2022 Florida HS 4A Roundup: Regions Highlights and State Qualifiers

2022 FHSAA 4A REGION CHAMPIONSHIPS

Following the conclusion of their respective District Championship meets, Florida high school swimming teams in Class 3A and 4A wrapped up their Regional meets last week, which serve as qualifiers for the State Championships.

FHSAA CLASS 4A REGION CHAMPIONS

  • Region 1: Oviedo girls, Oviedo boys
  • Region 2: Windermere girls, Windermere boys
  • Region 3: Riverview Sarasota girls, Sarasota boys
  • Region 4: Cypress Bay girls, G Holmes Braddock Senior boys

CLASS 4A REGION HIGHLIGHTS

Girls

The majority of the top swims from the 4A girls regional meets came out of Region 3, where Riverview Sarasota High School, the reigning state champions, put on a dominant display.

Highlighting the team’s effort was junior Gracie Weyant, who won a pair of 4A state titles as a sophomore last season in the 100 breast and 200 IM.

Now in her junior year, Weyant, a recent University of Florida commit, set herself up for repeat titles as she stormed the top times overall in 4A through the regional meets, clocking 1:01.85 in the 100 breast and 2:00.05 in the 200 IM.

That 200 IM swim was a new lifetime best, dipping under her previous mark of 2:00.62 from March of 2021. Weyant is riding a ton of momentum in the 200 IM specifically, having won bronze in the event at the Junior Pan Pacs in August.

Also highlighting the Region 3 action for Riverview Sarasota was Weyant’s junior teammate Addison Sauickie, who rocketed to the top 4A times overall in the 100 free (50.08) and 200 free (1:47.89).

Sauickie, who is committed to USC, owns respective lifetime bests of 49.78 and 1:46.50, both set in December 2021. Last season she won the state title in the 200 free and placed fifth in the 500 free.

Weyant and Sauickie also put up some blistering splits on Riverview Sarasota’s leading 200 and 400 free relays, including a 23.34 lead-off and 50.18 flying split from Sauickie.

Also performing well for Riverview Sarasota was another junior, Kentucky commit Bailey O’Regan, who posted the top time in the 500 free (4:50.62) and the second-fastest time in the 200 IM (2:04.32), both new lifetime bests.

Also producing the top swims 4A swims from Region 3 were George Steinbrenner senior Bella Answeeney in the 100 fly (54.60) and Venice sophomore Maeve Eckerman in the 100 back (56.04).

Region 2 winners Windermere were led by Kentucky commit Addison Reese, who put up the #2 times overall in the 200 free (1:49.62) and 100 fly (55.29).

Region 1 saw Oviedo senior Sarah Beth Cathcart put up a noteworthy 50.69 in the 100 free, second overall behind Sauickie, and in Region 4, Fort Lauderdale junior Tawannah McLemore put up the fastest 50 free swim in 23.50.

Boys

Similar to the girls, Region 3 proved to be the quickest on the boys’ side with the majority of the top times registered.

Gulf Coast senior Jack Stokvis was the top performer, clocking 20.98 in the 50 free and 48.73 in the 100 fly to earn him two top seeds for the state championships. The FSU commit won the 100 fly 4A title as a sophomore in 2020 and was the runner-up last year.

Hot on Stokivs’ feet in the 100 fly was Sarasota senior Liam Heary, claiming the #2 seed with a new best time in the 100 fly (48.95) while also posting the leading time in the 100 breast (56.17) from Region 3.

Region 3 also had the top times overall produced by Venice senior Amadeusz Knop in the 200 IM (1:52.32) and Sumner senior Nate Puchalski in the 100 back (49.64). The swim for Puchalski was a new best time.

Knop, who is committed to Florida, was the runner-up in both the 100 back and 200 IM at last season’s state meet. In addition to his top seed in the 200 IM, he is also ranked second in the 100 back, having clocked 51.01 at the Region 3 meet, with his PB sitting at 49.75.

In Region 2, William R Boone senior Jacob Hamlin put up the top times in the 200 free (1:39.50) and 500 free (4:31.85). The University of Tampa commit raced in the 1A State Championships last season, placing sixth in the 200 and third in the 500 free.

The top swim out of Region 4 came from G Holmes Braddock sophomore George Gonzalez, who blasted a best time of 45.99 for the top seed.

FHSAA CLASS 4A STATE QUALIFIERS

The FHSAA Class 4A State Championships will take place on Saturday, November 5 at the Sailfish Splash Waterpark and Aquatics Center in Stuart, Fla.

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AGT fan
1 year ago

When Is 4a states coming out

About James Sutherland

James Sutherland

James swam five years at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, specializing in the 200 free, back and IM. He finished up his collegiate swimming career in 2018, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 2019 he completed his graduate degree in sports journalism. Prior to going to Laurentian, James swam …

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