Lauderdale’s Drucker, Cypress Bay’s Mendes are Broward Swim Coaches of the Year
Both Adam Drucker at Fort Lauderdale High and Rodrigo Mendes at Cypress Bay helped their respective swimming and diving teams stand out as two of Broward County’s best this past season.
Each squad then turned strong efforts during the regular season into spirited performances that led to top 10 finishes at the state championships this past November in Ocala.
As such, Drucker and Mendes are the Miami Herald’s Swimming and Diving Coaches of the Year in Broward County for the 2025 season.
Drucker wins the honors once again this season on the girls’ side, as he led the Flying L’s to a BCAA team championship, a regional championship and a third-place finish in the Class 3A state meet for the second consecutive season.
Drucker’s squad did not lose a dual meet during the regular season. The bronze medal for the girls at the state meet was the highest finish of any Broward team this year regardless of classification.
The Flying L’s continued to have one of the deepest diving teams in the state, led on the girls’ side, by state champion Hayden Ferenc. Fort Lauderdale’s swimmers were led by Da’Jah German, who placed fifth in the 500 freestyle and third in the 50 freestyle.
Mendes is the Boys’ Coach of the Year after leading Cypress Bay to a boys’ BCAA championship, and later a 10th-place finish at the Class 4A meet.
Mendes’ squad advanced a program-record 12 swimmers to state. And Mendes, who also coaches the Cypress Bay girls, saw 12 more swimmers on that side qualify for state after finishing second at the BCAA meet. The Lightning also went unbeaten in dual meets this regular season.
The 200-yard medley relay team, consisting of junior Keagan Ives, freshmen Jayden Park and Noah Mejias, and sophomore Liam Fothergill highlighted the Lightning’s efforts at state. The quartet swam a time of 1:37.26 to place ninth at the Class 4A meet.
