Florida High School 4A Regionals: Meet Highlights & State Qualifiers

The Florida High School Athletic Association’s 2016 state meet series is in full swing, with the Class 4A regional meets now complete. The top 24 swimmers from the combined regions will move on to the Class 4A State Championships.

Below are all the links you need to view regional results and state qualifiers, as well as a list of regional champions and highlights from the meets.

• Region 1 Results
• Region 2 Results
• Region 3 Results
• Region 4 Results
• Class 4A State Meet Selection Sheet

FHSAA Class 4A Regional Champions

• Region 1: FW Buchholz boys, Oviedo High School girls
• Region 2: Riverview boys, Riverview girls
• Region 3: Boca Raton boys, Jupiter girls
• Region 4: Cypress Bay boys, Cypress Bay girls

Class 4A Regional Meet Highlights – GIRLS

Plant’s Morgan Tankersley put up a pair of statement swims at the region 2 meet, clocking Automatic All-American times in both of her individual races. Tankersley got the ball rolling in the 200 free, dominating the event with a 1:46.26. She was arguably even more impressive in the 500 free, where she finished with a 4:43.18 for her 2nd regional title.

Also achieving an AA-A time in the 500 free was St. Petersburg’s Peyton Palsha, who finished 2nd behind Tankersley at the region 2 meet with her 4:50.77. In addition to her silver in the 500 free, Palsha was the 200 IM champion, where she clocked an All-American consideration time of 2:03.78.

FW Buchholz sophomores Talia Bates and Kaitlyn Cronin put up a pair of the most impressive 50 free times we’ve seen thus far in the FHSAA series. Both swimmers achieved AA-A times as Bates won the race in 22.82 to Cronin’s 23.02.

Bates also finished 2nd in the 100 fly at the region 1 meet, picking up an AA-C time of 54.56. Taking the victory in that race was Oviedo freshman Abigail Gibbons, who surged to the wall with an AA-A time of 54.53.

FW Buccholz had another power duo in the 100 back, as Caitlin Brooks and Kirschtine Balbuena took 1st and 2nd at the region 1 meet. Brooks clocked a speedy 54.25 to take the victory, while Balbuena followed in 55.07. Both achieved an AA-A time in that event. Balbuena also swam the 100 free, where she was the regional champ with her 50.57.

Florida State commit Bella English, a Winter Park senior, clocked an AA-A time in the 100 breast, where she posted a 1:02.90 to become a regional champion.

Class 4A Regional Meet Highlights – BOYS

Countryside’s Robert Finke raced his way to an Automatic All-American time, establishing himself as the regional champion in the 500 free. Finke dominated the field in that race, smashing through the 4:30 barrier to win it in 4:29.52. He also won the 200 IM earlier in the meet, touching thre wall in 1:52.78.

FW Buchholz’s Mason Wilby put up a pair of All-American Consideration times, swimming his way to a regional title in the 100 back in the process. Wilby’s 50.51 in that race put him nearly 2 seconds ahead of the field. He also clocked an AA-C time of 50.03 in the 100 fly, where he picked up a silver medal.

Fleming Island’s Nick Hackett was a double regional champion with his swims in the 200 free and 100 fly. He got the ball rolling in the 200 free, winning the race in 1:41.74. Hackett then went on to post the only sub-50 time of the field in the 100 fly, reaching an AA-C time with his 49.46.

Fletcher senior Gavin Jones has set himself up at the top of the sprint events as he heads to the 4A state meet. He currently has the only sub-21 seed time in the 50 free after winning his region meet with an AA-C time of 20.81. He’s also the top seed n the 100 free, where he clocked a 45.96.

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