Coronado’s Harrison sets pace

Sammy Harrison brings a determined mindset to being a distance swimmer for Coronado’s girls team.

“You have to stay right on pace. You cannot be off a single tenth (of a second), or it will throw you off,” she said. “Outside of that, it’s all about your brain. It’s mind over matter, and if you can’t get over the fact that you’re in a lot of pain, you’re not going to be a distance swimmer. You just have to move above that and keep going.”

That approach suits Harrison well.

“She just doesn’t die,” Cougars coach David Stump said. “She just goes and goes and goes.”

Harrison, a senior, is a big reason Coronado likes its chances to repeat as Sunrise Region champion and hopes to improve on last year’s third-place finish at the state meet.

Harrison won her second straight state titles in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle last year. She also was part of the Cougars’ state champion 200 free relay.

“I’ve already improved in the past six months, so hopefully I keep on improving,” Harrison said. “I’ve been working on my stroke and working harder, putting more effort (into) every single day at practice and making sure everything I do is for a reason.”

Harrison began swimming at age 4 and realized her potential in high school.

“It wasn’t really until my freshman year when I swam the 500 (free) and I beat a senior,” Harrison said. “I realized that I was meant to be a distance swimmer. My coach got me in the water and had me start going distance, and I kept getting better.”

Harrison became a standout in the Boulder City-Henderson Heatwave club program and has signed a letter of intent to swim at Oregon State.

Harrison said she makes a habit of pushing her limits in the pool.

“People say you have to race the clock or you have to race a person, but I don’t race either of them,” she said. “I just kind of put up with my mind and have to fight with my mind about what’s going on.”

Stump said Harrison is a natural at challenging herself.

“She’s very self-motivated,” he said. “That’s a key when sometimes you’re in a meet where you’re not swimming against the best competition. You’ve got to be able to push yourself, and she’s real good at that.”

Harrison isn’t the only senior leader for Coronado, which has 18 returners from last season.

Nicole Mertel, a South Carolina signee, is the defending region champion in the 100 backstroke and 50 free and was part of the state champion 200 free relay.

The Cougars are off to a fast start this year, winning the Sunrise Region Relay Invitational in Division A on Saturday.

Stump said the Cougars set a goal one day after last year’s state meet to improve on their third-place finish. It’s a path he knows Harrison and Mertel are ready to lead.

“It’s going to be fun watching them their senior years,” he said. “They’ve set some high goals for themselves and the team. They work really hard to achieve them, so I’m hoping we can come through in the end.”