Coral Springs Charter swimmers win three titles as boys and girls finish fourth at BCAA championships
Coral Springs, Florida – Coral Springs Charter swimmers claimed three individual titles at the Broward County Athletic Association Championship Meet on October 10, with both the boys’ and girls’ teams finishing fourth in Plantation.
Brian Hamilton, John Albornoz and Mariana Montes each won an event for Charter. Their victories were part of a meet that also included several other top finishes in individual races and boys’ relays.
Hamilton led the field in the 50 freestyle, then added a third-place finish in the 100 freestyle. Albornoz also reached the top three twice, winning the 100 breaststroke and taking second in the 200 individual medley.
The Charter boys added two strong relay results. The 200-medley relay team placed second, while the 400-medley relay team finished third. Those performances accompanied Hamilton’s and Albornoz’s individual results as the boys secured fourth place overall.
On the girls’ side, Montes delivered Charter’s third championship by winning the 100 breaststroke. Her result gave the school victories in both the boys’ and girls’ versions of that event.
Jameela Rashad contributed two more high finishes for the Charter girls. She placed third in the 50 freestyle and fourth in the 100 freestyle, according to BCAA results. The girls matched the boys’ fourth-place standing in the team competition.
Coral Glades also competed at the county meet, finishing seventh in the boys’ standings and 12th in the girls’ standings.
Benjamin Denevi recorded a third-place finish in the 200 freestyle for Coral Glades. Galen Tortorella placed fourth in the 200 individual medley and sixth in the 100-meter breaststroke, according to BCAA information. Those results gave the Coral Glades boys top-six finishes across three individual events.
Another swimmer with a Coral Springs connection won two freestyle titles. Ethan Persten, a city resident who previously swam for Coral Glades High School, took first in both the 100- and 200-meter freestyle.
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Persten is homeschooled and now competes for Cypress Bay High School. His father, Brian Persten, said this was the second year he had won both events at the county meet.
Brian described his son’s commitment to training and the goals that keep him working in and out of the water.
“He loves the sport and puts his heart into every day. He trains twice a day, every day in the pool or the gym. He wants to swim in college and qualify for the Olympics,” said Brian.
For Charter, the meet ended with matching team finishes and three swimmers holding individual titles. Hamilton and Albornoz each paired a victory with another top-three finish, while Montes and Rashad supplied leading results for the girls.
