The

Southern Crescent Aquatic Team and the Peachtree City

Pacers have exercised their dominance in the sport of

swimming for a while now. Every few months their long

list of accomplishments and accolades grows, and with it

a reputation that opponents fear but also admire.

Recently,

several members of the team earned top eight finishes at

the Georgia Parks and Recreation State Swim Meet in

Athens. Those who earned two top eight finishes in two

individual events were Jerry O'Hara in the boys' 7- and

8-year-old group, finishing fourth in the 25-yard

backstroke and seventh in the 25-yard freestyle;

Christopher Lee in the boys' 11- and 12-year-old group,

finishing second in the 50-yard freestyle and eighth in

the 50-yard butterfly; Brittany Stevens in the girls' 13-

and 14-year-old group, finishing second in the 50-yard

butterfly and fourth in the 100-yard individual medley.

In the

girls' 15- to 18-year-old group, Calle Fielden finished

fifth in the 100-yard freestyle and sixth in the 50-yard

butterfly; Kelly Ireland finished sixth in the 100-yard

freestyle and eighth in the 50-yard breaststroke, and

Bridgette Farley finished seventh in the 100-yard

freestyle and fourth in the individual medley. Chris

Jobson, swimming in the boys' 15- to 18-year-old group,

placed fifth in the 100-yard individual medley and in the

50-yard breaststroke.

Other top

eight finishers for the pacers were Jessica Betts, girls'

15-18, second in the 50-yard breaststroke; Katie Ham,

girls' 11-12, eighth in the 100-yard individual medley;

and Emily Maple, girls' 15-18, eighth in the 50-yard

freestyle. The relay team of Calle Fielden, Kelly

Ireland, Jessica Betts and Bridget Farley placed second

in the girls' 15-18 medley relay and third in the

200-yard freestyle relay.

The relay

team of Casmir Lukjan, Drew Duncan, Steven White and

Phillip Hesser claimed sixth place in the boys' 11-12

100-yard freestyle relay and the team of Jerry O'Hara,

Marcus Burke, Hunter Broome and David Putterbaugh

finished seventh in the boys' 7-8 100-yard freestyle

relay.

"Overall,

the Pacers did very well," said head coach Caren

Betts. "The competition is very fast. This is our

first year back in the "A" division. Now we

know what to expect and what to go for."

Betts was

recently named Georgia Coach of the Year by the American

Swimming Coaches Association. Betts has been involved

with area swim teams since moving to Peachtree City in

1987. She has led the Pacers to eight consecutive

district titles, and four state championships.

The

Southern Crescent Aquatic Team has won the divisional

crown the past two years.