Swimming Champs Honored

Eleven days after they captured their second consecutive State title, Jesuit swimming was honored in front of the student body at Convocation on Wednesday (Nov. 28).

School president Fr. Richard C. Hermes, S.J. and head coach Bill Shaffer greeted the swimmers as they were called up and presented with their medals.

The five individual gold medalists were recognized first: Two-time individual State winner Brendan Driscoll '19, who won the 500 freestyle in 2017 and 2018, and the four swimmers who won gold this year in the 200 medley relay, which was the first event of the finals and propelled Jesuit to its team title: Nick Shaffer '21, Anthony Kirchner '20, Robbie Shaffer '19, and Alex Caceres '19.

The additional team members recognized Wednesday and presented with gold medals were: Tyler Carreja '19, Tyler Petitt '19, Jack Stanislow '19, Collin Talbot '20, Lucas Alvarado '21, Sam Prabhakaran '21, Christian Yatsula '21, Armando Destrade '22, Ryan Finster '22, and Geoff Trieloff '22 .

Later this school year, the entire swimming team, including all who competed at the District and Region Meets, will be recognized at a special ceremony at which they will receive their championship rings.

In 2017, Jesuit became the first Hillsborough County school in 71 years to win a swimming Sate Championship. This month, the Tigers became the first-ever in county history to win back-to-back titles. Only one other school in the entire Tampa Bay area has won consecutive swimming State titles, and it dates back nearly a century, to St. Petersburg High in 1924-25.

Jesuit swimming has won 22 straight District titles and 10 straight Region crowns, and now is a force on the State level. The past five years, the Tigers have placed 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 1st, and 1st at State.

Next year Jesuit swimming will try to match the 1997-98-99 soccer team as the only Jesuit teams to win three straight State titles.