The Villa Maria girls team and the Cathedral Prep boys team claimed the 2019 Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association 2A State Championship titles, in the two day meet held at Bucknell University. State records fell in two boys events.
Girls
Villa Maria claimed the 2019 PIAA Swimming and Diving 2A State Championships with 178 points. Schuylkill Valley was runner up with a score of 141 points. Gwynedd Mercy was third with 129.5 points.
Villa Maria hopped out in front, winning the 200 medley relay by two seconds with the team of Bella Agresti, Jasmine Chen, Megan Maholic, and Sydney Sherman coming into the wall in 1:44.31. Scranton Prep was second in 1:46.12.
Two seniors were under 1:50 in the 200 free. Northgate’s Karen Siddoway out touched Northern York’s Kate Luft 1:49.08 to 1:49.15. Siddoway came back to also win the 100 free in 50.36, just ahead of Upper Perkiomen’s Noel Fresa in 50.96. Luft claimed a victory in the 100 back in 54.45. Villa Maria freshman Maholic was runner up in 54.98.
Shamokin’s junior Abby Doss won the 200 IM by two seconds, using a strong backhalf to power her way to a 2:01.39. She took her second win in the 500 free, stopping the clock in 4:52.01. West York’s Meghan French also snuck under five minutes in 4:59.50.
Five women were faster than 24 seconds in the 50 free. Grove City senior Emma Wilson claimed the state title, stopping the clock in 23.14. Mt. Pleasant junior Heather Gardner touched second in 23.43, just faster than Schuylkill Val’s Marlee Rickert in 23.58.
Maura Fluehr, a sophomore from Springfield Mont. was first to the wall in the 100 fly with a 55.69. Nazareth Academy’s Madyson Mcsorley placed second in 56.79.
Halle Myers, Grace Buege, Grace Kocjancic, and Ellie Kruas combined for a 1:36.59 to win the 200 freestyle relay for Fairview. Scranton Prep was second in 1:36.78.
Annie O’Dare, a senior at Gwynedd Mercy, was first to the wall in the 100 breaststroke in 1:01.80.
Fairview’s Halle Myers, Rowan Hayes, Grace Kocjancic, and Ellie Kraus won the final 400 freestyle relay in 3:30.79 ahead of Gwynedd Mercy in 3:32.67.
Boys
Cathedral Prep dominated the team scores of the 2A meet, taking the state title with 217 points. Lower Moreland was runner up with 157 points, less than 10 ahead of Bishop Mcdevitt with 147.5 points.
The 11 year old PIAA 200 freestyle record went down by the narrowest of margins. Clearfield junior Luke Mikesell touched in 1:38.31, just .04 faster than the 1:38.35 set by Trevor Scheid in 2008. Mikesell also touched just ahead of Bishop Mcdevitt senior Josiah Lauver in 1:38.51.
Marian Catholic’s Danny Berlitz, a Michigan commit, destroyed the competition in the 200 IM, winning the event in 1:47.58, seven seconds ahead of second. Berlitz also won the 500 freestyle, taking down the state record. the senior touched in 4:24.07, just under the 2008 mark of 4:24.42. Clearfield’s Luke Mikesell was just behind in 4:24.52.
Cathedral Prep opened the meet with a two and a half second victory in the 200 medley relay as Ethan Neff, John Paul Stark, Robbie Maholic, and Grant Brown touched in 1:34.42. Neff built on his winning backstroke split to take the 100 back in 51.02.
Huntingdon junior Nick Buckley won the 50 freestyle in 21.22, just .04 faster than Neshannock sophomore Conner Mcbeth in 21.26. Sayre’s Joshua Mcclelland placed third (21.39).
Belle Vernon’s Ian Shahan led four men under 50 in the 100 fly. The sophomore was second at the 50, but used a strong second 50 to outtouch Doengal’s junior Jake Houk 48.83 to 48.92 for the title. Holy Redeemer’s Adam Mahler finished third (49.03). Shahan was also first to the wall in the 100 free, edging Bishop Mcdevitt’s Lauver 45.39 to 45.50.
Cathedral Prep improved to two for two on relays as Maholic, Stark, Gavin Ferry, and Michael Rahner touched in 1:26.22 to take the 200 free relay.
The 100 breaststroke was a tight race between two seniors. Belle Vernon’s Robert Spekis got to the wall first in 56.63 while Holy Ghost Prep’s Andrew Iannacone touched second in 56.98.
Bishop Mcdevitt dominated the 400 freestyle relay, stopping the clock in 3:08.89 with the team of Patrick Hemingway, Jonah Hancock, Zach Miller, and Josiah Lauver. Central Columbia was second in 3:13.17.
Jackie Morrison -look at your swimmer! Amazing job coach!
Thank you, Steph! Your daughter is rocking the pool as well!!
Stephanie Wigfield Reed thanks Steph, your daughter is rocking the pool as well, congrats!!
Jackie Morrison. Thanks! Jeff is head coach of our team now. He’s hoping next time we make it to Clearfield that we can get together so he can pick your brain a bit about what is working for you so well!!
Stephanie Wigfield Reed I bet he is an awesome coach and I can learn from him too!