2020 FHSAA 2A Swimming and Diving Championships Recap

On Nov. 14 the FHSAA hosted the Class 2A Swimming and Diving State Championships at the Sailfish Splash Waterpark and Aquatics Center in Stuart, Florida.

For the second straight year, the Pine Crest girls captured the title with 338 points, well ahead of second-place finisher Gulliver Prep (186.5). On the boys’ side, Jesuit unseated defending champion Pine Crest 277 to 185.

Girls Meet

Pine Crest opened the meet with a win in the 200-meter medley relay, finishing in a time of 1:44.00, over five seconds ahead of second-place finisher Academy of the Holy Names (1:49.34). In the 200 free, Jensen Beach’s Blair Stoneburg threw down an impressive time of 1:44.63. She was the only swimmer to break 1:50, as runner-up Brooke Beede of Robinson finished in 1:52.02. Stoneburg also dominated the 500 free, winning by over 14 seconds and dipping under 4:40 (4:39.10).

In the 200 IM, Julia Podkoscielny of Pine Crest successfully defended her 2019 title, finishing in 1:59.14. She was the only girl to finish the race under two minutes. Podkoscielny also defended her 100 back title from last year, finishing in 54.29.

The 50 free was a tight race between Lake Wales’s Mary Hardman and Gulliver Prep’s ChloeHernandez. Hardman got the win by 0.02, 23.88 to 23.90. Hardman also finished first in the 100 free (51.49).

Clay’s Sarah Stotler was the winner in the 100 fly, finishing in 53.35. She was almost three seconds ahead of runner-up Avery Hawker of Robinson (56.12).

In the 200 free relay, Pine Crest picked up their second relay win of the meet, finishing first in 1:35.60.

Mater Lakes’s Michelle Fernandez won the 100 breast in 1:04.59, just 0.02 ahead of Pine Crest’s Botting (1:04.61).

Jensen Beach was victorious in the final event of the meet, winning the 400 free relay in 3:29.55.

Boys Meet

Jesuit got its first win of the meet in the 200 medley relay, winning by almost two seconds in 1:35.82, ahead of Mater Lakes (1:37.31).

In the first individual event of the meet, Jake Sciscente picked up a win for Lincoln Park, winning the 200 free in 1:40.35. Sciscente also went on to defend his 100 back later on in the meet, finishing in 50.31.

In the 200 IM, Jesuit’s Nicholas Shaffer was first in 1:50.83. He was also third in the 100 back. Chance Tirheimer of George D. Chamberlain won his first-ever state title, winning the 50 in 20.34. He also came back to win the 100 free in 44.70.

Braeden Knight of Baker County won the 100 fly in 51.01. Rockledge’s Elliot Weisel, who was the runner-up in the 200 free, won his first title of the meet in the 500 free, finishing in 4:34.24.

In the 200 free relay, Mater Lakes out-touched Pine Crest for the win 1:27.84 to 1:28.02. Jesuit wasn’t too far behind in third place (1:28.78).

Joshua Hanks, a Georgia Tech commit, picked up Pine Crest’s first individual win of the meet on the boys side, successfully defending his title in the 100 breast (55.65).

In the final event, Jesuit solidified its win, dominating the 400 free relay. Their time of 3:10.22 was over five seconds ahead of runner-up Stanton College Prep (3:15.43).

Written by: Elizabeth Levy