LeNeave
brothers excel at district swim meet, earn Courier's Athletes of the
Week honor
By:
Mike Jones , Sports Editor
Conroe
High junior Sean LeNeave, who won the 200 IM and 500 freestyle,
takes a much-deserved break during the District 14-5A Meet at
Klein High School on Saturday. (Staff photo by JERRY BAKER)
Years of getting up for very early
morning swim practices and staying late to get in extra work have
paid off for a pair of Conroe High School brothers.
Patrick
LeNeave, a senior, and his brother, Sean, a junior, have made their
mark for CHS over the last few years and each is coming off strong
performances at the District 14-5A Meet last week at Klein High
School.
Sean won both the 200 IM and 500 freestyle and tied with one
other male swimmer at the competition for the most points garnered
at the event for their team.
"It felt really good," said Sean. "I thought it was going
to be tougher than that. I've been working hard and it just came through
for me."
Patrick, meanwhile, earned bronze in the 100 butterfly and fourth
place in the 50 freestyle at district. It was the third straight year he
qualified for an individual event at regionals, competing in the 100
butterfly and 200 IM last year and the 500 freestyle and 200 IM as a
sophomore. He also competed in the 200 freestyle relay at regionals as a
freshman.
"I thought I did very well for the conditions," said
Patrick about the district competition, which took place at Klein High
School. "I felt good with the swims. I hope to do better next
weekend."
Next weekend is the regional meet at the Josh Davis Natatorium in San
Antonio. To advance past regionals and on to state, a swimmer must either
win his or her event or finish in the top four to have a chance to
qualify. The winners of each of the eight regions across the state in
their events advance, as well as the next best eight times from all the
regions.
"I think I'll have a good chance at making state," said
Sean. "It's going to be hard, but I know I can make it."
Sean's career-bests in his two regional events are 1:58.39 in the 200
IM and 4:45 in the 500 freestyle. He believes it will take a career-best
in both events to make it to state.
"With the way I've been training, my coach for The Woodlands
Swim Team (non-school squad), Tim Bauer, thinks I can drop," said
Sean.
Despite being sick during the district meet the last two years, Sean
still made it to regionals in 2004 in the 200 IM and competed in relays as
a freshman.
"I feel good; I've been taking my vitamins," Sean joked
about his current physical status.
Patrick is ready for the tough competition at regionals.
"It will be hard," he said. "I'm in the top ten or
twelve right now. It should be a challenge."
The brothers will team up at regionals in the 200 freestyle and 400
freestyle relays.
"Our chances at finaling in both of those are pretty good,"
Patrick said.
Patrick, the team captain for Conroe the past two seasons, has earned
the school's Outstanding Male Swimmer honor the past two years. He was
also chosen, along with one female athlete at the district meet, as an
Athlete Representative on the board at the competition.
"I served on a committee that if there had been any race
protests, then the athletes make the decision on what the final order
should be," said Patrick. "My coach (Steve Montgomery) put my
name in as a representative and I guess I was selected because I was a
senior that had been around the sport awhile."
Both brothers have qualified to attend the Olympic Training Center
this year, after Patrick went last year. Sean achieved his first national
qualifying time in December and set two new school pool records at Spring
High School. At Texas A&M in December, Sean swam his career-bests in
the 200 IM and 500 freestyle.
Patrick, who will be swimming collegiately, has narrowed his choices
down to Eastern Illinois, Truman State University and Delta State
University.
"It feels good," said Patrick about earning the chance to
swim in college. "I want to thank my parents (Sally and John) for
being supportive of me and also my U.S. coaches and Coach Montgomery for
being a great high school coach."
The brothers are also strong students, with each taking all AP and
Dual Credit classes. Sean is in the top seven percent in the junior class
at Conroe, while Patrick is in the top 15 percent of his senior class.
"Swimming teaches you a lot of discipline and time management,"
said Sean. "It really helps out in school. You can get things done on
time by being well-prepared, as you would do in a meet."
"Swimming keeps you on a routine," said Patrick. "You
get up at 4:45 in the morning and go to practices and stay out late in the
evening practicing. You learn to manage your time right and get your
homework and studying done."
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