Mustangs boys swimmer a state title threat in the 100 butterfly

Sebastian Aguirre was looking at a fourth-place finish for his relay team until he — figuratively and literally — kicked into overdrive.

It was in September of 2016, the Lakewood Ranch High junior’s first time in an international competition, representing Colombia in the Copa Pacifico meet, an annual junior swimming event involving all South American countries plus Panama and Puerto Rico.

Although he was born in Silver Spring, Md., and moved to Lakewood Ranch when he was 2 years old, his mother, Sandra Aguirre, is from Colombia, and international rules state that makes Sebastian eligible.

He was swimming the anchor leg of the boys 100 meter freestyle relay. The country was counting on him, and he was determined not to finish off the medal stand.

After diving into the water for the final leg, he quickly moved into third place, At the halfway point of his final leg, on his kick turn, he zoomed into second. He doesn’t remember either of the countries he passed for those positions, because they ultimately became irrelevant. (It was Chile and Brazil.) He does remember being “neck-and-neck” with Peru down the race’s home stretch, catching the Colombian moms in the stands yelling and waving their arms out of the corner of his eye, and extending his arms farther than he thought physically possible when at the wall.

The effort was worth it. Aguirre and his team won the relay in 3:45.44, besting Peru by .26 seconds.

“That was a lot of fun,” he said. “Certainly a race to remember.”

He remembers it for both the victory and experience and also because what he saw from the other competitors. Regardless of their birthplace, he took note of how hard the top competitors worked. Every stroke of every practice lap mattered to the top athletes, Aguirre said. He brought that mentality back to the United States with him.

It’s done wonders. Aguirre, who considers the 100 butterfly to be his best event, said he dropped two seconds from his time in that event after the Copa Pacifico. He finished sixth in the state at last October’s Florida High School Athletic Association championships (51.29 seconds), and this year has designs on getting under 50 seconds.

To do that, Aguirre concentrates on consistency.

“During practice, sometimes I’ll think, ‘Oh man, am I tired,’” Aguirre said. “I don’t want to keep going, but you can’t think that. You have to put that in the back of your head and think about the results. If you do go hard on this, it will help you drop time."

Aguirre’s Mustangs swim coach, Julie Santiago, said he’s well-positioned to reach his goal this season. His natural talent helps, but he’s also a pure racer, she said, and has always been a strong finisher, his Chilean comeback victory being evidence of that truth. He’s spread his attitude to the rest of the Lakewood Ranch roster, too.

At the end of last season, while still a sophomore, Aguirre was voted a captain for the current season. It was a sign of how respected he is, both in the water and in the locker room, Santiago said.

In addition to the 100 butterfly, Aguirre hopes to make the state meet in the 100 backstroke, which he did last year, finishing a self-admittedly surprising 13th. His goal in that event is to make the final heat, he said. 

Whether Aguirre can accomplish his goals will be determined soon. Lakewood Ranch's district meet starts at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 28 at Palm Harbor University High. The state meet will be held Nov. 10.  

Aguirre insists, no matter what, no one will compete harder than he will.

"There are people out there, the people you race at states, who train at the same intensity as you, the same everything," Aguirre said. "The difference between you and him is that one practice where you say, ‘You know what? I’m not feeling good today, I’m not going to push myself.’ That’s the difference between first and second place.”