Golding ready to vie for 4th straight title
Cooper City senior a three-time state champ in 200 IM
The stage is set for threetime state 200-yard individual medley high school champion Kathleen Golding to get a four-peat as the Cooper City senior will compete against Riverview’s Emma Weyant, among others, Saturday at the Sailfish Splashpark Aquatic Athletics Center in Stuart.
Golding, with a blazing 1-minute, 59.72-second swim, defeated runner-up Weyant and her 2:02.44 in the 2017 4A state championship.
“She’s just a beast. It’s been amazing to watch her from a coaching perspective,” said Cooper City coach Jill Ankney. “Kathleen [Golding] is looking to have a great outing at states, but she’s also becoming excited to start her collegiate career.”
In addition to her competing in the 200-yard IM at states, the University of Florida commit intends on swimming in the 200-freestyle, 100 freestyle or the 100 butterfly.
During 4A regional qualifying last week at the Bobcat Aquatic Center in Boca Raton, the Cooper City native also qualified fifth in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 51.81.
Boca Raton senior Jessie Creed achieved the highest 4A qualifying score in the girls 1-meter dive with a 546.85.
Wellington’s Julia Wortman had the second best qualifying score at 524.40.
Fellow Bobcat Emilie Moore rounded out the top three among state qualifiers with a 493.40.
Amelia Lehel from West Boca Raton was the lone freshman out of the girls 3A 1-meter diving event to finish in the top three in qualifying.
Jupiter’s Tyler Coffey and Will Lefebvre finished first and second in the state in the regional boys 4A 1-meter dive as the junior and senior ended the event with scores of 575.15 and 544.30.
Cooper City’s Tyler Flowers and Stoneman Douglas’ Connor Dietrich were also in the top five.
During the boys 3A regional 1-meter, Northeast’s Blake Shaw qualified second statewide with the score of 536.40. Dillon Kadish from Nova was third in regionals.
Madison Cummings from Atlantic received AllAmerican consideration for her 54.78 finishing time in the girls 4A 100-butterfly.
Cummings also received All-American consideration in the girls 100 backstroke with her recording a 55.96 time which placed third in qualifying, just back of Forest Hill’s Megan Murphy, who had a 55.65.
Boca Raton’s Ella Martinez rounded out the topfive in qualifying for the event as she finished with a 57.17 time.
In the girls 50-yard freestyle, Murphy added to her top-five qualifying finishes as she placed fifth with a time of 23.88.
Jupiter’s Heidi Smithwick finished just before Murphy with her recording a 23.68 time.
Forest Hill sophomore Anna Auld qualified fourth in the girls 500-yard freestyle and even received AllAmerican consideration for her finishing time.