'He's one of the best swimmers I've ever seen in the past 20 years'
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. - He's already won a state championship and he's only a 16-year-old sophomore.
Springfield's Carlos Hunnicutt won the 100 yard butterfly and was the runner-up in the 200 yard individual medley a year ago. He'll be going for more than that in 2012.
"I want to go to state in the same events and get the state record in both events," said Hunnicutt.
"He's willing to get up early and work hard," said Springfield swim coach Josh Jordan. "He's one of the best swimmers I've ever seen in the past 20 years."
Hunnicutt is relatively new to swimming. He's played multiple sports, including soccer which is where he originally thought he'd excel. However, his older sister Amelia, who was also a swimmer at Springfield, convinced him to jump into the pool when he was in seventh grade.
"My sister would take me here and she would basically teach me how to swim," said Hunnicutt. "She would kick my butt the first week and I would just eat her bubbles."
But it didn't take long before Carlos was swimming faster than his sister.
"The next week I remember racing her and I remember beating her."
Now Hunnicutt wants to compete with and try to beat the best in the nation. Carlso wants to make the U.S. Olympic Trials this summer.
"His shot at Olympic Trials is in the top one percent," said Jordan. "He definitely has a shot."
"I don't want to wait for another four years to get to a big meet like that," said Hunnicutt. "So, why not go for it now. I've always liked to dream big and why not dream big for the trials."
Hunnicutt also dreams of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. High hopes for a 16-year old, but he's already a state champ.
