Tucker eyes Olympics

Since his freshman season at Seminole High School in 1989, Scott Tucker has dedicated himself to swimming. Today, the 27-year-old continues to push to be the best and return to the Olympics.

The former Auburn University star's first introduction to the sport came when he was 6 and joined a summer league. He was a member of the West Florida Lightning Aquatics under coach Mike Stewart.

As a Seminole freshman, Tucker placed among the top 12 in the state 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke. That led to conference titles and district championships.

"I had a good freshman year and, even though I thought I was a pretty good soccer player, I decided to concentrate on swimming," Tucker said. "It seemed like swimming could be a ticket to college one day."

He started college in 1993 to continue his career with the Tigers.

"I only took two recruiting trips, and when I was at Auburn, I loved the atmosphere and team camaraderie," said Tucker, whose father is an alum of the Alabama school. "Even though I went to a lot of Auburn's events as a kid, I was mostly influenced by Auburn's coach, David Marsh."

When Marsh met Tucker and saw his talent, the coach encouraged the freestyler to pursue a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.Tucker qualified for the squad in 1996 as an alternate.

"Even though I would have preferred to have been one of the primary swimmers, it was a great opportunity for me," he said. The U.S. won the 1996 gold in the 400-meter freestyle relay and was second in the same event in 2000.

"I was out-touched for third place, but I swam the 100 in less than 49 seconds, which was a goal of mine," Tucker said. "So even though I was an alternate again, I was happy with my time." While at Auburn, Tucker achieved world rankings and captured national junior titles. In 1997, he led the Tigers to their first NCAA crown. Tucker remained at the university two years after graduation to continue his training. In 2000, he moved to Irvine, Calif., to work out with the Irvine Novas team and coach David Sala.

Sala "has trained other Olympic swimmers," Tucker said, "and I am surrounded by some of the best competition." Last month, he made his second appearance in the Pan Pacific Championships. A time of 49.0 in the 100-meter free earned him a third berth in the World Championships, in Barcelona in 2003.

"My goal is to qualify for the 100 freestyle and swim an individual event in the 2004 Olympics," Tucker said. "I'm the second oldest on the U.S. National Team and am not sure how much longer I'll do this.

"I'm still improving and enjoying training and competing," he said. "The biggest challenge in this sport is staying dedicated and mentally focused."

SOFTBALL: University of Maryland grad Amanda Bettker (Northeast) was named to the 52-member ACC 50th Anniversary Team. The pitcher finished second for the Terps in career victories, ERA, innings, strikeouts, shutouts, complete games and appearances.

VOLLEYBALL: Karla Zschau (Clearwater Central Catholic) opened her junior season at Ole Miss by compiling 13 kills and 11 digs in a victory over Eastern Kentucky. ... Lenoir-Rhyne College freshman Kelsey Baby (Clearwater) scored the final six points serving in a 30-13 win of a game against Johnson C. Smith. CROSS COUNTRY: University of West Florida freshman Desi McKeage (Shorecrest) was 37th (24:54) in the 5K of the Argonaut Invitational. UWF sophomore Dan Bauer (Largo) finished eighth (28:20) in the 8K. ... Christa Benton (Keswick) was among four South Florida runners in the top 10, helping the Bulls place second in the Indiana Open. Benton was third in the 5K, 18:19.30.

FOOTBALL: Davidson College junior center Jon Davis (Palm Harbor) was named to the Preseason I-AA Mid-Major All-America Team by the Sports Network and to the second squad by Don Hansen's Football Gazette. ... Freshman linebacker D'Qwell Jackson (Seminole) has 18 tackles in Maryland's first two games. ... ... Michigan State freshman tailback Jason Teague (Osceola) gained 14 yards in a 56-7 victory over Eastern Michigan. ... First-year players Dan Newburg, a linebacker from Boca Ciega, and Chauncery Gregory, a defensive back from Gibbs, are vying for playing time at Kentucky Wesleyan. ... Former Tampa Bay Buc receiver Chris Daniels (Clearwater/Purdue) is continuing his involvement working as an assistant coach at Largo High. School. The All-American works with the Packers' wide receivers.

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