East County Athlete of the Week: Ava DiPasquale

One first-place finish is good. Two is great. Ava DiPasquale had five at the Florida Age Group Swimming state championships March 5-8 in Orlando. The 14-year-old, who lives in Mill Creek but competes for Sarasota Tsunami, won the 1,000-yard freestyle (10:08.23), 1,650-yard freestyle (17:02.13), 200-yard individual medley (2:04.54), 400-yard individual medley (4:22.11) and 200-yard butterfly (2:04.07). All five results marked new personal bests. DiPasquale is the East County Athlete of the Week.

What are you most proud of from this meet?

I'm proud of the fact I could get through all the days. I swam a lot of events that usually I don't swim all in the same weekend. I'm happy that I dropped time in all my events, and I had a good performance.

How have you been working to become a better swimmer recently?

I've been working on staying more consistent. I'm also focusing on what I'm doing out of the pool, and making sure I eat healthy, get enough sleep — all that stuff. I've also been trying to work on the little things that are important, like my (underwater swimming), my foot turns, my stamina, and making sure I split my races (well) and that I don't go out too fast.

What do you enjoy about competing with Sarasota Tsunami?

Obviously, the things I get out of it, like getting to race and improving my times. But I also enjoy getting to see all of my friends — I've made some of my closest friends from Tsunami. Coming to swim helps me. Even though I'm still working hard, I'm having fun, and I'm also relaxing and not worrying about school or other external things.

When and why did you start swimming?

It was during (the COVID-19 pandemic) and my mom (Jen DiPasquale) was like, "You need something to do." So we looked around, and I was like, "Oh, I want to try swimming."

How would you describe the passion you have for this sport?

I just like racing. It's one of my favorite things. The adrenaline you get, how excited you get and the energy at a swim meet is different than I've ever seen. I love working hard, and if I come out and have a good practice, I feel good.

What quote or piece of advice have you always carried with you?

A quote that I heard from our coach who is no longer with us (Courtney Daly, who died Aug. 30, 2025) was "Every day, stronger." That's stuck with me a lot. Every time I'm like, "I can't do this, this is too hard," I think of her. And so I push myself.

What's a fun fact about you not many people know?

I like reading a lot. I always enjoy a good book.

If you could meet any athlete, who would you meet and why?

Probably the figure skater, Alysa Liu. Watching her in the (Milan Cortina Winter Oympics) was so cool, and she's such a cool person.

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would you eat and why?

I would eat pasta, because you can eat varieties of it. I eat it a lot and it's good.

Finish this sentence. Ava DiPasquale is...

Hard-working and determined.