March 13, 2025
Lake Minneola High Freshman Lyla Conte Dominates At Florida Age Group Championships
By Kyle Coppola
Lake Minneola High Freshman Lyla Conte Dominates At Florida Age Group Championships
CLERMONT, Fla. – Lyla Conte a freshman at Lake Minneola High School turned heads at the Florida Age Group Championships (FLAGS) over the weekend, winning three events and securing qualifying times for the prestigious USA Swimming Future Championships in Ocala this summer.
Conte, who competes for the South Lake Aquatic Club, delivered a dominant performance in the long-distance freestyle events, showcasing her endurance and skill against the state’s top young swimmers. She captured titles in the 13-14 girls’ 500-yard freestyle, 1,000-yard freestyle, and 1,650-yard freestyle events.
(Conte won three events this past weekend in the 500, 1,000 and 1,650-yard freestyle events. She is among the top freshman swimmers in Lake County.)
Her times in the 500 and 1,000 freestyle were fast enough to qualify for the USA Swimming Future Championships, an elite meet set to take place this summer in Ocala, Florida. This is a very impressive accomplishment and we are very proud of her.
In the 500 freestyle, she powered through the water with a controlled pace before unleashing a strong final push to touch the wall first. The 1,000 and 1,650 freestyle events further demonstrated her dominance, as she built early leads and never relinquished control, finishing well ahead of her competition.
For Conte, her goal was to push her limits and see where she stood among the best swimmers in the state. Winning three events and qualifying for Futures is really exciting and this is an athlete we will be watching in the years to come.
(Conte qualified for the USA Swimming Future Championships in Ocala this summer.)
Conte’s success is a testament to the strength of the South Lake Aquatic Club, one of Central Florida’s top swim programs.
Qualifying for the USA Swimming Future Championships is a significant achievement for Conte, as the event attracts some of the fastest young swimmers from across the country. Competing in Ocala this summer will give her valuable experience against national-level competition.
While she is still early in her high school career, Conte has amazing potential in the coming years. For now, the freshman standout remains focused on the next phase of her journey—continuing to train, refine her skills, and represent her team and community on bigger stages.
We are very proud of her efforts and look foward to seeing what she accomplishes in the coming months ahead!
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
