Amarillo High's Alexander Purdy qualifies for state meet in two events
The entirety of the field for the 2023 state swimming meet has yet to be fully determined. It's entirely possible that the Panhandle will have multiple competitors swimming for gold when the finals come around.
After Saturday, however, it's official that the area will have at least one representative in Austin in two weeks.
Alexander Purdy, a freshman at Amarillo High School, will be going to state in the 100-yard backstroke and 100-yard butterfly event — finishing in first place in both events at the regional swim meet Saturday at the Pete Ragus Aquatic Center in Lubbock.
Purdy was outstanding in Lubbock, clocking in with a time of 51.37 seconds in the 100-yard backstroke and finishing at 51.55 seconds in the 100-yard butterfly. The state meet for Class 5A is set to be held Feb. 17-18 at the University of Texas at Austin.
Purdy may not be alone on that trip. The top two finishers at every regional advance to the state meet and are joined by the eight best times in the state as at-large bids. There are a few locals that could end up qualifying.
The Amarillo High girls finished third place in the 4x50 yard freestyle relay with a time of one minute, 50.41 seconds. That team was made up of Hannah Wood, Brooklyn Boren, Miyah Chavez and Addison Newman.
The Amarillo High boys finished third in the 4x50 yard medley relay with a time of 1:43.25. That team was comprised of Purdy, Vinh Do, Lance Dykhouse and Andres Cebrero.
Purdy may not be the only Sandie competing in the 100-yard backstroke at Austin. Dykhouse finished up in third place in the same event with a time of 54.34 seconds.
The Amarillo High boys finished third overall as a team at the regional meet while the girls finished fourth. The Tascosa boys finished in ninth place while the girls finished in eighth.
The remaining at-large bids will be sorted out and determined at a later date.
One way or another, though, the Sandies' swim team has a budding star in Purdy, who has three more years of high school after this season.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo High's Alexander Purdy qualifies for state meet in two events
