Winning Had A Nice Ring To It In 2023 For South Florida Aquatic Club

PEMBROKE PINES, December 31, 2023—What a year 2023 was for South Florida Aquatic Club swimmers and coaches.

From Dippers to ProFlo, from record-breaking achievements to heartwarming triumphs and chasing time drops, there were so many moments that defined the year for SOFLO.

For the first time in the club’s 23-year history, SOFLO swept Sectionals, FGC Age Group Championships and Senior Championships combined team titles in the same season.

What brought out the best in SOFLO swimmers this year? Competing as a team and listening to their coaches at workouts and meets.

As in past years, emphasis is always on “team effort.” Not only swimmers and coaches, but parents, booster club, officials, office and city staff, lifeguards, school support, media and fans, all played roles in the program’s success.

Every level swimmer contributed. Every point earned by a swimmer at various meets, from Sizzlers to Senior Championships, contributed. Every time drop no matter how small, was valued and appreciated.

The endless hard work, dedication and sacrifice paid off. Take A Bow SOFLO, well done.

Success is never taken for granted or is a given at SOFLO. The high level of competition across the board in the Florida Gold Coast raises the bar every year and provides new challenges for SOFLO.

Every year SOFLO swimmers learn their lessons well through both success and failure. However, the successes far outweighed the failures in 2023 resulting in a record 38 team records set this past year. They were:

Short Course Yards (20)
GIRLS (7)
8U 50 Fly, Ellie Phan, Winter Champs, 35.69
8U 100 IM, Ellie Phan, Winter Champs, 1:22.24
11-12 100 Fly, Jianna Amores, Age Group Champs, 1:00.87
13-14 50 Free, Laila Harran, Age Group Champs, 23.96
17-18 100 Breast, Olivia Dinehart, Senior Champs, 1:01.87
17-18 200 Breast, Olivia Dinehart, Senior Champs, 2:13.94
17-18 200 Fly, Madeline Smutny, Senior Champs. 2:02.85

BOYS (13)
13-14 500 Free, Juan Vallmitjana, Winter Juniors, 4:33.94
15-16 100 Breast, Javier Colmenares, Senior Champs, 56.04
15-16 200 IM, Javier Colmenares, Senior Champs, 1:49
17-18 100 Back, Aldo Zepeda, Senior Champs, 50.90
17-18 200 Back, Austin Nelson, Winter Champs, 1:50.93
17-18 100 Breast, Javier Colmenares, Winter Juniors, 55.24
17-18 200 Breast, Javier Colmenares, Winter Juniors, 1:58.68
17-18 200 IM, Javier Colmenares, Winter Juniors, 1:50.39
Open 50 Free, Luciano Gonzalez, Last Chance and Holiday Classic, 20.12
Open 100 Back, Jorge Ricardo Roche, Senior Champs, 50.16
Open 200 Back, Jorge Ricardo Roche, Last Chance and Holiday Classic, 1:46
Open 50 Fly, Luciano Gonzalez, Winter Champs, 21.49
Open 100 Fly, Luciano Gonzalez, Senior Champs, 48.58

Long Course Meters (18)
GIRLS (9)
8U 50 Fly, Katherine Petrucci, Summer Kickoff, 42.02
9-10 50 Fly, Catalina Akpabio, Last Chance Summer Invitational, 33.43
11-12 100 Back, Jianna Amores, Age Group Chance, 1:10.62
11-12 50 Fly, Jianna Amores, Age Group Chance, 29.30
11-12 100 Fly, Jianna Amores, Age Group Chance, 1:05.66
11-12 200 Fly, Jianna Amores, PST v SoFlo Dual, 2:37.16
11-12 400 IM, Jianna Amores, Age Group Champs, 5:32.21
17-18 200 Back, Elena Dinehart, Futures, 2:19.34
17-18 200 Fly, Madeline Smutny, Futures, 2:15.51

BOYS (9)
13-14 800 Free, Juan Vallmitjana, Futures, 8:30.97
13-14 1500 Free, Juan Valmitjana, Futures, 16:33.21
13-14 200 Fly, Juan Vallmitjana, Age Group Champs, 2:14.07
13-14 400 IM, Juan Vallmitjana, Sectionals, 4:43.61
15-16 100 Back, Jaden Amores, Futures, 1:00.09
17-18 50 Back, Aldo Zepeda, Sectionals, 27.80
17-18 200 Back, Austin Nelson, Futures, 2:09.14
Open 50 Breast, Julio Horrego, TYR PRO – Ft Lauderdale, 27.97
Open 50 Fly, Luciano Gonzalez, CAT Al Soltis Memorial, 24.50. Records compiled by Coach Jack.

SOFLO is still the most diverse and largest club in the Florida Gold Coast and ranked No. 1 among local swim clubs.

The revamped Olympic-size pool is second to none in Florida and hosted several successful meets and was well-received by visiting FGC and out-of-state teams and college teams training during the holidays.

The Comets Booster Club and parent volunteers worked tireless hours and provided outstanding hospitality to visiting coaches and were greatly appreciated. Coaches and volunteers provided such a fantastic opportunity for SOFLO athletes to shine.

As SOFLO, the first ten as Comets Swim Team and next thirteen as SOFLO, closes out 2023 there were several accomplishment boxes checked off during the year worthy of a Top 12 ranking.

As 2023 draws to a close and everyone celebrates the New Year, it’s always fun to look back to see what SOFLO accomplished over the past twelve months. Here is a look at the year’s highlights.

SOFLO’s TOP 12

1. With a “total team effort” SOFLO wins the 33rd Speedo Winter Championships, sweeping the combined, boys and girls team titles to regain its title from defending champion St. Andrew’s, winning for the third time in four years.
2. SOFLO led from start to finish to win the combined and men’s team titles and was girls runner-up at the Florida Gold Coast Senior Long Course Championships.
3. For the first time in team history, SOFLO swept the combined, girls and boys team titles winning 10-and-under, 11-12 and 13-14 in the 14&Under Florida Gold Coast Age Group Long Course Championships to enable SOFLO to win the short course and long course age group championship titles in the same year.
4. SOFLO topped a field of 44 teams including St. Andrew’s Aquatics and Azura Florida Aquatics to win the combined and girls team titles and finish boys runner-up at the Southern Zone South Sectional Championships.
5. SOFLO swept the combined, men and women’s team titles to capture its ninth combined team title in team history at the Florida Gold Coast Short Course Swimming Senior Championships.
6. After a two-year absence, SOFLO returned to the winners’ circle, capturing the combined and boys team titles and girls runner-up at the FGC Age Group Championships at Coral Springs. It was SOFLO’s 11th short course combined team title in team history.
7. Everglades senior Javier Colmenares wins his first state high school title in the breaststroke and is named to the Miami Herald Broward All-County first team in the breaststroke and 200 IM events along with SOFLO teammate and freshman Juan Vallmitjana-Behrendt of St. Thomas Aquinas in the 500 freestyle.
8. SOFLO’s Jennifer Martin wins eight gold medals and breaks four world records at the World Police and Fire Games in Winnipeg, Canada in August, her sixth worlds appearance. That accomplishment came on the heels of the City of Pembroke Pines Police Traffic Sergeant winning nine gold medals at the U.S. Police and Fire Games in June in San Diego.
9. Thirty-two SOFLO Swimmers were honored with awards at the FGC Symposium. They were: Catalina Akpabio, Jaden Amores, Jenesys Amores, Jianna Amores, Jemma Baldwin, Amelie Bicerne, Javier Colmenares, Gabriella DeLuna, Elise Dinehart, Eric Ferrer, Felix Gonzalez, Ethan Hall, Laila Harran, Ryan Harries, Ellie Jackson, Mason Jimenez, Carley Kaplan, Christie Ann Lumsden, Guillermo Mantilla, Reynaldo Manzanarez, Noah Mejias, Abraham Penaloza, Ethan Phan, Max Remmele, Enrique Rodriguez, Nicolai Ross, Alex Smith, Lydia Smutny, Sophie Szutkowski, Juan Vallmitjana, Sarah Vasquez and Izzy Wilson.
10. A record 12 SOFLO swimmers made the Florida Gold Coast Open Water Zone Team for the Southern Zone Open Water Championships at Lake Echo, Seven Lakes, N.C. in June. They were Jemma Baldwin, Juan Vallmitjana, Amelie Bicerne, Elise Dinehart, Carley Kaplan, Jianna Amores, Enrique Rodriguez, Sophie Szutkowski, Abraham Penaloza, Jaden Amores, Jenesys Amores and Sarah Vasquez.
11. SOFLO’s Izzy Wilson was among 1,135 swimmers from across the nation named to the USA Swimming 2022-2023 Scholastic All-American team. It was the first time the Carrollton School junior, distance freestyler and open water swimmer earned a spot on the team. She also finished fifth among a national-caliber field at the USA Swimming Women’s 7.5K Junior National Open Water Championship in Sarasota. She was the only Florida Gold Coast swimmer in the field. Wilson was the only SOFLO swimmer to be named to the Miami Herald All-Dade first team.
12. In a wild atmosphere, defending champion SOFLO White won its second consecutive combined and boys team titles in the second annual SOFLO White & Blue Dual Meet at Academic Village Pool. SOFLO Blue won the women’s title. More than 100 swimmers competed in individual events and relays over two days in a loud, spirited atmosphere complete with body paintings, blue masks, blue and white shakers, handmade signs and loud team cheers that could be heard in Key West.
13. For the second time, SOFLO hosted the TYR SOFLO Last Chance Meet in November at Academic Village Pool and reconfigured the lanes to run two pools. It was SOFLO’s largest meet with 769 swimmers and 23 teams.
14. SOFLO’s Honduran Olympian Julio Horrego was named flag bearer for Honduras at the 19th Pan American Games Opening Ceremonies in Santiago, Chile.
15. Five-time Jamaican Olympian and retired SOFLO swimmer Alia Atkinson promotes her 73-page book, Day 1 Not One Day, part of her Watabound Series, an athlete’s 7 Step Guide To Success that Atkinson learned during her 26 years in competitive swimming.

As always, thank you for supporting the well-established program now heading into its 24th year. Here’s to a Healthy, Happy and Promising New Year for our SOFLO Family!!!

