ST. PETERSBURG — Jay Hansen coaches the swim teams at St. Petersburg High. He also happens to be raising three of the country’s fastest young open-water swimmers.
Hansen’s oldest daughter, Karrington, now swims at Kentucky. Daughter Brinkleigh is being recruited by Ohio State and Texas, among others. Son Sawyer is a sophomore. All three, along with St. Pete freshman Ansley Bess, represented the United States at the World Junior Open Water Swimming Championships in Argentina.
All four came home with medals.
Brinkleigh won gold in the women’s 3K knockout sprint, finished second in the 7.5K in 1:29:25.80 and swam on a bronze-medal relay. It was the second time she has been a world junior champion.
“I’m just so excited I could do this for Team USA,” she told World Aquatics. “The amount that they stand behind me and support me and every athlete they have just means a lot, so I’m glad I could do it for them.”
Sawyer took silver in the men’s 5K in 56:36.90 and in the mixed 4x1,500-meter relay. Bess swam on that same relay and placed sixth in the women’s 5K in 1:01:12.50. Karrington was part of a bronze-medal relay and finished 14th in the women’s 10K in 2:02:34.40.
“All I can say is four of the 11 going are from the same high school and three are from the same family,” Hansen said. “The stars normally don’t align that way. For my wife Rebecca and I, it’s a proud moment. I don’t want to over-exaggerate this, but it’s truly earned. They’ve truly earned the chance to swim for Team USA, this country.”
Open-water racing bears little resemblance to swimming laps in a pool, and it can be dangerous. The championship races were held at Lago Sur, a freshwater lake in Santa Fe, Argentina, where swimmers fight for position in a pack for kilometers at a time.
Brinkleigh, who has also competed in Singapore, Portugal, Spain and Italy, took an arm or an elbow to the head rounding a buoy.
“I got a concussion,” she said. “I was going around a buoy when I got hit. I lost vision in my eye.”
“Those first 1,500 meters, you’re neck and neck,” her father said.
The three siblings have pushed and mentored one another for years, he said, and not only in the water.
“When we do family retreats, and they play cards or Monopoly, it’s competitive,” he said. “It also brings them closer. Brinkleigh has had a lot of success and Sawyer is up-and-coming. But nobody is happier to see Karrington on the team than those two. There’s been a lot of times when she’s been the bridesmaid but never the bride.”
The academics travel with them. When Hansen spoke with Ohio State coaches, who had also recruited Karrington, he told them she arrived at Kentucky with 57 1/2 college credits. He could hear them filing the number away, he said, to use with the parents of other recruits.
Asked whether being a Hansen raises the expectations on him, Sawyer turned it around: “I have high expectations for him as a coach.”
His father laughed. “Whatever we do, we do it with honor, pride and dignity,” he said.
Bess, who Hansen said is close to the family, learned from her mother, Jessica, that she had qualified for world juniors. She credited coach Fred Lewis.
“You go through tough practices, but he knows what he’s doing,” Bess said.
Sawyer spoke for the group: “It’s a dream come true to be represented by the greatest country in the world.”
Home waters
The Green Devils bring most of that firepower home to a program already among the state’s best. The girls finished second and the boys eighth at last year’s Class 3A state meet, and St. Pete opened this season with girls and boys wins over Class 4A power Palm Harbor University.
“I think we’re both in the top five this year,” Hansen said.
The Green Devils lost a few key swimmers, but they have the numbers to absorb it. St. Pete advanced 36 swimmers from districts to regionals last season.
“We have both insane swimmers and depth,” Brinkleigh said. “So it’s a perfect mix.”
At state, Brinkleigh won the 500-yard freestyle, finished second in the 200 free and swam on the winning 200 and 400 freestyle relays. Also back are Sky Ross, part of the third-place 200 medley relay, and diver Addy Dambeck, who finished eighth. Lizzy Santana, Bella Descent and Harper Sango are among the other top girls.
On the boys’ side, Christian Guettler was third in the 100 free and fourth in the 50 free, and Sawyer was seventh in the 500 free. Colby Hehenberger, Jacob Roberts, Nolan Kurtz and Abram Kinzel also return.
“We have everything from All-Americans and elites to swimmers who are proud to be on this team,” Hansen said. “My job is to get them motivated and excited.”
Quick hits
Northside Christian sweeps Bradenton Christian tournament
Northside Christian’s volleyball team won the Bradenton Christian tournament, beating Indian Rocks Christian 2-0 in the championship match.
Aaliyah Cancellari was named tournament MVP, and teammate Brinley Temperton earned all-tournament honors.
The Mustangs are ranked fourth overall in the state in the latest FHSAA rankings. If that holds, Northside would land in the Open Division, the FHSAA’s bracket for the state’s top-ranked teams regardless of class.
Cofield gets first win at Pinellas Park
New Pinellas Park coach Takoby Cofield picked up his first varsity win Sept. 4, as the Patriots held off Dunedin 14-6 on the road.
Pinellas Park ran the ball 29 times for 206 yards. Junior Jhai Hitchcock carried 11 times for 110 yards and a touchdown, including a 40-yard run. Nate Vega added 52 yards on eight carries and Chayse Armstrong ran 10 times for 44 yards. Quarterback Laderian Jackson completed 3 of 5 passes for 18 yards.
Cofield, hired this offseason, played offensive line at Duke from 2011 to 2014 and earned All-ACC honors as a senior. He spent time with NFL and CFL clubs, including Washington and the Seattle Seahawks, and coached at the pro level before taking the Pinellas Park job.
Largo’s Matthews sets single-game receiving record
Largo senior Cyncere Matthews caught four passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns in the Packers’ 46-12 win at Tarpon Springs on Sept. 4, a single-game school record for receiving yards.
Largo threw for 310 yards. Junior Dylan Lester completed 5 of 6 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns, and freshman Braylon Strouble went 7 of 8 for 130 yards and a score.
Rashad Smith added 105 yards and three rushing touchdowns on 10 carries, and Howard Brown returned a fumble 65 yards for a score. Travon Rackard led the defense with 13 tackles.
The Packers are 3-0. Tarpon Springs dropped to 2-1.