For Southmont’s John Zimmerman, the trip to the state finals comes in an event he decided to take a shot at midway through his senior season.
“I’d say a month or two ago I asked coach Coudret if I could swim the 500 for fun,” he said. “I did and I noticed I had a pretty good time. I was pretty happy with my times and I knew the 500 would be pretty open. I saw an opportunity and took it.”
Zimmerman won the sectional with a time of 5:12.33 and is seeded 32nd heading into Friday night’s prelims.
He also joins an elite list of Southmont swimmers that have won sectional titles, including his older brother Owen.
“It really means a lot,” he said. “Not very many people from Southmont can say they made it to the state level. Mainly I wanted to do it for the sole purpose of following in my brother’s footsteps. I’m very fortunate for the opportunity I have to go up there and we will see how it goes.”