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

Olympian Alia Atkinson’s Holiday Message Praises Special Olympian Joshua Olds

By Sharon Robb
PEMBROKE PINES, December 24, 2023—Joshua Olds of Cooper City got two surprises of his life this year.

The first for the 17-year-old Special Olympian was being featured on billboards unveiled in New York City on Giving Tuesday in late November as part of the “Yeah, I Am Special” campaign redefining what it truly means to be special.

Olds, a seven-year competitor for Broward County Special Olympics Florida, has competed in 17 triathlons, swim meets, open water swimming, surfing and standup paddleboard among other sports.

Olds said he has been inspired by Jamaican swimming great Alia Atkinson, five-time Olympian and world-record holder. “She is an amazing swimmer,” he said. “I want to swim my breaststroke like her.”

And, the second surprise was Atkinson, the Special Olympics Ambassador, contacting Olds on a Dec. 23 Zoom call.

“Hi Joshua, I really want to say congratuations on your billboard, that is such an achievement,” said the 34-year-old South Florida Aquatic Club retired pro swimmer.

“Everybody is going to look at it and see how much work you have put through, how much perseverance, how much endurance that you have gone through the training. It’s going to be such a light for so many people to keep on going, persevering and trying their best. Keep on going. I know you are going to achieve great things, even more than you have so far. Happy Holidays, Joshua.”

Said Amy Wise, Vice President of Marketing of Special Olympics, “Our athletes do amazing things every day, all around the world. They break all kinds of stereotypes, accomplish things they were told they’d never be able to do, and inspire others to become more inclusive.

“Our founder, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, asked Special Olympics athletes to ‘be brave in the attempt.’ And whether it’s from a billboard on Broadway, or at a local practice or competition, Special Olympics athletes bravely remind us all what it means to be extraordinary every day.”

Olds’ favorite quote is, “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.”

Proceeds from the purchase of the new “Special” sweatshirt goes directly to Special Olympics. Visit http://www.imspecial.org and Special Olympics merchandise store.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO Swimmers Shine In Final Session Of Santa La Vista Championships

By Sharon Robb
MIAMI, December 19, 2023–South Florida Aquatic Club swimmers got in another session of good racing Sunday in the Santa La Vista Championships at Miami Shores Aquatic Center.

Among SOFLO winners in the afternoon session were:

Vela Rivera, 9, 100-yard butterfly, 1:41.73, time drop 8.28. She finished with 26 points.

Lana Althuis, 13, 50-yard backstroke 32.83. She finished with 41 points.

Sofia Rufeev, 12, 200-yard breaststroke 3:10.65. She finished with 35 points.

Victoria Colmenares, 9, 50-yard breaststroke, 43.51, time drop 0.52. She finished with 38 points.

Gabriela Ekht, 12, 50-yard breaststroke 39.64, time drop 2.02. She finished with 37 points.

Matt Malaussena, 14, 200-yard individual medley 2:24.81, time drop 3.21. He finished with 39 points.

David Portilla, 15, 200-yard breaststroke, 3:04.95, time drop 5.06. He finished with 23 points.

Jeffrey Xiong, 12, 50-yard breaststroke, 39.77, time drop 1.55. He finished with 36 points.

David Gonzalez, 12, 200-yard backstroke, 2:43.93. He finished with 51 points.

COMBINED TEAM TOTALS: 1. Eagle Aquatics 1,393, 2. South Florida Aquatic Club 773, 3. TS Aquatics 395, 4. Swim Gym 201, 5. North Miami Swim Team 93, 6. Olympus 38, 7. Unattached Eagle Aquatics 25.
GIRLS TEAM TOTALS: 1. Eagle Aquatics 797, 2. SOFLO 465, 3. TS Aquatics 237, 4. Swim Gym 65, 5. North Miami Swim Team 51, 6. Unattached Eagle Aquatics 25, 7. Olympus 20.
BOYS TEAM TOTALS: 1. Eagle Aquatics 596, 2. SOFLO 308, 3. TS Aquatics 158, 4. Swim Gym 136, 5. North Miami Swim Team 42, 6. Olympus 18.

SESSION TWO GIRLS RESULTS
200-yard individual medley: 10-and-under, 1. Arina Sorina, EA 2:54.47, SOFLO: 2. Victoria Colmenares 3:17.83, time drop 19.13, 3. Maya Barrizonte 3:25.26; 11-12, 1. Jacee Gormley, EA 2:41.12; SOFLO: 2. Sofia Rufeev 2:43.57, 3. Zoe Miralles 2:54.44, time drop 1.73, 4. Gabriela Ekht 2:55.24; 13-14, 1. Julia Messinger-Nanni, EA 2:21.33; SOFLO: 3. Danielle Brancati 2:43.80, time drop 1.84, 5. Laird Galvin 2:45.12, time drop 14.88; 15-and-over, 1. Erika Pelaez, EA 1:58.63; SOFLO: 4. Isabella Bartoli 2:29.56, time drop 11.05.

100-yard butterfly: 10-and-under, 1. Vela Rivera, SOFLO 1:41.73, time drop 8.28; 11-12, 1. Penelope Lopez-Casula, EA 1:02.06; 13-14, 1. Ana Ospina, EA 1:06.60; 15-and-over, 1. Elyse Wood, EA 56.58; SOFLO: 3. Isabella Bartoli 1:07.22, 4. Gabriela Marin 1:18.45.

50-yard backstroke: 10-and-under, 1. Sabrina Arnold, TSA 37.89; SOFLO: 3. Molly Barber 42.62, time drop 1.94, 4. Victoria Colmenares 43.00, 5. Maya Barrizonte 43.26, time drop 0.61; 11-12, 1. Bogdana Kuptcova, EA 33.87; SOFLO: 3. Gabriela Ekht 37.64, time drop 1.04, 4. Camila Juanes 40.55, time drop 1.46; 13-14, 1. Lana Althuis, SOFLO 32.83; SOFLO: 5. Laird Galvin 34.92, time drop 3.08; 15-and-over, 1. Erika Pelaez, EA 24.63.

200-yard breaststroke: 11-12, 1. Sofia Rufeev, SOFLO 3:10.65; 15-and-over, 1. Elyse Wood EA 2:27.10, 2. Gabriela Marin, SOFLO 3:19.00.

100-yard freestyle: 10-and-under, 1. Sabrina Arnold, TSA 1:09.33; SOFLO: 4. Vela Rivera 1:22.87, 6. Molly Barber 1:25.03, time drop 1.20; 11-12, 1. Penelope Lopez-Casula, EA 52.45; SOFLO: 3. Sofia Rufeev 1:04.11, time drop 0.13, 5. Zoe Miralles 1:07.86, time drop 3.00, 6. Hailey Russ 1:12.33, time drop 3.47; 13-14, 1. Julia Messinger-Nanni, EA 59.01; SOFLO: 5. Lana Althuis 1:02.65, time drop 0.85, 6. Laird Galvin 1:03.29, time drop 1.49; 15-and-over, 1. Gio Musiello, EA 52.85; SOFLO: 2. Isabella Bartoli 1:00.79, SOFLO: 6. Gabriela Martin 1:10.35.

50-yard breaststroke: 10-and-under, 1. Victoria Colmenares, SOFLO 43.51, time drop 0.52; SOFLO: 4. Maya Barrizonte 52.46, 6. Molly Barber 53.24, time drop 3.41; 11-12, 1. Gabriela Ekht, SOFLO 39.64, time drop 2.02; SOFLO: 7. Camila Juanes 48.49, time drop 8.08, 9. Aranza Reveron 53.06, time drop 6.29; 13-14, 1. Bella Truyol, EA 36.82; 15-and-over, 1. Elyse Wood, EA 30.68.

200-yard backstroke: 11-12, 1. Penelope Lopez-Casula, EA 2:12.70; 13-14, 1. Ana Ospina, EA 2:24.49; SOFLO: 3. Lana Althuis 2:30.29, time drop 2.61, 4. Danielle Brancati 2:39.79; 15-and-over, 1. Kiera Rampersad, EA 2:18.58.

400-yard individual medley: 13-14, 1. Kristen Bachmann, EA 5:41.44; 15-and-over, 1. Erika Pelaez, EA 4:11.53; SOFLO: 4. Gabriela Marin 6:12.70.

SESSION TWO BOYS RESULTS
200-yard individual medley: 11-12, 1. Miguel Machado, EA 2:43.14; SOFLO: 3. David Gonzalez 2:48.45, time drop 3.13, 4. Jeffrey Xiong 2:57.63, time drop 9.85; 13-14, 1. Matt Malaussena, SOFLO 2:24.81, time drop 3.21; SOFLO: 2. Adrian Sowma 2:29.43, time drop 4.49, 3. Benjamin Liss 2:39.17; 15-and-over, 1. Peyton Selts, EA 2:04.01; SOFLO: 7. David Portilla 2:41.15.

100-yard butterfly: 11-12, 1. Thiago Arboleda Gomez, SGST 1:24.15; 13-14, 1. Jayden Davis, TSA 54.93; SOFLO: 4. Matt Malaussena 1:06.77; 15-and-over, 1. Peyton Selts, EA 52.23; SOFLO: 4. Diego Reveron 1:02.65, time drop 1.08.

50-yard backstroke: 10-and-under, 1. Santiago Gonzalez-Rodriguez, SGST 38.78; 11-12, 1. Miguel Machado, EA 35.09; SOFLO: 4. Daniel Mantjos 38.45, 7. Asher Griffin 41.16; 13-14, 1. Jayden Davis, TSA 27.37; SOFLO: 6. Adrian Sowma 33.76, time drop 1.93; 15-and-over, 1. Alex Peshkov, TSA 29.37.

200-yard breaststroke: 13-14, 1. George Gerasim, EA 2:40.96; 15-and-over, 1. David Portilla, SOFLO 3:04.95, time drop 5.06.

100-yard freestyle: 11-12, 1. Miguel Machado, EA 1:04.73; SOFLO: 5. David Gonzalez 1:07.42, time drop 0.39, 6. Jeffrey Xiong 1:09.84, time drop 2.20, 9. Lautaro Torcivia 1:15.10, time drop 3.25; 13-14, 1. Jayden Davis, TSA 50.53; SOFLO: 6. Matt Malaussena 59.88, 7. Benjamin Liss 1:00.02; 15-and-over, 1. Anthony Pineiro, EA 46.30; SOFLO: 8. Karel Meza 58.40, 9. Cesar Salones 59.03, time drop 2.83.

