All-Delco Girls Swimming: Kolessar sisters part of Notre Dame’s rise
In addition to Swimmer of the Year Mia Abruzzo of Notre Dame, the rest of the All-Delco girls swimming team includes:
Madison Kolessar, Notre Dame: The University of Florida signee was an All-Delco in all three of the high school seasons that she swam (excepting her sophomore year). Kolessar teamed with Abruzzo and younger sister Ashley Kolessar to lead the Irish to third place at Easterns, a program-best finish. The Irish also bested Germantown Academy in a dual meet this season for the first time in history. Madison Kolessar was clearly among the elite at Easterns, though she didn’t win an individual event. She finished second in the 200 freestyle in 1:49.77, second only to the automatic All-American time set by GA’s Emma Atkinson. Kolessar’s time was an All-American consideration cut and the fastest in the county. It took a Delco record from Abruzzo (4:46.89) to deny Kolessar in the 500 free, Kolessar taking silver. Her time of 4:50.35 was under the old mark (4:50.81, set by Episcopal’s Hadley DeBruyn in 2017) in an automatic All-American time. Kolessar also helped Notre Dame finish second in the 400 free relay and fourth in the 200 medley relay. She leaves high school as the county record holder in the 200 free (1:49.62) set as a freshman at Garnet Valley in 2017.
Kelly Feuzeu Mekoue, Episcopal Academy: A balanced team contribution was paramount to Episcopal Academy winning the girls competition at Easterns for just the second time (last in 2017), but Feuzeu Mekoue was the individual who distinguished herself most. The sophomore sprinter did the sprint double, winning the 50 free in 23.71 seconds and the 100 free in 51.59, flawlessly defending the top seed in finals in both instances. She also swam butterfly on the Churchwomen’s sixth-place medley relay and led off the silver-medal-winning 200 free relay. She finished tops in Delco in both freestyle events by wide margins. Feuzeu Mekoue also swept the sprints at the Inter-Ac Championships. The Churchwomen won the Inter-Ac dual meet championship with an unbeaten record and scored 325 points at the championship meet to easily claim the crown.
READ: Girls Swimming: The All-Delco Teams
Casey Cullen, Radnor: The sophomore had a stellar postseason, getting faster at every turn. She earned two individual medals on the same night on Day 1 of the PIAA Class 3A championships. Cullen went from the 10th seed to third place in finals in the 200 free in a time of 1:50.92 (second in Delco to Madison Kolessar). In the 100 butterfly, Cullen was sixth after prelims but tied for third in the evening with a time of 55.28 seconds (second-quickest in the county and an All-American consideration time). She also helped the Radnor 200 free relay finish 14th, setting a school record (1:37.65), and helped the 400 free relay make finals in 15th. Cullen earned three District 1 medals, second to Catherine Weaverling in the 100 fly and fifth in the 200 free to go with eighth in the 400 free relay, a team that had won the Central League championship two weeks earlier.
Catherine Weaverling, Garnet Valley: The junior added another states medal to earn a second consecutive All-Delco berth. Weaverling was Delco’s only Class 3A swimmer, boy or girl, to net a gold medal from the District 1 championships, winning the 100 fly in 55.66 seconds. She was slower at states but still earned a medal in eighth place. At states, Weaverling claimed 12th in the 100 back and helped the Jags’ 200 free and 400 relays reach Bucknell, finishing 19th and 29th, respectively. In addition to her districts gold in fly, Weaverling was third in the 100 back. She won the 100 fly at the Central League championships and earned second in the 100 back. Weaverling’s best times in her two postseason events (54.87 in the 100 fly, 55.95 in the 100 back) were the quickest in Delco, the former an All-American consideration cut.
READ: Delco Swimming: Girls Top Times
Ashley Kolessar, So., Notre Dame: Just a sophomore, the younger Kolessar has established herself as the fastest breaststroker in Delco history, earning a second consecutive All-Delco nod. Kolessar settled for silver – behind the meet record and All-American time set by Penn Charter’s Sarah Foley – in the 100 breast final at Easterns. But Kolessar’s time of 1:03.62 was the clear second in the race. It downed the county record of 1:03.95 set in 2017 by Ridley’s Gab Rudy and earns All-American consideration. Kolessar was third (to Foley and Abruzzo) in the 200 IM with a time of 2:00.86, an auto All-American cut. She helped Notre Dame finished fourth in the medley relay at Easterns and, with a stellar 52.05 leadoff leg, take second in the concluding 400 free relay to pace Notre Dame’s third-place team finish. Her 100 free time was the second-fastest flat-start time in Delco this season. Showing her range, Kolessar was third in the Inter-Ac meet in the 100 fly.
Alexandra Pastris, Marple Newtown: The sophomore proved again that she was the class of Delco diving to land on the All-Delco team for a second straight season. Pastris medaled at the PIAA Class 3A championships for a second consecutive year, rising from eighth as a freshman to fourth with a score of 425.95 points. She nabbed a bronze medal at districts, scoring 470.05 points to come within seven points of the county record she set last year. Pastris claimed the Central League title with 460.40 points. She added the six-dive county record to her resume, with a score of 302.60 points in a Jan. 17 dual meet against Radnor, taking down the record set in 2016 by Episcopal Academy’s Wren Sablich (298.90).
