High School Swimmers Continue to Wow at the Woodson

61st Woodson Invitational

• Saturday, September 27, 2025
• Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• SCY (25 yards)
• Results on Meet Mobile: 61st Woodson Invitational
• SwimCloud Results

Courtesy: Elizabeth Spencer Rosenthal

High school swimming and diving continue to sizzle in the Sunshine State, where some of the area’s hottest teams showcased their skills at the Pine Crest School’s Woodson Invitational. Now in its 61st year, the storied meet is known to be the oldest invitational in high school swimming, having missed only one year, 2020, during COVID.

Powered by a pack of 16 stellar seniors, the Pine Crest Panthers prevailed, winning both the boys and girls championships in a prelims/finals format in their home pool. The taste of victory was especially sweet, as many of the seniors have been swimming together since middle school, and some even before then.

Known affectionately as “Coach Mariusz” to his swimmers, Head Coach and Aquatics Director Mariusz Podkoscielny is now in his 20th year at Pine Crest School. The seasoned coach and two-time Olympian from Poland reflected nostalgically on the momentous meet. “We attract teams from the entire state, and the meet always fills up. It is a great high school atmosphere and in my view it epitomizes what high school swimming and diving is all about,” he said. “This was a very special one as we won both boys and girls, while saying goodbye to the largest senior class at Pine Crest since I have been here.”

The top finishers in each event were:

• Girls 200 Medley Relay: Pine Crest, 1:48.11, (McKenzie Baur, Sara Miller, Emory Jacobson-Bertanzetti, Parker Jacobson-Bertanzetti); Saint Thomas Aquinas, 1:48.18; Calvary Christian, 1:53.44
• Boys 200 Medley Relay: Pine Crest, 1:36.54, (Leo Hauser, Jake Jones, Brady Baur, Christopher Lin); Mater Lakes, 1:40.89; Winter Park, 1:42.48
• Girls 200 Free: McKenzie Bauer (Pine Crest), 1:54.48; Wendy LaPietra (NSU School), 1:58.46; Bree Silva (Boca Raton), 1:59.71
• Boys 200 Free: Juan Vallmitjana (NSU School) 1:37.82; Denzo Senekal (Winter Park), 1:39.38; Surfiel Santiago (Mater Lakes) 1:43.57
• Girls 200 IM: Sara Miller (Pine Crest), 2:08.04; Naiyla Di Sarno (NSU School), 2:11.25; Emory Jacobson-Bertanzetti (Pine Crest), 2:11.69
• Boys 200 IM: Caleb Caponera (Boca Raton), 1:51.31; Freddy Rosenthal (Pine Crest), 1:57.30; Stepan Vandysh (American Heritage Plantation), 2:01.10
• Girls 50 Free: Marley Tyner (Calvary Christian), 23.98; Liliana Novak (American Heritage Plantation), 24.00; Gabia Gelumbickas (Boca Raton), 24.13
• Boys 50 Free: Ben Rines (Winter Park), 21.68; Lincoln Broad (Ransom Everglades), 21.92; Christian King (Calvary Christian), 22.02
• Girls 1 Meter Diving: Juliet Radich (Cardinal Gibbons), 491.70; Sophia Cavaretta (Fort Lauderdale), 478.75; Hayden Ferenc (Fort Lauderdale), 428.60
• Boys 1 Meter Diving: Andres Winterman (NSU School), 482.35; Sean Dowling (Oxbridge Academy), 468.85; Ashton Jacobi (Pine Crest), 401.55
• Girls 100 Fly: Carolyn Levy Powell (Saint Thomas Aquinas), 55.04; Sarah Roerig (Winter Park), 59.21; Lauren Meyer (Boca Raton), 1:00.45
• Boys 100 Fly: Brady Baur (Pine Crest), 50.55; Robinson Naranjo (Mater Lakes), 50.65; Christopher Lin (Pine Crest), 50.98
• Girls 100 Free: Liliana Novak (American Heritage Plantation), 52.10; Emory Jacobson-Bertanzetti (Pine Crest), 52.66; Marley Tyner (Calvary Christian), 53.34
• Boys 100 Free: Jack Morrison (Boca Raton), 48.09; Dante Porchetto (Miami Country Day), 48.56; Rafael Landron (American Heritage Plantation), 48.93
• Girls 500 Free: Mishka Machado (Pine Crest), 5:11.68; Wendy La Pietra (NSU School), 5:14.14; Bree Silva (Boca Raton), 5:21.66
• Boys 500 Free: Juan Vallmitjana (NSU School), 4:24.51; Denzo Senekal (Winter Park), 4:32.46; Jake Jones (Pine Crest), 4:36.21
• Girls 200 Free Relay: Calvary Christian, 1:41.14, (Dylan Kanell, Christina Paschal, Summer Poling, Marley Tyner); Boca Raton, 1:42.52; Westminster Academy, 1:43.41
• Boys 200 Free Relay: Winter Park, 1:28.11 (Mason Nordquist, Ben Rines, Luca Fiama, Denzo Senekal); Boca Raton, 1:29.56; Mater Lakes, 1:29.75
• Girls 100 Back: Carolyn Levy Powell (Saint Thomas Aquinas), 56.23; Gabia Gelumbickas (Boca Raton), 56.26; McKenzie Baur (Pine Crest), 59.11
• Boys 100 Back: Robinson Naranjo (Mater Lakes), 51.21; Stepan Vandysh (American Heritage Plantation), 54.68; Arsenii Aleshin (Pine Crest), 55.89
• Girls 100 Breast: Naiyla Di Sarno (NSU School), 1:03.34; Sara Miller (Pine Crest), 1:06.65; Addison Scott (Saint Thomas Aquinas), 1:07.55
• Boys 100 Breast: Ben Rines (Winter Park), 56.58; Jake Jones (Pine Crest), 56.95; Caleb Caponera (Boca Raton), 57.36
• Girls 400 Free Relay: Pine Crest, 3:36.81), (Parker Jacobson-Bertanzetti, Mckenzie Baur, Emory Jacobson-Bertanzetti, Sara Miller); American Heritage, 3:45.22; NSU School, 3:46.00
• Boys 400 Free Relay: Pine Crest, 3:11.80 (Freddy Rosenthal, Christopher Lin, Leo Hauser, Jake Jones); Winter Park, 3:13.89; Mater Lakes, 3:14.25

