Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Local swimmers excel despite Bolles sweep
FORT LAUDERDALE — While Hurricane Irma may have interrupted swimming schedules for a few weeks, local swimmers shined in the 54th annual Woodson Invitational at the Pine Crest School pool.
Perennial Class 1A state champion Jacksonville Bolles, winners of 26 consecutive state titles, swept the boys and girls team championships on Saturday. Bolles’ girls topped St. Andrew’s School, 329.50 to 263.50. Host Pine Crest was third with 255 points. Bolles’ boys won going away (372 points), ahead of Pine Crest 229.
University School senior Patrick Groters won the 200-IM with a 1:51.43 and the 100-yard backstroke (51.77) to earn the Andy Coan Award for the top male swimmer in the meet, while Westminster Academy senior Jessica Nava was also a double winner as she captured the 50 and 100-yard freestyles. Nava swam 23.84 to take the 50 and followed that up with a 51.07 to win the 100-yard free.
“Winning this award was one of my goals,” said Groters, who also won the Coan in his sophomore year. “With the hurricane, I just wanted to see where I was with the practices. I had a few days off, so I am still building up for states.”
Nava, the reigning Sun Sentinel Broward Girls Swimmer of the Year, said winning Ann Marshall Award for the top female swimmer in the meet was “pretty cool” since she also swims club at Pine Crest.
“I have seen some great swimmers over the years win this award, so this is pretty special to win it is good to win it,” said Nava. “I think this gives me some confidence heading into states. With the hurricane, I wasn’t sure where I would be. I missed a week and a half in the pool.”
Westminster Academy senior Chase Perry was also a double winner as he clocked a 21.58 to win the Boys 50-yard free and captured the Boys 100-yard freestyle (47.22).
Benjamin senior Alessandra Baldari won the Girls 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:57.21. Baldari, a two-time Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Swimmer of the year, was the lone swimmer to break five minutes in the event. She also captured the 200-yard freestyle (1:51.84).
Other top swims at the meet included Pine Crest sophomore Andrea Santander, who won the Girls 200-yard IM (2:04.39) and was second in the 100-yard free (51.14). Pine Crest junior Nicholas Vale won the 100-yard butterfly (51.79) and was third in the Boys 200-yard IM (1:57.11).
Saint Andrew’s School had several top performances as junior Tomas Piza won the boys 200-yard freestyle (1:43.74) and senior Lauren Hew won the 100-yard backstroke (56.99).
However, the win could be costly as Hew may have broken a finger on the final touch on the wall.
St. Andrew’s junior Shayna Fetes won the 100-yard breaststroke (1:05.56) and senior Izaak Bastian won the 100-yard breaststroke (57.94).
Pine Crest dominated the diving competition as junior Ishani Singh won the girls competition, topping Boca Raton senior Kaleigh Dundov by nearly 45 points.
“This is really nice to win a meet at home,” said Singh, who placed sixth at the state meet last year. “I have never won a big invitational like this at home. I have won invites before, but winning this is completely different.”
Eighth-grader Kevin Mendez, who won the Class 1A state title last year, came back from a broken thumb that sidelined him for six weeks and won the Woodson with 497.95 points. Westminster Academy freshman Blake Shaw was second and Pine Crest senior Lyle Hayes-Macaluso was third.
“This helps a lot confidence-wise because I had the broken thumb and just came back on Monday,” said Mendez, who had three top-eight finishes, including second in the 1-meter diving event at the national championships this summer despite a fractured finger.
“I have only been diving four days, so to do this well was unexpected,” Mendez said. “It will boost my confidence a lot. I was pretty happy.”