Sophomore swimmer Ariyah Abdullah competes at national meet

Sophomore state champ Ariyah Abdullah swam the 50m freestyle in 23.62 at the Speedo Winter Junior Nationals in Austin, Texas on Dec. 11.

This is the first time since 2009 that Douglas has had a student qualify for a national meet.

“She shows really good dedication,” said swim coach James Bowe, “but also really good skills.”

Ariyah’s sister and teammate on the swim team, Ja’lan, said Ariyah’s time was “pretty good for early in the year,” but that “she’ll be even faster in time for state.”