In Brief: Birmingham Swimmer Wins Freestyle Race at National YMCA Meet

Swimmers from the started with a pair of strong finishes Tuesday at the National YMCA Championship, which continues through Friday in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Nikki Barczak, a 17-year-old from Bloomfield Hills, won the 50-meter freestyle race with a time of 23.21 seconds. 

She and three Birmingham Blue Dolphins (BBD) teammates placed second in the women's 200-meter medley relay, finishing at 1:44.9. The other local racers were Taylor Steffl of Bloomfield Hills, Jaynie Pulte of Troy and Maggie Pyett of Bloomfield Hills.

"They broke an 18-year-old BBD record by three seconds," head coach Kevin Fogarty reported from Florida by email Wednesday afternoon.

Forty BBD national team members are at the annual meet in the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Complex, where  swimmers paraded into the hall Monday in an Olympics-style opening ceremony.

Participating students include varsity swimmers from , , Berkley, Troy, Rochester, Brother Rice, Marian, Cranbrook, Detroit Country Day, St. Regis, Mercy, University of Detroit High, and other schools, according to Fogarty, who will provide daily result highlights for Birmingham Patch.