This page was generated programmatically. To read the article in its original site, you can visit the link below:
https://www.newschief.com/story/sports/high-school/swimming-diving/2024/12/24/mckeels-bryce-palmer-leads-the-ledgers-2024-all-county-girls-swim-team/76963441007/
and if you wish to remove this article from our website, please get in touch with us
LAKELAND — If it hadn’t been for her closest friend, Bryce Palmer might have joined the McKeel girls basketball team. Well, that may be an exaggeration. Who knows what pursuing basketball at such a young age would have resulted in?
However, Palmer did not compete in basketball as she originally intended. Instead, a friend encouraged her to try swimming.
“So I was like, sure, why not? I’ll give swimming a shot,” Palmer recounted. “I’ll stick with it for a week, and if I enjoy it, I’ll continue. Turns out she quit within the first year, but I just kept going.”
Palmer didn’t just stick with it; she excelled. Seven years later, she stands out as the leading female swimmer in Polk County after finishing ninth in the 100 breaststroke at the state competition.
Palmer has been named The Ledger’s 2024 Girls Swimmer of the Year. Lake Wales’ Mary Leigh Hardman held the title for the last four years, dominating the swimming scene in the county, and is now attending Florida State. Palmer, merely a sophomore, holds the potential to secure numerous victories before concluding her high school journey.
Despite committing to the sport, swimming did not instantly ignite a passion in her.
“Initially, it was somewhat tedious, I would say, because I sought immediate results, which that doesn’t materialize in swimming or any sport,” she shared. “It took around six months for me to truly begin appreciating it, and from that point forward, I really enjoyed it.”
Palmer, a two-time first-team all-county selection prior to this season, experimented with all strokes initially, but now specializes in the breaststroke and butterfly, particularly the breaststroke.
This past season in the 100-yard breaststroke, Palmer set the school record, which has become an annual achievement. She has improved the school record in the event each year since her seventh-grade season. She narrowly missed the county-meet mark in the 100 breast, and clinched city, county, and district titles. She then secured fourth at the districts. Additionally, she claimed city and county titles in the 100 butterfly, finishing third at districts and 13th at regionals.
Palmer has qualified for the state meet three times in the 100-yard breaststroke. As an eighth-grader, she swam a time of 1:12, finishing 21st out of 24 swimmers in the preliminaries.
Last year, she improved her time by nearly six seconds to finish seventh, aiming to surpass that performance this year.
Palmer concluded the state meet this past season in ninth place but recorded a faster time than the previous year. As a freshman, she recorded 1:06.88 in the preliminaries and 1:07.33 in the finals. This year, she achieved 1:06.67 in the preliminaries and 1:06.40 in the finals.
As a fiercely competitive individual with ambitious aspirations, she holds mixed feelings about her season yet maintains an encouraging perspective.
“I definitely feel I swam my best,” she expressed. “I did break the school record again, but I did feel a bit disappointed that I didn’t place in the state (top eight). I finished 9th, but I kind of wish I’d made it to the finals, and I didn’t achieve my main goal of breaking the boys’ school (100 breaststroke) record, which stands at 1:04. I wrapped up the season with a 1:06.4. But hey, there’s always next year, so I’m looking forward to the future.”
Palmer has two more seasons of high school remaining, and her ultimate ambition is to achieve a time below 1:04.
“I would say by the time I graduate, getting a 1:03 is reasonable,” she indicated. “It’s just three seconds, and I believe that could qualify me. I am eager to swim in college.”
Swimmer of the Year
Bryce Palmer
McKeel, Sophomore
100 Breaststroke, 100 Butterfly
Palmer distinguished herself as the leading girls swimmer in the county, inheriting the title from four-time swimmer of the year Mary Leigh Hardman, who currently competes for Florida State. Palmer triumphed in the 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke at both the city and county meets. She secured the district championship in the 100 breaststroke, placing third in the 100 butterfly. At the regional championships, she finished fourth in the 100 breaststroke and 13th in the butterfly, eventually claiming ninth in the 100 breaststroke at the state championships.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Jenn Gosline
George Jenkins
Gosline guided the Jenkins girls to second place finishes at both the City and County meets. During the City meet, Jenkins secured eight out of 12 events, while at the county meet, the Eagles won seven out of 12 events. Jenkins ended up fourth at the district meet.
FIRST TEAM
Claire Scarborough
Lakeland Christian, Freshman
50 Freestyle
Achieved first place at both city and county levels.
Vanessa Calva
George Jenkins, Junior
100 Freestyle, 200 Freestyle
Claimed victory in both the 100 free and 200 free at the city and county meets. Won the 200 free at districts and secured second in the 100 free. Qualified for state in the 200 free as first alternate.
Isabella VanGundy
Lake Wales, Senior
500 Freestyle
Came in first at county, second at districts, and 11th at regionals.
Bella Arrazcaeta
George Jenkins, Senior
100 Backstroke, 500 Freestyle.
Secured city and county titles in the 100 back and finished fifth at districts. Achieved second place at county and second at districts in the 500 free.
Madeline Dolan
George Jenkins, Sophomore
200 Individual Medley
Claimed the city and county titles, placing seventh at districts.
McKenzie Hilton
George Jenkins, Senior
Diving
Claimed victories in county and district titles, finishing fourth at regionals and 17th at state.
Leah Parker
George Jenkins, Senior
Diving
Took home city and regional titles, was county runner-up, and finished sixth at state.
Kayla Shuff
McKeel, Senior
200 Freestyle
Finished second at the county and secured the district title.
Sophie Sliveria Lima
McKeel, Sophomore
100 Backstroke
Achieved second place in the county and secured the district championship.
HONORABLE MENTION
All Saints: Aubrie Nichols, Callie Ruyle, Mallie O’Connor.
George Jenkins: Cori Parker.
Kathleen: Emma Keetchum.
Lakeland: Milani Lee.
Lakeland Christian: Caroline McKeel.
Lake Wales: Emi Wilson, Emilie Coulombe, Ady Warrick.
McKeel: Addison Farmer, Joelle Borglund, Delaney Peterson, Gracie Williamson, Caroline Rowe.
Santa Fe Catholic: Gabriela Lacen Morales.
Winter Haven: Nora VanGundy, Lucy Broyles.
This page was generated automatically. To view the article in its initial location, kindly visit the link below:
https://www.newschief.com/story/sports/high-school/swimming-diving/2024/12/24/mckeels-bryce-palmer-leads-the-ledgers-2024-all-county-girls-swim-team/76963441007/
If you wish to remove this article from our website, please contact us.
