Senior swim captain Cooper Bennett recently placed second in the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter freestyle events at the South Carolina High School League 5A State championship meet. “A 5A meet is tough to make it to if you are not a year-round swimmer [and] Cooper doesn’t swim year round,” says WAHS head swim coach Bradley Blake. What makes Bennett so successful is that he is a hard working individual who never misses practices. “All I do is practice,” says Bennett.
When Hurricane Mathew hit Charleston, the school district cancelled all after school activities. This meant that the team could not practice with their coach because it would be breaking the rules, but they still needed to practice for the upcoming state meet. Bennett took control of the team and organized practices because he knew that in order to win, work must be put in. “Cooper did a great job leading the team this year,” says Blake. “He went above and beyond when putting together practices for his teammates over the hurricane break.”
All of Bennett’s efforts paid off when he swam at the State Championship Meet and placed second in both freestyle events. Bennett set the school record in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 22.04 seconds. He also set another school record in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 48.61 seconds. “I am proud of the hard work that he has put in and the results he achieved,” says Blake. Bennett ended up scoring 42 points for West Ashley High, which was the highest number of points scored by any individual in the Lowcountry. With the help of Bennett’s high scores and his teammates’ fast swims, the West Ashley Boys Team finished in 13th place.
Although he had two 2nd place finishes and broke two school records, Bennett was not entirely pleased with his performance at State. He really wanted to finish in first place. Bennett explained that he was sad because his high school swimming career is now over; however, he is excited that he still has one last shot to finish in first place. He will be swimming on the North Bridge Killer Whales Summer League Swim Team this summer. Bennett has been on the team for eleven years and his goal is to win the Coastal Carolina Aquatic Association (CCAA) Championship Meet for the 50-meter freestyle event. Bennett also wants to improve his backstroke and see if he can drop some time.
Bennett initially started swimming because his dad was the coach for the North Bridge Killer Whales. As his 11-year swimming career is coming to an end, Bennett has been reflecting on how he was able to make it this far. He explains that his parents have always been his biggest motivators. “They tell me to keep trying and don’t stop,” says Bennett. Hopefully, if Bennett keeps up his hard work, he will be able to finish with a first place win before his swimming career comes to an end.
 

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