JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Xavier Sohovich didn’t know anything about this school in Jacksonville named Bolles.
Sohovich happened to stumble on story about Andres Dupont Cabrera who was a two-time All-News4JAX swimmer of the year and cranking out unbelievably low times. Cabrera was from Mexico but boarding and swimming at Bolles.
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“I saw he went 1:35.6 in the 200 freestyle,” Sohovich said. “And so for me, that was amazing. At the time, it was unfathomable. The best guy I knew was 1:38.9 [in the 200 free]. And I said, ‘hey, I want to take a crack at that.’”
His family did some research, made the commitment and moved to the area from Illinois. By the time Sohovich leaves Bolles for Navy this spring, he’ll do it as the All-News4JAX boys swimmer of the year. His name will be alongside some of the all-time greats. Sohovich may have been blown away by Cabrera’s time in the 200 free back then, but he’ll leave Bolles with team records in the 200 free and the 500 free during the regular season. He turned in times better than some future Olympians, too.
That was a radical shift from his introduction to getting in the water. Sohovich said that his parents, like many, put him in swimming courses at a young age. He hated it and tried everything he could to get out of doing it.
“I never really liked it to begin with. I actually cried in the shower. I would tell my mom, ‘I just want to watch. I just want to watch. Mom, don’t please don’t put me in here.’ And she’d throw me in,” he said. “And eventually I figured it out. It got to the point where my swim instructors would yell at me for not hanging onto the wall for a long enough. At that point, the moved me over to a competitive swim team. I was just turning 5, and it’s been downhill from there.”
Sohovich caught the competitive swimming bug early in life and was even better than that after the high school season wrapped up.
Swimming with Bolles’ club team, the Sharks, Sohovich broke two records this season including former Sharks swimmer Caeleb Dressel’s mark in the 200 free. Dressel swam in high school at Clay but competed in club with the Sharks, arguably the best swimming program in the country. Sohovich swam 1:34.66 at the Speedo Winter Junior Championship, nearly a full second faster than Dressel (1:35.51) in the 2013 NCSA Junior National Championship.
Ryan Murphy held that Sharks record before Dressel. A day earlier, Sohovich turned in a 4:15.46 in the 500 free to break another Bolles Sharks mark that was set in 2009. Sohovich’s name will go up alongside of the greats at Bolles, something that he won’t ever forget.
“It’s kind of an ever-present reminder that you have to be someone special to stand out in this world,” Sohovich said. “And I really appreciate their presence. You know, I think that it’s inspirational and I appreciate everyone who’s come before me for the same reason.”
All-News4JAX boys swimmers of the year
2024: Xavier Sohovich, Bolles
2023: Carter Lancaster, Bolles
2022: Will Heck, Bolles
2021: Andres Dupont Cabrera, Bolles
2020: Andres Dupont Cabrera, Bolles
2019: Jace Crawford, Episcopal
All-News4JAX boys swimming team
Swimmer, school, class, notable
Liam Carrington, Bolles, Jr.
State champ in 200 IM (1:47.16) and 100 back (48.51), both times earning automatic All-American honors. Lead leg of state champ 200 medley relay team. Third leg of state champ 400 free relay team.
Cohen Yuen Chiam, Bolles, Sr.
State runner-up in 200 IM (1:48.66) and 100 breast (54.84), both in automatic All-American times.
Antoine Destang, Bolles, Sr.
State champ in 100 fly (47.61) Third leg of state champ 200 medley relay team. Anchor of state champ 200 free relay team. Second leg of state champ 400 free relay team.
George Dovellos, Bolles, Jr.
State runner-up in 100 fly in 48.23 and also in 200 free (1:37.03), both automatic All-American times.
Andrew Kravchenko, Bolles, Sr.
State champ in 50 free (19.84) and 100 free (43.65), both earning automatic All-American honors. Lead leg of state champ 200 free relay team. Anchor of state champ 400 free relay team.
Simeon Prosinksi, Bartram Trail, Sr.
State runner-up in 200 IM (1:49.25) and 100 breast (55.58), both earning automatic All-American honors. Lead leg of state runner-up 200 free relay team. Second leg of third-place 400 free relay team.
