By Aimee Ford FosterSpecial to Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers

STUART — When Macey Arnold pow-ered into the wall for the last time at the Class 2A FHSAA Swimming and Diving Championships, she brought home one of the top performances ever by an area swimmer.

Arnold won gold, silver and bronze medals in the final event of her Martin County High School career.

She swam the final leg for the first-place, 200-yard freestyle relay team in a blazing 23.25 seconds, her fast-est split time by more than a second — she had never broken 24 seconds before. She also swam the final leg for the second-place 400 free relay team to earn her silver medal.

That was after Arnold, who quali-fied for state in four events during all four of her high school years, started the long day by taking third in the 200 free.

Bronze medal secured, her focus turned to the relays. She also was ninth in the 500 free, winning the B finals in 4:57.29, good enough for All-America con-sideration — and a time that would have earned fourth place, had she reached the A final.

“Individually, I wasn’t as enthu-siastic about my races,” she said. “I could have done better. But we did what we needed to do in the relays to

get to where we wanted to be.“That was way more important.” On her way to the state meet,

Arnold took three first-place finishes in the District 11-2A championships and one at the Region 4-2A meet.

For all of her accomplishments,

Arnold has been named the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers’ All-Area Girls Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Year. She also earned the award last year.

“Being recognized is definitely important, and it means a lot, but I swim because I love it,” Arnold said. “It was such a great year. We were undefeated. We achieved almost ev-ery goal we set for ourselves. That’s not to say there wasn’t room for im-provement because there was, but I’m really proud of it.

“It was a great way to end it.” The final leg of the 200 free re-

lay, which earned the first relay gold medal in Martin County history and was just the sixth state champion-ship overall, has come to define her season. The Tigers were in third place when Arnold dove into the wa-ter. Her relay mates, Hannah Burdge, Sara Lacusky and Aubrey Murray, were most on her mind in the sec-onds before Arnold left the platform.

“We talked about it all season, wanting to win,” Arnold said. “I just dove and had my mind made up and just did it. When I got out of the water, I didn’t feel an ounce of pain. I don’t know what happened.

“It was just, such a feeling of relief, almost like, finally, we did it. Get-ting the gold, getting recognized and getting the times together was important to us.”

ALL-AREA GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING TEAM

All-Area First Team

All-Area First Team

Olivia Blakeman

Hannah Burdge

Darby Goodwin

Sara Lacusky

Micaela Martinelli

Aubrey Murray

Jessica Richardson

Dakota Toner

Amanda Brocksmith

Jennifer Conway

Rachel Lanam

Emma Madden

Courtney McGovern

Kennidy Quist

Samantha Simpson

Ashley Wright

ATHLETE OF THE YEARMACEY ARNOLD

OLIVIA BLAKEMANSt Edward’s juniorDistrict 6-1A: First in 50-yard freestyle, second in 100 free, on fifth-place 200 free relay, on sixth-place 200 medley relay Region 2-1A: Fourth in 50 free, eighth in 100 free, on 11th place 200 free relay, on 12th place 200 medley relay Class 1A state: 21st in 50 free

AMANDA BROCKSMITHSebastian River juniorDistrict 6-2A: On first-place 200 medley relay, second in 100 breaststroke, third in 200 IM Region 2-2A: On first-place 200 medley relay, fourth in 100 breaststroke, seventh in 200 IM Class 2A state: On 10th-place 200 medley relay, 22nd in 100 breaststroke

HANNAH BURDGEMartin County sophomoreDistrict 11-2A: First in 100 free, on first-place 400 free relay, second in 200 free, on second-place 200 free relay Region 4-2A: On first-place 400 free relay, second in 100 free, fourth in 200 free, on fifth-place 200 free relay Class 2A state: On first-place 200 free relay, on second-place 400 free relay, fourth in 100 free, ninth in 200 free

JENNIE CONWAYSebastian River seniorDistrict 6-2A: On first-place 200 medley relay, second in 50 free, on second-place 200 free relay, third in 100 free Region 2-2A: On first-place 200 medley relay, on second-place 200 free relay, fifth in 50 free, sixth in 100 free Class 2A state: On 10th-place 200 medley relay, on 14th-place 200 free relay, 23rd in 50 free

DARBY GOODWINPine School sophomoreDistrict 6-1A: First in 200 IM, first in 100 backstroke, on first-place 200 medley relay, on first-place 400 free relay Region 2-1A: First in 200 IM, first in 100 back, on first-place 200 medley, on second-place 400 free relay Class 1A state: Third in 200 IM, sixth in 100 back, on seventh-place 200 medley, on 12th-place 400 free relay

RACHEL LANAMSebastian River seniorDistrict 6-2A: First in 500 free, on second-place 200, 400 free relays, fourth in 100 butterflyRegion 2-2A: First in 500 free, on first-place 400 free relay, on second-place 200 free relay, 18th in 100 fly Class 2A state: On ninth-place in 400 free relay, on 14th-place 200 free relay, 17th in 500 free

