Manita Sathianchokwisan is named the ITG Next 2022 Northeast Florida Female Swimmer of the Year, presented by Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Baptist Health, and the Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute.
Sathianchokwisan was nicknamed “Fresh” as a child by her parents. Born in Sisaket, Thailand, the young athlete moved to Bangkok at the age of 10 to take swimming seriously. She has enjoyed swimming since the age of 4 when she competed in her first meet.
Currently a senior at The Bolles School, Sathianchokwisan arrived in Jacksonville as a sophomore in 2019. That year, she was state runner-up in both the 50 and 100 free. In 2020, she was state runner-up in the same events. Before state, she broke the school record in the 50 free, 100 free and 2 relays.
The Bolles School Sharks took home eight gold medals, four silver, and two bronze during the FHSAA Florida 1A State Championship last fall with a score of 574. Sathianchokwisan was runner-up with a 22.38 time.
Senior year, she came for the gold– finishing the 100 free with a 49.10 and winning her first individual gold medal.
There is no doubt that Sathianchokwisan has been working hard to improve during her time at Bolles. Although, hard work does not come without challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic presented its own unique difficulties for many athletes in recent years.
“I went back home during the Summer and I had to quarantine for two weeks. After quarantine, I did not swim for a week and a half so I did not swim for a month, she said. “So, it was hard when I came back.”
Last year she had a concussion one month before the state championship. This year, she returned triumphantly.
“This year I came back pretty good and I am so proud of myself,” said Sathianchokwisan.
Sathianchokwisan has remained extremely dedicated. Coach Peter Verhoef has been beneficial to her swimming journey.
“He helped me a lot. He trained me. When I came here my kicking and core were bad. He helped me a lot,” said Sathianchokwisan.
The future is bright for Sathianchokwisan. She has committed to Texas A&M for the fall, set to join the class of 2026 on the women’s side.
“I am so excited to be a part of the team. I am excited for that,” said Sathianchokwisan.
She also plans to go to the Olympic games in the future. She is confident that she will take that route, as Bolles is known for training Olympic swimmers. The school has had 63 swimmers represented at each Olympics since 1972.
“I want to go to [the] Olympic games and win the medals,” said Sathianchokwisan.
