At the District 3 Class 2A championship meet held at the University of Florida on October 25th, the Sharks held off the competition.  It was a "3PEAT" for the Lady Sharks as they held on to their district title for the third year in a row.  The boys swam hard and fast to win the title back.  They were champions in 2011, but had to settle for 2nd in 2012. 

The girl's 200 Medley Relay team of McKenna Johnson*, Jenny Norenberg*, Madison Michaels* and Hannah Santillo*earned the first points toward the girl's district title.   The boy's team of Logan Teate*, Vasili Pleqi*, Jonathan Magiske* and Jacob Shalz* did the same for the boys.

In the 200 Free Emily Benson*, Brigid Morgan*, Emily Grace Alfaro* and Madison Martin* all scored points for the team.  Danny Camacho*, Chris Kennedy*, Tom Snyder* and James LaCour scored for the boys.

Molly Voytecek*, Alexandra Bechtle, Carly Roberts and Mykala Ford scored in the 200 IM.  Sean Hoffman* earned points for the boy's team.
Sprinters McKenna Johnson*, Hannah Santillo*, Carly Voytecek* and Kelley Hall placed in the points for the 50 Free. Kadeem LaFargue* won the 50 Free for the boys (22.43). Eric Erhard*, Jacob Shalz and Logan Teate also finished in the points.

Divers Meg Barnhorst*, Lora Frazier*, Pressley Pratt * scored and added points towards the District win.  Meg Barnhorst placed 2nd with a score of 422.85, Lora Frazier placed 4th, with a score of  341.8 , and Pressly Pratt placed 5th with a score of  305.85.  Congratulations to all of them!  Based on their total 11 dive scores, all three PVHS divers qualified to move on to Regionals, next Friday, November 1st, in Pensacola, FL.   

Madison Michaels* won the 100 Butterfly in 59:38. Molly Voytecek*, Lily Norenberg* and Elizabeth* Garcia also added points for the team. Chris Kennedy* and Jonathan Magiske* scored for the boys.

In the 100 Free McKenna Johnson*, Emily Grace Alfaro*, Hannah Santillo* and Carly Voytecek* all earned points.  Points for the boys were earned by Kadeem LaFargue*, Danny Camacho*, Eric Erhard* and Jacob Shalz.

Distance swimmer Emily Benson won the 500 Free in 5:26:52.  Brigid Morgan*, Madison Martin* and Wendy Parkulo also scored.  James LaCour*, Tom Snyder*, Declan Ford and JR Molm scored points for the boys.

Madison Michaels*, Emily Grace Alfaro*, McKenna Johnson* and Hannah Santillo* teamed up in the 200 Freestyle Relay and added points for the win.  Danny Camacho*, Kadeem LaFargue*, Eric Erhard* and Chris Kennedy* matched the effort.

Madison Michaels*, Mary Jacobsen*, Luiza Serrano earned points in the 100 Back. Logan Teate*, Sean Hoffman* and JR Molm also finished in the points.
For the 100 Breast Stroke, Lily Norenberg*, Jenny Norenberg* and Emily Voytecek* scored for the girls. Jonathan Magiske*, Vasili Pleqi* and Declan Ford scored for the boys.

The 400 Free Relay team of Emily Grace Alfaro, Molly Voytecek, Brigid Morgan and Emily Benson won points.  The boy's team of Chris Kennedy, Danny Camacho, Jacob Shalz and Kadeem LaFargue matched their efforts for the final points of the meet.

(*Swimmers/Divers  who advance to Regionals.)

Women - Team Rankings                      
 
1. Ponte Vedra                         538   
2. Eastside (Gainesville)              491
3. Clay (Green Cove Springs)           303   
4. Matanzas (Palm Coast)               202
5. Menendez (St. Augustine)            182  
6. Ridgeview (Orange Park)             123
7. Suwannee (Live Oak)                 105   
8. Palatka                              55
 
                    Men - Team Rankings                       
 
1. Ponte Vedra                         414   
2. Clay (Green Cove Springs)         413.5
3. Eastside (Gainesville)              407   
4. Menendez (St. Augustine)          279.5
5. Suwannee (Live Oak)                 143  
6. Ridgeview (Orange Park)             132
7. Matanzas (Palm Coast)                85   
8. Palatka                              69

Cross Country:
The Boys and Girls Cross Country team travelled to Ridgeview to compete in the District Championship race Saturday morning in hopes of advancing to regionals for the first time in Ponte Vedra High School history as a 3A team. Cooler temperatures and heavy dew on the ground greeted the athletes when they got off the bus but they soon warmed up and achieved one of their season goals with both teams qualifying to run at Regionals on November 2nd in Lake City. Way to go SHARKS!!!

The Girls' Varsity Team, lead by Head Coach Amy Schottel, knew this was the year that could take them to regionals! Her group of talented, experienced runners who are top in the district, not only achieved one of their season goals of advancing to regionals as a team, but broke the 5K Girls Team School record in the process. Nice job Ladies!

