The North Penn girls won the 2019 PIAA 3A Swimming and Diving state championships with 243 points. Upper Dublin was runner up with 166 and Governor Mifflin finished third with a total of 135 points.
North Allegheny put together a dominating team performance to win the boys meet with 279 points. The race for second was close with North Penn scoring 196 to Lasalle College’s 191. Three state records fell.
Girls
Mt. Lebanon’s Hannah Mordelli, Maddie Dorish, Trinity Ward, and Sophia Donati won the 200 medley relay by over a second with a 1:43.04. North Penn was runner up in 1:44.27. Ward was first to the wall in the 100 fly (54.19) ahead of North Penn’s Claudia Thamm in 54.79.
Upper Dublin’s senior Abbie Amdor led three women under 1:50 in the 200 free, winning the event in 1:46.66. Lower Merion’s Anna Kalandadze was runner up with a 1:48.34. Wissahickson’s Carly Zlotnikoff touched third (1:49.26). Amdor also won the 50 free, touching in 49.32. Kalandadze was first to the wall in the 500 with her 4:48.96. Upper Dublin’s Elle Braun was second (4:52.81).
Fox chapel freshman Zoe Skirboll outswam the competition in the 200 IM, finishing in 1:58.75. Downington East’s Heather Maccausland tied North Allegheny’s Victoria Buerger for second in 2:00.96. Skirboll was runner up in the 100 breast, finishing in 1:01.23, just a tenth behind Butler junior Lara Goettler in 1:01.13.
Gateway’s Olivia Livingston won the 50 free in 23.00.
Courtney Hubric, Rabecca Brown, Connar Melcher, and Emma Steckiel won the 200 freestyle relay for Governor Mifflin in 1:32.97.
Upper Dublin freshman Meghan Dimartille picked up first place points in the 100 backstroke with her 53.73. Her teammates Molly Braun, Elle Braun, Aly Breslin, and Amdor won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:22.30.
Boys
David Nolan‘s 2011 50 freestyle state record went down on Friday night. State College’s junior Matt Brownstead touched in 19.55, just .03 under the 19.58 record. Brownstead also won the 100 free (43.71), but was a second and a half from Nolan’s state mark.
Another state record fell in the 100 fly as Conestoga’s Brendan Burns, an Indiana commit, was under his own record (47.04) with a 46.79. Burns also won the 100 backstroke with a 46.95.
Upper St. Claire sophomore Josh Matheny destroyed the state record in the 100 breaststroke. Matheny touched in 52.52, well under Brendon Hansen’s 53.67 set in 2000.
In the first race of the meet Upper St. Clair out touched North Allegheny. Jack Fitzpatrick, Josh Matheny, Reese Samuel, and Ryan Senchyshak combined to win in 1:30.67, just .03 faster than North Allegheny’s Richard Mihm, Jerry Chen, Anatole Borisov, and Joel Songer. in 1:30.70.
North Allegheny then won the very next event with Jack Wright posting a dominant 1:35.04 to take the 200 free. Lasalle College’s Liam Smith touched second (1:38.38), just faster than North Penn’s Ryley Fein in 1:38.59. Wright was runner up in the 100 free (43.81).
Mihm was on the wrong end of another close race, taking second in the 200 IM in 1:44.97 to North Penn’s Sean Faikish in 1:44.88. Fitzpatrick was third (1:47.70). Mihm scored a state title in the 500 freestyle, touching in 4:23.48, just faster than Abington’s Matt Bonnell in 4:23.81. Mihm’s teammate John Ehling was third (4:30.16).
North Allegheny got the relay victory they were looking for in the 200 freestyle relay as Branko Kosanovich, Songer, Joshua Galecki, and Wright touched in 1:22.48. North Penn was second in 1:23.47. North Allegheny picked up a second relay win in the meet’s final event as Mihm, Branko Kosanovich, John Ehling, and Wright touched in 2:59.80. North Penn was second in 3:02.69, just .01 faster than Upper Dublin in 3:02.70.
Some absolutely amazing swims. Congratulations to all of the amazing swimmers, parents and coaches.
Heather Maccausland also broke the PIAA 50 free record on the lead off leg of the Downingtown East 200 Free Relay (22.67).
Jill Delfs Maki …way to go Heather!