50-yard breaststroke: 10-and-under, 1. Franceso De Napoli, EA 1:06.16; 11-12, 1. Jeffrey Xiong, SOFLO 39.77, time drop 1:55; SOFLO: 3. Lautaro Torcivia 44.57, time drop 1.90, 4. Daniel Mantjos 44.68; 13-14, 1. Anthony Pineiro, EA 28.29; SOFLO: 5. Cesar Salones 36.31, time drop 1.70.

200-yard backstroke: 11-12, 1. David Gonzalez, SOFLO 2:43.93; 15-and-over, 1. Leonardo Lopez-Casula, EA 2:11.37.

400-yard individual medley: 15-and-over, 1. Leonardo Lopez-Casula, EA 4:35.93.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO’s David Gonzalez Triple Winner In Session One Of Santa La Vista Championships

By Sharon Robb
MIAMI, December 18, 2023—After Mother Nature had her way, South Florida Aquatic Club swimmers got in some good racing Sunday at the Santa La Vista Championships at Miami Shores Aquatic Center.

Heavy rain and wind forced the Eagle Aquatics-hosted meet to combine Session One and Two but it didn’t deter swimmers from doing well and having fun during the holidays.

David Gonzalez, 12, led SOFLO with three 11-12 wins and two time drops in the timed finals. Gonzalez won the 200-yard freestyle in 2:20.41, dropping 0.84; 100-yard backstroke in 1:16.91, dropping 1.01 seconds; and 500-yard freestyle in 6:09.30. He finished with 51 points.

Other SOFLO winners were:

Lana Althuis, 13, 50-yard butterfly, 30.63. She finished with 41 points for the session.

Joanna Valdiviezo, 12, 100-yard backstroke, 1:16.50. She finished with 26 points for the session.

Jeffrey Xiong, 12, 100-yard breaststroke, 1:28.01, time drop 4.50. He finished with 36 points for the session.

Matt Malaussena, 14, 100-yard individual medley, 1:10.35, time drop 6.72. He finished with 39 points for the session.

David Portilla, 15, 200-yard butterfly, 2:43.45, time drop 6.56. He finished with 23 points for the session.

Eagle Aquatics, with its full squad, dominated the session led by USA Swimming junior national team swimmer Erika Pelaez, 17, coming off the U.S. Open and Speedo Winter Championships. Pelaez, 17, an N.C. State commit, won six events all with time drops.

SESSION ONE RESULTS
GIRLS
200-yard freestyle: 10-and-under, 1. Sabrina Arnold, TSA 2:35.88; SOFLO: 3. Vela Rivera 2:59.30, 4. Maya Barrizonte 3:08.60; 11-12, 1. Penelope Lopez-Casula, EA 1:54.15; SOFLO: 3. Sofia Rufeev 2:21.02, 4. Carolina Carrera 2:21.74, time drop 2.16; 13-14, 1. Ana Ospina, EA 2:10.08; SOFLO: 2. Laird Galvin 2:17.36; 15-and-over, 1. Elyse Wood, EA 1:57.58; SOFLO: 3. Gabriela Marin 2:33.54.

100-yard breaststroke: 10-and-under, 1. Arina Sorina, EA 1:32.64; SOFLO: 3. Victoria Colmenares 1:44.04; 11-12, 1. Victoria Monteiro, SGST 1:28.27; SOFLO: 2. Sofia Rufeev 1:29.26, 3. Carolina Carrera 1:29.92, time drop 0.65, 4. Sofia Martinez 1:31.96; 13-14, 1. Julia Messinger-Nanni, EA 1:12.03; 15-and-over, 1. Erika Pelaez, EA 1:05.24, time drop 0.94.

50-yard butterfly: 10-and-under, 1. Anastasia Morales, EA 34.96; 11-12, 1. Penelope Lopez-Casula, EA 26.74; SOFLO: 5. Zoe Miralles 36.62, time drop 1.44; 13-14, Lana Althuis, SOFLO 30.63; SOFLO: 4. Natalia Perez 47.26, time drop 15.75; 15-and-over, 1. Gioia Balzano, EA 26.09.

100-yard backstroke: 10-and-under, 1. Anastasia Morales, EA 1:14.94; SOFLO: 2. Molly Barber 1:34.23, 4. Vela Rivera 1:40.59, time drop 0.42; 11-12, 1. Joanna Valdiviezo, SOFLO 1:16.50; SOFLO: 2. Gabriela Ekht 1:19.24, 3. Carolina Carrera 1:24.20, 4. Camila Juanes 1:26.24, time drop 2.06; 13-14, 1. Ana Ospina, EA 1:08.28; SOFLO: 3. Lana Althuis 1:11.17, time drop 1.44; 15-and-over, 1. Elyse Wood, EA 1:00.42; SOFLO: 5. Gabriela Marin 1:21.65.

100-yard individual medley: 10-and-under, 1. Arina Sorina, EA 1:22.25; SOFLO: 3. Victoria Colmenares 1:31.74, time drop 2.54, 5. Maya Barrizonte 1:35.40; 11-12, 1. Jacee Gormley, EA 1:16.56; SOFLO: 2. Gabriela Ekht 1:20.11, time drop 1.85, 3. Joanna Valdiviezo 1:20.50, time drop 1.44; 13-14, 1. Angelika Morales, EA 1:10.03; SOFLO: 3. Danielle Brancati 1:17.63, time drop 0.45; 15-and-over, 1. Erika Pelaez, EA 56.35, time drop 0.03; SOFLO: 5. Gabriela Marin 1:17.90.

50-yard freestyle: 10-and-under, 1. Anastasia Morales, EA 30.83; SOFLO: 3. Maya Barrizonte 36.76, 4. Victoria Colmenares 37.66; 11-12, 1. Penelope Lopez-Casula, EA 24.19; SOFLO: 4. Zoe Miralles 31.44, time drop 2.32; 13-14, 1. Kristen Bachmann, EA 27.75; SOFLO: 2. Lana Althuis 28.69, 3. Laird Galvin 28.79, time drop 0.12; 15-and-over, 1. Gioia Balzano, EA 24.24.

200-yard butterfly: 13-14, 1. Angelika Morales, EA 2:33.59; 15-and-over, 1. Erika Pelaez, EA 2:02.02, 2. Gio Musiello, EA 2:06.44.

500-yard freestyle: 10-and-under, 1. Anastasia Morales, EA 6:11.21; 11-12, 1. Penelope Lopez-Casula, EA 5:11.68; SOFLO: 2. Joanna Valdiviezo 6:36.17, time drop 3.54, 3. Sofia Martinez 6:39.03, time drop 8.36; 13-14, 1. Bella Truyol, EA 6:03.21; 15-and-over, 1. Kiera Rampersad, EA 5:23.49; SOFLO: 4. Gabriela Marin 6:44.66.

BOYS
200-yard freestyle: 11-12, 1. David Gonzalez, SOFLO 2:20.41, time drop 0.84; SOFLO: 5. Ian Ibarra 2:34.16; 13-14, 1. Oliver Lieberman, EA 2:04.47; SOFLO: 2. Matt Malaussena 2:09.15, time drop 22..75, 3. Benjamin Liss 2:18.06, time drop 12.48; 15-and-over, 1. Anthony Pineiro, EA 1:41.13; SOFLO: 5. Karel Meza 2:10.29, 6. David Portilla 2:24.16.

100-yard breaststroke: 11-12, 1. Jeffrey Xiong, SOFLO 1:28.01, time drop 4.50; SOFLO: 2. Jackson Puntervold, 1:28.93, time drop 4.60, 5. Ian Ibarra 1:39.24; 13-14, 1. Christian Nichols, TSA 1:19.21; SOFLO: 2. Adrian Sowma 1:19.54, time drop 3.98, 3. Benjamin Liss 1:23.52; 15-and-over, 1. Peyton Selts, EA 1:02.06.

50-yard butterfly: 10-and-under, 1. Santiago Gonzalez-Rodriguez, SGST 37.73; 11-12, 1. Joaquin Amador, EA 33.25; SOFLO: 6. Jackson Puntervold 38.96, time drop 15.69; 13-14, 1. Luigi Villani, SGST 26.45; 15-and-over, 1. Anthony Pineiro, EA 23.16; SOFLO: 5. Diego Reveron 29.30, time drop 1.30.

100-yard backstroke: 11-12, 1. David Gonzalez, SOFLO 1:16.91, time drop 1.01; SOFLO: 2. Ian Ibarra 1:21.23; 13-14, 1. Jayden Davis, TSA 59.07; SOFLO: 3. Matt Malaussena 1:11.05, time drop 3.55; 15-and-over, 1. Leonardo Lopez-Casula, EA 57.24.

100-yard individual medley: 11-12, 1. Joaquin Amador, EA 1:18.85; SOFLO: 3. Jeffrey Xiong 1:22.00, time drop 1.01, 4. Jackson Puntervold 1:23.34, time drop 1.40; 13-14, 1. Matt Malaussena, SOFLO 1:10.35, time drop 6.72, SOFLO: 2. Adrian Sowma 1:10.37, time drop 1.15, 3. Samuel Rico 1:18.06, time drop 6.06; 15-and-over, 1. Leonardo Moncada, EA 1:00.85.

50-yard freestyle: 10-and-under, 1. Santiago Gonzalez-Rodriguez, SGST 31.14; 11-12, 1. Miguel Machado, EA 28.71; SOFLO: 4. David Gonzalez 31.23, time drop 0.19, 5. Jeffrey Xiong 31.57; 13-14, 1. Oliver Lieberman, EA 23.41; SOFLO: 6. Benjamin Liss 27.73, 7. Adrian Sowma 27.79, time drop 0.70; 15-and-over, 1. Anthony Pineiro, EA 21.90; SOFLO: 7. Karel Meza 26.87, 8. Diego Reveron 26.92, time drop 0.12.

200-yard butterfly: 13-14, 1. George Gerasim, EA 2:20.48; 15-and-over, 1. David Portilla, SOFLO 2:43.45, time drop 6.56.

