July 18, 2007 

by Chris Helterbrand

    The phone has been ringing constantly at the house of Colleyville Heritage swimmer Gwen Blythe, with calls coming in from college recruiters across the country hoping to draw attention to their schools.
    "I've had 25 since July 1 [the date when recruiting can officially begin]," Blythe said. "I've already scheduled one of the five [campus] visits I'm allowed [with Purdue] and I've been in contact with my other top choices."
    Blythe has included Texas and Texas A&M on her list of possibilities, but said she's also interested in several colleges on the east coast.
    "I want to be an engineer," said Blythe, who plans to make a final decision in November.
    Blythe established herself as one of the top prospects in the state after winning the Class 5A state title last year in the 100-meter breaststroke.
    Blythe's time of 1:02.33 put her just in front of Pflugerville swimmer Micah Lawrence, who finished second with a final time of 1:02.48.
    Kier Thornhill of Marcus rounded out the top three at this year's state championship, stopping the clock at 1:04.66.
    She's also recorded two senior national cuts in both the 100 breaststroke and the 200 breastroke events and ranks as one of the state's most elite competitors in the 200 intermediate.
    Blythe is staying in top form this summer while participating at various senior circuit meets along with the Southlake-based North Texas Natadors.
    Dragons standouts Caitlin Baron and Will Singley are also on the team, which swims at events where college athletes are also in attendance.
    Blythe and several other Natadors have qualified for this year's USA Junior Nationals, which will be held later this month in Indianapolis, Indiana.
    This will be the third trip to nationals for Blythe, who said she was disappointed in her previous two journeys.
    "I got sick right before the meet both times," Blythe said. "But I'm hoping to do better this year, because I've been working harder."
    The elevated level of competition Blythe has faced this summer can only benefit her next year at Colleyville Heritage, where she hopes to establish a state record in the 200 intermediate.
    Panthers swim coach Phil Bingenheimer said Blythe will also be part of a medley relay team that could very well end up at the state meet, returning along with sophomores-to-be Paige Ebert, Sarah Thomas and Christine Riddle to form a lineup that just missed qualifying last year.
    "The whole team is more experienced than it was last year," Bingenheimer said. "We're going to be pretty good—and Gwen is a big part of that.
    "She's a very, very hard worker—Gwen seems a little light-hearted sometimes, but she's very intense. That comes out very clearly—especially at the bigger meets."
    Bingenheimer said Blythe may very well have what it takes to someday claim a national title should she continue to improve.
    "She's going to have her pick of where she wants to go to college," Bingenheimer said. "There are some schools that won't even contact her because they already know she's going to choose a school that has strong academics and a strong swim team.            She'll do very well—she's going to choose a school that has both good academics and a good swim team—and then she'll [make the NCAA finals] as a freshman."