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By STEVE LEE, Times Staff WriterThe number of county qualifiers has dwindled the past two years.
LAND O'LAKES - Beginning in 2002, a record number of county swimmers and divers advanced to the state meet for two straight years, but that trend has reversed.
In 2002, 39 qualifiers competed at state. A year later, that numbered ballooned to 62.
But for the second straight season, the field has dwindled.
Last November, only 16 county swimmers and divers qualified for state, in large part because the Florida High School Athletic Association added a regional meet between districts and state.
This week, only 10 qualifiers from two schools - Land O'Lakes and River Ridge - will compete at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Complex.
Another year of regionals, which adds another postseason meet but reduces the state field per class from 40 to 16, is only partially to blame. Hurricane Wilma, which postponed the state meet by two weeks, also is at fault.
"Most of the kids were probably tapering for the fourth," Pasco coach Russ Bosenbauer said, alluding to the initially scheduled Nov. 4 state preliminaries. "The hurricane threw them off; the timing of their tapering."
River Ridge's Stephanie Green, a two-time state qualifier, narrowly missed the cuts for state in the 100-yard backstroke and 100 freestyle. River Ridge coach Pat Leonard said Green, a two-time Sunshine Athletic Conference and district champion in both events, easily would have qualified under the disbanded format.
As for the state competitors, River Ridge diver Jami Glowatsky, a former gymnast, is the county's lone female. And Land O'Lakes' Dennis Diaz is the only other diver.
"It's tough to make the top 16," said Land O'Lakes coach Barbara Hayes, adding she would like to see the state field expand to 24 per event.
Tim Olson, who qualified in three events, leads the Land O'Lakes contingent. Olson, a junior and three-time state qualifier, will swim the 100 butterfly, 100 back and be joined by teammates Brad Morrison, Kevin Hayes and Andrew Graziani on the 200 medley relay.
"We hope to make Pasco (County) proud, but it's a limited contingent we're taking," Hayes said. "We'll do our best."
As will River Ridge's 400 free relay team of Dimitri Arnaoutis, Mike Donato, John Van Hall and Matt Sutton. Arnaoutis also qualified in the 100 free.
Sutton is the only local competitor in his fourth straight meet. As a freshman and sophomore, he qualified in the 500 free. Last year, he swam the 100 free at state.
Although he has no illusions of becoming the county's fourth state champion (Hudson's Amanda Paulo and River Ridge's Kevin Rumble and Jimmy Battista won state titles), Sutton takes pride in advancing that far again.
"It gives me a sense of pride," Sutton said, adding that advancing on a relay team as opposed to an individual event is "a little different, but the feeling's still the same. I'm still excited to go."