Page 17 - All Arkansas Preps 2020

Advertising Supplement to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | All-Arkansas Preps | Sunday, June 28, 2020 17M OUTSTANDING PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
ISABELLA COTHERN SENIOR / JONESBORO HIGH SCHOOL
SUBMITTED PHOTO
>> WHY SHE WON
Jonesboro swimmer Isabella Cothern finished her senior year by breaking records, including her own. Her dominance in the pool this season has earned Cothern the title of All-Arkansas Preps Outstanding Player of the Year for Girls Swimming. is year, she won the Class 5A 50-yard freestyle and the 100-meter freestyle races and set a state record in the 50-yard freestyle with a 23.18. “ e better the competition, the better she swam,” said James Locke, girls swimming coach at Jonesboro High School. Cothern said she’s always been a natural in the pool ever since
she started swimming when she was 5 years old. She also said
she’s been fortunate to have great coaches and support from family and friends. “We’re just tremendously proud of her,” said Leslie Cothern, Isabella’s mother. In school, Cothern said she enjoys studying English and science. She’s also the swim-team representative on the Student Council. rough the Student Council and the Crown Club Junior Auxiliary of Jonesboro,
she also gets to mentor younger students. Cothern said she
enjoys mentoring because she remembers how cool it was
when she would get to interact with older kids. She is also an animal lover and spends time volunteering at the Northeast Arkansas Humane Society in Jonesboro. Next year, Cothern will
swim at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. She said she chose Arkansas because she was really impressed with the facilities and coach Neil Harper and that her oldest sibling, Caitlin Cothern, graduated from the school in 2019.
I’M JUST REALLY EXCITED and really grateful.”
— Isabella Cothern, OUTSTANDING PLAYER OF THE YEAR FOR GIRLS SWIMMING
GIRLS SWIMMING
ISABELLA’S
■ Set state record for 50- yard freestyle at 23.18
■ Tied state record for 100-yard freestyle at 51.86
■ All-Arkansas Preps Swimming/Diving Girls Team 2016-2017, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019
■ Participates in USA Swimming with the Parkway Swim Club
■ Earned three first-place finishes at the Ozark Swimming Senior Championships
on Jan. 24
■ FUTURE PLANS: Cothern has signed to swim at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and will major in nutrition
and dietetics.