Battling a cold and emotions, Lely’s Wesley Blassneck of Marco raced to second in the 200 Individual Medley at the Florida Class 2A Swimming Championships on Saturday.

She set a new school record of 2:07.30, a record she broke just a week ago to make the finals.

“I could see the girl ahead of me, but I couldn’t see the second seed,” she said. “When I made the final turn for the freestyle it was an extra adrenalin rush. I learned later it was neck-and-neck with me beating her out on the final stroke.”

Blassneck finished eighth in the 500 freestyle, bettering her school record at 4:59.67 in the prelims.

“In the 500 I was still high from the 200 and my cold was getting worse,” she said.

As she took her place on the podium where the top three finishers received their medals, she was in tears, “but my mom (Gina) was even worse.”

The meet was Wesley’s last swim for Lely.

“It was bittersweet, but it ended with a bang,” she said. “I am happy to pass the torch by setting a positive example for other swimmers and to keep their hopes high. I loved being on the team, we had so much fun.”

Lely’s Harry Stephenson raced to fifth in the 500 freestyle and ninth in the 200 freestyle. In the prelims he broke his own school record in the 500, finishing in a time of 4:40.07.

The girls relay team, made up of Marco’s Louisa Farhat, Emily Hine, Mariah Lundin and Blassneck, placed 13th in a time of 1:45.06.

Marco’s Doug Knox, a junior, finished 13th in the diving competition.

“It was his first time at states and it was a good finish for him,” said Diving Coach Sara Mulder.

Adam Peterson completed his first year as Lely’s coach.

“It was a fantastic year and we couldn’t have finished on a better note,” Peterson said. “I think the kids, at the end, understood what we wanted from them and it is a good start for next year.”