The Carmel Swim Club and Carmel High School are proud to announce that five senior swimmers have signed National Letters of Intent to compete in NCAA Division I swimming programs next year. These seniors are proud representatives of the Carmel Swim Club and embody the CSC motto, “Teaching excellence through swimming, for life.”

The five seniors are: Adam Twer (University of Kentucky), Matt Segar (Bucknell), Emily DiBenigno (University of Missouri), Amber Molina (University of Missouri), and Samantha Partridge (Eastern Michigan University).

“As a group, I am proud of these seniors,” said Chris Plumb, Carmel Swim Club and Carmel High School head coach. “Each of them has earned a scholarship to attend these fine Division I institutions, and it shows that hard work does pay off.”
 
One goal of the Carmel Swim Club is to use swimming as a vehicle for teaching life lessons.

“In this day in age, everything comes fast and easy to our youth,” Plumb said. “If they want to talk to someone, they text-message them. If they want information, they Google for it. If they want food, they throw something in the microwave.

“But swimming does not work that way. They have to earn everything, and that takes time, patience, and discipline.”
     
Carmel Swim Club’s success, along with that of Carmel High School, is unmatched by almost any program in the country. The Carmel Swim Club has been around for almost 40 years, and Carmel High School has won a total of 33 state championships, including 21 in a row for the girls swimming team.

Today, these five athletes are the living and breathing examples of Carmel’s proud swimming history.

Twer has been swimming at the Carmel Swim Club for the past 11 years and is interested in studying business at Kentucky. He is captain of the Carmel High School boys swimming team this year and attributes his success to the Carmel Swim Club.

“It has developed me into the person I am today,” Twer said. “I’ve dedicated a lot of my time to it, and it’s taught me valuable lessons about life.”
    
Segar, who is interested in studying computer science or pre-med and is a member of the National Honor Society at Carmel High School, said his experience in swimming is important.

“Swimming teaches you more than how to swim fast,” Segar said. “It teaches you discipline, hard work, character, time management, dedication, and passion.

“They (the coaches) are outstanding and true teachers of the sport. They know what they are doing.”
    
Partridge, a CHS Student Athletic Board Member for the past three years, attributed some of her success to the current coaching staff as well.

“I think the coaching staff right now works well together,” Partridge said. “They have an understanding of each other, and they just seem to fit together with their individual experiences and knowledge of the sport.”
    
Molina, a two-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American who just recently joined the Carmel Swim Club, is excited about the current IHSAA season and swimming for Carmel High School for the first time.

“It’s an awesome experience,” Molina said. “The tradition, the team, and the coaches are great.”
    
DiBenigno, a scholar-athlete at Carmel High School, has some advice for younger swimmers.

“Really work hard on the little things with swimming,” DiBenigno said. “Focus on the technique – that will help you out so much when you are older and more competitive. Also, if you aren't considered fast, don't give up.

“Just focus on the little things, and when you are older you will be a great swimmer.”
 
Carmel swimmers also perform extremely well in the classroom. The average grade point average of the Carmel High School girls swimming team in 2006 was 3.42, and the boys was 3.214 on a 4.0 scale. Three CHS swimmers were named to the USA Swimming Scholastic All-American Team last year.

“The schedule of the swimming student-athlete certainly is a challenge, but (it’s) one I know helps them prepare for college and life,” Plumb said.

The Carmel Swim Club boasts many other athletes currently swimming at colleges, including Yale, Kentucky, South Carolina, Penn State, Miami of Ohio, Purdue, Seattle, Brigham Young, and Smith College.

Splosh around with your thoughts on our Boys Swimming message board.