Hatboro-Horsham Girls Capture Historic PIAA 3A State Title
The Hatboro-Horsham girls swimming and diving team delivered an impressive all-around performance to capture its first-ever PIAA Class AAA state title. The Southeastern Pennsylvania-based institution won five events, including a relay sweep, to capture the crown with 227 points, handily defeating runnerups Conestoga (164) and North Allegheny (148).
The Hatters got things rolling from the get-go with Katherine Jia (26.11), Emmy Erikson (31.12), Annie Jia (23.03), and Sarah Parker (22.41) teaming up to win the 200 medley relay, stopping the clock in a time of 1:42.67 to beat out Fox Chapel (1:44.09), and Mt. Lebanon (1:45.53). Hatboro-Horsham’s time was just off Upper Dublin’s 1:41.96 state record from 2020.
Katherine Jia (23.57) and Parker (22.71) then combined with Hannah Parker (23.72) and Vivi Vergara (23.22) to grab the victory in the 200 free relay in 1:33.22 over West Chester Henderson (1:34.37) and Hershey (1:35.97). Vergara (51.89), Sarah Bozzomo (52.70), Sarah Parker (49.84), and Annie Jia (49.20) completed the trifecta with a win in the 400 free relay. The quartet touched in a time of 3:23.63, nearly three seconds ahead of second-place Henderson (3:26.41).
Individually, the Jia sisters led the Hatters with one victory apiece. Katherine, a junior, won the 100 breaststroke, clocking in with a time of 1:02.65, touching just ahead of North Allegheny sophomore Natalie Sens (1:03.16) and Conestoga junior Naomi Furman (1:03.95). Earlier in the meet, she clocked a personal best 2:01.36 to grab silver behind Haverford junior Katya Eruslanova, who took the event in a 2:00.09.
Eruslanova was a standout performer in Lewisburg, winning another gold in the 500 free, clocking a 4:48.98 to win the event by almost three seconds. The swim marked her first time under 4:50, taking nearly four seconds off her personal best set less than three weeks prior at the PIAA District One meet.
The younger Jia, Annie, destroyed Kathleen Nolan’s 12-year-old state record en route to victory in the 100 butterfly. She stopped the clock in a time of 52.04, almost a second under Nolan’s 52.99 mark. The freshman added a silver in the 100 free in 49.67, dipping under 50 for the first time to finish behind defending champion Downingtown East junior Alexa Fulton, who secured the victory in 49.04, just .03 off 2019 Pan American Games gold medalist Meaghan Raab’s state record. Fulton, a Texas commit, also defended her 50 free crown from last year with a state-record setting 22.66 swim.
Another Texas commit, Meghan Dimartile, scored a victory in the 100 back. After a speedy first 50, the Upper Dublin senior fended off fast-finishing Jade Castro to hits the pads first in 54.13. Other victories during the two-day meet were Penn State commit and Henderson senior Krista Marlin in the 200 free (1:46.92) and North Allegheny junior Christina Shi, who defended her state title from last year in the one-meter diving (428.45).
Top 5 Team Scores:
- Hatboro Horsham – 227
- Conestoga – 164
- North Allegheny – 148
- Hershey – 125
- B Reed Henderson – 120
Full results and team scores can be found here.