On Tuesday, July 9, at the annual End of the Season Team Potluck, the Sewanee Tigersharks celebrated the contributions of the four graduated seniors who swam their final season with the Tigersharks this summer: Sophia Patterson, Zoey Craft, Larson Heitzenrater, and Sophia Hartman.

Sophia Patterson joined the Tigersharks at age 11 in 2013 when her family moved to Sewanee. Patterson swam until 2015, returning to the Tigersharks this summer for a final season. Sophia plans to attend Trinity University in Texas, majoring in Political Science. Zoey Craft first swam with the Tigersharks as a 6 year old in 2008. She swam consistently through the 2017 summer season, taking only one season off in 2018 during a summer out West. Known to many local young swimmers as “Coach Zoey”, Zoey coached for both the Tigersharks and the Sewanee-based USA Swimming Mountain Aquatic Club for several years. The Sewanee Tigersharks were delighted to welcome Zoey back as a swimmer and a coach in the summer of 2019. Next fall Zoey will attend the University of New Mexico, double-majoring in Political Science and International Studies. Larson Heitzenrater began swimming with the Tigersharks in 2008 at the age of 7. He swam every summer since 2008, and he served as a lifeguard, assistant coach, and pool manager this summer. Larson will attend Wofford College in South Carolina, and he plans to major in Economics. Finally, Sophia Hartman joined the Tigersharks in 2007 at the age of 6, and she swam consistently every summer. Sophia is also known to many young swimmers as “Coach Sophia”, having coached and taught lessons for several years. In the fall, Sophia Hartman will attend the University of Richmond, Virginia, to major in Sociology and International Studies.

Board President Marion Knoll thanked these swimmers saying, “We deeply appreciate the commitment, sacrifice, dedication, and leadership that these four young people have brought to the program over the many years that they have been part of our team. It is very hard to keep swimming as you get older and have other summer commitments pulling you away from the time required to be a swimmer. These young people are valued because they have stuck with the program despite their many other activities, and they have served as exceptional role models for our younger swimmers both in and out of the pool for many years. We will miss them very much.”