Fleming Island's swim and dive teams topped Beachside 188-158 in a Class 3A dual meet at Eagle Harbor Aquatic Complex on Sept. 10, Clay Today reported.

The Golden Eagles girls squad won 86-84 in a meet that came down to fractions of a second. The boys pulled away with a 102-74 victory, powered by state champions Noah Stotler and William Shoesmith. Both Fleming Island and Beachside finished in the top 20 at the 2025 Class 3A state championships in Ocala.

The girls' 200 medley relay set the tone early. Natalie Kendall, Summer Van Wagenen, Ellie Strombeck and Kinsey Yarbrough touched the wall in 2:06.08, just 0.18 seconds ahead of Beachside's 2:06.26. Kendall added a win in the 50 free with a 27.59-second split, edging Beachside's Lillie Dera at 27.91.

Strombeck and Yarbrough went 1-2 in the girls 500 free to pad the team score. Beachside answered with a 1-2-3 sweep of the 100 breaststroke, closing the gap in team points in the second half of the meet. Fleming Island held on in the final event, winning the 400 free relay 4:03.35 to 4:03.84.

Boys Cruise Behind Two State Champions

Stotler, who won a state title in 2025 while swimming for Clay High School, took the 200 free by 14 seconds and the 100 butterfly by 12 seconds. Shoesmith, the reigning 500 free state champion, led a 1-2-3 Golden Eagles finish in that event with a 4:44.73 split, followed by teammates Jake Hall and Nicco Torres. Shoesmith also won the 100 breaststroke by two seconds.

Commissioner Honors Golden Eagles Swimmers

Clay County Commissioner John Sgromolo recognized both swimmers with a proclamation on Jan. 27, honoring their 2025 state championship victories.

In a post on X, Sgromolo wrote: "Tonight we proudly recognized Fleming Island High School's William Shoesmith and Clay High School's Noah Stotler with a proclamation honoring their championship victories at the FHSAA Swimming and Diving Class 3A Championships last November. Congratulations boys!"

Ridgeview High School transfer Jackson Strickland won the 200 individual medley by nearly 11 seconds. He then joined Stotler, Shoesmith and Hall on the 400 free relay, which Fleming Island won by 33 seconds.

Next Meet Set For Sept. 20

The Golden Eagles compete next at the Frank Hollerman Invitational on Sept. 20 at the Planet Swim facility in Ponte Vedra.