- April 23, 2024
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Seabreeze High School’s new head swim coach, Samantha White Fabulich, brings the attributes of a natural-born swimmer and a fierce love for competition to the Sandcrabs.
Seabreeze's former assistant swim coach took over John Nunnelley’s position following his departure to Chowan University this summer.
“I’m a very competitive person,” said Fabulich, who swam for Seabreeze and Florida State University. “I really looked forward to the competitive side of sports. The practice was a little more tough for me. I would be that one (swimmer) that would frustrate the coaches because I would take off a summer, come back and be fine. As a coach, now I understand.”
Fabulich was born and raised in Ormond Beach, surrounded by a family of athletes. Her father, Fred White, played football and ran track in college. Her mother, Melissa White, was the swimmer who got her started in the sport. Both parents were physical education teachers who went on to become principals. Participating in sports was a part of being in the White family.
As a Seabreeze junior, Fabulich won a state championship in the 100-yard breaststroke with a 1:04.36. She brought home a second-place finish at state in the 200-yard individual medley her senior year.
At FSU, she won two Atlantic Coast Conference championships in the 200-yard medley relay in 1996 and the100-yard breaststroke in 1997. During her first season as a Seminole, she earned seven first-place medals — in the the 200-yard medley relay, 100-yard backstroke, 200-yard breaststroke and the 50-yard freestyle, to name a few.
Fabulich believes the start of a new season is the time to have her swimmers try all the strokes, even the ones they may not be familiar with or comfortable practicing. They have until mid-September to narrow it down then focus on their forte.
“Swimming is difficult. It’s mental. Once your head is down, you’re swimming against yourself. You have to be really focused and mentally driven to push through.”
— SAMANTHA WHITE FABULICH, Seabreeze head swim coach
“There has been some push-back but that’s OK,” she said. “I think some of these kids are going to be really good at other strokes. They just haven’t been given the chance.”
This is a building year for the Sandcrabs following the 2021 season when the boys were district champions and the girls were runners-up. Six boys have graduated since then along with Clare Cassidy and Jordyn Eckert, who qualified to compete at the state championships for the girls team.
“The six boys that graduated were strong swimmers, so it’s tough on our relays,” Fabulich said. “My son joined the team because we were low on boys. Sometimes when certain kids join then other kids see them and join too.”
Helping with the influx of 10 to 15 freshmen and new swimmers at practice are three recent Seabreeze graduates who were on the swim team—Addie Hannapel, Brody Ochipa and Caleb Wooten. They have been assisting the newbies with their swimming technique and teaching them how to prepare mentally.
“Swimming is difficult,” Fabulich said. “It’s mental. Once your head is down, you’re swimming against yourself. You have to be really focused and mentally driven to push through.”
Top contenders returning this year are senior Caleb Orchard, senior Cole Long and sophomores Mackenzie O’Keefe and ZZ Nichols. Orchard, O’Keefe and Nichols qualified for the state championships last year.
Garrett Klayer has been involved with the team for six years. His daughter Courtney Klayer was on the team for four years and his daughter Caroline Klayer is currently on the team. He has always helped the coaches strategize regarding the relay teams, but this is his first official year as the assistant coach.
“I really enjoyed it and my whole family has a background in swimming,” he said. “I used to swim when I was young. My sister went to school on a (swimming) scholarship and my dad was a coach in this area for 30 years.”
Klayer’s father, Bill Klayer, was Fabulich’s coach when she was a kid.
“I am excited,” Fabulich said. “I like this kind of adrenalin rush. I like being able to prove things to people and prove what these kids are capable of doing.”
