Many talented girls' swimmers are returning to area pools in 2026.
District and regional champion Zoe Gruber, who goes to ODA, is entering her senior season. Riverview claimed its fifth consecutive title in 2025 and returns Lola Dumblewski, Nella Duty, Sydney Hardy, Angelina Lista, Sophia Malkowicz and Alexandra Pearson. Sarasota Christian's Dru Hershberger and Mae Hershberger have placed high at the King's Sentinels Showdown Invitational so far in 2026.
Here are the top girls' swimmers to watch in the Sarasota-Manatee area.
Lola Dumblewski
School: Riverview
Year: Junior
Highlights: In 2025, Dumblewski competed at the Class 4A state championship, placing 11th in the 500-yard freestyle (5:01.23) and 23rd in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:09.83). At the 4A-Region 3 championship, Dumblewski finished
fourth in the 500-yard free (5:05.04) and eighth in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:08.91). She made the Herald-Tribune's All-Area second team. She was named to the Herald-Tribune's all-area second team.
Nella Duty
School: Riverview
Year: Senior
Highlights: In 2025, Duty finished 15th in the 200-yard freestyle (1:54.12) and 12th in the 100-yard freestyle (53.19). At the 4A-Region 3 championship, she placed seventh in the 200-yard freestyle (1:53.86) and second in the 100-yard freestyle (53.19). Duty earned a first-place finish at the 4A-District 9 championship (54.61). She earned a spot on the Herald-Tribune's All-Area second team.
Zoe Gruber
School: Out-of-Door Academy
Year: Senior
Highlights: During 2025, in the 200-yard IM, Gruber placed first at both districts and regionals and third at the 1A state championship. In the 100-yard breaststroke, she placed first at both districts and regionals and eighth at the 1A state championship. She was named to the Herald-Tribune's All-Area team.
Sydney Hardy
School: Riverview
Year: Sophomore
Highlights: Hardy placed first in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard breaststroke at districts and regionals. She also placed second in the 200-yard IM and first in the 100-yard breaststroke at the 4A state championship. She was named to the Herald-Tribune's All-Area team.
Dru Hershberger
School: Sarasota Christian
Year: Sophomore
Highlights: In 2025, Hershberger was named to the Herald-Tribune's All-Area second team. She finished seventh in the 500-yard freestyle (5:07.05) at the Class 1A state championship. In 2026, Hershberger placed third in the 100-yard freestyle (56.39) and second in the 100-yard fly (1:01.94) at the King's Sentinels Showdown Invitational.
Mae Hershberger
School: Sarasota Christian
Year: Sophomore
Highlights: Hershberger earned a spot on the Herald-Tribune's All-Area second team in 2025 after finishing 11th in the 500-yard freestyle (5:08.30) and 22nd in the 200-yard freestyle (1:58.82) at the Class 1A State Championship. In 2026, at the King's Sentinels Showdown Invitational, Hershberger finished first in the 100-yard IM (1:07.47) and third in the 100-yard backstroke (1:10.62).
Sofia Krajewski
School: Cardinal Mooney
Year: Junior
Highlights: Krajewski was named to the Herald-Tribune's All-Area team in 2025. In the 200-yard IM, she placed second at both districts and regionals and placed seventh at the 1A state championship last season. In the 100-yard backstroke, she placed first at districts and regionals and sixth at the 1A state championship.
Izabela Lesniewska
School: Cardinal Mooney
Year: Junior
Highlights: In 2025, Lesniewska was named to the Herald-Tribune's All-Area second team. At the 1A state championship, Lesniewska finished 12th in the 100-yard freestyle (53.22). At the 1A-Region 3 championship, she finished first in the 100-yard freestyle (52.84) and fourth in the 50-yard freestyle (24.55).
Angelina Lista
School: Riverview
Year: Senior
Highlights: In the 100-yard butterfly, Lista placed first at districts and regionals and third at the 4A state championship. In the 50-yard freestyle, she placed second at districts and regionals and seventh at the 4A state championship.
Sophia Malkowicz
School: Riverview
Year: Junior
Highlights: In the 200-yard IM, Malkowicz placed second at districts and regionals and third at the 4A state championship. In the 100-yard backstroke, she placed first at districts and regionals and fifth at the 4A state championship.
Gwen Metz
School: Venice
Year: Sophomore
Highlights: In 2025, Metz was named to the Herald-Tribune's All-Area second team. Metz placed 22nd in the 500-yard freestyle (5:15.58) at the Class 4A state championship. At the 4A-Region 3 championship, she placed eighth in the 500-yard freestyle (5:08.27) and 12th in the 200-yard freestyle (1:57.36).
Arabella Newport-Derbyshire
School: Out-of-Door Academy
Year: Junior
Highlights: In the backstroke, Newport Derbyshire placed second at districts and regionals and fifth at the 1A state championship. In the butterfly, she placed first at both districts and regionals and placed third at the 1A state championship.
Allie Pearson
School: Riverview
Year: Sophomore
Highlights: In 2025, Pearson was named to the Herald-Tribune's All-Area team. She placed first at districts and regionals in the 50-yard freestyle.
Brooklyn Peters
School: Sarasota
Year: Junior
Highlights: In 2025, Peters was named to the Herald-Tribune's All-Area second team after placing 23rd in the 500-yard freestyle at the 4A state championship. At the 4A-Region 3 championship, Peters finished ninth in the 500-yard free.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota, Manatee's top girls swimmers entering 2026
