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Swimming: Jesuit boys dominate district

Staff photo by FRED BELLET

Jesuit's Dylan Attal claimed first place in the boys 200 IM during the Class 2A-District 8 championships Saturday.

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By KATHERINE SMITH

ksmith@tampatrib.com

Published: November 1, 2009

TAMPA - Jesuit's boys swim team had an 11-year win streak snapped by Berkeley Prep this season. That loss motivated the Tigers and spurred them to keep a more important streak going.

Jesuit, which moved up a class this season, won its 12th consecutive district title Saturday night with 550 points, defeating second-place Hillsborough (328) and third-place Sickles (271) in the Class 2A-District 8 meet. The decisive victory gives the Tigers a great boost for Friday's 3A-Region 3 meet.

"We were really kind of mad that we lost (to Berkeley), but it pushed us to try harder and prove that we really are a good team," said sophomore Chris Swanson, a two-time winner, in the 100 and 200 free. "I think it's really exciting to be a part of a team that is keeping a great tradition going."

The Tigers were also aided by another double winner, senior Dylan Attal, who was first in the 200 individual medley and the 100 butterfly. Swanson and Attal also swam legs of the winning 200 and 400 free relays. Hillsborough won the 200 medley relay and got individual victories from juniors David De Sena in the 500 free and Jamie Perez in the 100 back.

Academy of the Holy Names easily claimed the girls title with 554 points, winning its second consecutive district championship. The Jaguars won four of the events, including the 200 and 400 free relays. Sickles (307) finished second and won three events. East Bay was third with 277 points.

Senior Molly Sheridan led Academy as a member of the two winning relay teams and earned the victory in a very close 50 free. Sheridan beat Sickles' Katie Cook to the wall by 10 hundredths of a second.

"I just went after it," Sheridan said.

Spoto's Giorgie Graves was the lone double winner for the girls. Graves won the 100 fly and the 500 free, a race that was one of the most competitive of the night. Durant's Erin Hofrichter and Sickles' Katie Westbrook were neck-and-neck with Graves until the final lap, when the Spoto sophomore pulled away for the win.

"I felt like I got a really good push at the end," Graves said. "I could see them on either side of me and it really just made me want to win that much more."

Palm Harbor girls, boys sweep 3A-5

CLEARWATER - When Plant was bumped up to Class 3A, Palm Harbor University coach Lisa Bitting was worried about the Plant girls squad.

If any team could block the path of the Hurricanes' girls team to a district title, it would be Plant, Bitting thought.

So when Plant nailed down two first-place finishes in the Class 3A-5 district meet at The Long Center in Clearwater, and the Palm Harbor girls didn't record one first-place finish, Bitting was convinced the Hurricanes were in trouble.

That didn't happen. Plant's girls placed second to Palm Harbor. Palm Harbor had 403 points to Plant's 371.

Bitting had less to worry about with the Palm Harbor boys team, which won the district for a sweep by the Hurricanes. The Palm Harbor boys squad racked up 434 points to Countryside's 335. Plant finished third with 286.

"Plant made the girls meet very difficult this year," Bitting said. "They had some depth that challenged our depth which is what we usually do real well with. (Plant was) right there with us most of the way."

The two first-place finishes for Plant were the 200 free relay (Rebecca Werdine, Elin Slaatmo, Haley Hahmann and Hillary Hahmann) which finished in 1:40.98, and Alex Hagan, who won the diving competition.

Lee Diekemper

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