CLEARWATER — Last year, senior-laden Palm Harbor University won its 10th straight Pinellas County Aquatic Conference boys championship en route to a state title.
Countryside is hoping to travel that same road now.
Even without standout Cooper Hoffman (recruiting visit to LSU), the Cougars (390 points) snuck past East Lake (371) and PHU (333.5) for the league crown Saturday.
Senior Michael Lombardo was part of two winning relays and freshmen Robert Finke broke the school’s 500 freestyle record twice (4:37.99 in winning the final) and was second in the 200 free.
East Lake sophomore Vance Sanders won the 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly and was on the winning 200 medley relay and the 400 free relay that came in second.
“In the morning (prelims), I was a body and a half behind in the back and I wasn’t going to let that happen,” Sanders said. “I won that heat, and things went the way they were supposed to (yesterday).”
For the girls, an athlete looking to peak for next month’s state championships combined with another hitting lifetime peaks.
With recruiting trips to Michigan and Indiana done and Texas A&M on the horizon, a road-weary Sydney Pickrem was still the unofficial MVP.
The East Lake senior carved 11/2 seconds from her own 200 IM meet record (2:00.61), easily erased Olympian Megan Romano’s 2005 PCAC mark in the 100 backstroke (54.54), and anchored a meet-record 3:28.00 effort in the 400 freestyle relay.
“The 100 back is not my top event, so to break a record there was good,” Pickrem said. “I raced Megan internationally with Canada (Pickrem has dual citizenship), and to be at her level here is awesome.”
The happiest athlete at Long Center might have been Lauren McIntosh, who helped PHU to the team title.