It was a weekend of medal collecting for a pair of local swimmers who led their schools to top-eight finishes in the Class 1A and 2A FHSAA Swimming & Diving State Finals at Ocala’s Florida Aquatics Swimming & Training Center.
Liam Aleman captured two individual and one relay title in helping the Eastside boys to a school-best second-place finish in Friday’s 2A meet, and Lillie Nesty followed up a night later with her own pair of championships to lead the P.K. Yonge girls to an eighth-place finish in 1A.
Aleman claimed victories in the 200-yard IM (1 minute, 52.64 seconds) and the 100 breaststroke (57.87). The senior who transferred to Eastside from Asheville, North Carolina prior to the start of the school year won each race by more than one second.
“We knew he had a chance to win both, but he surpassed expectations with his times,” said Eastside coach Jon Allen, whose team’s previous best finish was 10th in 2021.
Aleman’s individual titles were the first from an Eastside swimmer since Stanford All American Wesley Olmsted accomplished the feat in 2013. Allen said Aleman is undecided on college, adding “he’s been patient, but (Friday’s) performance should open up some more eyes about him.”
The daughter of University of Florida swim coach Anthony Nesty, Lillie Nesty, has made her college choice, picking Texas. And, like Aleman, she made sure her final high school meet was memorable.
Nesty repeated as champion in the 200 freestyle (1:44.86) and in her first attempt at state in the 500 free, she posted a 4:43.12, earning gold.
“Lillie was amazing,” said P.K. Yonge coach Kara Dawson, who also praised Alessandra Quintana’s career-best 58.69, good for ninth in the 100 backstroke. “This was probably the most competitive class in the state, and Lillie won the 200 free by nearly two seconds and the 500 free by nearly six seconds. She was prepared and focused.”
Aleman’s third first-place finish came in the 200 medley with teammates Chris Jeong, Eric Gong and Abraham Burangulov. They touched the wall in 1:36.44, more than a second faster than second-place Mast Academy (1:37.47).
“If you saw (the race) in person, it was back and forth, leg to leg,” Allen said. “But I knew if Eric could leave us with a lead with the butterfly going into the final leg, (freestyler) Abraham would bring it home for us.”
Other EHS swimmers who earned top-eight finishes were Gong (fourth in the 100 butterfly in 50.92), Elise Panna (seventh in girls 100 backstroke, 59.63) and the boys 400 freestyle relay team of Aleman, Gong, David Lee and Burangulov (third in 3:13.38).
“We knew (Jacksonville) Bishop Kenny would probably run away with the team title, but we knew we were right there in the mix to finish top two,” said Allen, whose team scored 160 points, 76.5 behind BK and 27 ahead of third-place Panama City Beach Arnold. “We’re really proud of what we were able to do.”
