Triumphs in the pool: Parsons, Dolis, Tomasiewicz highlight all-county teams

Swim season saw several success stories county-wide with a state champion and several top finishes at the state championships.

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Boys Swimmer of the Year: Ben Parsons, Arnold

The University of Tampa commit finally achieved what he has long worked hard for and won a state championship in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 45.83 seconds.

The senior said he has been influenced by a lot of great people and had several highlights across the season.

"Winning state was one of those moments you have to be in to understand what it feels like," Parsons said. "Winning county for the first time was big and regionals after that was even better."

The formula to being an elite swimmer relies heavily on an extensive amount of practice. Parsons said on average he trains four days per week and swims six days per week on a year-round schedule. When it is time to get into the blocks, Parsons said he follows his usual routine which gets him into his zone.

"Before each race praying is huge for me, with music and adrenaline it gets me going every time," Parson said.

Girls Swimmer of the Year: Deana Dolis, Mosley

Deana Dolis had a goal to cut down her best 100 freestyle time, which she achieved her sophomore season. Two years later, she achieved that goal in her final high school race in the state championship.

"It was a great way to end my high school swimming career," Dolis said. "All my teammates came and hugged me and made it feel very special."

Dolis said throughout the season she was struggling with tendinitis in her shoulder. The senior pushed through, winning the Class 3A District 1 title and going on to finish 12th at state.

"The tendinitis was definitely a challenge, especially as a sprint freestyler this season, just getting up, with school work and all of that was difficult," she said.

Dolis credited her heart and will to keep on going, along with a calm head as the keys to her achievements.

Diver of the Year: Preston Tomasiewicz, Arnold

Preston Tomasiewicz epitomizes continued hard work and progression. As a freshman, he finished third in the region, advancing to state where he finished 10th. Tomasiewicz followed it up with a sophomore campaign which saw him place first in regionals and fifth at state.

This season, he advanced to state once again, this time finishing fourth overall, with the hopes of reaching the podium next season.

"Every time I dive I mentally prepare myself for seeing different objects while I rotate in the air looking for the blue while I'm in the air," Tomasiewicz said. "It is a lot of focusing and praying."

In the offseason, Tomasiewicz attends camps at Florida State University Panama City to train and practice up to four hours a day diving in and out of the pool.

A part of that training is doing rotations as part of the diving routine. One of the struggles Tomasiewicz encountered this past season was a "front two and a half."

"I couldn't get it over my head that I had to flip two and a half times and put my head in the water," Tomasiewicz said. "It was really nerve-racking but I finally got it and completed it at state."

Banji Bamidele is a sports reporter for the Panama City News Herald. He can be reached at abamidele@gannett.com or through X, formerly known as Twitter, @AdebanjiBamide1.

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: All-Bay County high school swim teams for fall 2023 season