Cardinal Gibbons senior Juliet Radich knows only two things when it comes to diving: winning state championships and setting records. Radich successfully defended her state championship for a third consecutive time and completed an undefeated high school diving streak spanning 35 meets.
She scored an impressive 527.40 points to easily clinch the 1-meter diving state title on Friday at the Class 2A state meet held at the Florida Aquatics Swimming and Training Center (FAST) in Ocala. This marked the second straight year Radich topped 500 points and won by more than 100 points. She bested runner-up Seminole senior Victoria Teixeira, who scored 393.75 points.
A University of North Carolina commit, Radich finished second in the country last year on the 10-meter platform and has captured four Junior National titles overall. “I am pretty happy about it,” Radich said by phone.
Just a week earlier, Radich broke her own school record by scoring 556.25 points to win the regional championship. Her previous best was 544.25 points, set as a freshman at the regional competition.
Radich was unable to compete at the state meet during her freshman year when Hurricane Nicole forced the event to be postponed by a week. At that time, she was committed to an international diving competition in Ireland, where she won the 10-meter platform event.
“I didn’t necessarily feel any pressure this year,” Radich said. “I definitely felt supported by my coaches, and I just wanted to go out there and have fun for my last meet. I was excited, and I had changed my dives after districts, and I felt more confident with my list.”
Last year, Radich scored 517.05 points to win her second straight title by more than 123 points, beating runner-up Madison Bates of Naples, who had 393.50 points. At this year’s state meet, Radich said she carried the confidence she gained from setting the school record in regionals.
“I wasn’t thinking of any records. I just wanted to stay locked in and have fun,” Radich said. “It made me feel so amazing. I am so honored, and definitely proud of myself for never losing a competition in high school, and my performance at state has been pretty consistent.”
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**Local Teams Perform Well at State Meet**
Dreyfoos School was the top local girls team finisher, taking ninth place with 95 points. Pompano Beach finished 11th with 94 points, American Heritage was 13th with 73.5 points, and Calvary Christian Academy took 15th place with 69 points. Coral Springs Charter finished 19th with 41 points. Mater Lakes Academy won the girls state title with 200.5 points.
American Heritage junior Liliana Novak impressed, finishing second in the 100 free (51.85) and third in the 50 free (23.81). Calvary Christian Academy senior Marley Tyner earned fifth place in the 50 free (24.19).
“I am really happy with it,” Novak said by phone. “The finals were so much fun. This morning (Friday), in prelims, I was so focused on going best times, and I am starting to realize that doesn’t really work for me. It is better for me to be in the moment, and in finals I was just happy to be here, and be with my friends, and the outcome was so much better.”
In her freshman year at state, Novak made the B Finals, and last year she placed fifth in the 50 free.
Pompano Beach sophomore Alina Rodriguez was fifth in the girls’ 200 free (1: 64.13) and seventh in the 100 fly (58.64). Dreyfoos junior Allison Connors placed seventh in the 500 free (5:15.24), while teammate Emma Han was fifth in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.96). Han was the top point-getter for the Jaguars, scoring 19 points.
Coral Springs Charter’s girls placed fifth in the 200 medley relay, Calvary Christian Academy was sixth in the 200 free relay, and Pompano Beach finished seventh in the same event. Additionally, Pompano Beach placed fifth in the 400 free relay, while Coral Springs Charter was sixth.
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**Moberg First to Win Disability Races at FHSAA State Meet**
This year marked the first time the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) offered events for special needs athletes, and two local swimmers owned the podium in Class 2A.
In the 50-yard freestyle disability race, Coral Springs Charter senior Faith Moberg won with a time of 36.28 seconds, while Cardinal Gibbons freshman Elizabeth Mathews finished as runner-up. Moberg later captured the 100 freestyle disability event with a personal best time of 1:25.07, again finishing ahead of Mathews.
“It’s really cool to end my senior year representing my school, being a state champion, and winning medals,” Moberg said by phone. “It was a great way to end my season and my swimming career.”
“It’s also really cool to be the first disability swimmer,” Moberg added. She has also competed and won at different levels in the Special Olympics in swimming, track, tennis, basketball, equestrian, and volleyball.
