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STUART \u2013 Gulliver Prep and American Heritage ran away with the girls\u2019 and boys\u2019 team titles at the Florida 2A high school swimming and diving championships, with each winning by more than 50 points.<\/p>\n
Gulliver Prep scored 240 points to easily win the girls\u2019 championship trophy over Suncoast, which tallied 185 points. Washington was a close third with 172 points. In the boys\u2019 meet, American Heritage dominated with 265 points to Tampa Jesuit\u2019s 184 and Clay\u2019s 146.<\/p>\n
The remarkable thing about Gulliver Prep\u2019s win is the fact that the team only won two events and didn\u2019t score in two others. As is the case with any team title, winning a relay helps, and Gulliver Prep did that with a 3:32.58 in the 400 free relay over Estero and their 3:33.52. American Heritage was third with a 3:3.58. Niki Urquidi, Namilla Sanchez, Alicia Mancilla and Kelly Fertel took the relay title for Gulliver Prep.<\/p>\n
Fertel got an individual win in the 200 IM final with a 2:03.54. She used a powerful breaststroke leg to pull away from Booker\u2019s Isabella Penkwitz, who was second with a 2:05.05, and Tarpon Springs\u2019 MacKenzie Stumph, who was third with a 2:05.43.<\/p>\n
Gulliver Prep also scored big in the 500 free with three swimmers in the championship final. Urquidi (fourth, 4:56.12), Sanchez (fifth, 5:02.20) and Mancilla (sixth, 5:04.11) gave Gulliver Prep 42 points. The 500 free was one of two event wins for Lemon Bay\u2019s Sophie Cattermole as the Louisville-bound senior posted a 4:48.22 to beat the 4:51.52 by Estero\u2019s Kaitlyn Hauser and the 4:56.02 by Cape Coral\u2019s Savannah Bowser. Earlier in the meet, Cattermole held off Hauser in the 200 free with a 1:47.39 to Hauser\u2019s 1:48.28. Urquidi took third in the race with a 1:49.94.<\/p>\n
Another double event winner was Tori Bindi of Gulf Breeze, who took both sprint freestyle events. The junior won the 50 free with a 23.49 ahead of the 23.64 by Suncoast\u2019s Fabiana Ingram and the 23.82 by Jordan MacDonald of Titusville. Bindi had an easier time in the 100 free, with her 50.89 taking the title ahead of the 51.66 posted by Suncoast\u2019s Jena Pisani. Catharine Cooper of American Heritage was third with a 52.00.<\/p>\n
Sherridon Dressel, the younger sibling of an impressive family that includes two-time national high school record holder Caeleb and ACC championship finalists Kaitlyn, kept the family tradition going with two individual event wins. She posted a 54.56 to win the 100 fly for Clay High School, while Penkwitz was second with a 56.61 and MacDonald settled for third with a 56.85. Dressel took the 100 back as well with a winning time of 54.63, a full second ahead of Choctawhatchee\u2019s Emma Strom and her 55.64. Brooke Ferrara of Washington placed third with a 56.66.<\/p>\n
Suncoast collected a win in the meet, taking the 200 freestyle relay with a 1:36.21 to win by more than a second over Washington, who posted a 1:37.82. Gulliver Prep took third with a 1:38.84.<\/p>\n
Carolyn Ehrlich of Pompano Beach scored 432.20 points to win the girls\u2019 1-meter diving competition. Megan Galbreath of Cape Coral placed second with 425.80, while Meg Barnhorst of Pova scored 399.15 points for third.<\/p>\n
American Heritage\u2019s boys\u2019 team won no individual events, but scored victories in all three relays to give themselves the ability to defend their team title. The only challenge came from Tampa Jesuit in the 200 medley relay, with Jesuit leading by a second after the breaststroke and just two hundredths of a second after butterfly. American Heritage\u2019s Taylor Eaddy put together a faster freestyle split to get the win, 1:36.90 to 1:37.04.<\/p>\n
American Heritage took the 200 free relay with a 1:27.21 over Suncoast\u2019s 1:28.25 and Lincoln Park\u2019s 1:29.67. In the final event, the 400 free relay, American Heritage put the competition away with a 3:09.17. This time, Jesuit had the lead after 200 yards but couldn\u2019t match the pace in the final two legs, placing second with a 3:10.49. Clay was third with a 3:13.07.<\/p>\n
While American Heritage was busy collecting relay wins, Steffen Mount of Washington High School was earning two individual event wins. He started with a 1:37.65 in the 200 freestyle, beating out the 1:38.03 by Suncoast\u2019s William Pisani and the 1:38.66 by Julien Pinon of American Heritage. Later in the 100 fly, Steffen used a strong final 50 yards to post a 49.16 to defeat Zuhayr Pigot of St. Brendan, who was second with a 49.70. Tyler Graves of Spoto placed third with a 49.85.<\/p>\n
Pigot got a win of his own with a 20.42 in the 50 freestyle. He just beat out Emir Muratovic of Ridgewood, who was second with a 20.45, and Cardinal Gibbons\u2019 Fisher Crist, who took third with a 21.14. Muratovic recovered from the loss in the 50 free to dominate the 100 free, winning by a second with a 45.04. Pinon was second with a 46.04, while Grady Heath of Clay was third with a 46.43.<\/p>\n
Clay High School, the alma mater of last year\u2019s star Caeleb Dressel, got a win this year with a 48.82 from Dakota Mahaffey in the 100 backstroke. He nearly won by a full second, with Pisani placing second again with a 49.78. Alberto Gomez of Miami Doral was a distant third with a 52.77.<\/p>\n
Tampa Jesuit\u2019s Austin Sellers was untouchable in the 100 breast, posting one of the fastest times Florida high school has seen in a while. His 55.59 put the senior within eight tenths of Bradley Alley\u2019s state record of 54.72. Tyler Graves of Spoto was well back for second place with a 57.74, while Cory Klemm of Cape Coral was third with a 58.16.<\/p>\n
Shawn Lemarie of Naples scored a victory in the 500 freestyle with a 4:31.92. Miguel Cancel of Gulliver Prep made a move in the final 100 yards, but ran out of room and settled for second with a 4:32.16. Theodore Smith of Bayshore led for 300 yards but fell off the pace for third place with a 4:32.28.<\/p>\n
In the 200 individual medley, Rockledge\u2019s Matt Holmes won the event with a 1:51.28. Despite a 30.71 breaststroke split, Sellers couldn\u2019t\u2019 get the win, posting a 1:52.23 for second. His breaststroke leg did help him hold off Jordan Wheeler of Land O\u2019 Lakes, who finished third with a 1:52.27.<\/p>\n
Zach Allen of Cardinal Gibbons and Dreyfoos\u2019 Nolan Mallet separated themselves in the boys\u2019 1-meter diving competition, with Allen taking the title with 499 points. Mallet was second with 490.30 points, while Lincoln Park\u2019s Jonathan Geraghty was a distant third with 401.15 points.<\/p>\n