Area swimmer going national

Ben Hines, 13, son of Ken and Kare Hines, and the grandson of Dean and Effie Mitchell of rural Fort Scott, has qualified to swim in the 2016 National Club Swimming Association Age Group Championships to be held in Orlando, Fla. Hines swims for Berzerker Swimming and the Nevada Neptunes. Ben is the t. Hines qualified for 7 finals. He was the only 13-year-old to qualify in the 13-14 A-Finals for the 50-yard freestyle. His best time of 22.81 took fifthplace. He also qualified in the 13-year-old finals in the 100-yard freestyle with a winning time of 50.54, the 50-yard butterfly, with a seoond-place time of 24.75, 50-yard backstroke with a fourth-place time of 26.99, the 100-yard butterfly with a fourth-place time of 56.50, the 200 freestyle with a seventh-place time of 1:52.86, and the 100 backstroke with a seventh-place time of 58.57. Hines is preparing for the Mega Zones Long Course Championships to be held in Indianapolis this August. (Submitted photo)