With the high school swimming season kicking off, here are 30 boys and girls to watch from the Cap Coral, Fort Myers, Naples area for 2025.
Grab your swimsuit and goggles because the high school swimming and diving season is here.
We put together a pool of Southwest Florida athletes who are poised to make a splash this season.
Here are the 30 names in boys and girls swimming that you need to know. Athletes are listed alphabetically.
SW FL Girls Swimmers to Watch
Ava Baldwin
School: Aubrey Rogers
Year: Senior
Last season, Baldwin won a district title, came in third at regionals, and finished 16th at the Class 2A state meet in the 100 free. In the 50 free, she was district runner-up, came in second at regionals, and 11th at states.
Katia Bushko
School: Estero
Year: Junior
Bushko is coming off a season where she earned an eighth-place medal in the 500 free at the Class 2A state meet and also qualified for the 200 free. She finished second in the 500 free at regionals and districts.
Gianna Buchanan
School: Naples
Year: Senior
After winning a district title in the 100 back and coming in second at regions, Buchanan earned a sixth-place medal in the event at the Class 2A state meet last season. She also qualified for states in the 200 IM.
Mila Buchanan
School: Naples
Year: Sophomore
In her freshman season, Buchanan captured the district title in the 100 fly and came in third at regionals before finishing in fifth place at the Class 2A state meet. She also qualified for states in the 100 breast.
Abigail Burke
School: Barron Collier
Year: Freshman
Burke will be an intriguing prospect for the Cougars as an incoming freshman. In July, she competed at the USA Swimming Futures Championship in Ocala and won the 50 free while placing in the top five in three other events.
Alejandra Figueroa
School: Cape Coral
Year: Senior
At last year's Class 3A state meet, Figueroa finished 13th in the 100 back. At districts, she was runner-up in the 100 back and 200 IM.
Daynna Franklyn
School: Cape Coral
Year: Junior
Last season, Franklyn finished second in the 50 free and 100 free at districts. Qualifying in both events at the Class 3A state meet, she finished 19th and 15th, respectively.
Toula Hickmon
School: Naples
Year: Sophomore
As a freshman, Hickmon won the district title, came in second at regionals, and finished 10th in the 200 free at the Class 2A state meet. In the 100 back, she was runner-up at districts, third at regionals, and 11th at states.
Sarah Kirby
School: Estero
Year: Sophomore
Kirby came in second in the 100 free and third in the 200 free at districts in her freshman season. She qualified for the Class 2A state meet in both events and finished in 12th and 13th, respectively.
Eire Layton
School: Naples
Year: Senior
Last year, Layton qualified for the Class 2A state meet in the 500 free and 100 free and contributed to the Golden Eagles' eighth-place 200 free relay. She came in third place in the 50 free at districts.
Sophie Mokhiber
School: CSN
Year: Senior
Achieving some of the fastest time among area girls last season, Mokhiber won the district title in the 500 free, came in third at regionals, and finished 11th in the event at the Class 1A state meet. In the 200 free, she was runner-up in the 500, third at regionals, and 11th at state.
Skye Persechino
School: Oasis
Year: Junior
Last season, Persechino won the district title in the 200 free and finished second in the 500 free. She qualified for the Class 1A meet in the 500 free.
Karter Seluk
School: Estero
Year: Sophomore
In her freshman season, Seluk won district and regional titles in the 500 free and captured the silver medal in the event at the Class 2A state meet. She also qualified for states in the 100 fly and came in 14th.
Cameron Vetor
School: Aubrey Rogers
Year: Sophomore
At the Class 2A state meet, Vetor placed eighth in the 100 breast, 13th in the 200 IM and contributed to her team's sixth-place finish in the 200 medley relay in her freshman season. She was runner-up at districts in the 100 breast and 200 IM.
Reese Vetor
School: Aubrey Rogers
Year: Senior
Last season, Vetor earned district and regional titles in the 200 IM and placed 12th in the event at the Class 2A state meet. She also won a district title in the 100 breast, came in 15th at states, and helped earn the Patriots a sixth-place state medal in the 200 medley relay.
SW FL Boys Swimmers to Watch
Lucas Casey
School: CSN
Year: Senior
At last year's regional meet, Casey came in third in the 50 free and won the 100 free race. At the Class 1A state meet, he came in ninth in the 100 free and contributed to CSN's third-place finish in the 400 free relay.
Ryland Chappell
School: Fort Myers
Year: Senior
Last season, Chappell won district and regional titles in the 500 free and earned a state medal in the event at the Class 3A state meet. In the 200 free, he came in first at districts, second at regionals and 10th at state.
Emil Daniyar
School: Barron Collier
Year: Senior
Last season, Daniyar qualified for the Class 2A state meet in the 100 fly and finished in 14th place. He came in third in the event at regionals and second at districts.
Carter Dumont
School: Gulf Coast
Year: Junior
Dumont is coming off his sophomore season where he won a pair of district titles in the 100 free and 200 IM. He finished fourth in the 200 IM at regionals.
Nathan Edwards
School: Naples
Year: Senior
Edwards was the regional runner-up in the 200 IM and third in the 100 back last year. He came in 17th in both events at the Class 2A state meet.
Josef Florek
School: Estero
Year: Junior
Florek earned his first state medal in his sophomore season after finishing fifth in the 500 free at the Class 2A state meet. He also came in 14th in the 100 back. He was regional runner-up in both events and won the district title in the 100 back.
Cruz Hickmon
School: Naples
Year: Senior
Hickmon won a regional title in the 100 fly last season. He qualified for the Class 2A state meet in the 50 free and 100 fly.
Nicholas Kirby
School: Estero
Year: Junior
Last year, Kirby won a pair of district titles in the 200 free and 100 fly and qualified for the Class 2A state meet in both events. He earned a state medal after coming in seventh in the 200 free.
Zach Poskon
School: Oasis
Year: Senior
In his junior season Poskon qualified for the Class 1A meet in the 200 IM. He won the district title in the event and came in fourth at regionals.
Michael Richey-Klein
School: Naples
Year: Senior
A district and regional champion in 1-meter diving last season, Richey Klein came in second place in the event at the Class 2A state meet with a score of 420.90.
Brayden Saari
School: ECS
Year: Senior
Saari was a double district champion in the 50 free and 100 free swims last season. He qualified for the Class 1A meet in both events and finished 10th and 17th, respectively.
Hunter Seluk
School: Estero
Year: Senior
Last season, Seluk won a district title in the 100 breast and finished second in the 200 IM. He qualified for the Class 2A state meet in the 200 IM after coming in fourth at regionals.
Parker Seluk
School: Estero
Year: Senior
Last year, Seluk earned a district title in the 200 IM and came in third in the 500 free. He qualified for the Class 2A meet in both events with his best result coming with an 11th-place finish in the 500 free.
Robert Shapovalov
School: Fort Myers
Year: Sophomore
As a freshman, Shapovalov was the regional runner-up in the 100 back. At districts, he won the event and came in third in the 200 free.
Hayden Tedhams
School: Cape Coral
Year: Senior
Tedhams has qualified for the state meet every year of his career, swimming in both the 200 free and the 500 free events last season. He was the runner-up in both events at districts.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: 30 SW FL boys and girls high school swimmers to watch in 2025
Category: General Sports
