High school swimming: Estero's Cadence Fort wins 500 freestyle at Class 2A state meet

When the Estero High girls swimming team made its way up to receive its Class 2A state runner-up trophy Friday night at Sailfish Splash Water Park in Stuart, the meet organizers also handed Wildcats coach Heather Fort a box of silver medals.

Hopefully, the FHSAA bought those medals in bulk or else they wasted their money. Estero's eight swimmers scored enough to hold off Gulliver Prep and Academy of Holy Names, which beat the Wildcats a week ago to win a regional title, to take second place behind Pine Crest.

About the medals, Fort said with a laugh, "They usually expect a bigger team."

Despite its lack of numbers, Estero expected to be in the hunt for a team trophy.

"We have great swimmers who are fast and swam with a lot of heart," Fort said. "We knew going in, we scored it on the selection sheets and knew it was close."

Estero freshman Cadence Fort won Southwest Florida's lone title, taking the 500-yard freestyle, which featured four Lee County girls in the final, in 4 minutes, 56.32 seconds. Cape Coral's Nicole Rodriguez was third (5:01.71), Estero's Kelsey Swartout was fifth (5:07.35), and the Wildcats' McKenna Fiore was seventh (5:10.69).

"I was very happy with (her swim), as a freshman to be in All-American consideration and win a state title, that's pretty fantastic," Fort said of her daughter.

Rodriguez also was fourth in the 200 individual medley (2:08.54), and Fort was fifth in the 200 free (1:53.87). Fort was also on the 400 free relay that finished fourth (3:38.02), along with Jewels Carlini, Kelsey Swartout and Mikayla Puckett, and was part of the 7th-place 200 free relay team (1:41.47) with Carlini, Puckett, and Maggi Burnett.

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Carlini, a sophomore, was fifth in the 100 freestyle (52.85) and eighth in the 50 free (24.48). Puckett was sixth in the 100 breaststroke  (1:06.67) and eighth in the 100 butterfly (59.23). Estero's 200 medley relay team of Burnett, Kyleigh Harms, Swartout, and Kelsey Rairden won the B Final in 1:52.93.

Cape Coral's 400 free relay team of Rodriguez, Christina Walch, Natalie Handzlik, and Madison Lehman was seventh in 3:42.98.

Cape Coral coach Diane Kimble thought Lehman, her freshman swimmer, also had a strong meet in the 50 and 100 free as well as the relay.

"She had a standout meet for a freshman," Kimble said. "You have to deal with freshman nerves and she did great. We were pleased with what we saw but we know she has more in her so we can’t wait to see what she does in the future."

Like Estero, Cape Coral has a young team and will have all but two of its members that went to state back next season.

“A lot of these kids are first time on a state team so it's a great opportunity for them to get used to this kind of level of competition, get the nerves out and be ready to rock and roll next year," Kimble said.

Only one area boy made a final. Florian Lenhard of Estero was fourth in the 100 freestyle in 47.56. Lenhard also won the B Final in the 200 free in 1:45.21.