Area Roundup: West Florida swimming, Pensacola Christian cross country make program history

Here's a roundup from area events from swimming and cross country meets that took place last week. 

Swimming and Diving

District 1-2A

Momentum presently can’t soar much higher for the West Florida boys and girls swimming and diving teams.

After solid regular-season campaigns, the two Jaguars programs reached new heights by picking up their first district titles in school history last Wednesday from the Frank Brown Aquatic Center in Panama City Beach.

The two teams found different routes to narrow victories.

Claiming wins in 10 of 12 events, the West Florida girls piled up 543 points, 15 more than host Arnold, who was the runner-up. Meanwhile, the West Florida boys earned just one event win, but with 23 of 25 swimmers contributing points, the team totaled 415 points to outlast second-place Arnold (407).

The boys' lone victory came from Jackson Hebert. He triumphed in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2 minutes, 3.64 seconds. Hebert also earned a runner-up finish in the 100 breaststroke.

Other Jaguar runner-up finishers include Lukas Currie (1-meter dive) and Alex Birthright (500 freestyle).

As for the girls, Jennifer Mims and Taylor Clements each were unbeaten in two individual events and helped their teams to a pair of relay victories.

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Mims swam her way to a win in the 50 freestyle, clocking in at 26.38. She also set a school record by taking the 1-meter dive with a score of 439.9. She later teamed with Shelby Smith, Avery Witte and Jaydah Phelan to a win in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:54.64).

Clements continued her undefeated streak in individual events by comfortably claiming a six-second victory in the 100 breaststroke (1:07.55) and a 10-second win in the 200 individual medley (2:16.2).

She also joined Phelan, Smith and Kaylee Loper to the top time in the 200 medley relay (1:55.51). Mims and Clements linked with Witte and Loper to win the 200 freestyle relay.

Also collecting individual wins were Phelan (100 butterfly), Smith (100 freestyle) and Loper (100 backstroke).

Both Jaguars teams aim to keep the momentum rolling as the host school for regionals. The Region 1-2A meet begins with the diving competition at 9 a.m. Wednesday from the University of West Florida Aquatic Center. Swimming competition starts at 11 a.m. Thursday.

Pensacola High will be represented there as the Tigers made the standard in nine different events.

PHS qualified teams in the boys 400 freestyle relay, the girls 400 freestyle as well as the girls 200 medley relay.

Individually, Efrain Diaz will swim in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly while Landis Wood will compete in the 100 freestyle and 100 breaststroke. Lastly, Katelyn Daly (dive) and Sam Deao (100 backstroke) each qualified for one individual event.

Region 1-3A

After its boys team recorded a third-place finish at the Region 1-3A meet last Wednesday in Ocala, Booker T. Washington will have the area’s most participants headed to state.

Eleven Wildcats in total will compete at the Class 3A state championships, which begin Friday from the Sailfish Splash Waterpark and Aquatics Center in Stuart.

Ten of the program’s 11 qualifiers are boys. That list includes the foursome of Ian Malone, Coulson Voeltz, Max Little and Logan Robinson, who won a regional title in the 400-yard freestyle relay. With a time of 3:11.13, they’ll enter state as that event’s top seed.

All four swimmers have each qualified for four events.

Elsewhere, fresh off a regional title in the 100 butterfly, Pace’s Hudson Trammell is the No. 3 seed in that event.

See below which swimmers made the cut for state.

State qualifiers

Booker T. Washington - Boys

Donivan Alexander - Diving

William Flores - 200 Freestyle Relay

Landon Garcia - 200 Medley Relay Alternate and 200 Freestyle Alternate.

Kouper Kraus - 200 Freestyle Relay

Max Little - 200 Individual Medley, 100 Breaststroke, 200 Medley Relay, 400 Freestyle Relay

Ian Malone - 200 Individual Medley, 200 Medley Relay, 200 Freestyle Relay, 400 Freestyle Relay

Logan Robinson - 200 Freestyle, 100 Butterfly, 200 Medley Relay, 400 Freestyle Relay

Willie Rodgers - Diving

Cain Scoggins - 200 Freestyle Relay

Coulson Voeltz - 100 Freestyle, 100 Backstroke, 200 Medley Relay, 400 Freestyle Relay

Booker T. Washington - Girls

Sara Lypko: 200 Individual Medley, 500 Freestyle

Gulf Breeze - Girls

Jillian Beardsley - 100 Backstroke, 100 Butterfly

Emi Goto - Diving

Milton - Boys

Noah Day - 50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle

Navarre - Boys

Chase Jennings - 50 Freestyle

Pace - Boys 

Hudson Trammel: 100 backstroke, 100 butterfly

Pace - Girls

Josphine Harris: 100 butterfly

Tate - Boys

Braedan Jacobs - 200 Freestyle, 500 Freestyle

Cross Country

Region 1-1A

The Pensacola Christian Academy cross country program has created milestone moment after milestone moment over the past couple of years.

Friday’s events may have surpassed them all.

The area’s best cross country program topped the individual and team leaderboards in both boys and girls competitions at the Region 1-1A meet from the New World Golf Complex in Jacksonville.

Sweeping the team top-three spots, the Warriors boys team sailed to its second-consecutive regional title after collecting 26 points. Providence was a distant runner-up with 101 points while Tallahassee Community Christian (124) was third.

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Meanwhile, with three of the top-four finishers, the Warriors girls squad totaled 28 points to win its first-ever regional championship. After losing out on a region title to Maclay by three points last year, PCA narrowly beat out the second-place Marauders (33) by five points. Providence (88) placed third.

"I'm thrilled with the results my athletes are seeing in their performances,” Pensacola Christian head coach Scott Cochran said. “It's a real indicator of the dedication and hard work they are willing to put in."

