Pasadena swimmers excel at TAAF Games of Texas; Qualify for State Games of America

By Chris Price
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS (July 29, 2023) Two former Pasadena Independent School District swimmers showed the crowd at Margaret M. Clark Aquatic Center that just because you have graduated high school, you can still find success competing in the pool.

Kimberly Dutton (above left) and Emely Lopez (above right), who both competed for Pasadena Memorial High School and Pasadena High School, respectively, competed in the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation (TAAF) Games of Texas state championships, and brought medals back to Pasadena.

Dutton,  who graduated in 2020, and Lopez, who graduated this past spring, each was part of the South Belt Area "All Stars" Swimming Team (SBAS) squad who won the women's 200-yard medley relay in the 18-and-over division at this summer's state championships.

In winning the relay, they became the first relay foursome to take a TAAF state title since 2004. The foursome of Kristine Kelly, Natalie Melenric, Caitlin Cunningham, and Jackie Thibodaux combined to win the girls' 15-17 200-yard freestyle relay with the time of 1:42.01, with that performance standing as a TAAF state record to this day.

Lopez, who was a four-time academic all-state honoree for the Pasadena Eagles, and two-time All America selection also took the bronze medal in the women's 18-24 50-yard butterfly. Lopez will continue her swimming career this fall as a member of the inaugural swimming team at the University of St. Thomas in Houston.

Dutton, who was an academic all-state swimmers for the Pasadena Memorial Mavericks, and was an National State Games of America (NSGA) All-American in 2019 took the bronze medal in the women's 18-24 50-yard breaststroke.

As a result of making it to the medal platform in Brownsville, both women have qualified for State Games of America National Championships at the University of California in San Diego in July, 2024. This will be the first time Lopez will compete in the national event, however it will be the second time for Dutton. She qualified and competed in the 2019 edition of the games at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, bringing several medals back to Pasadena.

The South Belt Area "All Stars" Swimming Team is a select program consisting of elite swimmers from the Deer Park, Pasadena, Pearland, Friendswood, Clear Lake and greater Houston area. They are coached by Robert and Darla Kelly and Renee Martinez.