500-yard freestyle: 10-and-under, 1. Santiago Gonzalez-Rodriguez, SGST 7:02.92; 11-12, 1. David Gonzalez, SOFLO 6:09.30; SOFLO: 5. Ian Ibarra 6:30.55, time drop 9.77; 13-14, 1. Luigi Villani, SGST 5:12.93; SOFLO: 2. Samuel Rico 6:21.70; 15-and-over, 1. Anthony Pineiro, EA 4:36.11; SOFLO: 2. Cesar Salones, 5:56.48, time drop 16.94.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO Total Team Effort Sweeps Titles At 33rd Speedo Winter Championships; Guillermo Mantilla High Point Winner

By Sharon Robb
PLANTATION, December 11, 2023—No one works harder than South Florida Aquatic Club swimmers and coaching staff and it showed at the 33rd annual Speedo Winter Championships at Plantation Aquatic Complex.

On Sunday, the fourth and final day, SOFLO swept the combined, girls and boys team titles to win for the third time in four years, knocking off defending champion St. Andrew’s Aquatics who was nipping at their heels throughout the last major Florida Gold Coast competition of the year.

One of the oldest and largest meets in the state featured 74 teams from Florida and out of state including Aruba.

South Florida Aquatic Club, buoyed by depth, captured the combined team title with 1,512 points. St. Andrew’s Aquatics finished runner-up with 1,316.50. They were the only teams to crack the 1,000 point mark. YMCA of South Florida was third with 777 points.

SOFLO won the girls team title with 766 points ahead of St. Andrew’s Aquatics with 643.50 and Westchester Aquatic Club with 577 points. The girls field featured 53 teams.

SOFLO boys team, leaders since Day One, clinched the boys team title with 746 points. St. Andrew’s was runner-up with 673 and Metro Aquatics with 541.50. The boys field had 59 teams.

SOFLO’s total team effort was the key to victory. While there were few individual winners, swimmers realized every point mattered from 11 to 1 for individual placing and 22 to 2 for relays. Scoring one point was just as important as scoring 11.

Guillermo Mantilla, Noah Mejias and Leonardo Zuluaga won events on the final day.

Mantilla, 12, won two more events, 100-yard backstroke in 1:00.06 and 200-yard freestyle in 1:52.19 to complete a perfect meet winning all 12 of his individual and relay events. He finished as high point winner in the 11-12 age group with 77 points.

Zuluaga, 10, won the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:22.17.

Mejias, 12, won the 200-yard butterfly in 2:09.54.

SOFLO won the 11-12 boys 400-yard freestyle relay in 3:40.19 with Rainier Leyva Riestra, Kenneth Solis, Mejias and Mantilla.

SOFLO’s girls 11-12 400-yard freestyle relay was second in 3:53.66 with Christie Ann Lumsden, Sophia Rodriguez, Didia Miccolis and Gianna Martin.

There were several familiar faces competing in the meet. Brothers Jordy, 27, and Patrick Groters, 24, former NSU University School and Pine Crest Swimming club swimmers of Giants Aquatics Aruba swam several events. N.C. State commits Erika Pelaez and Kaii Winkler of Eagle Aquatics and USA Swimming national junior team, fresh off the U.S. Open, also competed.

SUNDAY RESULTS
COMBINED TEAM TOTALS: 1. South Florida Aquatic Club 1,512, 2. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 1,316.50, 3. YMCA of South Florida 777, 4. Jupiter Dragons 758.50, 5. Metro Aquatics 713, 6. Eagle Aquatics 692, 7. Westchester Aquatic Club 680.50, 8. Gulliver Swim Club 499.50, 9. Azura Florida Aquatics 491, 10. Wellington 476.50.

GIRLS TEAM TOTALS: 1. South Florida Aquatic Club 766, 2. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 643.50, 3. Westchester Aquatic Club 557, 4. Jupiter Dragons 419, 5. Eagle Aquatics 400, 6. Wellington 335, 7. YMCA of South Florida 323, 8. TS Aquatics 300, 9. North Palm Beach 290, 10. Azura Florida Aquatics 213.

BOYS TEAM TOTALS: 1. South Florida Aquatic Club 746, 2. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 673, 3. Metro Aquatics 541.50, 4. YMCA of South Florida 454, 5. Gulliver 414.50, 6. Jupiter Dragons 339.50, 7. Eagle Aquatics 292, 8. Azura Florida Aquatics 278, 9. Blue Marlins 266, 10. Indian River Aquatics 254.

HIGH POINT AWARDS
GIRLS
10-and-under, 1. Ashley Lotano, Jupiter Dragons 62; SOFLO: 5. Stephania Dmitrova 36, 6. Maya Ramthun 31, 12. Savanna Alonso 20, 20. Ellie Phan 9.
11-12, 1. Penelope Lopez-Casula, Eagle Aquatics 77; SOFLO: 13. Christie Ann Lumsden 25, 17. Gianna Martin 22, 18. Didia Miccolis 21, 27. Varvara Dmitrova 9, 40. Matilda Ramthun 4.
13-14, 1. Allison Kelly, Jupiter Dragons 68; SOFLO: 7. Laila Harran 50, 8. Jianna Amores 48, 12. Jenesys Amores 30, 21. Jemma Baldwin 14, 40. Mackenzie McPherson 3.
15-16, 1. Luci Gutierrez, Westchester Aquatics Club 75; SOFLO: 9. Carley Kapaln 40, 24. Lydia Smutny 11, 38. Sarah Vasquez 4.
17-and-over, 1. Erika Pelaez, Eagle Aquatics 77; SOFLO: 8. Gabriella DeLuna 35, 18. Mariann Catalasan 24.

BOYS
10-and-under, 1. Tyler Wright, TS Aquatics 59; SOFLO: 4. Leonardo Zuluaga 44.
11-12, 1. Guillermo Mantilla, SOFLO 77; SOFLO: 5. Noah Mejias 56, 10. Jonathan Li 32, 16. Rainier Leyva Riestra 26.50, 30. Michael Barber 5, 33. Julian Sibug 4 and 33. Kenneth Solis 4, 37. Ethan Phan 3.
13-14, 1. Nicolas Kokidko, Metro Aquatics 69; SOFLO: 20. Connor Jimenez 15.50, 25. Ethan Hall 10, 38. Joshua Menezes 4, 40. David Valdiviezo 3.
15-16, 1. Anthony Pineiro, Eagle Aquatics 77; SOFLO: 10. Jaden Amores 31, 22. Felix Gonzalez 18, 41. tie, Abraham Penaloza 4, Derek Hau 4, and Mason Jimenez, 4.
17-and-over, 1. Diego Balbi, St. Andrew’s Aquatics 72; SOFLO: 9. Austin Nelson 32, 22. Manny Melendez 15, 32. Luciano Gonzalez 11, 36. Hashan Ekanayake 8, 44. Nicholas Pelaez 5, 48. Stephen Kim, 4 and 48. Keegan Stack 4.

GIRLS RESULTS
50-yard backstroke:
10-and-under, 1. Angelina Parajon, Martin County 31.96.

100-yard backstroke:
11-12, 1. Penelope Lopez-Casula, Eagle Aquatics 59.02.
13-14, 1. Feagin Kaminski, North Palm Beach 56.25; SOFLO: 4. Laila Harran 59.21, 7. Jianna Amores 59.89, 8. Jenesys Amores 1:00.54.
15-16, 1. Ines Arnall, Westchester 56.03; SOFLO: 6. Carley Kaplan 59.42.
17-and-over, 1. Erika Pelaez, Eagle Aquatics 51.12.

100-yard butterfly:
10-and-under, 1. Ashley Lotano, Jupiter Dragons 1:09.71; SOFLO: 3. Maya Ramthun 1:18.33, 4. Savanna Alonso 1:19.07, 5. Ellie Phan 1:19.59.

200-yard butterfly:

11-12, 1. Mishka Machado, Pompano Beach Piranhas 2:24.16.
13-14, 1. Serene Jourdy, Westchester 2:06.28; SOFLO: 2. Jianna Amores 2:06.31, 9. Mackenzie McPherson 2:17.55.
15-16, 1. Alba Arnall, Westchester 2:01.46; SOFLO: 4. Lydia Smutny 2:10.15.
17-and-over, 1. Natalie Doig, Indian River Aquatics 1:58.68; SOFLO: 9. Joshua Menezes 2:08.94.

100-yard breaststroke:
10-and-under, 1. Aubrey Bussom, Martin County 1:24.66; SOFLO: 4. Stephania Dmitrova 1:27.02, 6. Savanna Alonso 1:29.44.
11-12, 1. Addison Scott, YMCA of South Florida 1:08.83; SOFLO: 5. Christie Ann Lumsden 1:12.94, 6. Gianna Martin 1:13.83, 7. Didia Miccolis 1:14.99.
13-14, 1. Tessa Broedell, North Palm Beach 1:04.43.
15-16, 1. Kiera Rampersad, Eagle Aquatics 1:04.79.
17-and-over, 1. Reese Rosenthal, Gulliver 1:04.08; SOFLO: 4. Mariann Catalasan 1:07.69, 5. Gabriella DeLuna 1:07.83.

50-yard freestyle:
10-and-under, 1. Ashley Lotano, Jupiter Dragons 28.92.

200-yard freestyle:
11-12, 1. Penelope Lopez-Casula, Eagle Aquatics 1:52.19.
13-14, 1. Allison Kelly, Jupiter Dragons 1:52.86; SOFLO: 3. Jenesys Amores 1:55.43, 5. Laila Harran 1:56.95, 7. Jianna Amores 1:57.99.
15-16, 1. Luci Gutierrez, Westchester Aquatic Club 1:49.67; SOFLO: 4. Carley Kaplan 1:53.98.
17-and-over, 1. Erika Pelaez, Eagle Aquatics 1:44.91.

100-yard individual medley:
10-and-under, 1. Ashley Lotano, Jupiter Dragons 1:10.63; SOFLO: 5. Stephania Dmitrova 1:16.21, 6. Maya Ramthun 1:16.38.
11-12, 1. Brianna DeCasseres, Westchester Aquatic Club 1:03.30; SOFLO: 8. Gianna Martin 1:07.22.
13-14, 1. Addison Kent, Jupiter Dragons 58.66.
17-and-over, 1. Tawannah McLemore, TS Aquatics 58.92; SOFLO: 2. Gabriella DeLuna 1:00.59.

400-yard freestyle relay:
11-12, 1. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 3:52.04; 2. SOFLO A 3:53.66 (Christie Ann Lumsden, Sophia Rodriguez, Didia Miccolis, Gianna Martin).

