Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) held its WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Girls’ Swimming Championships in two classifications this past Thursday and Friday at Joseph C. Trees Pool on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. Over the two days, two championship meet records were broken and six student-athletes claimed their second or third championships in an event, with North Allegheny and Kiski Area ultimately coming out as the team champions of Class 3A and Class 2A, respectively.
North Allegheny’s title at Class 3A is its 28th overall, which is the most in league history by eight over Bethel Park. The Tigers have now won 16 consecutive championships at Class 3A, and their latest hardware joins trophies from 1973, 1983, 1984, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
For Kiski Area, its Class 2A girls’ swimming & diving championship is the first in school history. The Cavaliers are the 14th different school to win a WPIAL team title, joining Bethel Park, Elizabeth Forward, Fox Chapel, Hampton, Moon, Mt. Lebanon, Mt. Pleasant, North Allegheny, Northgate, Oakland Catholic, Shady Side Academy, South Fayette, and West Allegheny.
At Class 3A, Mt. Lebanon junior Sylvia Roy won her third consecutive gold medals in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke, and Upper St. Clair senior Kaitlyn Connors became a three-time champion in the 100 freestyle. North Allegheny senior Natalie Sens won her second title in the 100 breaststroke, previously taking her first in 2022. The Tigers won their third straight 200 freestyle relay and second 200 medley relay, and Fox Chapel won the 400 freestyle relay for the third time in a row.
In Class 2A, Mt. Pleasant juniors Lily King and Kiersten O’Connor became multi-time champions in their events. King is now a three-time winner of the 100 freestyle and two-time gold medalist in the 200 freestyle, while O’Connor took her second straight 50 freestyle. Freeport junior Kira Schrecongost won her second title in the 100 butterfly, previously topping the podium in 2022. The Vikings also won their third consecutive 200 medley relay.
Each event champion and additional student-athletes and relay teams move onto the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Girls’ Swimming & Diving Championships, which will be held on March 13-16 at Kinney Natatorium on the campus of Bucknell University.
CLASS 3A RECAP
North Allegheny topped the Class 3A podium for the 16th consecutive season, winning the WPIAL title with 477.5 points – 182.5 points more than runner-up Fox Chapel. The Tigers entered with 53 points from the WPIAL Girls’ Diving Championships following a 1-2-3 finish, and brought home an additional six gold medals in the 200 medley relay, 200 individual medley, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle relay, 500 freestyle, and 100 breaststroke, as well as three silver medals (200 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 400 freestyle relay), and one bronze (100 butterfly).
North Allegheny began the Thursday session with a win in the 200 medley relay, as the team of seniors Gretta Mott and Natalie Sens, and sophomores Tori Tieppo and Dani Hickson clocked in at 1:44.89. Mt. Lebanon placed second with a time of 1:47.19, and Seneca Valley’s 1:48.34 was good for third.
Fox Chapel junior Sarah Pasquella captured gold in the 200 freestyle, winning with a time of 1:51.08. North Allegheny sophomore Grace Bacu took second after touching the wall in 1:51.94, and Pasquella’s teammate Charlotte Rusche posted a 1:52.70 to take third.
The Tigers’ Dani Hinkson was victorious in the 200 individual medley, finishing with a time of 2:06.48. Upper St. Clair senior Amanda Aidar (2:07.27) and Pine-Richland junior Sarah Shaffer (2:08.03) placed second and third, respectively.
Mt. Lebanon junior Sylvia Roy made it a three-peat in the 50 freestyle, winning with a time of 22.84. Upper St. Clair senior Kaitlyn Connors claimed silver after clocking in at 23.18, while Peters Township freshman Ava Komoroski’s 23.72 was good for bronze.
North Allegheny’s Natalie Sens registered a time of 54.74 in the 100 butterfly to take home the gold. Greater Latrobe junior Lauren Bell placed second with a mark of 56.48, and Sens’s teammate Hinkson came in third with a time of 56.52.
The Tigers finished the Thursday session with a victory in the 200 freestyle relay, as Natalie Sens, junior Julianne Weaver, and sophomores Eva Ogden and Claire Bacu finished with a time of 1:35.55 – just 0.02 seconds ahead of runner-up Fox Chapel at 1:35.57. Upper St. Clair’s time of 1:36.12 earned bronze.
Upper St. Clair’s Kaitlyn Connors began Friday’s day of events with her third win in the 100 freestyle, as her time of 50.30 topped Greater Latrobe’s Lauren Bell (51.01) and Fox Chapel junior Grace Kovach (52.93).
North Allegheny’s Claire Bacu took gold in the 500 freestyle, finishing with a time of 4:57.82. Reigning champion Zoe Poe of South Fayette claimed silver with a mark of 5:00.17, and Fox Chapel’s Charlotte Rusche touched the wall in 5:05.13 to earn bronze.
It was another three-peat for Mt. Lebanon’s Sylvia Roy in the 100 backstroke, as she registered a time of 54.10 to best runner-up Greta Mott (56.68) of North Allegheny. Roy’s teammate Ellie Reinhart finished third with a time of 57.98.
