Hit or Miss: Jen Blanco

Austin Katz loves to race older swimmers. 

The Sarasota Sharks swimmer, who will be a senior at Riverview in the fall, got his wish in the 200-meter backstroke, at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials June 30 through July 1. 

Seeded 12th in his signature event, Katz finished eighth overall in the opening heat races to advance to the semifinals. Katz returned to the pool later that evening, finishing sixth in one minute, 57.72 seconds to earn a berth in the finals. 

Katz may have been the youngest of the eight swimmers in the final, but that didn’t deter the Sharks rising star. 

In his first final of the Trials, Katz posted a new personal best time of 1:57.20 to finish fifth — less than two seconds behind defending Olympic champion Tyler Clary, who finished third. 

“Racing is what this whole sport is about,” Katz said. “I love the race. The 200-meter backstroke is one of the United States’ most dominating event, so it’s a blessing and a curse that it’s my best best event.” 

While Katz might not be heading to Rio next month, the Rams swimmer already is looking ahead to 2020. His flight might not be booked just yet, but don’t be surprised if Katz isn’t a favorite heading into the next Trials. 

Two other Sharks swimmers went the distance at the Trials July 2. Riverview graduates Drew Clark and Carter Page, finished 74th (15:58.33) and 76th (16:00.20) respectively in the 1,500 freestyle, arguably the most grueling race of the Trials. 

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The Sarasota American Little League 11- and 12-year-old All-Star team appears to have picked up right where it left off last season. 

After reaching the state tournament each of the past two seasons, the defending District 16 champions scored a pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning to break a 7-7 tie and went on to outlast Venice 9-7 to win the district championship July 4. It was the third meeting between the two teams in four days. 

"We have an outstanding ball club of 13 boys this year," coach Brian Wynne said. "Every player adds a valuable piece to our puzzle. Our motto is 13=1." 

Matthew Morelli hit a pair of solo home runs and starting pitcher Cooper Bowditch went 3-for-3 at the plate to help power Sarasota American, which scored 26 runs in four games. 

Bowditch recorded five strikeouts before turning the ball over to Pip Smalley in the fourth inning. Smalley retired the side in order in the sixth inning to earn the win for Sarasota American. 

Sarasota American finished the tournament 3-1 and while the players struggled to find their bats at various points early on, the team always found a way to battle back, as all four games came down to the last inning. 

"You could see the boys believing in each other and supporting one another," Wynne said. 

Sarasota American will now advance to the four-team Section 6 tournament, which will be held July 16-17, at Twin Lakes Park.