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It was a dream postseason run for Niceville swim this previous 12 months, the Eagles sweeping districts, putting prime six at regionals and the boys ending runner-up on the 3A state match.
Fittingly, after a season blazed with Okaloosa County and college information and 4 state titles, the Eagles swept the All-Area Swimmers of the Year and Coach of the Year honors. Let’s get to these accolades.
No space swimmer shined like Venture at state, the first-ever Niceville swimmer to win three golds and a silver at a state meet.
Even extra spectacular is that he began swimming lower than 4 years in the past. A late starter, Venture dedicated to the method of pre-school Monday, Wednesday and Friday swims, turned the consummate workforce participant together with his first legs on two state championship relays and practically swept state with 4 golds. Chiles’ Owen Ekk was the one impediment within the 100-yard freestyle as Venture’s county-record 45.12-second completed second. Venture’s 20.34 time within the 50 free prelims set a county file and paved the best way for his particular person gold medal, and he teamed with with Tripp Gallemore, William Pugh and Logan Michel to win gold in each the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:23.58) and 400-yard freestyle relays (3:05.27) for extra county information.
“It was just the culimination of everything I wanted,” Venture mentioned. “It was the perfect way for my career to end at Niceville.”
It wasn’t a lot that Breck captured state gold. It was extra about how she did it.
Finishing in 55.50 seconds, the University at Buffalo-bound swimmer bested St. Thomas Aquinas’ Carolyn Levy-Powell by .46 seconds to shatter her personal-best time and set a county file. Not solely did that beat final 12 months’s state championship mark by .66 seconds, it additionally helped Breck develop into Niceville’s first particular person feminine state champion.
To boot, she completed the meet with 4 state medals after putting fourth within the 200-yard IM (2:06.60), teaming up with Emma Michel, Charlene Williams and Stella Landreneau to complete fifth within the 200-yard medley relay (1:52.06) and partnering with Reanna Panarisi, Lila Barton and Landreneau to complete sixth within the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:39.61).
“She’s one of the most dedicated athletes I’ve ever had in my coaching career,” Niceville coach Kathy Ritacco mentioned. “She’s swam through illness, through injuries and she’s been so consistent. She told me last year, ‘I’m so sorry I didn’t get you that state gold.’ That stayed with me. I knew she was going to grab it this year, and again she was patient, she worked hard, she improved her underwaters, her body position was better and she was the most confident I’ve ever seen her in the backstroke.”
Behind each Niceville High faculty and county file, each postseason medal, each particular person and relay success have been the every day affirmations from Ritacco.
“She’s always that coach that is reaching for the next big thing and wants the best from you,” mentioned William Pugh. “When you say you want to accomplish something, she’ll remind you every single day until you do it. Pretty much at the beginning of this high school season is when we started talking about winning both relays, and every day we were in the water she reminded us the fact that we wanted that and we were going to do that. Eventually that happened. That was us manifesting that and her manifesting that for us.”
“I really do owe it all to coach Kathy,” Venture added. “I know I started late and I felt like i’ve been behind, but coach Kathy never made me feel that way. She told me it’d all be worth it.”
Sixth at state in 200 free relay; 14th at state in 400 free relay
Fourteenth at state in 400 free relay
Fifth at state in 200 medley relay; sixth at state in 200 free relay; 14th at state in 400 free relay
Fifth at state in 200-yard medley relay
Sixth at state in 200 free relay; 14th at state in 400 free relay
Fifth at state in 200 medley relay
Twelfth in 200 medley relay
thirteenth at state in 200 medley relay
Fifth at state in 100 fly; seventh at state in 200 free; fifth at state in 400 free relay; thirteenth at state in 200 medley relay
Fourth at state in 100 again; sixth at state in 100 butterfly; received state in 200 free and 400 free relays
Twelfth in 200 medley relay
Fifth at state in 400 free relay; seventh at state in 500 free; eighth at state in 100 fly; thirteenth at state in 200 medley relay
Fifth at state in 400 free relay; thirteenth at state in 200 medley relay; fifteenth at state in 400 free; nineteenth at state in 100 fly
Sixth at state in 100 free and eighth at state in 50 free; received state in 200 free and 400 free relays.
Twelfth in 200 medley relay
Twelfth in 200 medley relay
Seventh at state in 100 free; fifteenth at state in 100 again; received state in 200 and 400 free relays.
Fifth at state in 400 free relay; twenty second at state in 200 IM
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