Making a splash
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Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Two swimmers from the Mount Pleasant Swim Club were overall first place finishers in the Lowcountry Splash event on May 23. Swimmer Gracie Herlong, 18, was the overall female first place finisher in the event, and 16-year-old Jonathan Lierley was the first place male finisher overall.
The Lowcountry Splash was a 2.4-mile swim along the Mount Pleasant shoreline and under the Arthur Ravenel Bridge. The Saturday morning race began at Hobcaw Yacht Club, continued under the bridge and past the USS Yorktown Aircraft Carrier, and ended at the Charleston Harbor Marina and Resorts at Patriots Point.
Over 400 athletes swam in the event, and many of the top finishers were involved with or members of the Mount Pleasant Swim Club. Proceeds from the event benefit the Logan Rutledge Children’s Foundation.
The overall winner of the race, Jonathan Lierley, battled it out with another young competitor until the final leg of the race. Herlong will be swimming for the College of Charleston this fall.
“The Mount Pleasant Swim Club is very proud of all of the MPSC swimmers in the Lowcountry Splash,” said Mount Pleasant Swim Club Head Coach, Liz Campbell. “Not only did these high school swimmers train really hard all year long for events such as this, but they were also able to support a great foundation.”