SARA LACUSKYMartin County sophomoreDistrict 11-2A: On first-place 400 free relay, second in 200 IM, on second-place 200 free relay, third in 100 breaststroke Region 4-2A: On first-place 400 free relay, third in 100 breaststroke, on fifth-place 200 free relay, sixth in 200 IM Class 2A state: On first-place 200 free relay, on second-place 400 free relay, 13th in 200 IM, 16th in 100 breaststroke

EMMA MADDENPine School juniorDistrict 6-1A: First in 100 breaststroke, on first place 200 medley relay, on first place 200 free relay, second in 200 IM Region 2-1A: On first place 200 medley relay, second in 100 breaststroke, on second place 400 free relay, third in 200 IM Class 1A state: On seventh-place 200 medley relay, on 12th-place 400 free relay, 17th in 100 breaststroke, 24th in 200 IM

MACEY ARNOLDMartin County senior District 11-2A: First in 200-yard freestyle, first in 500 free, on first-place 400 free relay, on second-place 200 medley relay Region 4-2A: On first-place 400 free relay, second in 200 free, second in 500 free, on fifth-place 200 medley relay Class 2A state: On first-place 200 free relay, on second-place 400 free relay, third in 200 free, ninth in 500 free Coach Jim McCombs: “Macey was phenomenal. Her split in the 200 relay at state was almost a second off her best time. … She did better in the 200 freestyle this year. The 500, she dropped her time a little bit, here and there. It was an outstanding season. The biggest thing she brought, her and Aubrey (Murray), they were the two captains and the ones that got them all ready to swim.”

Athlete of the Year

The TeamThe 2012 All-Area Girls Swimming and Diving Team was compiled by correspondent Aimee Ford Foster.

More Swimming and DivingThe 2012 Coach of the Year and Honorable Mention are on 7C.

All-Area TeamsFind previous

All-Area teams on

TCPALM.COM

All-Area First Team

MICAELA MARTINELLISebastian River juniorDistrict 6-6A: First in 200 free, second in 500 free, on second-place 200, 400 free relaysRegion 2-2A: On first-place 400 free relay, on second-place 200 free relay, fourth in 500 free, fifth in 200 free Class 2A state: On ninth-place 400 free relay, on 14th-place 200 free relay, 23rd in 500 free

COURTNEY MCGOVERNSebastian River seniorDistrict 6-2A: First in 100 back, on first-place 200 medley relay, second in 100 fly, on second-place 400 free relay Region 2-2A: On first-place 200 medley relay, on first-place 400 free relay, second in 100 fly, second in 100 back Class 2A state: Second in 100 fly, sixth in 100 back, on ninth-place 400 relay, on 10th-place 200 medley relay

AUBREY MURRAYMartin County seniorDistrict 11-2A: First in first 100 fly, on first-place 400 free relay, on second-place 200 medley relay, third in 100 back Region 4-2A: First in 100 fly, on first place 400 free relay, fifth in 100 back, on fifth-place 200 medley relay Class 2A state: On first-place 200 free relay, on second-place 400 free relay, fifth in 100 fly, ninth in 100 back

KENNIDY QUISTPine School eighth-graderDistrict 6-1A: First in 500 free, on first-place 200 medley relay, on second-place 400 free relays, second in 100 breaststroke Region 2-1A: On first-place 200 free relay, on second-place 400 free relay, fifth in 500 free, 11th in 100 breaststroke Class 1A state: On seventh-place 200 medley, on 12th -place 400 free relay, 24th in 500 free

JESSICA RICHARDSONVero Beach seniorDistrict 7-3A: Second in 100 free, on second-place 200 free relay, third in 100 back Region 3-3A: Second in 100 free, fourth in 100 back Class 3A state: 24th in 100 back

SAMANTHA SIMPSONSebastian River juniorDistrict 6-2A: On first-place 200 medley relay, second in 100 back, 12th in 50 free Region 2-2A: On first-place in 200 medley relay, fourth in 100 back Class 2A state: On 10th-place 200 medley relay, 22nd in back

DAKOTA TONERPine School seniorDistrict 6-1A: First in diving, first in 100 fly, on first-place 200 free relay, on first-place 200 medley relay Region 2-1A: First in diving, on first-place 200 medley relay, on second-place 400 free relay, 11th in 100 fly Class 1A: Second in diving, on seventh place 200 medley, on 12th-place 400 free relay

ASHLEY WRIGHTLincoln Park seniorDistrict 6-1A: Second in diving Region 2-1A: Second in diving State 1A: Fourth in diving

A golden kickMartin County’s Macey Arnold caps career in style,

winning relay gold with blazing anchor lap

DEBORAH SILVER/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS

Macey Arnold is the 2012 Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers All-Area Girls Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Year.

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