Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Secrest doubles up on her enjoyment
Oxbridge senior only swimmer to triumph twice at state meet
Oxbridge Academy senior Jennifer Secrest couldn’t have scripted a better ending to her high school career.
Secrest won both the girls 200-yard IM (2:00.62) and 100-yard butterfly (54.10) at the FHSAA Class 1A swimming and diving championships at the Sailfish Splashpark Aquatic Athletics Center in Stuart. Both were automatic All-American times.
“I was very excited to win both events,” said Secrest, who has committed to Princeton. “Last year my goal was to get into the top three, which I did. This year my goal was to be a state champion in something and I ended up doing it in both, so I was very happy.”
Secrest was the lone double winner from either Broward or Palm Beach County in either the Class 1A competition Friday or Class 2A meet Saturday.
The Pine Crest girls finished second, while Saint Andrew’s boys and girls each came away with a third-place finish at state. To no surprise, Jacksonville Bolles won its 31st straight boys title, while the girls won for a 28th straight year.
“Another yet goes by and Bolles is still the champ,” said first-year Pine Crest head coach Mariusz Podkoscielny. “I am very proud of our team this year and I believe that we did all we can to challenge Bolles. Jon [Sakovich], in his last year, did a phenomenal job and they showed why they won 28 years in a row. We have a very young team and we look forward to developing those athletes and challenging Bolles in years to come.”
Pine Crest freshman Kevin Mendez successfully defended his Class 1A state 1-meter diving championship as he topped Tampa Prep’s Nicholas Carlin by nearly 10 points. Mendez finished with 533.75 points. Panthers teammate Danny GuliaJanovski was third with 498.40, while Saint Andrew’s junior Jack Patton was sixth with 396.30.
University School junior Maia Goldstein also repeated as state champion in the girls 1-meter diving competition with 504.90 points. Pine Crest senior Ishani Singh was third with 444.20 points.
King’s Academy’s Joshua Zuchowski won the boys 100-yard backstroke (49.20) and was second in the 200 IM (1:50.21).
“It was awesome to win and get my first state championship,” said Zuchowski, who still holds five national age-group records for the 11-12 division. “I was overjoyed. When I saw the ‘1’ on the board, I was so happy. That was my goal all season: to win a state championship.”
Saint Andrew’s Shayna Fetes won the girls 100 breaststroke (1:03.07) and was seventh in the 200 IM (2:06.19), while University School’s Amanda Kopas was eighth (2:09.31) in the 200 IM Kopas also finished eighth in the 100 fly (57.74).
“It was really cold, thoroughly unpleasant,” said Fetes, who defended her title. “I had my parka on while I waited in the blocks. It was hard to get up and go fast, but I expected to win again.”
Trinity Christian’s Chade Nersicio won the 50 freestyle (22.66), while Pine Crest junior Rachel Botting was fourth (23.48). Nersicio was fifth in the 100 free (50.64).
In the girls 100 free, Pine Crest junior Andrea Santander captured the event in 49.96. Saint Andrew’s seventh-grader Aspen Gersper was sixth (51.39).
Trinity Christian junior Nicole Gomez was second in the girls 200 free (1:48.86), while Saint Andrew’s sophomore Emily Trieschmann (1:52.17) and Pine Crest senior Alexandra Meszaros (1:53.18) were sixth and seventh, respectively. Meszaros was fourth in the girls 100 fly (56.08), while Gomez was second in the 500 free (4:52.88) and Trieschmann was fourth (4:53.38).
In other Class 1A action, Saint Andrew’s senior Tomas Piza was second in the boys 200 freestyle (1:39.70). Santander was runnerup in the girls 200 IM (2:01.34).
Pine Crest sophomore Joshua Hanks was seventh in the boys 200 IM (1:54.10). Zuchowski won the boys 100 backstroke (49.20), while Balbi was third (50.05). Hanks also took sixth in the 100 breast (58.22)
Pine Crest junior Elvis Kotikovski (50.90) and Pine Crest senior Nicholas Vale (52.58) were fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 100 backstroke.
Trinity Christian senior Eriana Temperino was fifth in the 100 fly (56.29) and Pine Crest seventh-grader Sara Line was fifth in the 100 breaststroke.
Saint Andrew’s senior Joshua Balbi was third in the boys 100 butterfly (49.65), while Pine Crest senior Nicholas Vale (50.19) and Saint Andrew’s sophomore Tiago Pereira (50.28) finished fourth and fifth respectively.
In the 1A relays, Saint Andrew’s was second in the girls 200 medley (1:44.97), while Pine Crest was third (1:45.29). Saint Andrew’s was third in the boys 200 medley (1:33.81), while Pine Crest was fourth (1:35.15) and King’s Academy was sixth (1:39.27).
Trinity Christian won the girls 200 freestyle (1:34.25), while Pine Crest was third (1:34.83) and Saint Andrew’s was fourth (1:35.88). Saint Andrew’s was runner-up in the boys 200 freestyle (1:24.64). Pine Crest was second in the girls 400 freestyle (3:26.75), while Trinity Christian was third (3:27.44). Saint Andrew’s was fifth (3:34.84). Saint Andrew’s was third in the boys 400 event (3:06.75).
In the 2A competition Saturday, Pompano Beach High School’s Christina Hilton led the way by placing second in the girls 1-meter diving competition with a score of 371.60. Suncoast freshman Thomas Dooling was sixth in the boys 1-meter diving (329.30).
Other top individual swims came from Coral Springs Charter junior Delany Biro, who was fifth in the 100-yard freestyle (53.17); American Heritage junior Daniel Escobar, who was fifth in the boys 500 freestyle (4:40.99); Suncoast junior Gavin Smith, who was fifth in the boys 100 backstroke (54.16); Pompano Beach sophomore Raphael Santos, who was sixth in the boys 200 IM (1:54.39); and American Heritage sophomore Olivia Mason, who was sixth in the girls 50 free (24.55).
The Suncoast girls 200 freestyle relay was second with a 1:39.01, while the Pompano Beach boys 200 free relay team also took second in 1:26.37. The Suncoast girls 400 free relay was fourth (3:38.06), while the Pompano Beach boys 400 free relay team took sixth in 3:13.46.