BOYS RESULTS
50-yard backstroke:
10-and-under, 1. Lorenz Fahnenschmidt, St. Andrew’s Aquatics 31.45; SOFLO: 8. Leonadro Zuluaga 36.04.

100-yard backstroke:
11-12, 1. Guillermo Mantilla, SOFLO 1:00.06.
13-14, 1. Ocean Van Loon, Stingray Swimming 52.89; SOFLO: 8. Connor Jimenez 57.95.
15-16, 1. Anthony Pineiro, Eagle Aquatics 49.38; SOFLO: 4. Jaden Amores 53.32, 10. Derek Hau 55.12.
17-and-over, 1. Kaii Winkler, Eagle Aquatics 47.69; SOFLO: 5. Austin Nelson 51.63.

100-yard butterfly:
10-and-under, 1. Tyler Wright, TS Aquatics 1:08.43.

200-yard butterfly:
11-12, 1. Noah Mejias, SOFLO 2:09.54.
13-14, 1. Emihlio Reveron, Eagle Aquatics 1:58.68; SOFLO: 9. Joshua Menezes 2:08.17.
15-16, 1. Anthony Pineiro, Eagle Aquatics 1:50.44.
17-and-over, 1. Diego Balbi, St. Andrew’s Aquatics 1:46.55.

100-yard breaststroke:
10-and-under, 1. Leonardo Zuluaga, SOFLO 1:22.17.
11-12, 1. Jayden Park, YMCA of South Florida 1:07.47; SOFLO: 4. Jonathan Li 1:11.04, 8. Rainier Leyva Riestra 1:14.13.
13-14, 1. Oliver Cannings, Gulliver 1:00.33; SOFLO: 3. Connor Jimenez 1:02.59, 8. Ethan Hall 1:05.32.
15-16, 1. Paul Pokatragool, St. Andrew’s Aquatics 57.84; SOFLO: 8. Derek Hau 1:00.95.
17-and-over, 1. Braynsly Dirksz, Aruba Dolphins 55.26; SOFLO: 5. Manny Melendez 57.11.

50-yard freestyle:
10-and-under, 1. Tyler Wright, TS Aquatics 27.99.

200-yard freestyle:
11-12, 1. Guillermo Mantilla, SOFLO 1:52.19; SOFLO: 4. Rainier Leyva Riestra 2:01.17, 8. Kenneth Solis 2:04.89.
13-14, 1. Nicolas Kokidko, Metro Aquatics 1:42.70; SOFLO: 7. Ethan Hall 1:51.30.
15-16, 1. Gabriel Tortola, Plantation Swim Team 1:39.97; SOFLO: 8. Jaden Amores 1:46.80.
17-and-over, 1. Kaii Winkler, Eagle Aquatics 1:32.86; SOFLO: 6. Austin Nelson 1:44.17.

100-yard individual medley:
10-and-under, 1. Brandon Infante, Blue Marlins 1:12.75; SOFLO: 4. Leonardo Zuluage 1:16.69.
11-12, 1. Jayden Park, YMCA of South Florida 1:00.91; SOFLO: 2. Noah Mejias 1:01.30.
13-14, 1. Becket Menacho, Pompano Beach Piranhas 55.46; SOFLO: 9. Connor Jimenez 59.68.
15-16, 1. Anthony Pineiro, Eagle Aquatics 50.97.
17-and-over, 1. Diego Balbi, St. Andrew’s Aquatics 50.23; SOFLO: 9. Stephen Kim 53.73.

400-yard freestyle relay:
11-12, 1. SOFLO A 3:40.19 (Rainier Leyva Riestra, Kenneth Solis, Noah Mejias, Guillermo Mantilla), 2. Metro Aquatics 3:45.25, 3. YMCA of South Florida 3:48.20.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO Leads Combined, Boys, Girls After Day Three Of 33rd Speedo Winter Championships; SOFLO’s Mantilla, Zuluaga, Gonzalez Win

PLANTATION, December 10, 2023—South Florida Aquatic Club, looking to regain its title, leads the combined, boys and girls team categories going into the fourth and final day of the 33rd annual Speedo Winter Championships at Plantation Aquatic Complex.

SOFLO boys, leading since Day One, was joined in the lead by the girls team after Saturday’s action.

SOFLO now leads the combined with 1,068 points followed by defending champion St. Andrew’s Aquatics with 959. YMCA of South Florida is a distant third with 585.

SOFLO boys continue to lead with 543 points ahead of St. Andrew’s Aquatics with 482 and Metro Aquatics with 402.50.

SOFLO girls moved into the lead with 525 points followed by St. Andrew’s Aquatics with 477 and Westchester Aquatic Club with 380.

SOFLO’s Guillermo Mantilla continued his dominance with two more wins. The 12-year-old won the 200-yard backstroke in 2:08.47 and 100-yard freestyle in 51.45. He has 55 points after three days.

Leonardo Zuluaga, 10, won the 50-yard breaststroke in 37.79. He has 23 points.

Luciano Gonzalez, 29, won the 50-yard butterfly in 21.49.

The four-day meet, one of the oldest and largest in the state, concludes Sunday with prelims at 8:30 a.m. and finals 5 p.m.

Spectator admission is $5 per session. Parking is free. Heat sheets are available at http://www.swimpst.com and on Meet Mobile.

SATURDAY RESULTS
COMBINED TEAM TOTALS: 1. South Florida Aquatic Club 1,068, 2. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 959, 3. YMCA of South Florida 585, 4. Jupiter Dragons 534, 5. Metro Aquatics 533.50.

GIRLS TEAM TOTALS: 1. SOFLO 525, 2. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 477, 3. Westchester Aquatic Club 380, 4. Jupiter Dragons 286, 5. Eagle Aquatics 265.

BOYS TEAM TOTALS: 1. SOFLO 543, 2. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 482, 3. Metro Aquatics 402.50, 4. YMCA of South Florida 353, 5. Gulliver 283.50.

GIRLS
100-yard backstroke:
10-and-under, 1. Angelina Parajon, Martin County 1:10.92; SOFLO: 7. Stephania Dmitrova 1:17.61.

200-yard backstroke:
11-12, 1. Gia Euseppi, North Palm Beach 2:13.49; 13-14, 1. Feagin Kaminski, NPB 1:59.88; SOFLO: 4. Laila Harran 2:06.99, 5. Jenesys Amores 2:08.19, 10. Mackenzie McPherson 2:17.79; 15-16, 1. Luci Gutierrez, Westchester 2:01.22; SOFLO: 5. Carley Kaplan 2:06.67; 17-and-over, 1. Erika Pelaez, Eagle Aquatics 1:51.54; SOFLO: 8. Mariann Catalasan 2:17.53.

50-yard breaststroke:
10-and-under, 1. Kylie Luczywko, Swim Neptune 39.61; SOFLO: 3. Stephania Dmitrova 40.04; 11-12, 1. Addsion Scott, YMCA 32.00; SOFLO: 3. Gianna Martin 33.39, 8. Christie Ann Lumsden 34.17; 13-14, 1. Tessa Broedell, NPB 29.44; 15-16, 1. Martyna Kaps, Match Point 30.46; 17-and-over, 1. Erika Pelaez, Eagle Aquatics 28.30; SOFLO: 5. Mariann Catalasan 31.48.

100-yard freestyle:
10-and-under, 1. Ashley Lotano, Jupiter Dragons 1:01.51; SOFLO: 2. Maya Ramthun 1:04.61; 11-12, 1. Penelope Lopez-Casula, Eagle Aquatics 50.60; 13-14, 1. Allison Kelly, Jupiter 51.93; SOFLO; 2. Laila Harran 52.03, 6. Jianna Amores 54.09, 7. Jenesys Amores 54.33; 15-16, 1. Luci Gutierrez, Westchester 51.37; SOFLO: 4. Carley Kaplan 52.48; 17-and-over, 1. Erika Pelaez, Eagle Aquatics 48.00

400-yard individual medley: 11-12, 1. Brianna DeCasseres, Westchester 4:8.30; SOFLO: 5. Didia Miccolis 5:03.33, 8. Varvara Dmitrova 5:10.23; 13-14, 1. Veronica Metz, Wellington 4:33.89; SOFLO: 3. Jianna Amores 4:37.67, 7. Jemma Baldwin 4:45.92; 15-16, 1. Maria Camila Perez, Azura 4:28.39, 7. Lydia Smutny 4:41.95; 17-and-over, 1. Gio Musiello, Eagle Aquatics 4:23.88.

50-yard butterfly: 10-and-under, 1. Ashey Lotano, Jupiter 30.23; SOFLO: 8. Ellie Phan 35.69; 11-12, 1. Penelope Lopez-Casula, Eagle Aquatics 26.12; 13-14, 1. Natalie Bantsolas, Highland Hurricane 25.88; 15-16, 1. Kiera Rampersad, Eagle Aquatics 25.34; 17-and-over, 1. Aspen Gersper, St. Andrew’s Aquatics 24.51.

400-yard medley relay:
11-12, 1. SOFLO A 4:21.09 (Sophia Rodriguez, Gianna Martin, Didia Miccolis, Christie Ann Lumsden), 2. Westchester 4:21.16, 3. St. Andrew’s 4:25.14.

BOYS
100-yard backstroke:
10-and-under, 1. Lorenz Fahnenschmidt, St. Andrew’s Aquatics 1:10.02; SOFLO: 4. Leonardo Zuluaga 1:15.80.

200-yard backstroke:
11-12, 1. Guillermo Mantilla, SOFLO 2:08.47; SOFLO: 4. Noah Mejias 2:17.00; 13-14, 1. Julian Lozano, Gulliver 1:57.85; SOFLO: 8. Connor Jimenez 2:06.39; 15-16, 1. Anthony Pineiro, Eagle Aquatics 1:47.71; SOFLO: 7. Jaden Amores 1:57.13; 17-and-over, 1. Diego Balbi, SAA 1:47.83; SOFLO: 2. Austin Nelson 1:50.93, 6. Nelson Pelaez 1:59.37.

50-yard breaststroke:
10-and-under, 1. Leonardo Zuluaga, SOFLO 37.79; 11-12, 1. Jayden Park, YMCA 31.18; SOFLO: 5. Jonathan Li 33.60; 13-14, 1. Jack Morrison, FAA 28.20; 15-16, 1. Paul Pokatragool, SAA 26.48; 17-and-over, 1. Jordy Groters, Giants Aquatics Aruba 25.15; SOFLO: 7. Keegan Stack 26.92, 9. Manny Melendez 27.28.

