Local swimmers fall short of Olympics

Olympic hopeful and Mountain Ridge High School graduate Scott Goodrich fell short of the 2008 Olympics, finishing 12th in the 50-meter freestyle July 4.

Goodrich finished third in his preliminary heat at 22.55, which was good for 14th out of 113 swimmers in an event that saw two American records fall. The Arizona native then bettered that mark with a 22.42 in the semifinals.

Goodrich said the 50 free was his best event. He also competed in the the 100-meter freestyle (46th out of 118 competitors) and the 100-meter backstroke (50th out of 81).

At 21, Goodrich is one of the youngest competitors in the swimming competition.

Despite his relative Olympic youth, Goodrich has piled up achievements at the collegiate and high school levels. He is a 10-time All-American at Auburn University in Alabama and is a Southeastern Conference champion in the 100-meter backstroke. He earned a bronze medal in the 50-free at the 2007 World University Games as a junior. As a sophomore, he swam a career best 19.51 in the 50-yard freestyle.

While at Mountain Ridge, Goodrich set the state 5A high school record in the 100-meter backstroke and won 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter backstroke state titles during his junior and senior years.

Also competing at the Olympic trials was Deer Valley graduate Erica Stock who finished 72nd in the 200-meter breaststroke.