Lakewood Ranch High School's swim team won its second meet of the season Sept. 16, beating Lakewood Ranch Prep and Parrish High School in a repeat of the season-opening tri-meet.

The Mustangs topped both opponents for the second time this fall, improving to 2-0 to start the 2026-27 season. No individual times or scores were released.

Captain wants swimmers cheering for each other

Junior captain Marie Simony said the team's energy has been a factor early on.

"One thing I'm excited to incorporate this year as captain is for all our swimmers to encourage and cheer for each other," Simony said, according to the school's Mustangs Ahead publication.

Region and state champions up next

The Mustangs' next test comes at 5 p.m. Sept. 23 at the Selby Aquatic Center, 8501 Potter Park Drive in Sarasota, where they face Sarasota High School and Riverview High School. Both opponents carry postseason credentials from recent years. Riverview claimed the Class 4A-Region 3 team title during the 2024-25 season, edging Sarasota 380-371.5 at regionals, according to the Herald-Tribune. Sarasota's boys won the 2023 Florida High School Athletic Association Class 4A state title.

The step up in competition will be a measuring stick for a Mustangs roster guided by a revamped coaching staff. Head coach Kyle Steinberg added assistant coach Adrian Valdes before the season. Valdes swam four years on his own high school team and coached a competitive program before joining the Mustangs. In a Sept. 11 Mustangs Ahead article announcing the hire, Valdes said he was focused on getting maximum effort from every swimmer and helping each one meet individual goals.

Lakewood Ranch Prep, one of the Mustangs' first two opponents, is fielding a swim team for the first time this year. Coach Steve Lubrino's 15-member Eagles squad spans sixth through 12th grades and practices at John Marble Park before school each morning. The program competes in FHSAA Class 1A, District 8, Region 3, according to Your Observer.

The Sept. 23 meet against Sarasota and Riverview is the Mustangs' first matchup outside the tri-meet field they have already faced twice.