PCHS Bulletin - Paige Harlow
Date Published - October 10, 2025
The Parrish Community High School swim team is riding a wave of success this season, setting school records, defeating major rivals, and finishing near the top of the leaderboard at the Manatee County Championship Meet. With postseason competitions ahead, the Bulls are looking forward to districts.
The swim team competed on Saturday, September 13, with Parrish competing in a triple-dual meet against St. Stephens, Bradenton Christian, and Braden River. The Bulls left with a clean sweep, winning overall and posting two new school records. The Boys 200 Freestyle Relay team set the first record with a time of 1:44.94, followed by Camden Macek, who broke the 200 Individual Medley record with a time of 2:11.91.
On Friday, September 19, the Bulls faced another district rival, Palmetto High School, in a dual meet. Parrish secured a huge victory taking home the win for the girls, boys, and combined scores.
“This was a big victory for us,” said Head Coach Courtney Lancaster. “Our team is pretty evenly matched with Palmetto, but I think what made the difference is that our swimmers are more diverse in their events. That spread gave us more opportunities to score points across the meet.”
That same meet also served as Senior Night, where the team’s graduating swimmers were celebrated with flowers, decorated posters, and the chance to walk the pool deck with their families. The night ended with a fun jump off the starting blocks, marking the seniors’ final home meet at Parrish.
Coach Lancaster also highlighted freshman standout Kaleb Nonnemaker. Nonnemaker, part of the record-setting Boys 200 Freestyle A Relay, has been impressive with his speed and dedication. “He’s showing us his power in the pool,” Lancaster stated. “He’s definitely one to watch.”
The Bulls continued to build momentum through the rest of September, competing in another multi-team meet on Saturday, September 27, against Southeast, Braden River, Palmetto, and Bayshore, before heading into one of the biggest meets of the year, the Manatee County Championship Meet on Friday, October 3.
The County Championships brought together eight schools from across the county. Despite missing a day of school to compete, the team delivered an outstanding performance. The girls placed 3rd, the boys 2nd, and Parrish finished 2nd overall in combined scoring.
Additionally, they took home numerous individual awards. Camden Macek placed 2nd in both the 50 Free and 100 Back. Ryan Davis earned 4th in the 200 IM and 3rd in the 100 Breast. Cheney Morris took 4th in the 200 Free and 2nd in the 100 Free. Heidi Privett placed 5th in the 50 Free and 2nd in the 100 Breast.
Luke Ferra, Ethan Forcucci, Ian Stanford, Kambree McReynolds, Izabella Palacios, Ella Stanford, Addison Thiers, and Sharon Vargas Cunningham all finished in the top eight of their respective events, earning valuable points for the team.
The relay teams also played a major role in Parrish’s success. The Boys 200 Free Relay (Ferra, Nonnemaker, Davis, and Macek) took 2nd place, continuing their streak as one of the top relays in the county. The Girls 400 Free Relay (McReynolds, Thiers, Vandergriff, and Morris) also finished 2nd. The Boys 400 Free Relay (Forcucci, Muniz, Stanford, and McBurnie) claimed 2nd, while the Girls 200 Medley and 200 Free Relays each earned 4th place finishes.
In addition to the competition, the County Championships also featured a senior recognition ceremony for swimmers from all participating schools. Seniors were presented with carnations, walked with their families, and capped off the moment with another celebratory jump off the blocks.
“This marks the end of what we call our ‘county season,’” Lancaster explained. “We’ve just finished the peak of our season, and now we’re focusing on shorter speed sets and refining main strokes for the state series.”