Jayce Calhoon, 11, finished 11th in the nation during the Western Zone swimming championships held in August at the USC Campus, Los Angeles, Calif.
Calhoon is the son of Junia and James Calhoon and is in the fifth grade at Hawthorne Elementary School.
In his sixth year of swimming, Calhoon was among five boys in his age group that competed for the select Oregon team. He competed in the 200 IM, 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 50 backstroke, 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly.
His 11th place was in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:16.48. The winning time was 1:14.68 in the 50 meter long course pool.
“It was really hot,” Jayce said. “It was outdoors and we had to drink a lot of water.”
Calhoon is no stranger to tough swim competitions. He qualified for the zones at the age of nine at Federal Way, Wash.
“I like to compete,” he said of his swim program. “It’s fun.”
Calhoon is a member of the Lebanon Swim Club where his mother is a coach. He previously swam for two years with a Corvallis team.
In addition to his swimming, Calhoon plans to take up football and says math is his favorite subject in school.
“I hope to do as good or better in the coming year,” Calhoon said of his swim plans.
When he’s an adult, Calhoon would like to be a veterinarian.