims at the extremely competitive 11-12 level. Her most noted accomplishment was an AA time in the 100y Breaststroke, 2:57.92, and 17th place finish. This swim had a whopping 10.16 time improvement and a stunning race over the members of her heat.