Moberg, who has cerebral palsy, hypotonia, and a visual disability, typically competes in longer distances in swimming for the Special Olympics.
“The crowd was going nuts,” said Faith’s mother, Joyce. “It was just a moment to see. After Faith won, she turned to cheer for Elizabeth. It was great for the state to do this. It shed light on people with disabilities.”
“We are still in shock,” Coral Springs Charter swim coach Sheri Wells said. “Faith has done well in Special Olympics, and it was great for her to compete. She is the first disabled swimmer to ever win, and she has that history for the rest of her life.”
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**Farinas Wins Two Class 1A Championships Despite Upcoming Surgery**
Just one week before her 13th foot surgery, Oxbridge Academy senior Gabi Farinas struck gold twice. Farinas won both the 50 free (29.08) and 100 free (1:02.93) disability races at the Class 1A FHSAA state swimming and diving championships at FAST in Ocala on Saturday night.
“It’s just amazing, and it is my first state meet too,” said Farinas, who has been swimming for the school since eighth grade.
She has severe bilateral club foot and has undergone a dozen surgeries and countless procedures. She is scheduled for another ankle surgery next week in Seattle, which will delay her signing a scholarship with Emory University by eight days.
“It’s been really hard because I have been going to districts and training for the Paralympics too,” Farinas explained. “When I heard this year that I would be able to compete at states, I was ecstatic. I really have no words for it. I really love swimming, and I can take time off after a surgery and come back stronger and better. I don’t fear surgery because I can come back.”
Farinas expressed gratitude toward the FHSAA for allowing swimmers with disabilities to compete in the state competition this year.
“I think, even since I started swimming eight years ago, this does a lot to raise awareness,” she said. “Not even just high school, but colleges too. It makes me happy because these freshmen will get states for four years. I am happy I had it for one year. I didn’t even know they were giving out medals and a podium. That’s amazing.”
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**Other Notable Performances**
University School sophomore Naiyla Di Sarno won the 100 breaststroke (1:02.68), while King’s Academy junior Tessa Broedell placed fifth (1:03.64).
“It was really exciting for me because I really didn’t expect it,” Di Sarno said. “I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but I knew I had it in me.”
Di Sarno said her 200 IM preliminary race in the morning motivated her to win the breaststroke event. “Even though I placed in the ‘B final’ of the IM, I really wanted to win the breast,” she added. “It was shocking at first because I got what I really wanted. This compares to like when you are a little kid and you get exactly what you wanted for Christmas. It was a lot of joy.”
Benjamin sophomore Feagin Kaminski won the 100 backstroke (55.43), while University School junior Maria Camila Perez took fourth (56.16). Perez also placed eighth in the 200 IM (2:07.17).
St. Andrew’s girls finished third with 153.5 points, Pine Crest was fourth (136.5 points), and Benjamin took fifth place (116 points). King’s Academy placed seventh with 84 points, while University School was eighth with 77 points.
St. Andrew’s sophomore Millie Cochrane was second in the 1A 1-meter diving competition, scoring 388.95 points. St. Andrew’s freshman Cielo Moya Vargas took third in the girls’ 50 free (23.85). Three other local swimmers closely followed with finishes from fourth to sixth: King’s Academy’s Selah Austin (23.86), Pine Crest senior Parker Jacobson-Bertanzetti (24.01), and St. Andrew’s junior Alera Hurwitz (24.08).
Vargas also finished fourth in the 100 fly (58.04), while Benjamin junior Rachel Nussbaum placed eighth (52.83) in the 100 free. Pine Crest senior Sara Miller was sixth in the girls’ 200 IM (2:06.69).
King’s Academy girls were third in the 200 medley relay (1:46.64), followed by St. Andrew’s (fourth, 1:47.36), Benjamin (fifth, 1:48.88), and Pine Crest (seventh, 1:49.36).
In the 200 free relay, Pine Crest finished fourth (1:38.38). In the 400 free relay, Pine Crest girls took third (3:29.86), St. Andrew’s was fourth (3:32.37), Benjamin fifth (3:33.57), and University School eighth (3:36.83).
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/11/09/cardinal-gibbons-radich-three-peats-in-diving-at-class-2a-state-championship/
