By Gary Curreri
Sun Sentinel Correspondent
Oct 08, 2021 12:06 PM
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Saint Andrew’s sophomore Aspen Gersper was named the meet’s Outstanding Female Swimmer of the Meet after she won the 200-free (1:48.93) and the 100-fly (54.85) in the Palm Beach County Swimming and Diving Championships at the Lake Lytal Family Aquatic Center in West Palm Beach. (Gary Curreri/Contributor)
Boca Raton High School senior Emilie Moore turned in a career-best performance and helped the Saint Andrew’s Bobcats to a runner-up finish in the public school division of the recent Palm Beach County Swimming and Diving Championships at the Lake Lytal Family Aquatic Center in West Palm Beach.
Moore scored 539.55 points, narrowly missing the school record held by UM diver Jessie Creed (546) to easily top Saint Andrew’s sophomore Kaeden Dunham (422.05) for top honors in the girls 1-meter diving competition at the Wellington Aquatic Complex. The swimming competition took place at Lake Lytal.
Suncoast senior Thomas Dowling also recorded a personal best score of 530.60 to easily outdistance Seminole Ridge senior Bryson Hayden (428.70) for top honors.
“It’s exciting because I hit every dive and that was my personal best score by a lot,” said Moore, whose previous best was 515. She also competed in the United States Olympic Trials this past summer. “It was nice to see some consistency. The 1-meter has never been super consistent; I usually miss something.”
Moore said she was especially happy with her inward double.
“It is a dive I don’t usually do,” she said. “I scored well on it and it made me happy. This is a good prep for the state series because it is an 11-dive list and there are some good competitors.
Boca Raton High School senior Emilie Moore scored a personal best 539.55 points to take top honors in the girls’ 1-meter diving event at the Palm Beach County Swimming and Diving competition at the Wellington Aquatic Complex. (Gary Curreri/Contributor)
“This was encouraging and I hope to keep doing this and get that school record before I am finished,” Moore said. “Last year we didn’t get a chance to go to states, so I am hoping to get on the podium again.”
Moore, who wants to go to Stanford, was the Class 4A state champion in 2019 as a sophomore after finishing fourth in 2018. They didn’t compete in the state series last year due to COVID-19.
Another Bobcat turned in a strong effort. Boca Raton senior Max Zum Tobel won the boys’ 100-free (45.08) and was second in the 200-free (1:40.15). He recently committed to North Carolina State.
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Saint Andrew’s entered the final two relays of the night — girls’ and boys’ 400-free relays with a 2-1/2 point advantage and won both events to take the combined overall title with 719.5 points. They also won the boys’ title with 343 points.
“I was thrilled the way our kids stepped up tonight,” Saint Andrew’s coach Sid Cassidy said.
Scots sophomore Aspen Gersper was named the meet’s Outstanding Female Swimmer of the Meet after she won the 200-free (1:48.93) and the 100-fly (54.85), which was just off Oxbridge Academy’s Jennifer Secrest’s mark of 54.81 set in 2018.
Gersper also set a meet record in the 100-free with a time of 50.08 on the first leg of the 400-free relay. The previous record was 50.20 set by Atlantic’s Rhi Jeffrey in 2003. The Scots’ girls 400-free relay set a new meet record thanks to Gersper’s efforts with a clocking of 3:25.08.
“This is pretty cool because I usually don’t get to win individual trophies like this,” Gersper said. “This is my first trophy in a while and the meet record was good too because I wasn’t expecting it.”
Other winners for Saint Andrew’s were senior Kacper Rafal, who won the boys’ 50-free (21.48), and sophomore Diego Balbi, who won the 100-fly with a 50.15 clocking.
