McKeel Academy, which is located in Lakeland, Florida (just over 30 miles east of Tampa) has added both boys and girls swimming to its selection of varsity sports, according to PolkPreps, which is affiliated with Lakeland local news site The Ledger (www.theledger.com).
McKeel will get right down to business with its pilot swim program, as they will compete in the FHSAA starting this upcoming Thursday at a 5-team invite meet. The team will be head coached by Roy Wilshire, who worked with Tampa Bay Aquatics (TBAY) from 2001 to 2012. McKeel has 19 girls and 9 boys currently invested in its inaugural season, though no divers yet.
Swimmers at high schools that don’t have swim programs find themselves in a tricky situation; some choose to compete for other schools, which brings the hassle of travel and not being able to represent one’s school, while other swimmers just swim club locally. A student of McKeel, Avalon Roth, says that “It was awkward at first, but now we are getting to know each other’s paces and can swim together and harmonize. I think we will do well.”
The Academy’s new swim program will compete in the FHSAA in Class 1A (smaller, private schools) in District 6. Other schools in this district are All Saints Academy, Frostproof, Lake Placid, Lakeland Christian, Oasis Christian and Santa Fe Catholic.
