Blues’ Sands shines in Bahamas meet – Asheville Citizen-Times

Asheville School's Alec Sands.(Photo: COURTESY PHOTO)

Special thanks to Asheville School for this press release:

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (April 28, 2017) Asheville School junior Alec Sands hails from the Bahamas. For the week of April 15, he returned home to represent his country in the CARIFTA 2017 Swimming Championships.

The CARIFTA Games were founded in 1972 by the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA); these games included track and field events open to people from Caribbean countries. Today CARIFTA Swimming is a stand-alone competition that represents water sport championships open to countries throughout the larger region.

Young people from 26 countries compete to win points for their country's team. Sands was selected as one of seven boys to compete for the Bahamas in the oldest age category, 15-17. This was Sands' fourth time competing at CARIFTA, and at age 17, his last.

He made the most of this year's competition.

Sands was elected as co-captain of the boys team for the Bahamas, he won gold as part of the 4 x 100 medley relay, and he scored points with two fourth-place finishes in individual swims in the 200 IM event and the 200 Free event.

Sands was excited to finish his last CARIFTA with a gold. "We weren't seeded to come in first," he said. "Everyone stepped up. It was a lot of fun, and it was nerve wracking."

The CARIFTA Championships are held over four days, and swimmers can swim in two sessions per day. The competition is demanding, and Sands worked hard as a team captain to encourage his team. "I looked out for the younger swimmers; I motivated them," he said. "It was tough competition. We were competing against people from over 20 countries, and there was really fast swimming."

The Bahamas boys team came out on top of the competition and won the 2017 CARIFTA Swimming Championships. Congratulations to Alec Sands and his team on their win!

Sands also had a great year swimming for the Blues. Asheville School's swim team took third place in the NCISAA State Championship meet in February 2017. Sands had two second place finishes: in the 500 Free and as part of the boys 400 Free relay. He earned All-WNC honors for his season and set several individual school records.

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Blues' Sands shines in Bahamas meet - Asheville Citizen-Times