Gliding to victory

(Photo: Bruce Schwartz)

Presbyterian School third grader Annika Hensel (pictured) competed in the breaststroke event at a recent swim meet. Hensel swims, year-round, with Rice Aquatics and also with the West University Piranhas summer league. She competes in all four strokes (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle), but breaststroke is her favorite. She works hard to improve her speed in each event and strives to meet the National Age Group Motivational times. Hensel’s love of swimming comes naturally, as her parents were both collegiate swimmers. She set goals for her future in swimming, and hopes to compete in high school and maybe even follow in her parents’ footsteps at the college level. Beyond that, Annika says it would be fun to represent the U.S., like her favorite Olympic swimmer, Missy Franklin.

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