100-yard freestyle:
10-and-under, 1. Tyler Wright, TS Aquatics 1:02.35; 11-12, 1. Guillermo Mantilla, SOFLO 51.45; SOFLO: 7. Rainier Leyva Riestra 56.58; 13-14, 1. Nicolas Kokidko, Metro Aquatics 46.86; 15-16, 1. Alfredo Dominguez, Blue Marlins 45.38; 17-and-over, 1. Kaii Winkler, Eagle Aquatics 42.24.

400-yard individual medley:
11-12, 1. Alejandro Ruiz, Metro Aquatics 4;37.39; SOFLO: 3. Noah Mejias 4:50.60, 8. Ethan Phan 5:20.03; 13-14, 1. Oliver Cannings, Gulliver 4:13.15; SOFLO: 9. Joshua Menezes 4:42.59, 10. David Valdiviezo 4:43.06; 15-16, 1. Anthony Pineiro, Eagle Aquatics 3:59.92; SOFLO: 6. Felix Gonzalez 4:16.49, 10. Jaden Amores 4:27.78; 17-and-over, 1. Diego Balbi, SAA 3:57.63.

50-yard butterfly:
10-and-under, 1. Tyler Wright, TS Aquatics 29.92; 11-12, 1. Eric Macedo, Gulliver 27.22; 13-14, 1. Bud Howard, Jupiter Dragons 23.55; 15-16, 1. Miles Green, TS Aquatics 22.50; 17-and-over, 1. Luciano Gonzalez, SOFLO 21.49.

400-yard medley relay: 1. SOFLO A 4:06.22 (Guillermo Mantilla, Jonathan Li, Noah Mejias, Rainier Leyva Riestra), 2. Metro Aquatics 4:07.94, 3. YMCA of South Florida 4:24.13.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO’s Javier Colmenares Top FGC Finisher On Final Day Of Speedo Winter Junior East Championships; Bolles Boys, Carmel Girls Win Team Titles

By Sharon Robb
COLUMBUS, Ohio, December 10, 2023—Javier Colmenares saved his best for last at the Speedo Winter Junior East Championships Saturday at McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.

Colmenares, 17, of South Florida Aquatic Club swam a best time 1:58.68, sixth fastest in morning prelims of the 200-meter breaststroke and came back at night to finish seventh in 1:58.81, the highest finish of any Florida Gold Coast swimmer on the fourth and final night of competition.

Colmenares, 17, a two-time high school state champion who qualified in four junior national events, also swam a best time 55.24 in prelims of the 100-meter breaststroke to advance into the “C” final where he finished sixth in 55.43. His previous best was 55.37.

SOFLO teammates Izzy Wilson, 17, and Juan Vallmitjana, 14, made their final appearance in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Wilson was 22nd in 17:04.63 and Vallmitjana was 36th in 15:43.65.

In other Saturday highlights,
Alex Shackell of Carmel Swim Club broke the 17-18 200-yard butterfly national age group record in 1:50.15, fifth fastest swim of all time. The previous mark of 1:50.85 was set by Olympic silver medalist Claire Curzan in 2022.

Thomas Heilman of Cavalier Aquatics Piedmont YMCA broke his own 15-16 NAG in the 200-yard butterfly in 1:40.73 breaking his own record of 1:40.86. It is the second all-time fastest time in the 15-16 age group.

SATURDAY RESULTS
GIRLS TEAM TOTALS: 1. Carmel Swim Club 594, 2. SwimMAC 417, 3. Lakeside 297, 4. Bolles 241, 5. Scarlet Aquatics 155.

GIRLS RESULTS
1,650-yard freestyle: 1. Kayla Han, Carmel 16:00.74, 2. Kate Hurst, SCAR 16:08.25, 3. Lexie Ward, Carmel 16:17.93.
SOFLO: 22. Izzy Wilson 17:04.63.

200-yard backstroke: 1. Leah Shackley, BRY 1:50.21, 2. Charlotte Crush, LAK 1:52.67, 3. Audrey Derivaux, JW 1:52.75.

100-yard freestyle: 1. Jillian Crooks, TAC 47.30, 2. Charlotte Crush. LAK 47.86, 3. Rylee Erisman, LAKR 48.32; FGC: 21. Gioia Balzano, Eagle Aquatics 49.96.

200-yard breaststroke: 1. Molly Sweeney, Carmel 2:07.49, 2. Addie Robillard, RAYS 2:08.75, 3. Avery Klamfoth, MAC 2:11.27.

200-yard butterfly: 1. Alex Shackell, Carmel, 1:50.15, NAG record, 2. Leah Shackley, BRY 1:54.07, 3. Emily Brown, DCST 1:55.50.

400-yard freestyle relay: 1. Carmel Swim Club 3:15.78 (Shackell, Bowen, Sweeney, Han), 2. Lakeside 3:17.54, 3. Laker Swim 3:17.73.

BOYS TEAM TOTALS: 1. Bolles 340, 2. Cavalier Aquatics Piedmont YMCA 338, 3. Lakeside 293, 4. SwimMAC 270.5, 5. Suburban Seahawks 238.5.

BOYS RESULTS
1,650-yard freestyle: 1. Luke Whitlock, FAST 14:50.37, 2. Nathan Szobota, NOVA 14:59.50, 3. Freddy Klein, MAC 15:02.12; SOFLO: 36. Juan Vallmitjana 15:43.65.

200-yard backstroke: 1. Baylor Stanton, GA 1:41.24, 2. David King, Cavalier 1:41.69, 3. Kyle Peck, RAYS 1:42.71; FGC: 40. Dylan Ferguson, Metro Aquatics 1:47.87.

100-yard freestyle: 1. Thomas Heilman, CA 42.00, 2. Devin Dilger, OLY 42.72, 3. Lucca Battaglini, ECA 42.88; FGC: 23. George Gonzalez, Unattached 44.86, 64. Makar Goncharov, Pine Crest Swimming 45.80

200-yard breaststroke: 1. Xavier Ruiz, RAC 1:54.97, 2. Noah Cakir, TS 1:55.09, 3. Jordan Willis, MAC 1:55.30; SOFLO: 7. Javier Colmenares 1:58.81 finals, 1:58.68 prelims; FGC: 8. Breno Santana, Azura 1:58.97, 15. Salvatore Lanzafame, Azura 2:00.20, 26. Lucas Young, Hurricane Aquatics 2:00.71, 50. Cutter Shipman, Martin County 2:03.08, 72. Robert Alvarez, Metro Aquatics 2:04.54.

200-yard butterfly: 1. Thomas Heilman, CAV 1:40.73, NAG record, 2. tie, Drew Hitchcock, CSC 1:44.56 and Jacob Johnson, SSC 1:43.46.

400-yard freestyle relay: 1. Cavalier Aquatics Piedmont YMCA 2:54.66 (Heilman, King, Browne, Moore), 2. tie, Bolles A and Bolles B, 2:55.85.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO Boys Remain In Lead; SOFLO Boys, Girls Sweep 11-12 Medley Relays; Harran, Mantilla Win On Day Two Of 33rd Speedo Winter Championships

PLANTATION, December 9, 2023—South Florida Aquatic Club had another good day Friday at the 33rd annual Speedo Winter Championships at Plantation Aquatic Complex.

St. Andrew’s Aquatics leads combined with 636 and South Florida Aquatic Club is a close second with 629. YMCA of South Florida is third with 412. St. Andrew’s leads the girls with 336 and SOFLO is second with 291. SOFLO boys lead with 338 and St. Andrew’s has 300 points.

While the team title chase is coming down to a two-team dogfight between defending champion St. Andrew’s Aquatics and former two-time champion SOFLO, several SOFLO swimmers rose to the occasion individually and on relays.

SOFLO’s Laila Harran, 14, won the 13-14 50-yard freestyle in 24.09, faster than her prelim time of 24.38 to pick up 11 points for the girls’ team.

Guillermo Mantilla, 12, was a triple winner. He won the 11-12 200-yard individual medley in 2:09.29, lowering his 2:12.21 prelim time. He also won the 500-yard freestyle in 5:05.44 and 50-yard freestyle in 23.76. Mantilla also anchored the winning 400 medley relay. Mantilla leads high point with 33 points.

SOFLO’s 11-12 girls and boys swept the 400-yard medley relays. The girls’ foursome of Gianna Martin, Christie Ann Lumsden, Sophia Rodriguez and Didia Miccolus won in 4:29.48, edging St. Andrew’s 4:30.51. The boys’ foursome of Noah Mejias, Rainier Leyva Riestra, Kenneth Solis and Guillermo Mantilla won in an impressive 4:19.23 ahead of YMCA of South Florida in 4:31.86.

Eagle Aquatics teammates Erika Pelaez and Kaii Winkler, fresh off the U.S. Open, swam career-best times in the 100 butterfly. Pelaez won the 100 butterfly in 52.05, .07 seconds off her best time at the 1A State Meet. Winkler also went a best time by .35 seconds in 45.98.

The four-day meet, one of the oldest and largest in the state, concludes Sunday with prelims at 8:30 a.m. and finals 5 p.m.

Spectator admission is $5 per session. Parking is free. Heat sheets are available at http://www.swimpst.com and on Meet Mobile.

FRIDAY RESULTS
COMBINED TEAM TOTALS: 1. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 636, 2. South Florida Aquatic Club 629, 3. YMCA of South Florida 412, 4. Metro Aquatics 340, 5. Jupiter Dragons 327.

GIRLS TEAM TOTALS: 1. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 336, 2. SOFLO 291, 3. Wellington 181, 4. Westchester 180, 5. YMCA of South Florida 178.

BOYS TEAM TOTALS: 1. SOFLO 338, 2. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 300, 3. Metro Aquatics 259, 4. YMCA of South Florida 234, 5. Jupiter Dragons 168.
GIRLS
50-yard backstroke:
11-12, 1. Penelope Lopez-Casula, Eagle Aquatics 27.56; 13-14, 1. Natalie Bantsolas, Highland Hurricanes 26.91; SOFLO: 9. Jenesys Amores 28.91; 15-16, 1. Maria Camila Perez, Azura 26.83; 17-and-over: 1. Tawannah McLemore, TS Aquatics 27.30.

