A pair of Williamsburg swimmers have qualified for the 2015 Speedo Winter Junior Championships, which will be held at Georgia Tech in December.
The swimmers — Joelle Vereb and Colby Hurt — are both representing 757Swim, a swim club that formed late in the summer. The Speedo Winter Junior Championships, slated for Dec. 9 through 12 this year, is an annual event that showcases top swimmers nationally under 18 years old.
Vereb, 16, will swim in her best event, the 100 butterfly. She will also compete in the 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke. Meanwhile, Hurt, 14, will compete in the 400 individual medley, 500 freestyle and 200 breaststroke.
The national meet could prove to be a big stepping stone for the two local swimmers, as times are historically faster because of the competitive nature of the Speedo Winter Junior Championships.
Both Vereb and Hurt have their sights set on qualifying for the Olympic Trials, scheduled for June 26 to July 3 in Omaha, Neb., and the Speedo Winter Junior Championships could prove a good time to reach the required qualifying times.
Hurt is within five seconds of an Olympic Trials qualifying time in the 400 individual medley, while Vereb is just over two seconds out from hitting an Olympic Trials qualifying time in the 100 butterfly and less than a second from qualifying in the 50 freestyle.
