2024 Florida Summer Senior Championships – Ocala Recap

2024 Florida Summer Senior Championships

• 2024 Florida Summer Senior Championships – Ocala
• July 18 to July 21, 2024
• LCM (50m)
• Florida Aquatics Swimming & Training, Ocala, Florida
• Live Stream
• Meet Mobile: “2024 Florida Summer Senior Championships”

The Florida Summer Senior Champs took place from July 18 to July 21 at the Florida Aquatics Swimming & Training Center in Ocala, FL.

The opening event was not one to disappoint. The men’s 800 freestyle saw two 8:00 swims with Ethan Ekk out touching Joshua Brown 8:00.42 to 8:00.58. Brown held the lead for most of the race, but Ekk surged ahead with a 56.61 final 100 to secure the victory.

Brown also won the 400/1500 freestyle. He recently competed at the US Olympic Trials in the 400, 800, and 1500 freestyle representing Sandpipers of Nevada, the same club that produced US Paris Olympians Claire Weinstein and Katie Grimes.

Brown competed two seasons with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and has now announced his transfer to the University of Michigan, beginning this fall.

On the same night, Ekk swam a 1:50.13 leading off the Area Tallahassee Aquatic Club 800 Freestyle relay. His best time in the event comes from the Canadian Trials where he swam a 1:49.15 in the prelims of the 200 freestyle.

Grant Sanders won all-but-one of his individual events winning the 100 backstroke, 100 fly, 100 breast, 200 IM, and 400 IM. He finished 2nd in the 200 back in 2:04.68 in spite of swimming a lifetime best. His wins in the 100 back (57.13) and 100 fly (53.97) are also lifetime bests.

Sanders competed at his third Olympic Trials in Indianapolis swimming the 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, 200 IM, and 400 IM. His highest finish was in the 200 IM placing 19th in the prelims with a time of 2:00.89.

Sanders competes for the FAST Falcons and swam collegiately at the University of Arizona before transferring to the University of Florida.

Gage Hulbert of Jacksonville Bolles swam a new best time of 2:00.64 in the 200 butterfly winning the event by over 4 seconds.

Hulbert swims collegiately for the University of South Carolina.

15 year old William Shoesmith of the Bolles School Sharks won the 1500 in the 15-16 age group dropping 44 seconds from his previous best time. He posted a time of 16:02.98 which earns him his first US Open cut.

The women’s meet was highlighted by Gator Swim Club’s Mabel Zavaros. She won the 200 backstroke, 400 IM, and 400 freestyle posting times of 2:11.14, 4:39.63, and 4:16.55 respectively.

Zavaros recently placed 2nd in the 200 butterfly and 3rd in the 400 IM at the Canadian Trials in May.

Zavaros was set to compete at the 2023 Long Course World Championships in Fukuoka in the 800 freestyle but pulled out due to injury in both of her shoulders.

15-year-old Hana Sungail swept the sprint freestyle events in the 15-16 age group and swam a new personal best in the 50 and 200 freestyle with times of 26.86 and 2:07.23 respectively.

Sungail earned her first-ever Winter Juniors cut in the 50 freestyle.

Arianna Wertheim of Southwest Stars Aquatic Club won the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle swimming times of 1:02.51 and 2:03.36 respectively.

Notably, her fastest time of the meet in the 200 freestyle did not come from the individual event, but from her lead-off swim in the 800 freestyle relay. She swam just off her best time with a 2:02.65.

Wertheim is verbally committed to swim at the University of Kentucky in the fall of 2025.

Scores: