Telegraph Staff Writer
Eva Whitehead, who was one of two who competed in Union County High School’s first-ever swim program, earned at-large bids to the Class 1A state finals in both of her events, qualifying with the times she swam at the Nov. 1 Region 1 finals at Bolles in Jacksonville.
Whitehead, a freshman, placed seventh in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 59.14 seconds, while her time of 2:13 in the 200-yard individual medley was good for eighth place.
The top two finishers in each event at each of Class 1A’s four regions automatically qualified for state, which will be held Friday, Nov. 11, at Sailfin Splash Waterpark and Aquatics Center in Stuart. At the Region 1 finals, the top two in the 100 backstroke were P.K. Yonge’s Lillian Nesty (53.82) and Bolles’ Lila Higgo (54.69), while the top two in the 200 individual medley were Higgo (2:03) and Episcopal’s Savannah Branon (2:04).
At-large bids were awarded by comparing all the times from Class 1A’s four regions and selecting the top 20 times.
