Inspired Champions

Coach Bill was there Saturday in Ocala.

He was there in spirit, of course, but he was also there in the form of a ubiquitous image of his smiling face – a giant, goateed, smiling Bill Shaffer was part of the Jesuit cheering section at the Florida Aquatics Swimming & Training facility.

And after he inspired Jesuit to an incredible, improbable State Championship triumph, Shaffer – who passed away unexpectedly in December after nearly three decades of building the school's swimming dynasty – took his rightful place atop the podium, his big head alongside a team of beaming Tigers.

By the slimmest of margins, perhaps just a fingertip, Jesuit swimming brought home the program’s 4th State Championship on November 15, following State crowns in 2017, ’18, and ’20. Shaffer’s former pupils achieved title No. 4 in remarkable fashion while being led by his son, Robbie Shaffer ’19.

Robbie Shaffer took over the program this spring, with the support of longtime assistants Charlie Hahn ’87, Kathie McNeil, and Ken Wiebeck, P ’01, and his mom, Liz Shaffer, the backbone of the program for years. The Tigers expected to be good this season, but perhaps not quite ready to win another State title.

However, demonstrating his dad’s knack for strategy and motivation – and perhaps with a little assistance from above – Robbie Shaffer and the Tigers were neck-and-neck with Ponte Vedra Nease throughout Saturday's Class 3A State Meet, with Niceville and Neptune Beach Fletcher both in striking distance. Heading to the final race, the 400 freestyle relay, Jesuit trailed Nease by a few points and the championship hung in the balance.

The Tigers’ 400 free relay quartet of Bruno Borowiec ’26, Wilson Marcum ’27, Henry Neely ’26, and Drew Hopkins ’27 exploded to a school-record time, with Hopkins crushing the final leg in 45.61 and touching the wall in 2nd place. And then everyone looked over to Nease’s lane to see where the Panthers would finish.

Moments later, Nease touched in 5th. The final tally flashed on the scoreboard: Jesuit and Nease were in a dead heat with 215 points apiece. Both were declared State Champions.

The relays were the key, as they often are for Jesuit at the State Meet: the Tigers typically have high quality depth, and the relays are weighted with twice as many points as the individual races.

Incredibly, all three relays set school records Saturday while finishing in 1st (200 medley – 1:32.93) 2nd (200 freestyle – 1:24.12), and 2nd place (400 free - 3:07.40). Borowiec swam on all three to earn a gold medal and two silvers (plus the team gold) and earn three school records.

Hopkins swam on two relays, the 200 medley and 400 free, to earn a gold and silver, and also earned a bronze with a 3rd-place finish in the 100 backstroke, and he placed 4th in the 100 butterfly.

Trey Davis '28 swam two relays, the 200 medley and 200 free, to earn a gold and silver, while earning another silver in the 100 breaststroke. Marcum and Neely both swam the 200 and 400 free relays to earn a gold and silver, and Marcum placed 6th in the 200 freestyle. Noah Kreye ’27 swam on the 200 medley relay to earn gold and also finished in 7th in the 100 butterfly.

Also qualifying from the Region Meet and representing the Tigers at State were: David Dieffenthaller ’27, Layton Jennings ’27, Johnny Maciel ’29, Lewis Mattson ’28, Max Miller ’28 (diving), and Fisher Sadlowski ’27 (diving).

The title is State Championship No. 32 in Jesuit sports history, and it places swimming in a tie with cross country and wrestling for 3rd place in Jesuit annals, behind soccer and baseball with seven State titles apiece.

Visit the Facebook page Jesuit High School of Tampa for many more photos from the State Meet!