Jake Mannarino dives to FHSAA championship; Winter Park, Oviedo swim to 3rd places

Jake Mannarino, a national champion diver who had not won a high school state championship before, can finally add that gold medal to his stack of accomplishments.The 17-year-old senior, competing for Winter Park High school, posted a record-setting 683.80 score to win the 1-meter diving competition. His points total broke a longstanding FHSAA state meet record in Saturday’s Class 4A championships meet at the Florida Aquatics Swimming Training (FAST) center in Ocala.“I had the meet of my life,” Marrarino said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better performance. I couldn’t ask for better people supporting me. I’m extremely proud. It was my goal to beat the state record. We just didn’t know what that record was until after I did my dives and saw the score.”Mannarino, an Orange County Public Schools virtual school student, has won 16-18 national age group national titles after training for years with the Orlando Dive Academy, which is directed by the husband-wife team of Terry and Jaq Horner.Mannarino credited the Horners and Winter Park High aquatics coach Joe Auer for running “phenomenal programs”.“He’s been a very, very talented diver from the first day of practice with us,” said Terry Horner. “He’s still getting better.”Mannarino was rated by SwimSwam.com as diving’s best senior college prospect. He committed to sign with Tennessee in a deal that includes a full ride scholarship and NIL money.As a ninth grader he finished fifth in 4A diving and was second in 2024 as a sophomore. Both times he was diving for Windermere High. He didn’t compete in high school diving as a junior but gave it another try this year and is glad he did.West Orange’s Olivia Turner was second with 419.85 points in the girls diving competition.Swim eventsIn swimming events, Orlando-area schools brought home three more first-place medals.Mannarino’s teammate, elite junior Denzo Senekal won the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 48.63 seconds. He also finished tied for runner-up in the 200 freestyle to help Winter Park finish third in close team standings with 186.5 points, just behind state champion Jupiter (206.5) and runner-up Cypress Creek (201).There were three other local boys’ runner-up efforts.Seminole senior Will McWard was second in the 50 free at 20.13. He also placed fourth in the 100 freestyle, and was part of the Seminoles’ runner-up 200 free relay team alongside John Slater, Alexander Quach and Caiden Thompson.Lake Minneola sophomore Jack Reburn was runner-up in the 500 free.Windermere girls had a 1-2 finish in the 100 breaststroke, and had two other runner-up finishes.Sophomore Anna Leneis edged senior teammate Aidyn Reese by 0.07 to earn first place. Reese was also runner-up in the 200 individual medley, and was part of the Wolverines’ runner-up finish in the 200 medley relay. Leneis also swam a leg on that relay, along with Zara Benchekroun and Liz Johnson, who had a second-place effort of her own in the 200 free.The other local girls first-place finish went to Oviedo in the 400 free relay. The effort by the team of Laney Cupit, Josie Densberger, Natasha Goodwin and Danielle Giddens helped the Lions finish as the top Orlando-area team and third overall with 158 points. Windermere was fourth with 139 points. They were behind runner-up St Johns Creekside (221) and Sarasota Riverview, which ran away with its fifth straight title with 350.5 points.Giddens, a junior, was runner-up in the 100 free and was part of an exciting “splash and dash” 50 free in which she was third, only 0.03 behind the winner. Oviedo’s 200 free relay team also finished second.Varsity Content Editor Buddy Collings can be reached by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.