PONTE VEDRA - Fleming Island High senior freestyle state champion twice Maryn McDade took on her top competitors from Ponte Vedra and Creekside at the prestigious Frank Holleman Invitational in Ponte Vedra and showed off some prowess that looks solid for a third consecutive 50 free state title.

McDade, who won the 50 free the past two years with a fourth in the 100 free last year, ripped two fast times; a prelim split of 23.78 that was off her 23.07 seed time, then blasted the final in 22.94 seconds to hold off Ponte Vedra's Penelope Zarczynski, who was McDade's top chaser last year. Zarczynski, the defending 100 free champion, split at 23.73 for second to McDade. Zarczynski hit 24.13 in prelims then ramped to 23.73 to chase McDade.

Third place was also a familiar face in Ponte Vedra's Sophia Fox in 24.18.

At last year's 3A state championship race, McDade won in 23.07 with Zarczynski second in 23.36 to set up another possible showdown in November.

In the 100, McDade won in 50.97 with Nease junior Olivia Moore second in 51.86 and Ponte Vedra's Fox third in 52.64.

McDade's split, 50.97, was faster than Zarczynski's state championship winning 51.19. McDade got fourth in 51.74 last year.

Fox, as a freshman, was fifth in 51.94.

In team scores in Ponte Vedra, Bolles dominated the top spot with 541 points over runner-up Nease at 409 for the men. For the women, Ponte Vedra edged Bolles, 497-455, with Creekside third at 344. Fleming Island was sixth with McDade's points and a third place in diving from 3A defending champion Ava Brinkman, and a strong distance performance from Elizabeth Loehr; seventh in 200 free, fourth in 500 free and a fifth in the 200 free relay with McDade, Katelyn Moore and Keira Fetzner. Caroline Croce was eighth in diving as well for Fleming Island.

For the boys, David Chacin scored points with a 13th in the 100 butterfly, a 13th in the 100 backstroke and 13th in the 400 free relay with Luke Frisbee, Reed Ely and Kirk Lane. Butterfly specialist Dylan Ducut was 16th in the 100 fly.

Orange Park finished eighth in the boy's races with sprinter Sebastian Lopez scoring 22 points off a sixth in the 100 free, a ninth in the 100 breaststroke and a ninth in the 200 free relay and 10th in 400 free relay.

Oakleaf junior Peyton Loving scored 25 team points with a ninth in the 50 free (25.46), third in the 100 breaststroke (1:07.44), and eighth in 200 medley relay and ninth in 200 free relay.

Middleburg's boys 200 medley relay; Sawyer Hampton, Jace Shadrock, Collin Pirner and Landyn Johnson finished 20th.

Ridgeview's Connor Murphy had a 24th-place finish in the 100 backstroke with the boy's 200 free finishing 16th with Murphy, Carson Nicholson, Ben Kollasch and Timothy Morrison.

Ridgeview's girls 200 medley was 23rd with Rylen Wood, Brook Propes, Isabella Feliciano and Madaline Kendrick.