School/Grade: Leesburg, Jr.
Time: 1:48.31.
The
buzz: He had the fastest time in Lake County in the event this year and
swam a personal best at the Class 2A Florida High School
Swimming
and Diving Championships to place 10th overall. In addition, he also
was one of the county's most versatile performers, finishing in the top
three in the honor roll in four other events.
ARNALDO GASCO
School/Grade: Eustis, So.
Event: 200-yard
individual medley.
Time: 2:24.64.
The
buzz: A swimmer who quietly came into the season, started making some
noise early on and went on to qualify for the Class A state
championships, where he finished 35th in an extremely competitive field
and posted a career best time.
BOBBY STONEKING
School/Grade: Umatilla, So.
Event: 50-yard freestyle
Time: 21.82
The
buzz: Stoneking could easily be named to the Lake Sentinel's first-team
in just about any event. He had the fastest times in every individual
event in Lake County with the exception of the
200 free, where he was the second fastest behind Richardson.
TYLER MORRIS
School/Grade: Leesburg, So.
Event: 100-yard butterfly
Time: 1:09.21.
The buzz: Morris is a swimmer who appears to have a bright future for the
Yellow Jackets.
He was a consistent contributor for the team this season. He swam in
and placed among the area's top six in the 200 free, 200 I.M., 50 free,
100 free and 500 free along with the 100 fly.
BERRY STEVERSON
School/Grade: Eustis, Jr.
Event: 100-yard freestyle.
Time: 54.64.
The
buzz: Steverson, the son of Eustis swim coach Janie Roth-Langholz,
transferred from Umatilla to Eustis this year and came into his own this
season, and established himself as one of the area's top sprint
freestyle specialists.
SKIPPER WELLS
School/Grade: South Lake, Fr.
Event: 500-yard freestyle.
Time: 5:03.02
The buzz: Wells comes from a swimming family and has been regarded as one of the area's top swimmers in the Lake County
Aquatics
club team, which is coached by his father, Billy Wells. In addition to
posting the area's second fastest time in the 500 free, he also was
second in the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly.
NICK MOHNACKEY
School/Grade: Leesburg, Jr.
Event: 100-yard backstroke.
Time: 1:12.92.
The
buzz: Mohnackey was a vaulable member of Leesburg's swim team, proving
to be one of the area's top distance freestyle swimmers and also swam
one of the legs on the county's fastest 400-yard freestyle relay team.
JOHN CLOSE
School/Grade: Leesburg, Jr.
Event: 100-year breaststroke
Time: 1:17.32
The
buzz: Close was another swimmer who Leesburg Coach Rene James could use
in any of the relay events, plus count on him to swim well in a couple
of individual events like the breaststroke and the 50 free.
RELAYS
200-yard medley relay: Umatilla (Justin Parlow, Jr.; Austin Mansfield, Jr., Bobby Stoneking, So.; Jonathan Bryan, Jr.) 1:58.66.
200-yard freestyle relay: Leesburg (Tyler Morris, So.; John Close, Jr.; Alex Johnson, Jr.; Brian Richardson, Jr.) 1:37.37.
400-yard freestyle relay: Leesburg (Tyler Morris, So.; Nick Mohnackey, Jr.; John Close, Jr.; Brian Richardson, Jr.), 3:38.47.
HONORABLE
MENTION: Eustis -- Jeremy Markley, So.; Josh Carpenter, Fr. Leesburg --
Brandyn Streeter, Jr. South Lake -- Dylan Bronson, Sr.; Dane Sit, Jr.;
David Ricklick, Sr.; Kevin Phelps, Fr. Tavares -- Kyle Carter, Jr.;
Anthony Ward, So. Umatilla -- Blake Merrill, Jr.
GIRLS
RACHAEL BAKICH
School/Grade: Umatilla, Fr.
Event: 200-yard freestyle.
Time: 2:16.73
The
buzz: Another of the talented young, but not inexperienced, swimmers in
Lake County. Bakich may be in her first year in high school, but is a
veteran of club swim meets, and that experience showed as she swam
several different strokes.
REBECCAH WORK
School/Grade: Leesburg, Fr.
Event: 200-yard individual medley.
Time: 2:15.77.
