OCALA — The Seminole girls swim team placed sixth overall, and the boys finished fifth at the FHSAA Class 4A, Region 1 meet.
Will McWard captured two regional championships, winning both the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly, earning automatic qualification for the state meet in those events. He was also a key part of the boys 200 freestyle relay team — McWard, Timmy Samples, John Slater and Ethan Pierson — which placed second overall and advanced automatically to state. The boys 400 freestyle relay team of McWard, Samples, Marly Hessing and Alex Quach finished fourth.
For the girls, Lindsey Annunziato placed fifth in the 50 freestyle and third in the 100 breaststroke. She also contributed to the sixth-place 200 medley relay team (Gabby Pierson, Annunziato, Vivian Swain and Gabby Gogolinski) and the fourth-place 200 freestyle relay team (Annunziato, Swain, Abigail Coleman and Gogolinski).
Slater placed fourth in the 50 freestyle and eighth in the 100 freestyle. Samples finished sixth in the 50 freestyle, and Pierson was eighth in the 100 freestyle.
The boys 200 medley relay team of Hessing, Pierson, Slater and Quach placed seventh with an impressive final time and is hopeful to advance to the state meet next week.
Final state qualifiers will be determined after all regional meets conclude Friday night. Generally, individuals and relays placing in the top eight in Region 1 — one of the state’s most competitive — have a strong chance of advancing. Those finishing ninth through 12th remain on the bubble, as only the top 24 swimmers statewide in each event move on to the state championships.
An update on Seminole’s official state championship roster will be released once results are finalized.
Girls Weightlifters down Lyman
The Seminole girls weightlifting team hosted Lyman on Nov. 5 for its second meet of the season and earned an impressive victory, winning 55–17 in the Olympic category and 52–25 in Traditional. Highlights included perfect lifting performances from Michiah Summer, Julianna Mertin and Jazera Ellington, along with 10-pound personal records from Sophie Jump and Kyla Fletcher. The Seminoles look strong and aim to carry their momentum into next week’s away meet at Lake Brantley.
Soccer
Varsity boys downed University 3-1 on Nov. 5
Varsity girls fell to West Shore 2-0 also on Nov. 5