ROCKINGHAM — Senior swimmer Dakota Locklear has been named the Official Richmond County Male Athlete of the Week presented by Moss Brothers Tires & Service.
A three-year veteran of the swim team, Locklear has proved to be one of the most reliable swimmers in the team’s short-distance races. He’s been with the program since its inception in 2017, and just notched his career fastest time in one of his events last week. This is Locklear’s first career recognition.
Athletic Profile
Age: 18
Birthday: Nov. 13, 2001
Year: Senior
Winter Sport: Swimming
Events: 50-yard freestyle, medley and relay events
Years on Varsity: 3 Years
Height & Weight: 5-11, 150 pounds
Experience: 3 Years
“SWIMMING LAPS” WITH DAKOTA LOCKLEAR
Locklear is nearing the end of his swimming career at Richmond, but he’s going out with a bang. During last week’s Sandhills Athletic Conference meet at St. Andrews University, he recorded his fastest career time in the 50-yard freestyle.
Swimming against some of the top swimmers in the conference, Locklear finished the two lengths of the pool is 26.42 seconds, beating his previous personal record of 26.56 seconds. He would hit the end wall in fifth place out of 12 swimmers, collecting 10 points for the Raiders.
Locklear was 0.55 seconds behind Scotland’s Connor Bert for fourth place, and finished 2.42 seconds ahead of sixth-place finisher Damian Locklear (Purnell Swett).
Over the last three seasons, Locklear has developed into one of the leaders on the swim team, and has found himself competing in several events. He pulls duty in the 200-yard medley relay by swimming the butterfly, arguably one of the most physically demanding strokes in the sport.
In last Wednesday’s meet, Locklear helped the Raiders to a fourth-place finish in the event, distancing the Raiders from Hoke County High School during his 50 yards of work. Richmond earned 22 points with a time of 2:25.38.
As the regular season closes on Wednesday at St. Andrews, Locklear said his goals are to continue to get faster in the pool and help the Raiders improve their ranking in the SAC standings. Heats will begin at 6 p.m. in the O’Herron Pool House, with the SAC championship happening later this month.
Raider Video Chats: Dakota Locklear, Official Richmond County Male Athlete of the Week
In his video, Locklear walks us through his personal record in the 50-yard freestyle, discusses his role as one of the team’s veteran leaders, highlights potential swimming opportunities in college and answers a couple of questions about himself.
Click photo for video.