The
buzz: Work could have been selected to the first-team in either of two
events. Swimming in her first high school state meet, she placed 11th in
the I.M. and was sixth in the 100 breaststroke and also swam on two of
the counties' fastest relay teams.
TIFFANY FELTON
School/Grade: Leesburg, Fr.
Event: 50-yard freestyle.
Time: 24.72.
The
buzz: The sister of Tanya Felton, who established a school record in
almost every individual event when she was at Leesburg and now swims at
the University of Tennessee, got her high school career off to a great
start. She had the fastest time in the county in the event and placed
seventh at state.
ABBEY BALLARD
School/Grade: Eustis, Fr.
Event: 100-yard butterfly.
Time: 1:05.56.
The
buzz: Another in the talented group of freshmen who dominated area high
school swimming this season. In addition to being one of the area's top
swimmers in the fly, she also placed 17th at the state meet in the
individual medley.
CANDICE ESGUERRA
School/Grade: Leesburg, Sr.
Event: 100-yard freestyle.
Time: 57.52.
The
buzz: Esguerra established herself as one of the county's top sprint
freestylers early on in her career at Umatilla and then transferred to
Leesburg two years ago, where she continued to be one of the best. She
was invaluable to Leesburg on the freestyle relay teams and also had an
18th-place finish in the 50 freestyle at state.
ANGIE LEACH
School/Grade: Leesburg, Sr.
Event: 500-yard freestyle.
Time: 5:01.94.
The
buzz: The career of one of the top female swimmers in Lake high school
swimming history came to an end at the Class 2A state meet with an
impressive performance. Leach finished third in the 500 freestyle and
was ninth in the
200 free. She also anchored the county's fastest 200 and 400 free relay teams.
KRISTAN BIRD
School/Grade: Eustis, So.
Event: 100-yard backstroke.
Time: 1:03.55.
The
buzz: Bird was undefeated during the regular season and set Mid-Florida
Swim Conference and Eustis school records in the 200 free, 50 free, and
100 free, as well as in the 100 back. She also placed 24th at the state
meet in the 100 back and was 15th in the 50 free.
MINDI DOUGLAS
School/Grade: Eustis, So.
Event: 100-yard breaststroke.
Time: 1:19.42.
The
buzz: One of the top swimmers on the Eustis team for the past two
years, she was among the swimmers who qualified for state on both
Eustis' 200 medley and 200 free relay teams and also placed 37th in the
200 freestyle.
RELAYS
200-yard medley relay: Leesburg (Rebeccah
Work, Fr.; Angie Leach, Sr.; Tiffany Felton, Fr.; Candice Esguerra, Sr.), 1:56.94.
200-yard freestyle relay: Leesburg (Tiffany Felton, Fr.; Candice Esguerra, Sr.; Kacie Watson, Jr.; Angie Leach, Sr.), 1:41.71.
400-yard freestyle relay: Leesburg (Tiffany Felton, Fr.; Candice Esguerra, So.; Rebeccah Work, Fr.; Angie Leach, Sr.), 3:43.70.
HONORABLE
MENTION: Eustis -- Ashleigh Haydu, Sr.; Lauren Belanger, Jr.; Kerilyn
Oakes, So.; Jenny Keene, Jr.; Beckey Keene, Jr. Leesburg -- Heather
Esguerra, Fr.; Zoanna Barley, Fr.; Jordan McDonough, Fr.; Kim Marshall,
So.; Holly Schack, So. Mount Dora -- Christy Pepper, So. South Lake --
Taylor Zentmeyer, Jr.; Kara Holley, So. Tavares -- Haley Lanier, Fr.
Umatilla -- Lindsay Bisceglia, So.; Morgan Shipes, So.
COACH OF THE YEAR
RENE JAMES
Leesburg High School
The
buzz: For the second year in a row, her Leesburg girls swimming team
rolled through the regular season unbeaten and also won the Mid-Florida
Swim Conference championship and the
Class
2A, District 3 title. It then went on to the best finish in school
history in a state meet, placing fifth in the team standings, only one
point behind fourth-place Satellite High School. Leesburg's boys had one
of their best seasons in recent history and the team is stocked with
talented underclassmen who should make the team even stronger next
season.