Riviera Bulldog swimmers earned gold medals at Thursday’s championship in Orlando, placing 21st overall in Class 1A against other qualifying high schools. The Boys’ District Championships were a great showing for the Boys’ team, as they finished third overall, only 13 points behind the second-place team. This small point gap gave the Boys’ team extra motivation to perform even better at the Regional Championships. Many swimmers reached their personal best times, and their efforts were clearly evident. Some of these swimmers qualified for the State Championships; among them, one of the more prominent qualifiers was Julian Lozano (11), who qualified in both the 200-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle. Also, for the first time in many years, Riviera qualified for the state as a relay team, a significant achievement for the overall program. At the state meet, Lozano continued to perform at an elite level by placing seventh in the 200-yard freestyle and sixth in the 500-yard freestyle events. Lozano pulled ahead in the final 50 yards of the 200 freestyle, securing his seventh-place finish. The relay team also had a very successful meet, finishing 22nd overall, with high intensity as the swimmers beat the clock. “This season has truly been more than just about fast times; it has also been about growth as an athlete, developing as a member of the team, and gaining confidence as a person as well. Each and every swimmer contributed to help them achieve this,” Coach Larkin said. Beyond postseason results, individual improvements across the roster highlighted the team’s depth. These improvement times have been truly impressive to witness from each swimmer: Niko Arjona (10) improved his time by four seconds in the 100-yard breaststroke and three seconds in the 100-yard freestyle. Lucas Fernandez (11) improved his time in both 50 and 100-yard freestyle sprints by two seconds each, while Ethan Larkin (10) made a significant improvement, decreasing his time by four seconds in the 100-yard backstroke event, and by more than 12 seconds in the 200-yard individual medley. Newcomer Julian Leon (11) dropped 16 seconds off his 100-yard breaststroke, while his twin brother, Justin Leon, wasn’t far behind him with a 10-second improvement. Gavin Lopes (10) dropped 12 seconds from his 200-yard freestyle event, Lucas Mauricio (9) dropped eight seconds from his 200-yard freestyle event, and finally, Sebastian Parra (10) dropped five seconds from his 100-yard freestyle event. All of the drops in improved times came from consistency over the course of the season and from being willing to keep pushing oneself just a little further. The girls had an equally impressive season: Anvi Agrawal (11) dropped five seconds from her 50-yard freestyle and 10 seconds from her 100-yard freestyle, representing growth as an athlete and confidence as a swimmer. Distance swimmer Maria Bezerra (12) dropped an impressive 15 seconds from her 200-yard freestyle event. “This was definitely a season to remember,” Larkin said. “The future of Riviera swimming has never looked brighter. I can’t wait to do even better next year!” With record-breaking improvements and key state qualifiers, the Varsity Swim Team proved its determination this season. The Bulldogs now look toward next season with rising confidence and excitement to chase even bigger wins.
