Megan Wolfe and Sean Spiegel finished the summer swim season exactly where they began - in first place. ...more

July 31, 2008

Morning is just coming alive as dozens of kids enter the cold water at Avon Park High School -- half asleep and with nothing more than an internal compass to guide them to their ultimate goal. ...more

July 29, 2008

LAKE PLACID — Summer is when rivalries are born in the pool. For 12-year old Emily Helterhoff of the Highlands Hurricanes and 11-year old Maggie Brumfield of the Hardee Swim Team, Saturday's Lake Placid Aquatic Invitational gave everyone a glimpse of the future of girls swimming in the Heartland. Helterhoff and Brumfield competed in six events in the girls 11-12 category during the event at the Green Dragon pool, with the Hurricane swimmer getting the best of the Wildcat in five events –– with just two weeks of work before the event. "Emily has been just short of amazing," said Hurricanes coach Marvin Wolfe. "She showed a lot of promise last season, which was her first with the Hurricanes, and is picking up right where she left off." ...more

June 22, 2008

Gregg Cooke admits he's a part-time swimmer. But he performed like a full-time swimmer in 2007. ...more

May 20, 2008

Plant's Meg Anderson watched her friend, Chelsea Nauta, dominate the Hillsborough County swim scene for the past few years. This year, Anderson stepped in to fill the void left by the Tampa Prep star's graduation. ...more

May 20, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - A lot has changed for Sunlake High junior Nikki Walters. A year ago, she was a multisport athlete at Land O' Lakes High, including a first-team all-Sunshine Athletic Conference swimmer. She holds the school record in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 26.47 seconds. ...more

May 11, 2008

LAKE PLACID — Watching Lake Placid's Michael Wilkes in a swim meet is like seeing near-perfection in the water: Slicing through the glass-like sheen of liquid with the speed and intensity of a shark, feeding on record after Green Dragon record. Wilkes, who dedicated himself to the sport completely during his sophomore year, finished his career at Lake Placid as the owner of four Green Dragon records, three of which stood for a decade or more. He was also a three-time Class 1A-District 5 and Class 1A-Region 2 champion during his career. ...more

January 9, 2008

SEBRING –– Olympic glory and getting the honor of being on the podium as the gold medal is placed around your neck is a dream that Sebring's Megan Wolfe is determined to make a reality. The Blue Streak's dream has become more like a passion –– an obsession –– with hours upon hours netted in the pool to hone her skills to their absolute peak. The fruits of her labor, she hopes could be a trip to Omaha and the U.S. Olympic Trials next summer. "I've wanted [Olympics] for a long time," Wolfe said. "I know what I've got to do to get there. Now, I have to put in the time and dedicate myself." A chance meeting with Winter Haven native and 1984 Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines lit the fire that burns today. ...more

January 8, 2008

Given that Newsome High School was the most dominant swim team in Hillsborough County, spots for non-Newsome athletes on the Western Conference All-Star team were tough to come by. ...more

November 28, 2007

SEBRING — When you live in Florida and love the water, swimming in competitive events is never out of season. The Highlands Hurricanes winter swim team made quite a splash in last Saturday's St. Petersburg Aquatics Morning at the Races event. Former Sebring High swimmer Sean Spiegel won the 50-yard freestyle event with a time of 20.91 seconds to qualify for the 2007 USA Short Course National Championships, which will be held next Wednesday at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Ga. "That's quite an accomplishment for Sean," said Hurricanes coach Marvin Wolfe. "His goal is to qualify for the Olympic Trials next June and he is working hard toward that goal." ...more

November 23, 2007