Senior/Captain Bella Poole lead the girls team all season and Saturday was no different. Running her last district race as a Shark, Bella took 5th place overall after an amazing run earning All District honors and was an individual qualifier for regionals again this year. Bella has qualified every season she has been running! Senior/Captain Ashley Carpenter ran a excellent race and took a 8th place and also earned All District distinction and the auto qualification to Regionals. This is the first year Ashley has run XC and her natural talent and hard work has placed her in the top of the district with more experienced runners. Sophomore Abby Reimer joined the Varsity team last year as our only freshman and this year took her running to an even higher level. Abby ran for a personal record (PR) at districts taking 19th place. Senior/Captain Casey Boland ran one of her best races this season for 20th place despite struggling with an injured foot. Casey was only seconds behind her all time personal record. Bella, Ashley, Abby and Casey hold the top four fastest individual times in the Ponte Vedra Girls XC Record Book.

Senior Courtney Henderson ran for a personal record and took the final points needed to secure the the regional position and the new team school record! Courtney has been a strong, dependable runner for the girls varsity team throughout the year.  Juniors Sarah Lindell and Alexa Burch ran strong races  to round out the varsity squad.  Sarah posted a season record and Alexa ran her best race ever to shatter her old PR in this important race.  Varsity alternates, junior Grace Kellaher and freshman Madison Santore ran in the 5K open race. Madison took home a personal record as well this season!   Coach Schottel said " The District meet was a phenomenal beginning to our post season.  We are looking forward to the challenges and opportunities that Regionals will present. I could not be happier for my girls."

The Boys Varsity Team, lead by Head Coach Kerry Mowlam, had similar high hopes they could advance to regionals and they too will be packing their bags for Lake City and hold a spot at the regional championship race!  Senior/Captain Crisman Jones lead the boys team with an incredible run to take a 6th place overall, earning All District honors.  Crisman  worked hard this year to earn this spot and had his best season as a Shark. Last year, in the same race on the same course, Crisman took 49th place. This years two minute faster time leaves a message to the younger runners on what is possible with hard work and determination! 

Senior Dustyn Johnson, despite recent injuries and illness, stepped up for the team when they needed it! Dustyn showed true leadership this race by staying back and encouraging a pack of his teammates to season best performances to help the team qualify for regionals. Dustyn then ran like the wind at the end to take a 12th place and earn All District honors. Seniors JP Mauriello and Connor Schramm could be counted on all year to be top runners for the team. 

Saturday was no different with JP and Connor taking 18th and 22nd place in the district. Grabbing the final points for the team to help secure a regional trip was Senior Frank Blumenfeld.  Frank also came back from injury to help the team achieve their goals. Earning their first district appearance and rounding out the boys varsity team were freshmen Perry Bechtle and Andrew Kessler. Both Boys showed that they have a promising future on the XC team! Perry ran for a new personal record time. After the race Coach Mowlam said " Wow! What a stellar effort from the varsity squad today. The performances as a team and individually made me proud as a coach. I couldn't  have asked for anything more than what they gave."

Next Saturday both the boys and girls teams will travel to Lake City  to run at regionals and hope to grab a spot in the State Championship Race at FSU on November 9th! Congratulations to the Cross Country Team for their outstanding performances and to the Girls for a new school record!

Girls' Golf:
A wet, foggy day didn't stop the Lady Sharks Varsity Golf Team from advancing to the State Golf Championships.  In what the Florida Times-Union called "the best performance" of the area regionals, the girls ended up in a tie after 18 holes at 309 with rival Bartram Trail.  While the rain held off for most of the regular session, the skies opened just before the sudden death playoff.  Bartram emerged the winner, leaving Regional Runner Up honors to the Lady Sharks.  Said Coach Clint Finlay, "If you told me either team would fire four pars in these rainy conditions in a playoff, we could have handed out trophies before going out.  Congrats to the Bears.  We are looking forward to States."  The Sharks were fueled by the stellar play of sophomore Hannah Berman as the overall Medalist shooting an even-par 71 and junior Nicolette Donovan's 73, good for second place overall. The team -- Berman, Donovan and seniors Lauren Brychelle, Kelsey Lecker and Aleya Peete -- head to Howie-in-the-HIlls to play in the State Championship at the Mission Inn Golf Club October 29-30.  Be sure to wish them luck this week as the team leaves Sunday night for practice rounds.

Boys' Golf:
Congratulations to the PVHS Boys Golf Team for winning the 2A Regional Championship!

On Monday, nine teams gathered at Ponte Vedra's  Plantation Golf Course amidst wet and windy condittions.
At day's end, the top three schools were:

Regional Champions: Ponte Vedra High School - 299
Runner Up: Bolles - 305                             
3rd Place: Bartram Trail - 316                 
 
Medalists: Taylor Funk (PVHS) & Jordan Batchelor (Bartram Trail) both with a score of 71

Other PV Scores:
Thomas Burnett  72
Matt Plunkett  77
Hanks Massey 79

Both Ponte Vedra and Bolles will advance to the state championship at Mission Inn Golf Course in  Howey--in-the-Hills, Florida---October 29th & 30th. 

Volleyball:  District 4-5A Champs! 

Sharks defeat Bartram Trail:
 25-17,25-19,25-1