ORLANDO -- Fort Lauderdale swimmer Joel Widmer had never done the breaststroke at a state championship meet before.

On Saturday, he did it well enough to take third place in the 100-yard breaststroke at the Florida 2A state championships. Normally Widmer alternates strokes between club season and high school season, with backstroke being his primary stroke when he swims for Fort Lauderdale.

But Widmer struggled with his backstroke this year, which left him five months to make his breaststroke competitive at the state level.

''It's a great feeling,'' Widmer said. ``I changed strokes completely. Last year, I was doing backstroke, and just to get this far in breaststroke, which I just started doing five months ago, is a great feeling of accomplishment.''

Widmer's performance in the 100 breaststroke was only part of his big night. He was also part of Fort Lauderdale's third-place, 200-medley relay team.

Fort Lauderdale didn't qualify for the boys' 200 relay finals last year, but the team worked together throughout the season to become one of the best in the state.

''Last year we were nowhere near this,'' senior Hibai Iriondo said.

Widmer's win and the strong relay finish helped Fort Lauderdale take ninth place overall, the best finish among Broward schools.

''There are three seniors, and two of them have been four-year starters,'' Fort Lauderdale coach Ron Green said. ``This has been kind of the pinnacle of their career.''

West Broward's Tyler Sell came through with Broward's best finish of the night by taking second place in the boys' 500 freestyle.

The win also makes Sell the opening chapter in the Bobcats' championship legacy. West Broward opened this fall, and Sell's silver medal is the first state medal for the school.

Newsome's Jason Taylor won the event with a state-record time of 4:23.42.

Belen Jesuit won the boys' title for the third consecutive year, becoming the first boys' team from Dade to win three championships in a row since Miami Springs from 1965-67.

Boys' 2A results: 1. Belen Jesuit 200; 2. Boca Raton 188; 3. Fort Walton Beach 130; 4. Northeast 128; 4. Sebastian River 128; 9. Fort Lauderdale. 200 yard medley relay: 1. Belen Jesuit, 1:38.01; 2. Boca Raton, 1:39.36; 3. Fort Lauderdale, 1:39.75. 200 freestyle: 1. Scott Sommer, Forest High School, 1:37.95; 2. Jason Taylor, Newsome, 1:38.63; 3. Tim Martinelli, Sebastian River, 1:40.91; 4. Andy Vazquez, Belen Jesuit, 1:42.67; 5. Tyler Sell, West Broward, 1:42.80; 6. Hibai Iriondo, Fort Lauderdale, 1:42.84. 200 individual medley: 1. Carlos Omana, Belen Jesuit, 1:51.33; 2. Scott Ervin, Chiles, 1:51.50; 3. Cameron Chambers, Northeast, 1:56.11. 50 freestyle: 1. Matthew Schlytter, Nease, 20.62; 2. Zach Edwards, Bishop Kenny, 21.24; 3. David Humphrey, Sebastian River, 21.25; 5. Pablo Morejon, Belen Jesuit, 21.51. 1 meter diving: 1. Robert Kyle Lloyd, Gulf Coast, 457.20; 2. Cody Talbot, Satellite, 446.25; PJ Bennett, Northeast, 435.15. 100 yard freestyle: 1. Scott Sommer, Forest, 44:57; 2. Matthew Schlytter, Nease, 44.71; 3. Tim Martinelli, Sebastian River, 46.18; 5. Pablo Morejon, Belen Jesuit, 46.61. 100 butterfly: 1. Stephen Czaja, Boca Raton, 50.05; 2. Andy Vazquez, Belen Jesuit, 50.69; 3. Charles Castagna, Clearwater, 50.94. 500 freestyle: 1. Jason Taylor, Newsome, 4:23.42 (state record); 2. Tyler Sell, West Broward, 4:32.98; 3. Alex Strom, Choctawhatchee, 4:34.50; 7. Hibai Iriondo, Fort Lauderdale, 4:44.09. 200 freestyle relay: 1. Fort Walton Beach, 1:28.20; 2. Harmony, 1:28.33; 3. Satellite, 1:28.92. 100 backstroke: 1. Brad Morrison, Sunlake, 51.87; 2. Carlos Omana, Belen Jesuit, 52.27; 3. Charles Castagna, Clearwater, 52.74. 100 breaststroke: 1. Spencer Waganaar, Satellite, 58.95; 2. Donald Gerlach, Pedro Menendez, 59.96; 3. Joel Widmer, Fort Lauderdale, 1:00.13; Julio Lopez, 7. Belen Jesuit, 1:02.04. 400 freestyle relay: 1. Belen Jesuit, 3:11.56; 2. Northeast, 3:12.04; 3. Fort Walton Beach, 3:14.24.

Girls' 2A results: 1. Boca Raton 258.5; 2. Nease 146; 3. Plant 137.5; 4. Booker 135; 5. Northeast 124; 12. West Broward 84. 200 yard medley relay: 1. Boca Raton, 1:45.28; 2. Nease, 1:47.79; 3. Northeast, 1:51.79. 200 freestyle: Meg Romano, Northeast, 1:46.06; 2. Chelsea Franklin, Cypress Lake, 1:49.34; 3. Molly Dubrasky, Estero, 1:49.90; 8. Melissa Fernandez, West Broward, 1:55.94. 200 individual medley: 1. McKayla Lightbourn, Booker, 2:03.78; 2. Wesley Blassneck, Lely, 2:07.30; 3. Danielle Kerr, Eastside, 2:08.35. 50 freestyle: 1. Kaitlin Frehling, Seminole, 23.07; 2. Meg Anderson, Plant, 23.60; 3. Megan Wolfe, Sebring, 23.98; 4. Tiffany Oliver, West Broward, 24.01. 1 meter diving: 1. Kirstyn Shepler, Nease, 503.55; 2. Alexa Wollach, Newsome, 500.65; 3. Alex Hagan, Plant, 426.10; 12. Sarah Fisher, Pembroke Pines Charter, 367.70; 13. Erinn Wolfe, Fort Lauderdale, 360.90. 100 butterfly: 1. Kaitlin Frehling, Seminole, 55.47; 2. Alex Merritt, Lincoln, 55.89; 3. Heather Coutts, Bishop Kenny, 56.02; 7. Courtney Marx, Pembroke Pines Charter, 58.62. 100 freestyle: 1. Stacey Stanfield, St. Augustine, 50.96; 2. Rachel Ranson, Satellite, 51.02; 3. Meg Anderson, Plant, 51.06; 4. Tiffany Oliver, West Broward, 51.22; 6. Melissa Fernandez, West Broward, 52.55. 500 freestyle: 1. Molly Dubrasky, Estero, 4:45.36; 2. Chelsea Franklin, Cypress Lake, 4:50.75; 3. Sharla Milne, Newsome, 4:53.95. 200 freestyle relay: 1. Plant, 1:37.62. 2. Boca Raton, 1:38.72; 3. Nease, 1:38.78. 100 backstroke: 1. Meg Romano, Northeast, 54.12; 2. Danielle Smith, Boca Raton, 55.51; 3. Katie Pheil, Forest High School, 57.16. 100 breaststroke: Charlotte Williams, Boca Raton, 1:05.27;

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