No matter what sport it is, competing on your home field, or in this case your home pool makes a difference.
Both Nease and Ponte Vedra hosted their respective district meets at Planet Swim in Ponte Vedra, and they both looked comfortable en route to some strong performances.
The Panthers won the boys District 1-4A title Oct. 29 and did so by a 74-point margin over second place Bartram Trail. Creekside finished third with 267 points.
Junior Rich Nguyen led the way for the Panthers with victories in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100 breaststroke, while also being a member of the winning 200 medley and 200 free relays.
Senior Patrick Adams showcased his skills on the diving board, by winning the one-meter competition, while junior Matthew Koziol won the 100 free.
Senior Zak Thomas was accompanied by juniors Joseph Wyatt and Jackson Wilcox and freshman Walker Lanoue to win the 400 free relay.
For Ponte Vedra, it was the girls that did the most damage by winning the District 3-3A title Oct. 27 as the Sharks swept the top three places in four different events.
Junior Brooke Batelli made her mark winning the 200 individual medley and the 100 breaststroke while Ann Wohlgemuth took home the top spot in the 100 backstroke.
Holly Cox made the most of her final district appearance with a victory in the 500 free.
On the other end of the spectrum, freshmen Mary Agnes Smith and Penelope Zarczynski each picked up a win in the 200 free and 100 butterfly, respectively.
The Ponte Vedra girls also finished first in the 200 medley, 200 free and 400 free relays.
Fletcher wound up in second place with 524 points and Fleming Island was third with 321.
The Nease girls team finished district runner-up and the Ponte Vedra boys came home in third place behind Orange Park and Fletcher, who won the meet.
Nease freshman Olivia Moore demonstrated her potential by winning the 200 free and 500 free competitions and junior Natalie Padgett won the 100 butterfly.
The highest finisher for the Ponte Vedra boys team was Fabrizzio Lijeron’s second-place finish in the 100 butterfly.
