OHS, Marlins’ swimmer Luckett to continue career at Milligan

February 28, 2019 | 2:33 am

Updated February 28, 2019 | 2:33 am

Owensboro's Grant Luckett signed to swim at Milligan College on Wednesday. | Illustration by The Owensboro Times

Years of dedication are paying off for Grant Luckett, as the Owensboro swimmer signed to continue his career with Milligan College during a ceremony at the high school Wednesday.

Luckett began swimming at an early age, but it wasn’t always a goal to make it to the collegiate level. He joined the Owensboro Marlins Swim Team, and around age 13 Luckett realized he had potential to have a successful career. In addition to his time with the Marlins, Luckett has competed for the OHS team over the past few seasons.

“It meant a lot to me to be able to compete for both of them,” Luckett said. “It showed me how to become part of a team.”

Luckett said like any athlete, it took a strong commitment to succeed.

“It’s all about the dedication to get up at 5 in the morning to go to practices,” he said. “You work hard in practice and eat a healthy diet. The little things are what help any athlete be successful, not just in swimming.”

OHS swim coach Brad Schmied said though he’s only been a part of the latter years of Luckett’s journey, he’s seen plenty of talent and leadership.

“He’s battled a bit of an injury this last year, but he still showed up and supported the team,” Schmied said. “But you could see the people here (at the signing ceremony) supported him equally as much, and that is how you know what he means to them, without a doubt.”

By the time Schmied came along, Luckett already had his sights on competing in college. Schmied said he’ll continue to follow Luckett’s accomplishments and has high expectations.

“He had an injury and we had to battle through that a little bit to get him back to the level he needs to be,” Schmied said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what he does. He is the perfect athlete. He’s very coachable, he works hard and he’s going to do well in school.”

The Buffaloes, more commonly called the Buffs, first showed interest in Luckett last year after he filled out a questionnaire for Milligan. It didn’t take long to get an offer, and he said it was an easy decision once he visited the team.

He said continuing both his academic and athletic career will help him find success beyond college.

“I got to visit the swim team in the fall and they were very friendly,” Luckett said. “Their coach is building up each year to make them successful, so hopefully I can do good things there. It will help me be successful later in life.”

February 28, 2019 | 2:33 am

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