The Tigers’ Natalie Sens won her second individual gold medal of the championships in the 100 breaststroke, clocking in at 1:02.53. Fox Chapel’s Sarah Pasquella placed second with a mark of 1:03.65, and reigning champion Sarah Shaffer of Pine-Richland posted a 1:03.72 to finish third.
Fox Chapel completed the WPIAL championships with a third straight win in the 400 freestyle relay, as the team of Charlotte Rusche, Grace Kovach, Sarah Pasquella, and freshman Josephine Stanczak touched the wall in 3:29.42. North Allegheny (3:30.75) and Upper St. Clair (3:32.32) finished second and third, respectively.
Following North Allegheny and Fox Chapel on the team leaderboard was Seneca Valley (220), Mt. Lebanon (182), Upper St. Clair (179), Pine-Richland (142), Greater Latrobe (114.5), Plum (114), Peters Township (103), and Franklin Regional (95). A total of 24 teams had at least one student-athlete or relay that scored a team point.
CLASS 2A RECAP
Kiski Area emerged from a competitive Class 2A field with its first WPIAL girls’ swimming & diving team championship, raising the trophy with 218 points – 21 points better than runner-up and two-time defending champion Mt. Pleasant. The Cavaliers came away with the title despite not bringing any points from the WPIAL Girls’ Diving Championships, and collected a total of five top-three finishes – first in the 400 freestyle relay, second in the 200 freestyle relay and 500 freestyle, and third in the 200 freestyle and 100 breaststroke.
Mt. Pleasant started Thursday’s swims with a victory in the 200 medley relay, as the junior quartet of Kiersten O’Connor, Kaylie Korpiel, Maddie Barrick, and Lily King finished with a time of 1:47.23. Freeport came in second with a time of 1:47.84, and Indiana finished third at 1:49.17.
The Vikings’ Lily King won her second straight 200 freestyle, breaking her own WPIAL championship meet record in the process with a time of 1:46.01. King set the previous standard last season at 1:47.36. Northgate senior Elise Nardozzi (1:48.15) and Kiski Area senior Eliza Miller (1:51.86) placed second and third, respectively.
Hampton sophomore Lainey Sheets claimed gold in the 200 individual medley, touching the wall in 2:03.02 – just 0.05 seconds ahead of Shady Side Academy freshman Ava Jochims (2:03.07). Knoch junior Giona Lavorini finished third with a time of 2:06.80.
Mt. Pleasant’s Kiersten O’Connor took home her second consecutive 50 freestyle gold with a time of 23.61. Thomas Jefferson junior Genevieve Cody clocked in at 23.68 to win silver, and Quaker Valley senior Emily Connors registered a 23.81 for bronze.
Freeport junior Kira Schrecongost earned her second gold in the 100 butterfly by posting a time of 55.37. Reigning champion Katie Jackovic of South Park finished second with a time of 55.95, and Quaker Valley’s Emily Connors was third after posting a 56.93.
Northgate finished the Thursday session by topping the podium in the 200 freestyle relay. The Flames’ team of Elise Nardozzi, fellow seniors Kendall McKelvey and Amelia Hardiman, and freshman Rachel Buzzard finished with a time of 1:39.69. Kiski Area (1:40.10) and Mt. Pleasant (1:40.47) placed second and third, respectively.
The Vikings’ Lily King took home her third 100 freestyle gold medal to begin the Friday session, winning with a WPIAL championship meet record time of 48.21. King broke her own WPIAL (48.58) and PIAA (48.93) standards in the event, both of which were established last year. Northgate’s Elise Nardozzi (49.98) placed second and South Park’s Katie Jackovic (51.36) took third.
Shady Side Academy’s Ava Jochims was victorious in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:56.04. Reigning champion Eliza Miller of Kiski Area won silver with a mark of 5:00.47, and Quaker Valley junior Margaret Getty’s 5:19.48 took bronze.
Hampton’s Lainey Sheets won her second event of the 2024 championships in the 100 backstroke, finishing with a time of 55.30. She edged Mt. Pleasant’s Kiersten O’Connor (55.37) by 0.07 seconds for the gold, with Freeport freshman Kasey Schrecongost taking third with a time of 58.44.
Knoch’s Giona Lavorini topped the podium in the 100 breaststroke, registering a mark of 1:01.90. Reigning champion Peyton Scott of Indiana finished second with a time of 1:02.03, and Kiski Area senior Abigail King was third after touching the wall in 1:05.72.
Kiski Area sealed the team title with a winning swim in the 400 freestyle relay, as the group of Abigail King, Eliza Miller, junior Amara Sterlitz, and freshman Leah Kunkle posted a time of 3:35.29. Northgate (3:36.78) took second, while Mt. Pleasant (3:38.06) finished in third.
Following Kiski Area and Mt. Pleasant on the team leaderboard was Indiana (183), Northgate (179), Freeport (178), Quaker Valley (176), Hampton (172), Derry (110), Gateway (99), and Thomas Jefferson (97). A total of 34 teams had at least one student-athlete or relay that scored a team point.
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