Vinnie Cammarano
Key Points
Swimmers Keira Druck and Mason Marco competed at the FHSAA regional swimming meet Saturday, with Druck securing two state qualifications while Marco represented the Blue Darters in two individual events.
Apopka native Keira Druck, a sophomore swimming for Lake Brantley, competed in four events at Patriot Aquatics after a strong performance at districts. The top two finishers in each event automatically qualify for the state meet, with additional swimmers advancing based on times across all regions.
Druck opened the morning in the 200-yard medley relay, swimming the third leg in 26.74 seconds to help Lake Brantley finish third among 16 teams.
About 20 minutes later, she returned to the pool for the individual 200-yard freestyle. Druck finished second among 24 swimmers with a time of 1:50.72, just one-tenth of a second behind the winner. The finish earned her an automatic spot at the state meet.
Druck continued her strong day in the 500-yard freestyle, holding second place throughout her heat and finishing third overall in 5:00.38. That performance secured her second state qualification.
Lake Brantley coach Gabe Parnell noted that Druck had been competing with minimal rest between events after a demanding week of preparation. He said she had been working extremely hard and remained focused on returning to the state meet.
Druck closed her regional competition in the 400-yard freestyle relay, swimming the opening leg in 52.8 seconds as Lake Brantley finished third.
She will compete in all four events at the state meet in Ocala, matching the maximum number of events a swimmer is allowed.
Marco competed in the boys 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard breaststroke for Apopka. He finished 10th overall in the freestyle with a time of 48.72 seconds after placing among the top three in his heat. He later swam 1:01 in the breaststroke to finish 14th.
Apopka also had representation in the regional meet through its boys 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard medley relay teams. Colin Plotkin, Preston McReynolds, Isaac Sanchez and Travis Novak represented the Blue Darters.
The Class 4A state meet will be Saturday, Nov. 7 at FAST in Ocala.
