A 6'8" Superstar in the Water

An excerpt from The New York Times -

At 16, Reece Whitley Stands Tall in and Out of Water

Whitley will compete this week at the Atlanta Classic at Georgia Tech, a three-day competition starting Friday that is akin to a midterm. It will give Whitley a better idea of where his swimming stands heading into the United States Olympic trials in late June in Omaha.

There is so much more than meets the eye to the 6-foot-8 Whitley, an African-American in a sport that is becoming more diverse. The 2012 United States Olympic swim team included three black swimmers — Anthony Ervin, Cullen Jones and Lia Neal — all of whom will vie for spots on the 2016 squad. Last year, Neal helped make N.C.A.A. history in the 100-yard freestyle at the Division I championships, finishing second behind her Stanford teammate Simone Manuel and ahead of Florida’s Natalie Hinds in the first 1-2-3 finish by black competitors.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/10/sports/at-16-reece-whitley-stands-tall-in-and-out-of-water.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=photo-spot-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0