Persten Earns Fourth in 100 Freestyle at State
Cypress Bay senior Ethan Persten placed fourth in the 100-freestyle at the 2026 FHSAA Class 4A State Swimming and Diving Championships.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Swimming
Ethan Persten, a senior at Cypress Bay High School, placed fourth in the 100-freestyle at the 2026 FHSAA Class 4A State Swimming and Diving Championships. His relay team placed second in the 400-freestyle relay and eighth in the 200-freestyle.
Why it matters
The results contributed to Cypress Bay's second-place overall finish at the state meet, behind Jupiter High School. The showing gives Florida high school swimming fans a snapshot of one of the state's top Class 4A programs.
Persten led off both relays, and Galen Tortorella placed 11th in both the 200 individual medley and the 100 breaststroke finals. Cole Youngblood won the 50-freestyle, while Benjamin Denevi finished 15th in the 100-butterfly.
The players
Ethan Persten
Ethan Persten is a senior swimmer at Cypress Bay High School in Weston, Florida, and a Coral Springs resident who has said he wants to continue swimming in college.
Cypress Bay High School
Cypress Bay High School is a public high school in Weston, Florida, whose swim program competes in the FHSAA Class 4A division.
Jupiter High School
Jupiter High School is a public high school in Jupiter, Florida, whose swim team won the 2026 FHSAA Class 4A state meet ahead of Cypress Bay.
The details
The 2026 FHSAA Class 4A State Swimming and Diving Championships were held November 7 at the Florida Aquatics Swimming and Training Center in Ocala. Persten, a Coral Springs resident, led off both relay events for his team.
Timeline
- November 7, 2026: 2026 FHSAA Class 4A State Swimming and Diving Championships held in Ocala.
Season Trajectory
Cypress Bay's second-place finish at the FHSAA Class 4A state meet places the program among the state's top competitors in the Class 4A field. The result adds to the Class 4A state championship series, in which Jupiter High School claimed the 2026 title.
Persten's relay legs and individual result put Cypress Bay in the second-place position behind Jupiter, which is the team's standing for the season's state meet. Readers following Florida high school swimming can use the state results to track Class 4A rankings heading into next season.
The takeaway
Strong relay performances can carry a team to a top finish even when individual results are mixed, as Cypress Bay's second-place showing demonstrates. Swimmers and coaches in Florida can review relay lineups to see how depth contributes to overall team scoring.
Further reading
For more coverage of high school competition across the state, see Swimming in Florida.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Coral Springs Talk.
