The Lakeside Aquatics Club is hoping for a strong showing at the upcoming Texas Age Group Swimming Long Course State Championships.

    The event – which begins on Thursday and runs through Sunday – will be held at Texas A&M University and is strictly for swimmers ages 14 and under. The LAC, one of the fastest growing swim clubs in the state, expects to send more swimmers to this meet than nearly any other team in Texas.

    “That’s a true testament to the great strides the coaches and these young swimmers have made in just one year of us embarking on this journey to become one of the best club-level swim teams in the country,” LAC head coach Mike Yearwood said.

    LAC is the largest swim club in North Texas with close to 600 swimmers. LAC has locations in Keller, The Colony, Flower Mound and Denton. The program is coming off a less than stellar performance at the 2009 Speedo Championship Series Sectional Championships last week in Houston, but has continually had swimmers post personal best times in almost every event they compete in.

    This week’s event will once again pit the fastest swimmers in the state against one another. Each event will be scored according to age groups.

    “Texas overall ranks as one of the fastest swim states in the country and we are proud that so many of our swimmers being a part of it,” Yearwood added.

    Some of those swimmers to watch include David Arredondo. Arredondo, 13, will compete in the 50, 100, 200, 400 and 800-meter freestyle as well as both the 100 and 200 fly. He hopes to place at least in the top three in the 50 and 100 free and both fly events.

    Jordan Kimmey, 14, hopes to final in all six of her events, including the 400 individual medley, 200 IM, 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, 100 fly and 200 fly. Jordan is currently ranked fourth in the 400 IM and fifth in the 200 fly.

    Her sister Nicole, 11, is ranked fifth in the 200 fly for her age group, and this will be her third Long Course TAGS event and her sixth TAGS competition overall. She will swim in the 200 IM, 200 free, 400 free, 100 fly and 200 fly.

    Danielle Pawlichuk, 14, hopes to obtain her junior national best time for the 200 fly and to place in the top eight in all her events while Alex Sellers, 14, is going for a junior national time in the 200 IM. A competitive swimmer for the last six years, Sellers will compete in 11 events and is shooting for either a team or individual record in almost all events.

    Some other local swimmers hoping to make a strong showing at the state championships include Carley Straight, Ashley Ward, Matthew Willenbring and fellow standout Leah Weber. Straight is swimming the maximum allowable of seven individual events at TAGS plus three relays. Her goal is to make the finals in all seven events.