Harmony Sweeps Boys and Girls OBC Swimming Championships, First Two Team Titles in OBC Race

By: J. Daniel Pearson for Positively Osceola

For Harmony, winning the Orange Belt Conference All-Sports Trophy as the Osceola’s top overall athletic program is a big deal. The Longhorns have won the title three straight times and 11 times in the school’s 19-year history. On Wednesday, the Longhorns served notice they want more as they won the first two OBC team titles of the year – sweeping the boys and girls swimming championships at Markinson Aquatic Center.

The Lady Longhorns won the OBC title for a fourth straight year and nine of the last 10 years, accumulating 156 points to outdistance Celebration (126). Gateway was third (98) and St. Cloud (66) fourth. The Harmony boys (179) easily got by Celebration (132) for a second straight title. St. Cloud (93) was a distant third.

The team titles were achieved in different ways. The Lady Longhorns failed to win a single individual swimming event but used its depth to pile up points and win two of three relay events. All told, the Harmony girls took second place in four events, third in three events, and fourth in four events. They also went 1-2-3 in the diving event on Wednesday night.

“Our team was really cohesive as unit and our depth showed,” Longhorns girls coach TJ Walter said. “We didn’t win a single individual swimming event but we won two relays and the diving event. Stephanie (Clark) did a great job with both the boys’ team and the divers and that made a big difference in our team victories tonight.”

It was in the diving event that the Lady Longhorns were able to build a substantial lead. Meredith Wagner (280.05 points), Haley Burth (252.20), and Kacey Sinagoga (251.4) swept the top three positions in the event to give Harmony a 22-point lead over Celebration after the event.

In finishing second on the girls side, Celebration led all OBC teams with five individual event wins. Theresa Fortuno (200 Free, 500 Free) and Sarah Venegas (200 IM, 100 Back) took double gold; while Tatum Anderson won the 100 Breast. Fortuno finished with three titles, teaming with Anderson, Anna DeVault and Sophia Galvao with win the 200 IM relay. Gateway won three events, including a double by Selma Elfakir (50 and 100 Free) and Momo Sutton in the 100 Butterfly.

Harmony took home their second straight team championship thanks to placing a lot of teams and individuals at the top of the podium. Counting relays and the diving event, Harmony won nine of 12 events on the day.

Aaron Stephenson (200 IM, 100 Breast, 200 Free Relay and 400 Free Relay) and Hunter Boro (100 Free, 100 Back, 200 IM Relay and 400 Free Relay) each took home four gold medals to lead Harmony to the 47-point win. Eli Christ won the 200 Free and Angel Acevedo took the 1-Meter Dive competition for Harmony. As with the girls team, the one diving event played a key role in boys win. Acevedo (191.4), Ethan Medley (171.10) and Robert Harris (147.50) went 1-2-3 to give the Harmony boy’s side a 20-point lead heading into the swimming competition. The Longhorns swept all three relay events.

“We had a pretty small boys team in terms of numbers,” Clark said. “We won a lot of events today and that was the key. With smaller numbers we had to have everyone hit their times in their events and for the most part we accomplished that.”

Celebration and St. Cloud had the other individual winners in the boys meet. The Storm’s Mahmoud Morsy (100 Fly) and Quetin Mootz (500 Free) were victorious in those events; while St. Cloud’s Silas Corchado win the 50 Free.

The regular season comes to an end next week, with District Meets being held Oct. 23-28. “Our goal will be to stay together as team and keep improving. It’s going to get a lot tougher at districts and hopefully we’ll be able to push some swimmers through to regionals on both the boys and girls teams,” Walters added.

Final Team Results (Boys): Harmony 179, Celebration 132, St. Cloud 93, Gateway 64, Tohopekaliga 24); Final Team Results (Girls): Harmony 156, Celebration 126, Gateway 98, St. Cloud 66, Tohopekaliga 38, Osceola 11

Girls All-OBC Medalists

200 Medley Relay: Harmony (Sarah Venegas, Tatum Anderson, Anna DeVault, Sophia Galvao) 2:08.50; Gateway (2:17.15), St. Cloud (2:17.67)
200 Free: Theresa Fertuno (St. Cloud) 2:14.95; Kielee Magner (Harmony), Tatum Anderson (Celebration)
200 IM: Sarah Vanegas (Celebration) 2:30.68; Anna DeVault (Celebration); Angelina Ramos (Gateway)
50 Free: Selma Elfakir (Gateway) 26.17; Molly Clark (Harmony), Sophia Galvao (Celebration)
1-Meter Dive: Meredith Wagner (Harmony) 280.5; Haley Kurth (Harmony), Kacey
Sinagoga (Harmony)
100 Butterfly: Momo Sutton (Gateway) 1:12.27; Ryleigh Boro (Harmony), Anna DeVault (Celebration)
100 Free: Selma Elfakir (Gateway) 58.70; Sophia Galvao (Celebration), Molly Clark (Harmony)
500 Free: Theresa Fortuno (St. Cloud) 6:04.98; Kielee Magner (Harmony), Olivia Morris (St. Cloud)
200 Free Relay: Harmony (Molly Clark, Kielee Magner, Hannah Lilley, Brooke Haskett) 1:53.26; Celebration, Tohopekaliga
100 Back: Sarah Venegas (Celebration) 1:07.73; Celine Cruz (Osceola), Nuria Torres (Harmony)
100 Breast: Tatum Anderson (Celebration) 1:23.37; Angelina Ramos (Gateway), Hannah Lilley (Harmony)
400 Free Relay: Harmony (Molly Clark, Kielee Magner, Hannah Lilley, Brooke Haskett) 4:15.40; Gateway, Celebration

Boys All-OBC Medalists

200 Medley Relay: Harmony (Hunter Boro, Evan Christ, Mason Shafer, Ephrain Torres) 1:50:18; Celebration, St. Cloud
200 Free: Eli Christ (Harmony) 1:57.57; Ryan Odom (Celebration), James Ozerovitch (Celebration)
200 IM: Aaron Stephenson (Harmony) 2:07.50; Mahmoud Morsy (Celebration); Rosser Jurgens (St. Cloud)
50 Free: Silas Corchado (St. Cloud) 23.18; Evan Christ (Harmony), Mason Shafer (Harmony)
1-Meter Dive: Angel Acevedo (Harmony) 191.40, 2. Ethan Medley (Harmony), Robert Harris (Harmony)
100 Butterfly: Mahmoud Morsy (Celebration) 57.79; Claudio Gil (Celebration), Mason Shafer (Harmony)
100 Free: Hunter Boro (Harmony) 50.29, Rosser Jurgens (St. Cloud), Samuel Yaw (Celebration)
500 Free: Quentin Mootz (Celebration) 5:25.04; Eli Christ (Harmony), Silas Corchado (St. Cloud)
200 Free Relay: Harmony (Aaron Stephenson, Ephrain Torres, Evan Christ, Eli Christ) 1:35.69; Celebration, St. Cloud
100 Back: Hunter Boro (Harmony) 1:00.15), Tommy Barden (Harmony), Levi Butler (St. Cloud)
100 Breast: Aaron Stephenson (Harmony) 1:04.67; Quentin Mootz (Celebration), Ethan Cruz (Celebration)
400 Free Relay: Harmony (Mason Shafer, Hunter Boro, Eli Christ, Aaron Stephenson) 3:30.05; St. Cloud, Gateway