The Drew Sharks (l- r): Front - Kelly Lovelady, Ana Jones, Jake Sawyer, Tyra Trapp, Grace Mickle, and Jaydon Parker; Middle - Jackie Rice, Joann Wu, Alex Rice, Dillard Trapp, Jared Blake, Chrisitan Dunlap, and Sarah Dunlap; Back - Leanne Thompson, Eloisa Jones, Matthew Dunlap, Chris Blake, Jordan Mickle, Sarah Lovelady. Not pictured: Helen Strickland, Elliott Drayton, Charles Kneisley, and Katherine Kneisley. Local swimmers excelled at the 7th Annual National Black Heritage Championship Swim Meet on Memorial Day weekend in Cary, North Carolina. The competitors also had the chance to meet 2008 Olympic gold medalist Cullen Jones and 2004 Olympic silver medalist Maritza Correia.

The event, which purposes to encourage more minorities to learn to swim and compete, drew about 30 teams and over 600 swimmers from as far as California.

The Drew Sharks, a team that swims at the Charles R. Drew Wellness Center and has a majority of minority swimmers, sent 23 of their 25 swimmers to the event, thanks in part to the sponsorship of donors. They placed 18th with 220 points. The local Columbia Parks & Rec- Greenview (CPRGV) swim team also competed and placed 12th with 509 points. The D.C. Metropolitan Swim Team, a team that gathered swimmers from the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation, won the meet with 2927 points.

Eloisa Jones with Olympian Cullen Jones As the highlight of the event, Jones, an African American who swam in the 2008 Beijing Olympic games, signed autographs and took pictures with the swimmers, ages 6 to 25, on Sunday. He also swam two 50 freestyle exhibition events, racing 18 lottery- picked swimmers, including two Drew Sharks, Eloisa Jones, age 13, and Elliott Drayton, age 17, and a CPRGV swimmer, Marquise Snipes, age 14.

Delighted to have been chosen, Eloisa Jones said, "It was amazing! It will be something I will always remember. He was definitely a lot faster than I am, so it will give me something to aspire to—to be at that level. It was a lot of fun!"

Maritza Correia spoke at the welcoming event on Friday, gave three mini swim clinics on Saturday, and interacted with swimmers throughout the meet.

Matt Dunlap with Olympian Cullen Jones The event was the largest the Drew Sharks, as a very young team, have participated in yet. Their coach, Janice Thompson, was very pleased with the results and the great experience the meet provides. "It was a wonderful opportunity to swim at a meet where our African American swimmers were not the minority swimmers. The Drew Sharks were very encouraged about their performances, which will [make] them want to continue training hard."

Four Drew Sharks; Jaydon Parker, Kelly Lovelady, Chris Blake, and Leanne Thompson; placed in the top eight in various events. Many other Sharks placed in the top 16. CPRGV swimmers Aya Nance, Marquise Snipes, Briana Wright, Destiny Moore, Vinez Lyde, Alexandra Brooks, Jewel Malonza, and Nidiyah McDuffie also placed in the top ten in their respective events.