HUMBOLDT — Humboldt High senior Emma B’Hymer, whose passion for swimming includes daily commutes of more than an hour — just for practice — will continue her swimming when she enrolls in college in the fall.
B’Hymer, daughter of Amie Witten and Eric B’Hymer, signed a letter of intent Wednesday to swim collegiately at the College of St. Mary in Omaha, Neb.
“I just felt a sense of security there,” she said afterward.
The all-girls Catholic school is smaller than many universities, B’Hymer noted, with an atmosphere similar to what Humboldt High School offers.
“I feel like I will fit in very well,” she said.
Going to college will address B’Hymer’s other passion as well — getting into the nursing field. Her dream is to eventually become a nurse in a Natal Intensive Care Unit.
“I really wanted to go into nursing school,” she said. “I have a good personality for a nursing career. I’ve wanted to be in the medical field since I was little because of my mom.”
Witten worked for 23 years in the radiology department in Garnett’s Anderson County Hospital. Then, when Saint Luke’s Health Systems, which ran the Anderson County site, took over operations at Iola’s Allen County Regional Hospital, Witten moved there to become director of the radiology department.
B’Hymer’s father, Eric, also is in the medical field. He works as a paramedic for the Iola Ambulance Service.
B’HYMER has been a part of a swim team based in Independence since she was a youth. Once in high school, she joined Fort Scott High School’s swim team through a cooperative agreement since Humboldt High does not have its own swim program.
She has qualified for the state meet the past two years. As a sophomore, B’Hymer qualified in the 100-meter breaststroke and the 200-meter freestyle. She qualified in the 100-meter breaststroke and the 200-meter individual medley as a junior.
B’Hymer expects to focus primarily on the breakstroke and medley races in college.
“That’s where I’m excelling,” she explained, “and I hope to keep getting better at it.”
If she qualifies for state, B’Hymer will compete under the Humboldt Cubs flag, as she’s done the past two years, and not Fort Scott, as per state qualification rules.
AS AN aside, B’Hymer picked the College of St. Mary over several other colleges in the area, including the similar sounding — but completely different — University of St. Mary based in Leavenworth.
“People get them mixed up all the time,” she laughed.
