After their impressive district performances, Keys athletes took the plunge at the FHSAA Region 4 Championships last week to see who would earn a lane at the state championships. Key West, whose 2A swimmers competed at Gulliver Aquatic Center on Nov. 9, did not have any state qualifiers this season, but the Conchs saw continued improvement from both the boys and girls teams. In fact, every single Conch swimmer had a personal best time at the regional meet.
Coral Shores had better luck at the 1A competition at NSU University Aquatics Center on Nov. 8. The ’Canes will send five athletes to compete in various events with solid prospects at medaling.
The solo male athlete will be Aaron Lykins, the District 12 champ in the 1-meter diving competition who finished sixth at regionals. Lykins is ranked 12th in the state and will represent the Hurricanes at the next level after taking up the sport in early September.
The girls team will send four athletes, all of whom will feel right at home competing at the state’s highest level, as they each made the trip last season, too.
Layne Smith and Abbie Sargent earned hardware at regionals by medaling in individual events. Both will be busy, swimming four events each at states. Sargent qualified in the individual 200 IM and 100 breaststroke events, where she finished fourth and third at regionals, respectively. Smith won a pair of bronze medals at regionals in the 500 and 200 freestyle events and will compete in both at states. Both swimmers will join Allegra Fucaraccio and Sofia Figueredo on Coral Shores’ 200 free and 200 medley relay teams.
The Hurricanes will face the rest of the 1A competition beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16 at Ocala’s Florida Aquatics Swimming & Training (FAST) Center.