The top girls’ teams overall were Pine Crest, Saint Thomas Aquinas and Winter Park. The top boys’ teams were Pine Crest, Winter Park and Mater Lakes.

Pine Crest boys. Photo courtesy of Pine Crest Swimming.

Outstanding Competitor Awards

In keeping with the rich Woodson tradition, two special awards were given at the end of the night, recognizing the meet’s top male and female swimmers.

Juan Vallmitjana of NSU School was awarded the Andy Coan Outstanding Competitor Award for his powerful performances, which included first-place finishes in the 200 free (1:37.82) and 500 free (4:24.51). He also led off his team’s 400 free relay in 46.50, and split a 21.08 on the 200 free relay. The award is named in honor of Andy Coan, a world-record-setting freestyle swimmer and alumnus of Pine Crest, who was known for his competitive spirit and dedication.

Carolyn Levy Powell of Saint Thomas Aquinas received the Ann Marshall Outstanding Competitor Award for her exceptional achievements, which included first-place finishes in the 100 fly (55.04) and 100 back (56.23). She also led off her team’s 200 medley relay with a backstroke split of 26.06. The award is named in honor of Ann Marshall, who was an Olympian and All-American swimmer at Pine Crest and is considered to be a pioneer in women’s athletics.

ABOUT ELIZABETH SPENCER ROSENTHAL

Elizabeth Spencer Rosenthal is a wife and mother of 3 from Miami. She is a passionate swim mom, volunteer and meet official, with a professional background in marketing and public relations. She holds a degree in Public Communication from American University, and loves finding a story to tell.