As usual, the Lady Warriors were led by the sister pairing of RaeAnne and Jaimee Tutton. RaeAnne, a junior, claimed her second-straight individual crown with a time of 18:38.9. Jamiee, a freshman, was 0.1 seconds behind to place second. It’s the fourth time this season the duo has finished a meet in the top-two spots.

PCA freshman Reagan Smith (19:07.7) took fourth while Jessica Chappell (19:45.7), the lone senior of the girls roster, crossed the finish line in seventh.

"Jessica Chappell has been a key contributor to my girls' team this year,” Cochran said. “She's been in cross country since seventh  grade and hasn't been able to run healthy the last few years. She overcame that and renewed her commitment to her training, and the results have been phenomenal."

Freshman Karissa Keyser (20:42.5) produced Pensacola Christian’s final points with a 15th-place finish. She joined the Tuttons, Smith and Chappell as All-Region performers.

On the boys side, all seven PCA runners received All-Region recognition. The team also posted a school record with an average time of 16:40, surpassing the previous mark set last year by eight seconds.

“After losing key guys from my boys varsity team last year, I wasn't sure how my guys would respond. They've proceeded to have the fastest team average in school history,” Cochran said.

Drew Birx led the Warriors effort. The senior won his first region title following a time of 16:18.3. Junior Andrew Sheppard (16:32.3), senior Micah Sleeth (16:44.5) and sophomore Dominic Litchfield (17:14.4) followed in second, third and eighth place, respectively.

Meanwhile, en route to a 12th-place finish, Jed Fears set the program’s eighth-grade  mark at 17:29.1.

With the girls team ranked third and the boys team ranked fourth, Pensacola Christian next races at the Class 1A state meet on Saturday from Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee.

The Central boys team will join PCA at state after placing sixth with 225 points, one point ahead of St. Joseph Academy. Senior Caleb Locklin (17:00.3) led the Jaguars with a sixth-place finish.

Elsewhere, Jay was another area program at this meet. The Royals boys team (262 points) was 10th overall. The Lady Royals (339) placed 13th.

Region 1-2A

Also on Friday at New World, the West Florida boys team earned its spot in Tallahassee.

The Jaguars placed fourth at the Region 1-2A meet with a team score of 148 points.

Senior Luis Gutierrez was the team’s best performer. Qualifying for this third career state meet, he completed the race in 16:31.5 to claim ninth. Two spots behind was fellow West Florida senior Henry Casey, who took 11th with a mark of 16:46.6.

Sandwiched in between Gutierrez and Casey was Pensacola Catholic’s Xander McLaughlin. The junior qualified for state after taking 10th with a time of 16:38.2. As a team, the Crusaders were also 10th with 260 points.

On the girls side, West Florida’s Jennifer Mims is bound for state just two days after helping the school’s swim team capture a district title.

The Jaguars junior ended her five-kilometer run with a time of 20:31.8 to place 25th. With Mims pacing the team, West Florida (372 points) was 13th. The only other area team in the field was Pensacola Catholic, who took 15th (443 points). Crusaders freshman Addison Garrett (22:03.7) was the team’s top finisher in 56th.

Like Pensacola Christian in 1A, Bolles produced a clean sweep in both girls and boys competition.

Led by meet winner Aidan Ryan (15:45.2), the Bulldogs boys team took four of the first eight spots en route to a score of 33 points, 56 ahead of runner-up South Walton. The Lady Bulldogs produced four of the five-best times to collect 27 points. The team was paced by senior Jillian Candelino (17:41.2), who won the meet.

Region 1-3A

Elyse Carmichael is headed to her second state meet.

The Booker T. Washington sophomore earned All-Region honors after crossing the finish line in eighth place during Saturday’s Region 1-4A meet from Santa Fe College in Gainesville. Carmichael completed her run with a personal-record time of 19:04.0.

While she was the area’s best individual performer, Gulf Breeze was the area’s strongest team. Just 26 points shy of a state berth, the Lady Dolphins (256) claimed ninth overall. The program’s leading runner was sophomore Eleanor Goodwin (21:35.0), who finished 39th.

Milton placed 15th overall with 414 points, with senior Gretchen Dedolph (23:17.7) pacing the team in 74th.

With four top-10 finishers, Ponte Vedra took home the region title after totaling 37 points. Second-place Leon (57) is home of the individual champion, as Lions senior Lillee Tang finished first with a time of 18:07.5.

Similar results transpired in the boys race, as Ponte Vedra matched the girls team as regional champions with 42 points. Fleming Island (54) took runner-up honors, with Golden Eagles junior Graham Myers earning the individual title with a time of 15:40.3.

Meanwhile, Pine Forest’s Chrisshaun Terrell turned in the area’s top time in boys competition. Helping his team to a 16th-place finish (378 points), the Eagles senior placed 26th with a time of 17:14.7.

Four spots ahead of Pine Forest was Gulf Breeze, who totaled 303 points. Senior David Clark (17:45.9) was the first Dolphin to cross the line in 45th.

Region 1-4A

Pace’s two regional qualifiers each ended their career with personal-record efforts.

Patriots seniors Gavin Schulte and James Waller both collected top-50 finishes during the Region 1-4A meet from Santa Fe College in Gainesville.

Schulte claimed 24th with a time of 16:34.5 while Waller also cracked the 16-minute mark after crossing the finish line in 16:59.7 to place 45th.

Buchholz’ Emerson Miller nosed out a win after completing the meet in 15.19.9. The Bobcats senior was just 1.3 seconds ahead runner-up Matt Ryan, of Nease. Creekside claimed the region team championship with 55 points.

Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached at (850) 503-3828, on Twitter @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Roundup: West Florida swim, PCA cross country turn in historic performances