GOODWILL Swimming Championship bronze medallist Soroya Simmons is expected to join Olympian Brittany van Lange as Guyana’s representatives at this year’s hosting of the CARIFTA Swimming Championships to be held later this month in Aruba.

Simmons made it to the team after the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) revised their qualifying time so that other deserving swimmers can have the exposure at the prestigious event, according to GASA secretary Dee George.
Previously only van Lange had managed to qualify for an event when the Association held its time trials last month.
Both swimmers will be competing in the Girls’ 15-17 category. Simmons will swim the 50m, 100m and 200m backstrokes along with the 50m freestyle, van Lange will contend in the 50m, 100m and 200m freestyles as well as the 50m butterfly. They will travel alongside coach Stephanie Fraser, who has been training with the team which leaves on April 20.
Speaking with this publication earlier this week, Fraser shared that the duo have been trying to put in as much work as possible but the girls have their academic demands which have limited the amount of work they could accomplish.
“They have their exams and lessons, and it’s a bit challenging, but we fit in whatever we can when they have the time,” Fraser noted.
This will be van Lange’s second performance at the annual event, but it will be Simmons’ debut performance.
Goodwill Swimming Championship gold medallist van Lange first attended the event in 2012 when the event was held in the Bahamas. Guyana was also represented by Jessica Stephenson that year. The Bishops’ High student failed to qualify last year, so Guyana was represented by Onika George alone.