North Penn girls out to defend title, NP boys look to contend at District 1 Championships
The North Penn girls swim team will aim for another district crown this weekend as the District One Class AAA and AA Championships get underway Friday morning at La Salle University.
Bolstered by a tremendous performance at last week’s district diving championships, including two state-qualifying efforts by Marie Yacopino and Madison Tanis, the defending-champion Maidens already have a head start on what should once again be a very tough field in Class 3A.
The North Penn boys, runner-ups a year ago, should also be in the hunt for a team title, while Souderton Area’s Kevin Musterait will try to continue his record-setting pace.
Class AA and AAA boys events get started at 10:15 this morning, followed by the girls session at 3:15. The boys events will again start at 10:15 Saturday morning at La Salle, followed by the girls events at 3:45.
The North Penn girls go in as the top seed in all three relays, beginning with the 200 medley relay to get things started on Friday. The Maidens have several top swimmers spread out among several events, including Tara Rogers, a favorite in both the 500 freestyle and 100 butterfly.
Olivia DiStefano (50 free/100 back), Kailyn Evans (100 free/100 back) and Aimee Baur (200 free) should also contribute key points for SOL Continental champ North Penn.
The Suburban One League’s Continental Conference looks to be well-represented on the medal stand.
Pennridge sophomore Brittany Weiss is coming off a monster performance at the conference championships. Weiss set a pool record in the 100 breaststroke and also earned silver in the 100 fly, breaking a 14-year-old Pennridge school record.
Weiss is the top seed in the 100 breast and she’s seeded second in the 100 fly.
The 3A boys 400 free relay has the makings of possibly the most exciting race of the weekend, as Souderton (3:13.24) and North Penn (3:13.81) go in as the top two seeds in Saturday’s final event.
Big Red will be led by Musterait, who is seeded second in both the 50 free and 100 free. The Knights have a chance for several trips to the medal stand. Freestyle ace Thanas Kountroubis is seeded second in the 200 and sixth in the 500.
Meanwhile in Class 2A, Gwynedd Mercy Academy sophomore Allie Szekely has a chance to grab a pair of golds this weekend — the Monarch standout is the favorite in both the 100 fly and 100 back.
Top qualifiers this weekend will advance to the PIAA State Championships, held March 12-15 at Bucknell University.
