In many ways Kassidy Lemminn is just like the kids swimming at CSUB's Roadrunner Aquatics. "I was just kind of like getting in, jumping off the diving boards," she said.
But when she was 12 years old she realized the desire to become what she called "really good" and began putting in the work. This past weekend at the valley championships in Clovis that hard work was paid off. She finished second in the 200 freestyle earning an automatic bid to the CIF state meet. She was the only girl in Kern County to automatically qualify.
"She was always really good for her age," said Frontier coach and former CSUB swimmer Justin Young. "To see her keep that going as she gets older and more mature...it's pretty special to see."
Older yes, but not as old as you might think for someone with these accomplishments. Coach Young says what makes her truly special is that she's just a sophomore. "A lot of the girls she went up against this past weekend were juniors and seniors and she kind of stands out as one of the young ones," he said.
But it's not even the first time she's made it to state. "Last year...I felt better about myself because I was a freshman," she said. "But it's really cool this year." Perhaps making it that little bit sweeter is that this time she won't be going alone.
Her teammate at Frontier, a fellow sophomore Ariane Skeggs will be joining her in Clovis after getting in with a consideration time.
Lemminn hopes to do better than last year and make it to the finals. Lemminn and Skeggs will be competing in the state swim meet Friday and Saturday at Clovis West High School.
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