Keira Druck, Grace Goodman, and Matthew “Cooper” Jankun have all been invited to represent Florida at the 2025 Southern Zone Age Group Championships, again demonstrating Apopka’s across-the-board athletic talent.   

The three Apopka swimmers are part of Longwood’s Patriot Aquatics swim team and have been making a name for themselves as of late. The 2025 Southern Zone Age Group Championships are taking place this week, from Wednesday through Saturday, Aug. 2.  

Druck, Goodman, and Jankun earned the honor of competing against some of the nation’s best swimmers through their hard work over the long course season. The three swimmers did this by achieving a sanctioned long-course meter (LCM) qualifying time and completing two LCM meets from April to July of this year.   

All three swimmers also achieved great success at the 2025 Florida Age Group Championships, held last month in Ocala.   

Keira Druck  

Druck competed in the 13–14-year-old category at the Florida Age Group Championships, placing 4th in the 1500 freestyle, 5th in the 400 freestyle and 800 freestyle, 6th in the 200 freestyle, 8th in the 200 fly, and 10th in the 100 fly. 

Druck has been on a roll this year and just recently broke the record for the 13-14-year-old division of Doc Lucky’s Golden Mile in Orlando. She finished 1st overall for women and swam an impressive time of 18:53.5.  

Druck said she was thrilled to make it into zones because she had been working so hard for months to earn that privilege. She is most excited to swim the 800-meter freestyle, as it’s the most enjoyable for her and where she thinks she can drop the most time.   

She said that being able to represent Florida and Apopka at this level means a lot to her.   

“Representing Florida at this level means a lot because every time I achieve something bigger than the last, it just makes me happy because I know that I’m getting better,” Druck said. “It feels great to represent Apopka because I feel like there aren’t many people in Apopka who get the chance to do this.”  

Druck said the people around her are very important to her swimming journey. She said that everyone, from her teammates to her coaches, friends, and family, made the tough practices and meets bearable. She hopes that this competition will give her more opportunities to make friends as well.   

“I hope that during this experience it will help me with making new friends and learning to just go out and have fun,” Druck said.   

Grace Goodman  

Goodman competed in the 13-14-year-old category at the 2025 Florida Age Group Championships alongside Druck. She finished the day with a 7th-place finish in the 400 free, 8th in the 100 free, 100 backstroke, and 50 backstroke, 13th in the 50 free, and 14th in the 200 free.  

“It feels amazing to get this far in my hometown,” Goodman said. “All the credit goes to my coaches for believing in me even when I didn’t.”  

In 2023, Goodman was named IMX (Individual Medley Xtreme) swimmer of the year for girls 10 and under. That award was her foot in the door to the Florida swimming community, as it proved she was one of Florida’s top young swimmers.   

In 2024, Goodman was also invited to represent Florida at the Age Group Championships. She finished 8th in the nation for freestyle in the 200-yard short course for the 11-year-old age group. This year, she is excited for another opportunity to represent Florida. She will use the meet as an opportunity to make new friends.   

Goodman said she was thrilled to have been selected to represent the team at the meet for the second year in a row. It means a lot to her to represent Florida, she said, and it validates all the work she puts in year-round. Goodman said she had the best time last year and hopes to have even more fun this year, especially competing with and against other Apopka swimmers.   

Goodman said experiences like this help her grow as a swimmer. She said racing outside of her local level helps push herself during training. Goodman says she still can’t decide which race she is most excited for.   

“That’s a hard one because my lineup is really awesome,” Goodman said. “I’m excited to swim it all! 50, 100, 200, 400 freestyle, 50, 100 backstroke and 100 fly.”  

“Cooper” Jankun 

Jankun has only been swimming for five years, as he started in 2020 when COVID-19 suspended most other sports and activities. That’s when he decided to jump headfirst into swimming.   

In those five years, Jankun has become one of the top swimmers in the state. At the 2025 Florida Age Group Championships, he competed in the 12U category, earning 1st place in the 200 backstroke (setting a club record), 2nd in the 100 backstroke (setting another club record), and 4th in both the 50 backstroke and 200 individual medley. He also placed 9th in the 200 freestyle and 12th in the 50 fly.  

Jankun said he was happy to learn he was selected for the Florida Southern Zone team, as it was a goal he had set for himself at the start of the season. He is most excited for his two backstroke races.   

Jankun went on to explain that he has been working nonstop all season with no days off.   

“While everyone else got to relax after the state championship, we had to continue to keep our heads down and train,” Jankun said.  

Jankun said what motivates him more than anything is a sibling rivalry. He wants to beat his brother’s team records. His goal is to have a chance to swim the finals every night of the meet at the Florida Southern Zone Championships.   

Making the cut for the Zones Championship proved to Jankun that his hard work and relentless approach are paying off. He said it makes him happy that he gets to represent his hometown on a big stage and thinks it’s pretty cool that there are three Apopka swimmers on the team.  

Druck, Goodman, and Jankun all agree that Apopka has plenty of swimming talent, even though it lacks a dedicated pool or club for training. The three hope their success at the Southern Zone Age Group Championships will help put Apopka on the map and maybe inspire others in the community to pursue competitive swimming.  

“I do wish that there was a local swim team in Apopka because it would give everyone in Apopka the opportunity to be on a competitive team and see how much fun it is,” Druck said.