200-yard individual medley:
11-12, 1. Brianna DeCasseres, Westchester 2:15.75; SOFLO: 3. Didia Miccolis 2:22.17, 6. Christian Ann Lumsden 2:24.35; 13-14, 1. Veronica Metz, WOW 2:08.13; SOFLO: 2. Jianna Amores 2:09.19, 4. Laila Harran 2:12.91; 15-16, 1. Luci Gutierrez, Westchester 2:05.32; SOFLO: 7. Carley Kaplan 2:09.82; 17-and-over, 1. Aspen Gersper, AA 2:03.63; SOFLO: 6. Gabriella DeLuna 2:09.55.

100-yard butterfly:
11-12, 1. Natalie Clayton, Granite Falls 1:03.62; 13-14, 1. Serene Jourdy, Westchester 56.81; SOFLO: 2. Jiana Amores 56.95; 15-16, 1. Ines Arnall, Westchester 55.27; 17-and-over, 1. Erika Pelaez, Eagle Aquatics 52.05; SOFLO: 4. Gabriella DeLuna 58.64.

500-yard freestyle:
11-12, 1. Penelope Lopez-Casula, Eagle Aquatics 5:03.51; SOFLO: 7. Christie Ann Lumsden 5:41.02, 16. Karen Iino 5:57.02, 18. Matilda Ramthun 6:02.60, 20. Varvara Dmitrova 6:05.23, 21. Eva Ortiz 6:05.30, 28. Devy Otero 6:25.35; 13-14, 1. Allison Kelly, Jupiter 4:59.21; SOFLO: 4. Jenesys Amores 5:09.97, 7. Jemma Baldwin 5:19.43; 15-16, 1. Luci Gutierrez, Westchester 4:56.69; SOFLO: 5. Carley Kaplan 5:11.17, 10. Sarah Vasquez 5:25.11; 17-and-over, 1. Mariana Cote, YMCA of South Florida 5:02.85.

200-yard breaststroke: 11-12, 1. Brianna DeCasseres, Westchester 2:29.88; SOFLO: 4. Christie Ann Lumsden 2:37.26, 5. Gianna Martin 2:38.27, 8. Didia Miccolis 2:43.02; 13-14, 1. Tessa Broedell, NPB 2:20.20; 15-16, 1. Martyna Kaps, Match Point NYC 2:20.04; 17-and-over, 1. Reese Rosenthal, Gulliver 2:24.20; SOFLO: 3. Mariann Catalasan 2:24.45.

50-yard freestyle: 11-12, 1. Penelope Lopez-Casula, Eagle Aquatics 23.91; 13-14, 1. Laila Harran, SOFLO 23.09; 15-16, 1. Ines Arnall, Westchester 23.61; SOFLO: 6. Carley Kaplan 24.44; 17-and-over, 1. Erika Pelaez, Eagle Aquatics 22.29.

400-yard medley relay:
11-12, 1. SOFLO A 4:29.48 (Gianna Martin, Christie Ann Lumsden, Sophia Rodriguez, Didia Miccolis), 2. St. Andrew’s 4:30.51, 3. Jupiter Dragons 4:34.14.
13-14, 1. Wellington 4:04.64, 2. North Palm Beach 4:08.26, 3. SOFLO A 4:11.83 (Jianna Amores, Jenesys Amores, Sofia Gomez, Laila Harran), 6. SOFLO B 4:22.16 (Mackenzie McPherson, Ellie Jackson, Saree Young, Jemma Baldwin).
19-and-under, 1. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 4:00.52; 4. SOFLO A 4:11.83 (Carley Kaplan, Mariann Catalasan, Natalia Sibug, Gabriella DeLuna), 10. SOFLO B 4:25.00 (Amelie Bicerne, Tania Mantilla Sofia Lugo, Sarah Vasquez).

BOYS
50-yard backstroke: 11-12, 1. Eric Macedo, Gulliver 29.24; 13-14, 1. Ocean Van Loon, Stingrays 25.42; 15-16, 1. Anthony Pineiro, Eagle Aquatics 23.18; SOFLO: 3. Jaden Amores 24.80; 17-and-over, 1. Joshua Balbi, STA 23.32; SOFLO: 7. Austin Nelson 24.96.

200-yard individual medley: 11-12, 1. Guillermo Mantilla, SOFLO 2:09.29; SOFLO: 4. Noah Mejias 2:15.67, 6. Rainier Leyva Riestra 2:19.65; 13-14, 1. Emihlio Reveron, Eagle Aquatics 1:57.95; 15-16, 1. Carlos Flores Pinedo, SAA 1:55.88; SOFLO: 4. Jaden Amores 1:58.05; 17-and-over, 1. Diego Balbi, SAA 1:49.18; SOFLO: 10. Stephen Kim 2:02.00.

100-yard butterfly: 11-12, 1. Javier Massot, MAC 59.87; SOFLO: 6. Rainier Leyva Riestra 1:04.37; 13-14, 1. Bud Howard, JUP 51.70; 15-16, 1. Anthony Pineiro, Eagle Aquatics 49.70; 17-and-over, 1. Kaii Winkler, Eagle Aquatics 45.98.

500-yard freestyle: 11-12, 1. Guillermo Mantilla, SOFLO 5:05.44; SOFLO: 6. Noah Mejias 5:27.81, 7. Jonathan Li 5:30.37, 8. Rainier Leyva Riestra 5:34.16, 9. Kenneth Solis 5:43.00, 14. Michael Barber 5:52.93, 16. Elias Akpabio 5:55.62, 17. Rafael Naranjo 5:55.96, 20. Sean Tee 6:04.04, 23. Toma Petkov 6:13.95, 24. Gabriel Ferrer 6:14.39; 13-14, 1. Nicolas Kokidko, MAC 4:38.87; SOFLO: 8. Ethan Hall 5:10.33; 15-16, 1. Gabriel Tortola, PST 4:32.41; SOFLO: 5. Felix Gonzalez 4:45.65, 10. Jaden Amores 4:56.44; 17-and-over, 1. Jamarr Andre Bruno, Azura 4:31.59; SOFLO: 3. Austin Nelson 4:38.40, 10. Hashan Ekanayake 4:47.71.

200-yard breaststroke: 11-12, 1. Jayden Park, YMCA of South Florida 2:30.17; SOFLO: 2. Noah Mejias 2:32.60, 4. Jonathan Li 2:33.45, 7. Julian Sibug 2:41.03; 13-14, 1. Oliver Cannings, Gulliver 2:12.04; 15-16, 1. Juan Diego Leon, TS Aquaticvs 2:05.36; SOFLO: 7. Abraham Penaloza 2:11.91; 17-and-over, 1. Braynsly Dirksz, Aruba Dolphins 2:02.78; SOFLO: 4. Manny Melendez 2:05.61, 10. Stephen Kim 2:12.31.

50-yard freestyle: 11-12, 1. Guillermo Mantilla, SOFLO 23.76; 13-14, 1. Brian Hamilton, YMCA of South Florida 21.93; 15-16, 1. Paul Pokatragool, SAA 21.24; 17-and-over, 1. Kaii Winkler, Eagle Aquatics 20.03.

400-yard medley relay:
11-12, 1. SOFLO A 4:19.23 (Noah Mejias, Rainier Leyva Riestra, Kenneth Solis, Guillermo Mantilla), 2. YMCA of South Florida 4:31.86, 3. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 4:38.34.
13-14, 1. Gulliver 3:46.96, 2. Jupiter 3:54.88, 3. SOFLO A 4:00.62 (Ethan Hall, Joshua Menezes, David Valdievezo, Connor Jimenez).
19-and-under, 1. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 3:32.83, 2. Metro Aquatics 3:36.52, 3. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 3:36.91, 6. SOFLO 3:41.12 (Derek Hau, Jaden Amores, Felix Gonzalez, Stephen Kim).

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO’s Javier Colmenares Makes “C” Final On Day Three Of Speedo Winter Junior East Championships

By Sharon Robb
COLUMBUS, Ohio, December 9, 2023—Javier Colmenares swam a best time to make “C” finals in the 100-yard breaststroke Friday at the Speedo Winter Junior East Championships at McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.

Colmenares, 17, a two-time high school state champion, swam a best time 55.24 in prelims to advance into the “C” final where he finished sixth in 55.43. His previous best was 55.37. He has the 200-yard breaststroke left to swim on Saturday.

Colmenares was the second highest Florida Gold Coast finisher in Friday’s action.

SOFLO teammates Izzy Wilson, 17, and Juan Vallmitjana, 14, have the 1,650-yard freestyle event left to swim on the final day of competition.

In other Friday highlights, Alex Shackell of Carmel Swim Club broke her own meet record twice (in prelims 50.28) to win the 100-yard butterfly in 49.49 and then turned around and won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:42.72.

The 200-yard freestyle relays were the most exciting of the evening. Carmel Swim Club won the girls’ race over Bolles, 1:29.39-1:29.95 and Bolles won the boys ahead of Carmel Swim Club, 1:19.85-1:19.88.

All sessions are being streamed live on the USA Swimming Network and YouTube.

FRIDAY RESULTS
GIRLS TEAM TOTALS: 1. Carmel Swim Club 442, 2. SwimMAC 312, 3. Lakeside Swim Team 212, 4. Bolles 168, 5. Mason Manta Rays 109, 11. Gator Swim Club 44.
GIRLS RESULTS
400-yard individual medley: 1. Kayla Han, Carmel Swim Club 4:06.20, 2. Emily Thompson, Tormgreater 4:08.31, 3. Audrey Derivaux, Jersey Wahoos 4:08.51.

100-yard butterfly: 1. Alex Shackell, Carmel Swim Club 49.49, meet record, 2. Charlotte Crush, Lakeside 50.46, 3. Leah Shackley, Blair Regional 50.60; FGC: 53. Julianne McCranie, Pine Crest Swimming 55.60.

200-yard freestyle: 1. Alex Shackell, Carmel Swim Club 1:42.72, 2. Lillie Nesty, Gator Swim Club 1:43.87, 3. Rylee Erisman, Laker Swim Club 1:45.28; FGC: 27. Gioia Balzano, Eagle Aquatics 1:49.72.

