Swimming Wins State - Again!

It took 71 years for a Hillsborough County school to win a swimming State Championship. The wait wasn't nearly as long for the next one.

Jesuit swimming captured the State Championship on Nov. 17 in Stuart, the second straight year the Tigers have claimed the title.

It was another historic victory. One year after breaking the county's seven-decade drought, Jesuit becomes the first Hillsborough County school ever to win back-to-back swimming titles and just the third Jesuit sports team to win back-to-back crowns, the first since cross country in 2004-05.

The Tigers did it with a tremendous team effort to outscore runner-up Gulliver Prep 212.5 to 179. In the pivotal relays, which are scored 2x as much as individual events, Jesuit placed 1st, 2nd, and 4th. The 200 medley relay was the first event of the finals and it launched Jesuit into a lead it would never relinquish as Nick Shaffer '21, Anthony Kirchner '20, Robbie Shaffer '19, and Alex Caceres '19 earned the gold medal.

Brendan Driscoll '19 once again was Jesuit's lone individual State Champion. The Duke University signee captured the 500 freestyle for the second straight year. Driscoll also was 6th in the 200 freestyle and swam a leg of the runner-up 400 free relay (along with Tyler Carreja '19, Nick Shaffer, and Robbie Shaffer), the last event of the night that clinched the title. 

Nick Shaffer, in addition to helping Jesuit to 1st in the 200 medley relay and 2nd in 400 freestyle relay, earned 3rd in the 100 backstroke and 4th in the 200 IM. 

Also placing in the Top 8 for Jesuit were Carreja (7th 200 IM) and the 4th place 200 freestyle relay (Robbie Shaffer, Carreja, Tyler Petitt '19, and Caceres). 

Under head coach Bill Shaffer, 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.

Please see a photo slideshows below from the State, Region, and District Meets.