The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Fresh off her stellar performance at the 15th edition of the FINA World Championships in Abu Dhabi this month, Grand Bahamian Joanna Evans got the news that she was selected as the Central American and Caribbean Female Swimmer of the Year.

The announcement came on Christmas Day, Saturday, December 25, as Evans enjoyed the festive season at her training site in Austin, Texas.

“It is an honour,” Evans told The Tribune. “The season went well. I had much more racing to do but I kept learning and getting better so it was exciting.”

She earned the CAC feat after her trifecta year that saw her shine for the Bahamas at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in August, the 2021 International Swimming League and the FINA World Championships in December. “It’s hard to list a single highlight, as they were all so different,” Evans reflected. “Obviously the Olympics and making two world champ finals were highlights, but I also had some thrilling swims at the ISL.”

As a pair of Bahamian swimmers competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in August, Evans placed 13th in the 400 metre freestyle in 4:07.50, just missing the national record of 4:07.33 that she set in May at the Longhorn Elite Invite.

Evans, who competed along with Izaak Bastian, went on to place 18th in the prelims of the 200 metre freestyle, posting a 1:58.40, just 0.37 off her own 2018 national record.

Following the biggest global event on the planet, Evans was a vital member of the DC Trident during the 2021 ISL regular season and playoffs where she excelled in the 200 and 400 freestyles. She lowered her Bahamian national record in the 200 freestyle first in Match 1 with a 1:56.63.

In Match 4, Evans brought the record down to 1:56.37, which she followed up with a 1:55.70 from the ISL “death match” (Naples Match 11) that saw DC win its first-ever ISL match and earn a spot in the semifinals.

Later, in Playoff Match 1, Evans posted a 1:55.43, and a week later a 1:54.98 in Playoff Match 3. In Playoff Match 5, Evans lowered the record once again to a 1:54.36, the record that stands today.

Evans similarly lowered the Bahamian national record in the 400 SCM freestyle multiple times during the 2021 ISL season, first posting a 4:04.48 in the regular season Match 1 in Naples.

While she lowered the 200 freestyle at the halfway mark to 2:00.75 in the race, Evans came back the following day in the individual 200 freestyle and dropped her national mark to 1:56.63.

In Match 4, Evans lowered the mark to a 4:03.38, and then took it down to a 4:02.12 in Match 5. In the “death match,” Match 11 in Naples, Evans won the 400 freestyle in 4:00.14, winning by more than 2 seconds.

In closing out her 2021 season at the 2021 FINA World Championships, Evans became just the second Bahamian swimmer ever to advance to a short course world championships final, following in the footsteps of Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, who won bronze in the 50 freestyle at the 2011 version of the meet.

Evans, joined by Bastian, Lilly Higgs and Lamar Taylor in Abu Dhabi, advanced to the final in both the 200 (8th) and 400 (7th) freestyles, but just missed lowering her national records in each final. “It was fun to travel with the others. I’ve travelled quite a bit with Izaak and Lilly and they are always great to be around,” Evans said. “I’ve never travelled with Lamar, but he is young and on the upswing so that was cool to see.”

Having represented the University of Texas from 2015-2019, Evans ended her NCAA career as a Longhorn with a total of 11 Big 12 championship titles and currently holds the 500 freestyle (4:35.05) and 1650 freestyle (15:51.74) school records. She continues to train at Texas since her graduation. “Now I’ve got some time to reset and plan for next season,” Evans said.