Encinitas swimmer Sammy Walseth caps big year at Speedo Grand meet

Sharing the pool deck with Olympic medalists and Paris Olympic hopefuls, Encinitas swimmer Sammy Walseth made her mark in the 12U division at the Speedo Grand Challenge on May 24-26 in Irvine.

Qualifying for the meet by matching a fast time standard, the 12-year-old Rancho San Dieguito swimmer won the 100 free with a personal best 1:01.59. She placed second in the 50 fly and 100 fly, third in the 200 IM, third in the 40 free, fifth in the 50 back and fourth in the 100 back.

“I knew that all of my hard work at practice was going to pay off but didn’t know I was going to do as well as I did,” said Sammy.

The speedy Sammy posted the sixth fastest time in the long course 100 free this year in her age group.

Sammy will head next to long course Western Zones in August in Boise, Idaho, representing San Diego and competing against the top swimmers from the 14-state Western region. She is hoping to replicate her success in April when she competed in the short course zone championships Far Westerns, where she placed top 10 in her events in her age group, including fourth in the 200 free and 500 free.

Sammy is a rising seventh grader at The Rhoades School who has been swimming since she was five years old. She tried dance, gymnastics and soccer but swimming was the sport that stuck.

“I kind of just liked it a lot more than the other sports,” said Sammy, who practices six days a week at the Boys & Girls Club in Solana Beach. “It’s fun that I can be with my friends, it’s an individual sport but we’re all a team together at the same time.”

At the Speedo Grand, she had a handful of her best friends and senior kids from the Rancho San Dieguito team there competing with her. In the 50 fly, she finished just one second behind race winner and teammate Chloe Yoon.

This was Sammy’s second year competing at the Speedo Grand, “It was a fun experience to see all the Olympians there and be at a super fast meet.” She saw Olympians such as Michael Andrew, Regan Smith, Simone Manuel and Katie Grimes and was able to snap photos with them—they will all be vying for a spot on the Paris team and the USA National Championships starting June 15.

With her fast finishes in the seven events she competed in, Sammy earned all new PRs.

Her passion for swimming and ability to motivate herself to work hard in the water all but assure that her next PRs are within reach.

This story originally appeared in Encinitas Advocate .