The Celebration boys (522 points) won six events to win the District 4A-4 swimming championship Saturday at Lakeland George Jenkins High School in Lakeland.
Celebration’s girls (309) were third.
Felipe Costa won two individual events, taking first in the 100 freestyle (44.72 second) and blew away the field by seven seconds in the 100 backstroke (52.35). Costa also swam legs on Celebration’s winning 200 medley freestyle relays.
Roman Sukhorukov won the 200 free and also swam a leg on both winning relay teams. Brandon Cunningham won the 50 free and also participated in the winning relays.
The other county district champion was Osceola’s Abigail Maniace, who won the girls 100 backstroke in 1:01.81.
The top two finishers from each district and the 16 next best times across all districts) advance to the regional meets. Several county swimmers earned regional berths, including Celebration’s Greg Kamensky (2nd, 100 free) and Osceola’s Anthony Ambroji (2nd, 50 free); Brandon Cunningham of Celebration (2nd, 100 butterfly) and the Storm’s 400 free relay team (John Bisignano, Cooper Odom, Nick Riveros and Jack Ozerovitch).
Harmony hosted the District 3A-8 meet; the Longhorns boys (419) and girls (368.5) finished in second place to state-power Jupiter. Tohopekaliga was sixth in both divisions.
Clinching automatic qualifying spots for regionals for the Longhorns were champion diver Amelia, the boys’ 200 meter free relay team (2nd), Alexander Tanon (second in 200 free), Tanner Hinman (2nd in boys diving), and the boys’ 400 free relay team. As with Celebration, Harmony most likely will have several other members of its girls and boys team advance to regionals based on their finishes.
At the District 3A-4 meet in Gainesville, the Gateway Panthers had a 5th place finish by the girls (203) and 4th place finish by the boys (185). St. Cloud finished seventh (185) in the girls meet and 9th (58) in the boys meet.
Sisters Maryam and Selma Elfakir had big meets for the Lady Panthers, going 1-2 in both the 50 free and 100 free. Both swam legs on the 200-free relay and 400-free relays for Gateway, which will advance both teams based on first and second place finished in those two races. Gateway’s Delynn McDonald advances in the 100 butterly with his winning time of 53.53 and St. Cloud’s Silas Corchado (288.5) finished second in diving.
Cross Country
At the District 4A-5 race at Osceola, Harmony’s girls (144) finished fifth overall and Celebration (163) finished seventh to advance to next Saturday’s Region 3 Championship at Austin Tindall Park at 7:30 a.m.
The Lady Longhorns were led by freshman Lailana Decker (4th place, 19:17.1) and a seventh place showing by Alaine Rivera. Overall, Harmony placed five runners in the top 50.
The Storm had a third place finish by Catalina Edwards (19:13.6). Camile Burrios (22:09) and Hefina Oliver (22:09.5) helped Celebration advance by finishing in 33rd and 34th place.
In the Boys’ race, Tohopekaliga was second overall (108) and advance to the Region 3 Championship along with seventh place Celebration (158). The Tigers’ Julian Pomales (16:31.7) finished sixth and Johan Comacho was 10th. Celebration had a fifth place finish by OBC Champion Jarad Falchook and a 23rd place finish by James Cooper. Top 50 placers Evan Amaya and Sebastian Valez also helped the Storm advance.
Harmony’s Joel Jean (7th, 16:33.3) and St. Cloud’s John Ortiz (20th- 17:23.9) advanced to regionals as individuals.
