The Eastside girls and boys swimming and diving teams are coming off a big year in 2024.
The Lady Rams finished seventh at the FHSAA Class 2A Swimming and Diving Championships, while the boys finished fourth in the state.
They’re still the teams to beat, at least in Alachua County.
This past Saturday at the Dwight H. Hunter Northeast Pool in Gainesville, both teams took first place at the 2025 Rob Ramirez City Championship Meet.
The Lady Rams finished with 498 points, ahead of Buchholz (433) and Gainesville High (288), while the boys team dominated with 592 points and clearly distanced themselves from second-place Buchholz (439) and GHS (253).
“I’m so glad the kids got to experience this all together,” said Eastside coach Jon Allen. “The boys have won a few years in a row, and each time the girls’ team was so supportive, they all train together, so the girls were due.”
Allen said, “Everyone contributed, our top kids, relays, divers, everyone, but the key to winning this meet was our depth.”
“This is the biggest team we’ve ever had,” he said. “It can be extremely difficult to manage 63 kids, but it gives us so many lineup options, and that’s what won us the meet. We are a great group of selfless kids who each bring something different to the team. I’m just really proud of how they came together, and each played their role in the victory.”
Sisters Elise Panna and Grace Panna combined to win three individual events.
Elise, a junior, won the 200-yard freestyle (1 minute,54.47 seconds) and the 100 backstroke (56.62), while Grace, a freshman, won the 50 freestyle (25.36) and finished second in the 100 butterfly (1:01.65) behind Buchholz junior Peyton Brooks (58.38).
“Their oldest sister, Noelle, graduated last year and is at NYU,” Allen said. “They were FaceTiming her during the meet to keep her in the loop. Elise has turned into a great leader for us, and Grace has been one of the sparks of our super freshmen class.”
The siblings were also a part of the 200 medley relay (2:00.09) and the 200 freestyle relay (1:41.44) teams that took first place.
“There was some pressure on Elise to go win the 100 back against some tough competition and she delivered,” Allen said. “Obviously, having them both on the same relays was big for us as well.”
The 400 freestyle relay team of juniors Juliette Bruijnzeel and Molly Tippin and freshmen Sofia Chubina and Sonya Ihnatsenka finished second (3:54.93) behind Buchholz juniors Peyton Brooks and Mazie Moberly, freshman Elise Bruijnzeel and sophomore Johanna Beauchamp, who finished first with a time of 3:46.78.
“I think we (Eastside girls) have the potential to be among the top teams in 2A again,” Allen said. “We have some more work to do, but I’m happy where we are, considering we are such a young team.”
Senior Kara Walters, junior Sarah Collins, and junior Juliette Bruijnzeel each had second-place individual finishes for GHS.
Walters, who also won the 100 freestyle with a time of 56.25, took second in the 200 freestyle (2:01.55).
Collins was runner-up in the 50 freestyle (25.36), while Bruijnzeel was second in the 500 freestyle (5:19.57) behind Buchholz’s Moberly (5:15.85).
Junior Emma Stripling won the 1-meter diving competition (428.18).
“Kara was a little under the weather, but pushed through for a win and a runner-up,” said Gainesville coach Leonard Krause III. “She is our rally point this year on the girls team. Sarah is starting to hit her stride, and I think the second half of the season will be fun to watch her get faster. Emma Stripling winning the diving was big, especially since our other diver, Ruby (Seltzer), was out for the meet.”
Freshman Eva Whitehead of Union County (Lake Butler) finished first in the 200 IM (2:06.81) and the 100 breaststroke (1:06.46).
Senior Eric Gong, junior Chris Jeong, and sophomore Alex Han were instrumental in helping Eastside to its 10th straight district title last year, as well as last year’s state finals finish, and they each won two events on Saturday.
Gong took home gold in the 200 IM (1:59.31) and the 100 freestyle (48.49), Jeong finished first in the 200 freestyle (1:47.26) and the 100 backstroke (53.65), and Han won the 100 butterfly (51.33) and the 500 freestyle (4:48.80).
“Those guys are some of the best we’ve ever had at Eastside, and that’s saying something,” said Allen, who led the Rams to a state runner-up finish in 2023. “I’m really proud of what they’ve accomplished. If things go right for us, those three could do some special things in the FHSAA State Series this year. We lost Abraham Burangulov, who was the fourth member of the relays last year, he graduated, but we picked up his younger brother and a few other really talented freshmen.”
Senior Sebastian Jeong won the 50 freestyle with a time of 23.81.
The Rams have a chance to make a splash in Class 2A again after last year’s fourth-place finish at state.
“Our region is really tough with three of the top four teams in the state last year,” Allen said. “But if we have a strong showing there, we will definitely be in the mix to make a run at the top spots.”
Buchholz junior Isaac Rick finished first in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:03.34) while freshman teammate Alexander Mauldin was second (1:05.40).
The Bobcats’ 200 medley relay team of Rick, senior Riley Davis, junior Sam Opsina, and sophomore Yufei Wang finished first with a time of 1:41.93, while the 400 freestyle relay team of Rick, Davis, Opsina and Wang finished second behind Eastside in the 400 freestyle relay (3:25.62).
Christopher Chu had a good day for the Hurricanes.
The senior finished second individually in the 100 freestyle (51.28) and third in the 200-yard freestyle (1:54.51).
He was also a part of the 200 freestyle relay team with fellow senior Casey Whitaker and juniors Nathan Roberts and Felipe Kirst, who finished second (1:36.25) behind Eastside (1:34.03).
GHS senior Timothy Spanier contributed 20 points by winning the 1-meter diving competition (335.48).
“Chris is a good kid, and to be honest, our boys team will go as far as Chris and fellow senior Casey Whitaker take them,” Krause said. “George (Li), Nate (Roberts), Felipe (Kirst) and Tim (Spanier) all stepped up and played an important part.”
Krause was pleased overall with both of his teams.
“I thought both the girls and boys were involved and focused,” he said. “They swam and dove well, and that kept us ahead of P.K. Yonge, which is where we thought we could be if we had a good meet.”
Rob Ramirez City Championship Meet (Saturday, Sept. 20)
Girls – Team Scores
Place School Points
1 Eastside – 498
2 Buchholz – 433
3 Gainesville – 288
4 P.K. Yonge – 282
5 Columbia (Lake City) – 177
6 Oak Hall School – 121
7 Santa Fe (Alachua) – 90
8 Saint Francis Catholic Academy – 68
9 Union County (Lake Butler) – 40
Boys – Team Scores
Place School Points
1 Eastside – 592
2 Buchholz – 439
3 Gainesville – 253
4 P.K. Yonge – 181
5 Oak Hall School – 171
6 Saint Francis Catholic Academy – 155
7 Santa Fe (Alachua) – 54
8 Columbia (Lake City) – 52
Click here for Individual results
