Lesson learned

Dylan Weber-Callahan had finally made it to the state meet. His times in the 50-yard freestyle had dropped steadily, a sign he was peaking at just the right time. Maybe, just maybe, he thought, he could post a high finish at the sport's pinnacle event.

He never found out.

Waiting to dismount on the block, race officials ruled that Weber-Callahan flinched - an automatic disqualification after they determined he had given himself an unfair advantage.

"Let's just say I'm glad I'm a junior and I've got another chance," Weber-Callahan said. "If I was a senior, it'd be horrible. It's still horrible, and I wish I could have done it both years. But I was in Lane 1 and five referees are standing right next to me.

"I knew it when I did it, but I didn't think it was that big of a deal."

And Weber-Callahan has video evidence proving it wasn't. Yes, he flinched, "but I never went forward or backward," he said. "In the video, the guy racing next to me had already jumped in the water. Then I heard the whistle."

Sure, the DQ ruined his state experience. But it didn't overshadow Weber-Callahan's entire season, and for his accomplishments, he is the 2009 Highlands Today All-Heartland Boys Swimmer of the Year.

"It was an entirely good year, and it was exciting just to make it to state," Lake Placid swim coach Tom Creel said. "It's a big deal. It's a really big deal. We're excited and the whole town was behind one swimmer because we went to state."

Trying to topple the school record in the 50-yard free - 21.74 seconds, set by Michael Wilkes - Weber-Callahan qualified for the state meet after posting a personal-best time of 22.87 in regionals to finish 19th, earning him a spot in the Class 1A event in Orlando.

Weber-Callahan allows now that he didn't even begin thinking about states until midway through the season, and that he didn't begin preparing for the 50 until Robert Greene hurt his shoulder.

So Weber-Callahan tried it out, starting out at 25 seconds, trimming it to 24s, high-23s, his best time coming at regionals.

Then the state meet, where his time (22.87) would have placed him 19th had he not been disqualified for a false start.

"It doesn't hurt as bad now, but I wish I could have done better, I wish I could have placed," Weber-Callahan said. "I didn't get my best time, probably because of that, and I was thinking about it. But you never know."

Next year, he wants to qualify for states in two events, the 50 and 100 free. Creel said two more appearances as part of a relay team are also attainable.

Faced with those expectations, Weber-Callahan likely won't flinch again.

THE TEAM

Brian Miller, senior, Sebring

Competing in a stacked Class 2A-District 7, Miller placed first in the breaststroke at the district meet, finishing in 1:09.39, more than two seconds ahead of his nearest competitor. Although he failed to advance to the state meet, it was another successful season for one of the Blue Streaks' veteran leaders. Miller was also part of the Blue Streaks' 200-yard medley relay team, which placed third at districts.

Matthew Padovano, junior, Lake Placid

Padovano was part of the talented quartet who narrowly missed qualifying for the state meet in the 200-yard medley relay. Padavano and Co. posted a 1:52.76, good for sixth place. The cutoff for states was 1:47.04. In the regional meet, Padovano also finished 16th in the 500-yard freestyle - finishing in 5:57.29 - and placed 13th in the 100 backstroke, after a time of 1:06.93.

Jerquaid Quinn, sophomore, Lake Placid

Quinn was another versatile member of the Green Dragons swim team, competing in the 200-yard medley relay, 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard breaststroke. He placed 15th at regionals in the 100 breaststroke, posting a time of 1:13.59.

Michael Bickman, junior,

Sebring

Bickman advanced to regionals after placing first in the 100-yard butterfly finals in the district tournament, where he touched the wall in 1:01.78 - eight one-hundredths of a second faster than Winter Haven's Ward Attaway. Bickman also competed on the Blue Streaks' third-place-finishing 200-yard relay team, with Brian Miller, George Dumont and Josh Heflin.

Kevin Smit, junior,

Lake Placid

Smit was a key contributor for the Green Dragons this season, competing in the 200-yard medley relay, 200-yard individual medley, 100-yard freestyle and 200-yard freestyle relay. At the regional meet, he placed 11th in the 100 free, with a time of 1:00.59, and was part of the 200 free relay team that finished fifth in 1:36.13.

HONORABLE MENTION

Robert Greene, senior,

Lake Placid

Greene finished 15th in the boys 50 free - his best event - at the regional meet, after posting a time of 24.09. He was also a cog in the successful 200 medley and 200 free relay teams, which placed sixth and fifth, respectively, at regionals.

Mitchell Guerndt,

sophomore, Avon Park

The multi-talented swimmer showed his coaches why he could become a state qualifier after a strong performance at regionals. He competed in the 100-yard breaststroke, touching the wall in 1:15.16, which wasn't good enough to advance to states.

Josh Heflin, senior, Sebring

Heflin was one of the strongest swimmers on a Sebring team that trotted out more than 20 newcomers this season. It was his steadying presence in the 200-yard relay team that allowed the Blue Streaks to finish third in the district meet.

Will Odham, senior,

Avon Park

Swimming on a team that wasn't loaded with talent, Odham advanced to the regional finals in the 100-yard freestyle and swam a 57.06. The time wasn't good enough to move on to states, but it was a successful end to a strong senior season.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Hard to argue with results. Lake Placid coach Tom Creel consistently forms a winning team, with the boys finishing eighth at the 26-team regional meet and the girls squad, slowed by illness, placing 17th out of 25 teams.