Telegraph Staff Writer
Freshman Eva Whitehead became the first-ever Union County High School athlete to compete in the swimming state finals, placing 20th and 23rd in the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard individual medley, respectively, at the Class 1A championships on Nov. 18 in Stuart.
This was the first UCHS has participated in swimming. The Tigers had two compete in Whitehead and junior Abby Gainey, with Whitehead able to advance beyond the district and region levels.
In the 100 backstroke, Whitehead swam 59.35 in the preliminaries, while in the 200 IM preliminaries, she swam 2:13.
Each of Whitehead’s events included a reigning state champion. Erika Pelaez, a homeschooled student who competes for South Florida HEAT (Home Educated Athletic Teams), won the 100 backstroke in 2021 and took the title again with a state-record time of 51.78. Pine Crest’s Julia Podkoscielny repeated as 200 IM champ with a time of 1:58.
Podkoscielny and Pelaez are University of Florida and North Carolina State University commits, respectively.
