Brevard County saw athletes from nine schools qualify for the FHSAA boys swimming and diving state championships last season.
The county brought home 14 state medals, including a state title in the Class 2A 100-yard freestyle by Satellite’s Sawyer Davis. He became the school’s 16th boys state champion and first since Cameron Johnson won diving in 2013.
Here are boys teams and athletes to watch this swim and dive season.
Teams to watch
Satellite High
Satellite is coming off one of its best seasons in recent history, finishing fourth in Class 2A. It was the Scorpions’ first top-10 finish since 2008 and the highest team finish since they were the state runner-up in 2006. They return seven state qualifiers led by senior Bastian Soto. He won silver in the 100-yard butterfly, bronze in the 200 medley and freestyle relays and fourth in the 50 free.
After falling one spot short of a medal in 2024, senior Levi Davison earned his spot on the state diving podium with a bronze-medal score of 366.20. Sophomores Gavin Domboru and Maxwell Morgan medaled in the 200 medley and free relays, respectively, and swam in two individual events. Scorpions junior Aryeh Turknett placed 15th in diving and senior Michael Shapira raced in the 50 and 100 free.
Melbourne High
Melbourne tied for 21st in Class 3A last year thanks to state medals from senior Sawyer Hackett and graduate Enzo Widjaja. Hackett led the team with a fifth-place medal in the 200 individual medley and a ninth-place mark in the 100 free. Bulldogs junior Cameran Stewart and sophomore Tyler Hart return as state qualifiers after swimming in the 200 free and medley relays, respectively.
Titusville High
Titusville returns four Class 2A state qualifiers led by junior Trenton Payne, who competed in the 200 free, the 200 free relay and the 400 free relay. Bulldog seniors Larkin Isaksen and Cameron Hanson and junior Octavian Knight swam on the relay teams at state last year.
Athletes to watch
Ethan Arnstein, So., Bayside
Arnstein advanced to the Class 3A regionals in four events after collecting four medals at districts. The sophomore anchored the 400 free relay to an 11th-place finish and swam third in the 200 medley relay that finished in 14th. In two individual events, Arnstein raced to 22nd in the 200 IM and 23rd in the 100 fly.
Paul Barbie, Sr., Merritt Island
Barbie enters this season as the lone returning state qualifier for Merritt Island. The senior qualified for the Class 2A state diving meet after recording fifth-place scores at regionals and districts. He advanced to state with a regional score of 389.80.
Ian Baxter, Sr., Melbourne Central Catholic
Baxter swam in four events in the Class 1A, Region 2 meet last year. The senior led off the 200 medley and free relays as the Hustlers finished 11th and 14th, respectively. After winning bronze medals in both events at districts, Baxter completed the 100 backstroke in 20th and the 200 individual medley in 21st.
Aaron Gordon, Sr., Edgewood
Gordon swam in three events at the Class 1A state meet last year. The senior finished 20th in the 100 free and 21st in the 200 free. He also joined state returners, senior Griffin Kirby and junior William Bulson, on the 200 free relay that placed 23rd.
Jaden Haddock, Sr., Cocoa Beach
Haddock qualified for his fourth-straight Class 1A state diving competition in 2025, bringing home a medal for the second year in a row. The senior placed eighth with a score of 386. In 2024, Haddock finished sixth with a mark of 427.05.
Will Lim, Cocoa
Lim swam in three events at the Class 2A, Region 2 meet. He placed 10th in the 100 fly with a time of 1:05.36 and 15th in the 500 free with a time of 6:15.16. Lim led off the 400 free relay that finished 16th.
Colby Smith, So., Rockledge
Smith debuted at the Class 2A state meet last year, finishing just outside of the medal positions in diving with a ninth-place score of 269.75. He missed a medal by 8.45 points. He placed fourth at districts and regionals to earn his spot in Ocala.
2026 FHSAA district classification
Bold denoted if school qualified athletes to 2025 state meet
District 5-4A: Bayside, Melbourne, Viera
District 10-3A: Heritage
District 5-2A: Astronaut, Eau Gallie, Merritt Island, Palm Bay, Rockledge, Satellite, Space Coast, Titusville
District 5-1A: Brevard HEAT, Calvary Chapel, Cocoa, Cocoa Beach, Edgewood, Florida Prep, Holy Trinity, Melbourne Central Catholic, Merritt Island Christian, West Shore
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: 2026 Brevard County high school boys swimming and diving preview
Reporting by Sam Ficarro, Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sam Ficarro, Florida Today | USA TODAY Network
