2022 Florida 1A Roundup: District Highlights and Region Qualifiers

2022 FHSAA 1A DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIPS

• October 24-29, 2022
• District Dates and Sites
• 1A District Results

The FHSAA Class 1A and 2A (smaller schools) have completed their District championships and will be moving on to Region meets. Class 1A is made up of 12 districts, each of which completed their championships last week.

Class 1A is now set for their Region Championships, which will take place this week. Here are the qualifiers:

• 1A Region 1 selection/psych sheets (District 1-3)
• 1A Region 2 selection/psych sheets (District 4-6)
• 1A Region 3 selection/psych sheets (District 7-9)
• 1A Region 4 selection/psych sheets (District 10-12)

FHSAA CLASS 1A DISTRICT TEAM CHAMPIONS

• District 1: PK Yonge girls | PK Yonge boys
• District 2: Bolles (Jacksonville) girls | Bolles (Jacksonville) boys
• District 3: Trinity Prep (Winter Park) girls | Trinity Prep (Winter Park) boys
• District 4: Montverde Academy girls | Montverde Academy boys
• District 5: Lake Highland Prep (Orlando) girls | Lake Highland Prep (Orlando) boys
• District 6: Benjamin (Palm Beach Gardens) girls | Benjamin (Palm Beach Greens) boys
• District 7: Berkely Prep girls | Carrollwood Day School boys
• District 8: Shorecrest Prep girls | Shorecrest Prep boys
• District 9: Community School of Naples girls | Community School of Naples boys
• District 10: The King’s Academy girls | Saint Andrew’s School boys
• District 11: South Florida HEAT girls | Pine Crest (Fort Lauderdale) boys
• District 12: Cutler Bay girls | Ransom Everglades boys

CLASS 1A DISTRICT HIGHLIGHTS

Girls

District 1A, though it’s made up of small schools, features several of Florida’s top swimmers. Two of those swimmers, Cardinal Mooney’s Michaela Mattes and South Florida HEAT’s Erika Pelaez, were exceptional this past week.

Mattes, a senior who is set to compete for the University of Florida next year, kicked things off with a 2:03.63 in the 200 IM, establishing the top time out of the 1A districts. The swim was just a touch off her personal best of 2:00.71, which she swam at the Class 1A State Championship last year.

Mattes then went on to clock a 4:46.95 in the 500 free, marking the fastest time in Class 1A by a huge margin. One of the top distance swimmers in the class of 2023, Mattes has been 4:40.12 before.

Pelaez, a junior who is committed to NC State, started her individual racing last week with a 54.35 in the 100 fly. While that time was good for the fastest out of the Class 1A districts, Pelaez has been as fast as 52.74. She then went on to swim a 53.50 in 100 back, which is just over a second off her personal best of 52.26.

Showing off her versatility, Pelaez helped South Florida HEAT’s 200 medley relay to victory with a 28.79 breaststroke split. Samantha Schoenborn split 27.19 on back, Alera Hurwitz 26.08 on fly, and Gioia Balzano 23.71 on free. SFHL swam a 1:45.77, marking the top time out of the 1A district meets.

Pelaez also teamed up with Balzano, Hurwitz, and Alanis Santiago in the 200 free relay, swimming a 1:36.38.

PK Yonge’s Lillian Nesty clocked the top time in the 200 free, swimming a 1:49.79. Nesty has more to give, as she’s been 1:47.90 in the 200 free earlier this year.

The King’s Academy’s Alyssa Bozzuto posted the top time out of the Class 1A district meets in the 100 breast, swimming a 1:03.95.

Boys

South Florida HEAT’s Kaii Winkler, a junior who is one of the top recruits in the class of 2024. Winkler started out with a 1:39.18 in the 200 free, marking the fastest time of the 1A district meets. Winkler has been significantly faster, having swum a 1:35.41 back in March.

He then went on to swim a 44.57 in the 100 free, again posting the top time across the districts. Winkler has a personal best of 43.04 in the event, which he also swam in March.

Winkler helped the SFHL 200 medley relay to victory with a 20.74 anchor split. Finn Winkler, Kaii’s younger brother, led the team off in 24.61, while Giulian Martin split 27.14 on breast, and Nikita Efimov was 23.03 on fly. They combined for a 1:35.52, marking the fastest time out of the districts.

The same quartet teamed up for a win and the fastest overall time in the 400 free relay as well. Martin led off in 49.01, Finn Winkler split 48.41, Efimov was 48.77, and Kaii Winkler anchored in 44.97. They posted a 3:11.16.

Nikita Efimov went on to clock the top time out of the 1A districts in the 200 IM, swimming a 1:53.61.

The 100 fly was perhaps the deepest event across all the Class 1A district meets. The top time came from Out-of-Door Academy’s Felipe Baffico Balharry, who swam a 49.30. Saint Andrew’s Diego Balbi was the next-fastest, swimming a 49.50, while Miami Day Country School’s Dylan Smiley swam a 49.70.

Smiley went on to post the top time in the 100 breast, speeding to a 56.36. Meanwhile, Balbi was the top performer in the 100 back, swimming a 52.03.