SIOUX FALLS - USF Swimming's Ursula Demarquet-Alban is set to compete in the XII South American Games Asunción 2022 this week. The senior will represent her home country of Ecuador.
 
Many athletes dream of representing their country on a grand stage and proving they are the best at what they do, not only in their country, but in the world. For Ursula, qualifying for this year's South American Games is a chance to do just that and be one step closer to competing in the Olympic Games.
 
Demarquet Alban, a senior on the University of Sioux Falls Swimming team, has seen this stage before and is no stranger to competing with and against some of the best swimmers in the world. In 2015 she competed at the FINA World Junior Championships in Singapore, in 2017 the USA Swimming Futures Championships in California and the Bolivarian Games in Colombia, and each year of her collegiate career she's competed in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championships. The Ecuadorian native knows what it takes to make it to the South American Games too, in 2018 she competed in the event for the first time and now four years later her hard work has paid off and she's qualified once again.
 
"Representing my country at this level of international competition has always felt like the perfect pay off for all the hard work and sacrifices I do daily. It's an honor to show my abilities and compete while representing my people and especially, my family." – Ursula on representing her country at the South American Games.
 
Getting to this point wasn't easy, every sport has athletes that dedicate their lives to their craft but how many have to find special facilities or modify existing ones to fit foreign standards? In her collegiate swims each event is measured in yards which is commonplace for the United States. However, the South American Games are an international competition which measures their events in Long Course Meters. The conversion may seem simple at first, yards to meters, but the impact is more significant than one may think. Most pools in the area are 25 yards, the pools used for these Games and the Olympics are 50 meters, over double the size. Training in 25 yard pools for these events requires a shift in philosophy that swimmers in other countries won't have to worry about. Between help from USF Head Coach Chris Hamstra and her unyielding determination, she found ways to train for this event even in facilities that weren't sufficient size.
 
Despite the challenge the pool itself posed, Ursula persevered and set two times worthy of a spot on Ecuador's team. In July at the SD SFST 2022 Long Course Championships she set her best ever time in the 50 Free, a 26.96, which also happened to be the 2^nd best time of any Ecuadorian swimmer this year. She didn't stop there, just a few days later at the USA Swimming Futures Championship in Minneapolis she dominated again and finished the 100 Free in 59.85. The time was barely a second behind her best ever, 58.98, which she set in Colombia five years ago. With teams for relays still yet to be set Ursula could find herself competing in even more events but at least for now she knows she'll represent her country in the 100 Free and 50 Free.
 
As just one of 12 swimmers qualified by the Ecuadorian Swimming Federation and one of six women, Demarquet Alban knows qualifying is an honor but she also knows she can't let her best time be the one she set yesterday. Placing highly in this event could lead to a spot in next year's Pan American Games, another stepping stone to the Olympics and another chance to compete against some of the best in the world. To stay afloat, her best time has to come every time she dives in.
 
"It's a great way to test my level right now, to get more experience to learn and improve from, and to keep growing professionally for my next swim meets." – Ursula on the level of competition at this event.
 
The XII South American Games Asunción 2022 take place in Asunción, Paraguay, the heart of South America. Ecuador is just one of 15 countries competing at the Games with the remaining field consisting of: Argentina, Aruba, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Curacao, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The Games officially start on October 1st but the Swimming events will take place from October 2^nd through October 5^th. For Ursula, the Women's 100 Freestyle takes place on October 2^nd and the Women's 50 Freestyle will begin on October 5th.
 
For more information on The XII South American Games click here. To follow Ursula's journey and USF Swimming check out @USF_Swimming on Twitter and usfcougarswim on Instagram.