Polk swimmers finally return to compete at the county meet - Abbeyfeale Golf Club Abbeyfeale Polk swimmers finally return to compete at the county meet Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Telegram Hurricane Ian forced the cancellation of last week’s Lakeland City Swimming and Diving Meet and the Ridge Meet, but it was hardly a unique experience this fall. In fact, Mother Nature’s attitude is been there, done that. Afternoon lightning and heavy rain showers have consistently kept swimmers out of the pool this fall, so much so that most teams have competed in just one or two meets and just three meets for the lucky few. “Lightning was insane this year,” Winter Haven boys coach Amanda Shelby said. “We’ve been unable to practice much because of lightning.” So don’t expect records to fall this week when the teams get together for the Polk County Swimming and Diving Championship. The diving competition will be at 3 pm on Friday at Simpson Park, and the swimming competition will be at 9:30 am on Saturday at Gandy Pool. Last year, Lakeland’s Lutnya Bogdanova, who is now at West Florida, set two county records. “Kids aren’t going to be pushing for PRs (personal records),” George Jenkins swim coach Jenn Gosline said. “They’re just pushing for good swims.” When swimmers returned to practice on Tuesday, it was the first time they’ve been in the pool for 10 days. “It has been out of 21 years the worst season we’ve ever had,” Gosline noted. “It teaches kids, No. 1, you have to be flexible; no. 2, you have to be resilient; and No. 3, how badly do you want it?” Numbers continue to remain down for swim teams, which has been a theme since COVID hit, and despite the graduation of some top swimmers, the swimmers to keep an eye on remaining the top swimmers from last season, as a newcomer has yet to emerge. In the team competition, McKeel is the defending boys and girls champion and is the favorite to repeat in both competitions. “We stand a very promising chance of repeating,” McKeel coach Roy Wilshire said. “We’re undefeated in boys and girls. We should do well if the kids swim up to their capabilities and do a very good job of defending their titles.” For the girls, McKeel will be led by two first-team, all-county selections in sophomore Kayla Shuff and Lily Jonsson, who will run in the county cross-country meet prior to the swim meet. Johnson will be competing in the 100-yard butterfly and the 500 freestyle. Shuff will compete in the 200 free and the 100 backstroke. Lakeland is in rebuilding mode after losing elite swimmers like Kelly Schmaedeke, Anya and Lutnya Bogdanova and Olivia Vignec since 2018. However, senior Bobbie Rosenkranz is back and will be favored in the 100 back. She’ll also compete in the 200 free. The top girls swimmer is Lake Wales junior Mary Leigh Hardman, who is a three-time state champion. At county, Hardman will swim the 100 free and the 200 free before dropping the 200 free for the 50 free when the postseason begins. “She still is looking strong,” Lake Wales coach Ana Pizarro said. We kept her in the water as much as we could during the hurricane. She’s looking strong. George Jenkins will be led by Katie Chang, who has been out with an ear infection, and Bella Arrazcaeta (50 free, 100 free). Santa Fe Catholic sophomore Marissa Hengesbach remains the favorite in the 500 freestyle. She was runner-up in the 200 individual medley last year at both the county and district meets. Danielle Farmer and Haley Henson are Winter Haven’s top swimmers. Farmer will compete in the 50 free and the 100 back, while Henson will compete in the 50 free and diving. The girls diving competition could be one of the most competitive events this weekend with George Jenkins sophomore McKenzie Hilton and Leah Parker, McKeel’s Haidyn Beall and Henson. For the boys, George Jenkins’ brothers Dylan and Sean Cardosi will be looking to make up for missing last year’s county meet. They will be favored in their events. Sean will be in the 200 free and 100 back, while Dylan competes in the 200 medley and the 100 fly. Both swimmers were first-team all-county last season. Roy Fuoco can be reached at [email protected] or at 863-802-7526. Follow him on Twitter: @RoyFuoco. Related Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Telegram Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Advertisement Recent Posts 4 seconds ago Polk swimmers finally return to compete at the county meet 1 min ago Local athletes and teams shine at the Albemarle Invitational 2 mins ago 2017 World Champion Madisyn Cox Officially Retires from Competitive Swimming 3 mins ago Salary Cap Deep Dive Washington Capitals 4 mins ago The Olympic legend gives powerful insight into her mental health struggles Back to top button Abbeyfeale Golf Club