The Florida High School Athletic Association opens district swimming meets this week for Class 3A and 4A teams in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida. See the Times-Union's meet previews. All schedules are as listed by the FHSAA but are subject to change.
District 1-4A
When: 11 a.m. Oct. 19 (diving), 11:30 a.m. Oct. 22 (swim finals)
Where: Bolles (diving), Planet Swim (swimming)
Teams: Atlantic Coast, Beachside, Creekside, Mandarin, Nease, Oakleaf, Sandalwood, Tocoi Creek
Outlook: The big story here is the reclassification of Nease, which has won four consecutive FHSAA boys trophies at Class 3A but moves up this year to Class 4A. Luke Zardavets and Lincoln Driesse lead an outstanding Panthers boys team that looks like a contender again, and the Nease girls hould
score well also. On the girls side, watch for Creekside, which won the Frank Holleman Invitational and can call upon proven winners like Emmie Lewis, Sophie Oldham and Makayla Taggart. Creekside's boys, including sprinter Bailey Koo, may be the top threat to Nease. There's plenty of speed on the other teams as well, from Tocoi Creek's Anthony Reznitchenko and Beachside's Charlotte Weger to Gateway Conference champions Ella Fallyer of Atlantic Coast and Callie Caplin of Mandarin.
Watch Florida high school sports live on NFHS Network
District 2-3A
When: 11 a.m. Oct. 21 (swimming and diving)
Where: Morcom Aquatics, Tallahassee.
Teams: Columbia, First Coast, Fletcher, Middleburg, Orange Park, Ridgeview, Tallahassee Chiles, Tallahassee Leon, Tallahassee Lincoln, Tallahassee Rickards, White
Outlook: The strongest of the Duval County contenders looks like Fletcher, coming off more Gateway Conference hardware last week. The Senators consistently score well in diving, including Gateway champions Jasper Jackson and Leah Cox, and they're especially strong in boys swimming with Mason Baldwin and Merrick Vanscoy among top performers. Orange Park has also been swimming well of late, including repeated first-place finishes for Zephan Leak and Taylor Mandigo. But any area team planning to win this district will have to find a way past the Tallahassee contingent, particularly the always-dangerous Chiles.
![Ponte Vedra's Mady Tulloch races in the girls 100-yard butterfly during the Frank Holleman Invitational high school swimming meet on Sept. 19, 2026, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. [Clayton Freeman/Florida Times-Union]](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2026/09/19/NFTU/91847055007-091926-swimming-26.JPG)
District 3-3A
When: 11 a.m. Oct. 20
Where: Dwight H. Hunter Pool, Gainesville.
Teams: Bartram Trail, Clay, Fleming Island, Gainesville, Lake Weir, Lecanto, Leesburg, Matanzas, New Smyrna Beach, Ocala Vanguard, Ponte Vedra, South Marion, St. Augustine
Outlook: Can Ponte Vedra go on to six state championships in a row on the girls side? The Sharks are extremely deep. Makenna Biernacki, Lily Ewer, Ava Pell and Mady Tulloch are just a few of the top Ponte Vedra girls, and Aaron Yang should produce plenty of boys points as well. Fleming Island is fast as well, particularly with the one-two boys combination of elite prospects William Shoesmith and Noah Stotler, and Bartram Trail's Jenna Frost could challenge for a state championship next month in the longer-distance events. Schools outside Northeast Florida could also contend in several events, including Lecanto, a top-10 finisher in 2025.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: FHSAA's Jacksonville swim districts begin in 3A, 4A. What to watch
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