Lyon College and the City of Batesville are partnering to bring competitive swimming to the College and the greater community. Mayor Rick Elumbaugh and Lyon President Dr. W. Joseph King signed a memorandum of understanding, signifying the partnership. 

The signing held on June 6 also announced Lyon’s new swim club team, which the partnership will support.

As part of the agreement, Batesville Community Center’s aquatics coordinator Alfredo Aleman will coach Lyon’s swim team for the next two years, and the team will practice and compete at the community center.

Jeff Owens, Batesville’s Parks and Recreation director, said he hopes the program will offer youth the chance to swim at the college level while staying in the community.

“We want to grow the sport of swimming in the City of Batesville,” he said.

Aleman added, “Lyon swimming will open new opportunities to our youth. Now our kids can dream of getting a great education while being a part of their Scots swim family.”

This is not Aleman’s first time to build a swim team. He is responsible for creating the first master triathlon and swim team in Ocean Springs, Miss. He went on to grow the Taos Swim Club in New Mexico from 27 to over 200 swimmers, winning New Mexico Swim Coach of the Year in 2016 and 2017. Currently, Aleman coaches the Batesville High School swim team and the Batesville Torpedoes.

“I’ve coached the [Batesville] team to several swim meet records, Junior Olympics, state championships, professional meets, and for the first time in Batesville, our team finished runner up as the 2019 high school state champs,” he said.

As for Lyon’s new team, Lyon and Aleman will build the team this year, and the team will start competing in fall 2020. Affiliated with USA Swimming, the team will host one to two meets each season and will participate in local club meets.

King said Lyon’s new swim club team will not only bring in prospective students from afar but also keep local students interested in the sport in Batesville.

“We’re very excited about this event,” he said. “This swim club team is very important for both the fitness and enrollment aspects of providing more opportunities to our students.”

King thanked the City of Batesville for collaborating with Lyon.

“The city has been a wonderful partner,” he said, “and we hope to continue that partnership.”