Brody Singley, West Nassau, Sr.
Double champ again, winning the 100 fly (49.33) and 200 free (1:39.01, both earning All-American consideration.
Xavier Sohovich, Bolles, Sr.
State champ in 200 free (1:34.92) and 500 free (4:20.27), with both times earning automatic All-American honors. Lead leg of state champ 400 free relay team.
Carter Wright, Bishop Kenny, Jr.
Lead leg of state champ 200 medley relay and 400 free relay teams. State champ in 50 free (20.78) and 100 back (48.12), with the latter event earning automatic All-American honors.
Eldad Zamir, Bolles, Sr.
State champ in 100 breast (54.69). Second leg of state champ 200 medley relay team. Set national records in the 50 and 100 breast at the Israeli Swimming Championships last summer.
Luke Zardavets, Nease, So.
State champ in 100 fly (48.10) and 100 breast (55.42), both in automatic All-American times. Lead leg of state champ 200 free relay team and anchor leg of champ 400 free relay team.
Second team
Swimmer, school, class, notable
Ethan Bathala, Bolles, Jr.
Had a 49.82 in 100 back for third-place finish and All-American consideration.
Tristan Dorville, Bolles, Sr.
Third leg of state champ 200 free relay team. Third in 50 free (20.46) and 100 free (45.25), with both All-American consideration times.
Brandon Gear, Nease, Sr.
Took fifth in 200 free (1:36.69) to earn All-American consideration. Sixth in 500 free. Second leg of both state champ 200 free relay team and 400 free relay team.
Krish Jain, Bolles, Jr.
State runner-up in 100 back (49.20) earning All-American consideration.
Louis Joos, Bolles, Jr.
Third in 100 breast but had his best time (55.09) in prelims. Third in 200 IM with best time (1:49.62) in prelims. Both earned All-American consideration.
Nicholas Kwan, Bolles, Jr.
Fifth in 200 free (1:39.28) and fifth in 500 free (4:32.14) with his best time in the prelims and both earning All-American consideration.
Walker Lanoue, Nease, Sr.
Third leg of state champ 200 free relay team. Leadoff on state champ 400 free relay team. Third in 200 free (1:38.46) and 100 free (45.36), with both times earning All-American consideration.
Jack Mainville, Nease, Sr.
State champ in 50 free (20.89). Second leg of state champ 200 medley relay team. Anchor of state champ 200 free relay team. Fourth in 100 free (45.70).
Thomas Matheson, Bartram Trail, Sr.
Runner-up in 500 free (4:27.85) in automatic All-American time. Third leg of runner-up 200 free relay team. Anchor of third-place 400 free relay team. Sixth in 200 free (1:39.91) to earn All-American consideration.
Maxwell Shaver, Fletcher, Sr.
Class 3A state runner-up in diving with a 563.70.
Charles Zuhoski, Bolles, Sr.
Second leg of state champ 200 free relay team. Fifth in 50 free (20.58) earning All-American consideration.
Honorable mention
Swimmer, school, class
Dean Batelli, Ponte Vedra, Sr.
Nate Caswell, Nease, Jr.
Mitchell Chao, Stanton, Sr.
Peter DeBoer, Bishop Kenny, Jr.
Lincoln Driesse, Nease, Fr.
Owen Finn, Episcopal, Jr.
Benjamin Goodman, Bolles, 8th
Michael Gumino, Bolles, Jr.
Joseph Higgs, Bartram Trail, Sr.
Owen Kerkezi, Bishop Kenny, Sr.
Lucas Knapp, Bolles, Jr.
Sebastian Lopez, Orange Park, Sr.
Clayton Magyar, Bolles, Jr.
Anatoli Monsalve, Nease, Sr.
Wyatt Porch, Bolles, Sr.
Bingxiang Qin, Bolles, Sr.
Matthew Ritchie, Tocoi Creek, Jr.
William Shoesmith, So., Fleming Island
Thomas Smith, Ponte Vedra, So.
Merrick Vanscoy, Fletcher, So.
Ramsey Walker, Fernandina Beach, Sr.
William Watson, Stanton, Jr.
Lucas Young, Bolles, Jr.