Varsity swimmers soar at state championship 

in Sports by

After killing it in the Florida High School Athletic Association District 11 meet (read more about it in our previous swimming article) the varsity swimmers took their talents to Ocala for the 2A state championship Friday, Nov. 3.

The Heritage swim had one of the best performances in school history, with multiple relays and individuals taking home a medal. Overall, the girls team placed 15th in points (out of 45 schools) and the boys placed fourth in points (out of 46 schools). 

See below for top performers:

Alessandro Pereira (JR) – 3rd in 200 Individual Medley; also placed 7th in 500 Freestyle.

Rithvik Marri (SR) – 5th in 200 Freestyle and 4th in 100 Freestyle

Stepan Vandysh (FR) – Made B-division Finals with 15th in 200 Individual Medley and 14th in 100 Breaststroke. 

Liliana Novak (FR) – Made B-division Finals with 10th in 50 Freestyle 

Mia Guerrero (JR) – Made B-division Finals with 11th in 100 Backstroke 

200 Medley Relay 

Girls – Mia Guerrero, Katlyn Rhett, Madison Aguero, Isabella Dadios Perry (14th)

Boys – Stepan Vandysh, Alessandro Pereira, Gabriel Landron, Rafael Landron (7th)

200 Freestyle Relay

Girls – Liliana Novak, Katlyn Rhett, Audrey Prado, Isabella Dadios Perry (12th)

Boys – Sean Vittanakorn, Rithvik Marri, Rafael Landron, Tyler Zhou (12th)

400 Freestyle Relay

Girls – Liliana Novak, Madison Aguero, Mia Guerrero, Rose Seniuk (7th)

Boys – Rithvik Marri, Alessandro Pereira, Gabriel Landron, Stepan Vandysh (5th)

Senior Rithvik Marri takes the lead in the 200-meter freestyle. Marri went on to have his highest state finishes ever at the state competition, scoring fifth place in the 200-meter Freestyle and fourth place in the 100-meter Freestyle. (Photo/Sean Vittanakorn)

Zoe Horwitz, a junior at American Heritage, returns to the Patriot Post for her third year as the Sports Editor and Assistant Editor-In-Chief. Besides reading and writing, she spends her time playing with her dog or tutoring younger students through Learn with Peers, a non-profit organization she helped found in 2020. During her freshman year, she co-founded FALIA (Food Allergy/Intolerance Awareness) at school, a club that advocates for those with food allergies. Zoe also plays lacrosse, as she plays for a club team and American Heritage girls varsity lacrosse team. Zoe is very excited to be contributing to the Patriot Post.