100-yard breaststroke: 1. McKenzie Siroky, Unattached 58.81, 2. Addie Robillard, Mason Manta Rays 59.33, 3. Molly Sweeney, Carmel Swim Club 59.66.

100-yard backstroke: 1. Charlotte Crush, Lakeside Swim Team 50.23, 2. Leah Shackley, Blair Regional 50.63, 3. Jillian Crooks, TAC Titans 51.54; FGC: 79. Gioia Balzano, Eagle Aquatics, 56.60, 95. Julianne McCranie, Pine Crest Swimming 57.44.

200-yard freestyle relay: 1. Carmel Swim Club 1:29.39 (Alex Shackell, Grace Dougherty, Molly Sweeney, Kayla Han), 2. Bolles 1:29.95, 3. Lakeside Swim Team 1:30.98.

BOYS TEAM TOTALS: 1. Bolles 255, 2. Cavaier Aquatics/Piedmont YMCA 241, 3. SwimMAC 220.5, 4. Lakeside 218, 5. Suburban Seahawks 185.
BOYS RESULTS
400-yard individual medley: 1. Drew Hitchcock, Baylor Swim Club 3:42.20, 2. Gregg Enoch, Carmel Swim Club 3:44.80, 3. Landon D’Ariano, Germantown 3:45.17.

100-yard butterfly: 1. Thomas Heilman, Cavalier 44.80, 2. Lucca Battaglini, East Carolina Aquatics 46.04, 3. Spencer Nicholas, Nashville Aquatics 46.13; FGC: 48. Salvatore Lanzafame, Azura 49.48, 104. Dylan Ferguson, Metro Aquatics 50.69.

200-yard freestyle: 1. Jason Zhao, Mason Manta Rays 1:33.51, 2. Cooper McDonald, Dynamo 1:35.10, 3. Gregg Enoch, Carmel Swim Club 1:35.43; SOFLO: 111. Juan Vallmitjana 1:44.19; FGC: 36. George Gonzalez, Unattached 1:39.33, 77. Tomas Fermin, Metro Aquatics 1:41.11.

100-yard breaststroke: 1. Jake Wang, Suburban Seahawk 52.97, 2. Noah Cakir, Team Suffolk 53.28, 3. Xavier Ruiz, Ridgefield 53.46; SOFLO: 22. Javier Colmenares 55.43, 24. 55.24, best time, prelims; FGC: 14. Breno Santana, Azura 54.63, prelims, 54.64 finals; 35. Lucas Young, Hurricane Aquatics 55.57, 39. Salvatore Lanzafame, Azura 55.76, 76. Robert Alvarez, Metro Aquatics 56.99.

100-yard backstroke: 1. Johnny Crush, Lakeside 45.56, 2. Kyle Peck, Stingrays 46.54, 3. Blake Amlicke, Nashville 46.62; FGC: 41. Tomas Fermin, Metro Aquatics 49.61, 42. Dylan Ferguson. Metro Aquatics 49.64, 54. Lucas Young, Hurricane Aquatics 50.06

200-yard freestyle relay: 1. Bolles A 1:19.85 (Andy Kravchenko, Seth Tolentino, Carter Lancaster, Alex Meyers-Labenz), 2. Cavalier 1:19.88, 3. SwimMAC 1:20.09.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO Boys Take Lead, Win Two Relays On Day One Of 33rd Speedo Winter Championships

PLANTATION, December 8, 2023—South Florida Aquatic Club got off to a good start Thursday at the 33rd annual Speedo Winter Championships at Plantation Aquatic Complex.

Buoyed by two relay wins, SOFLO boys lead the field of 27 boys teams with 139 points. YMCA of South Florida is second with 124 and St. Andrew’s Aquatics is third with 119.

Defending champion St. Andrew’s Aquatics leads the combined with 279 points ahead of SOFLO with 246 and girls with 160 ahead of SOFLO with 107.

SOFLO boys looked impressive winning the 11-12 200-yard medley and 200-yard freestyle relays. The 200 medley relay won in 1:53.57 with Rainier Leyva Riestra, Jonathan Li, Noah Mejias and Guillermo Mantilla. The 200 freestyle relay won in 1:42.59 with Riestra, Li, Kenneth Solis and Mantilla.

Li was the boys’ top individual placing third in the 1,650-yard freestyle in a best time 18:15.42.

SOFLO girls highest relay finish was second in the 13-14 200-yard freestyle in 1:39.49 with Jianna Amores, Jenesys Amores, Jemma Baldwin and Laila Harran and third in the 11-12 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:47.60 with Sophia Rodriguez, Christian Ann Lumsden, Gianna Martin and Didia Miccolis.

Varvara Dmitrova (20:11.87) and Jemma Baldwin (best time 18:38.44) were the girls’ top individual finishers with fifth places in the 11-12 and 13-14 1,650-yard freestyle.

The four-day meet, one of the oldest and largest in the state, continues Friday with prelims at 8:30 a.m. and finals 5 p.m.

Spectator admission is $5 per session. There are special all-session passes available. Parking is free. Heat sheets are available at http://www.swimpst.com and on Meet Mobile.

THURSDAY RESULTS
COMBINED TEAM TOTALS: 1. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 279, 2. South Florida Aquatic Club 246, 3. YMCA of South Florida 196, 4. Metro Aquatics 138, 5. Jupiter Dragons 132.
GIRLS TEAM TOTALS: 1. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 160, 2. SOFLO 107, 3. Wellington 82, 4. tie, TS Aquatics, YMCA of South Florida, 72.
BOYS TEAM TOTALS: 1. SOFLO 139, 2. YMCA of South Florida 124, 3. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 119, 4. Metro Aquatics 110, 5. Azura Florida Aquatics 78.
GIRLS
200-yard medley relay:
11-12, 1. St. Andrew’s 2:01.40, 2. Jupiter Dragons 2:01.80, 3. YMCA of South Florida 2:01.83, 4. SOFLO A 2:04.67 (Valentina Remmele, Gianna Martin, Sophia Rodriguez, Didia Miccolis).
13-14, 1. Wellington 1:50.21, 2. North Palm Beach 1:50.29, 3. Jupiter 1:51.51, 4. SOFLO A (Jenesys Amores, Mackenzie McPherson, Jianna Amores, Laila Harran).
19-and-under, 1. St. Andrew’s 1:47.94, 2. TS Aquatics 1:49.72, 3. Metro Aquatics 1:50.24, 3. Azura 1:50.65, 5. SOFLO A 1:54.03 (Gabriella DeLuna, Mariann Catalasan, Sarah Vasquez, Carley Kaplan).

1,650-yard freestyle:
11-12, 1. Gia Euseppi, NPB 18:11.89; SOFLO: 5. Varvara Dmitrova 20:11.87, 7. Matilda Ramthun 20:34.65, best time.
13-14, 1. Veronica Metz, WOW 17:08.25; SOFLO: 5. Jemma Baldwin 18:38.44, best time. 15-16, 1. Luci Gutierres, WAC 16:46.50; SOFLO: 8. Sarah Vasquez 18:32.33.
17-and-over, 1. Isabella Hernandez Estevez, Unattached 17:59.42

200-yard freestyle relay:
11-12, 1. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 1:46.59, 2. YMCA of South Florida 1:47.44, 3. SOFLO A 1:47.60 (Sophia Rodriguez, Christie Ann Lumsden, Gianna Martin, Didia Miccolis).
13-14, 1. Wellington 1:39.27, 2. SOFLO A 1:39.49 (Jianna Amores, Jenesys Amores, Jemma Baldwin, Laila Harran), 3. North Palm Beach 1:39.73.
19-and-under, 1. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 1:38.06, 2. TS Aquatics 1:39.20, 3. Azura 1:40.05, 7. SOFLO A 1:42.13 (Katelyn Gembicki, Lydia Smutny, Tania Mantilla, Carley Kaplan).

BOYS
200-yard medley relay:
11-12, 1. SOFLO A 1:53.57 (Rainier Leyva Riestra, Jonathan Li, Noah Mejias, Guillermo Mantilla), 2. Metro Aquatics 1:55.69, 3. YMCA of South Florida 1:59.10, 5. SOFLO B 2:06.10 (Kenneth Solis, KJ Gilchrist, Elias Akpabio, Sean Tee).
13-14, 1. YMCA of South Florida 1:42.95, 2. Jupiter Dragons 1:44.99, 3. YMCA of South Florida B 1:47.30, 9. SOFLO B 1:55.32 (Alexander Ross, Joshua Menezes, Ryan Harries, Connor Jimenez).
19-and-under, 1. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 1:33.46, 2. St. Andrew’s Aquatics B 1:35.70, 3. Metro Aquatics 1:37.11, 5. SOFLO A 1:37.63 (Jaden Amores, Keegan Stack, Marvan Ekanayake, Austin Nelson).

1,650-yard freestyle:
11-12, 1. Alejandro Ruiz, Metro Aquatics 17:53.89; SOFLO: 3. Jonathan Li 18:15.42, best time, 6. Michael Barber 20:18.35, best time, 7. Luis Escobar 22:03.81.
13-14, 1. Nicolas Kokidko, Metro Aquatics 16:19.13; SOFLO: 9. David Valdiviezo 17:56.22, 11. Alexander Ross 18:10.01.
15-16, 1. Freddy Rosenthal, Pine Crest 16:02.30; SOFLO: 4. Felix Gonzalez 16:27.29, best time, 7. Mason Jimenez 17:21.48.
17-and-over, 1. Jamarr Andre Bruno, Azura 15:36.22; SOFLO: 4. Hashan Ekanayake 16:31.20.

200-yard freestyle relay:
11-12, 1. SOFLO A 1:42.59 (Rainier Leyva Riestra, Jonathan Li, Kenneth Solis, Guillermo Mantilla), 2. Metro Aquatics 1:43.88, 3. YMCA of South Florida 1:44.83.
13-14, 1. YMCA of South Florida 1:30.70, 2. Jupiter Dragons 1:33.45, 3. SOFLO A 1:36.33 (Jacob Jones, Ethan Hall, Dmitrii Berezin, Connor JImenez).
19-and-over, 1. St. Andrew’s Aquatics 1:23.59, 2. Azura 1:26.71, 3. Wellington 1:26.74, 7. SOFLO A 1:28.29 (Jaden Amores, Stephen Kim, Derek Hau, Austin Nelson).

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com