Conestoga’s McKenrick wins 2nd gold at District 1 champs
PHILADELPHIA >> A year ago, Conestoga’s Brian McKenrick rode home from districts with a gold and silver medal.
Though he was pleased, he was never fully satisfied.
On Saturday, he capped off the second day of the 2016 District 1 Class AAA Championships at La Salle University’s Kirk Natatorium with another gold, bringing his final count to two top times.
“This is amazing, I never expected to be going home with two gold medals,” he said. “My goal was just to get here and post better times than I did last year. So to come and earn to medals, it’s unreal.”
McKenrick was also presented the John E. Schwering Memorial Award, given for the outstanding swimmer in the 100 back, after he posted a 49.67. That shattered his silver mark of 50.52 from the year prior.
“This is an absolute honor,” he said admiring the memorial plaque. “I don’t think I can ever forget this moment…or this weekend.”
McKenrick’s top finishes pushed Conestoga to a fourth place finish in the AAA rankings. Upper Dublin took first with 292 points followed by North Penn with 236. West Chester Henderson finished 10th with 79 while Downingtown East was 11th with 77.5 and Avon Grove 12th with 71.
Lower Moreland captured the AA crown with 381 points followed by Upper Moreland with 286. Bishop Shanahan finished seventh with 176 points at the conclusion of the two-day meet.
Just a day after earning a gold medal, Conestoga freshman Brendan Burns capped his meet with a bronze medal.
The freshman finished third in the 100 back, posting a 50.40 to finish behind McKenrick and Avon Grove’s Justin Carey (50.32).
Burns also anchored Conestoga’s fourth-place 400 free relay, which touched in 3:11.54.
“This has been a great meet,” he said afterward. “Yesterday (Friday) I was definitely feeling a lot more nerves before I swam. Today, though, I just concentrated on putting up better times and doing what I can to move on.”
Over the course of the two-day meet, Burns qualified for states in four events. That said, he’s excited to continue working with McKenrick for another two weeks before states.
“It’s definitely cool to train with him (McKenrick),” said Burns. “He’s a little faster than I am in a few events, but overall we’re about equal in most of our events. He’s kind of a mentor to me — he’s got a lot of experience at this meet and at states. So there’s a lot I can learn from him.”
Forget seeding times, it’s all about what you do once you get here.
That was Downingtown West junior Christopher Hincks’ approach. And it will likely keep his season going another couple of weeks.
“I don’t think anyone was really expecting me to finish where I did, so that was really motivating,” said Hincks afterward. “Before my swim, my coach and I talked about the times I’d have to get if I wanted to get to states. Luckily for me, I think I achieved it.”
Entering the day as the No. 26 seed in the 100 free, Hincks posted a 47.67 — 2.12 seconds off his seed time — to finish sixth. Though he isn’t up for automatic qualification, his time will likely send him to PIAA-AA Championships at Bucknell University in two weeks.
“I can’t wait,” said Hincks, who also qualified for states in the 100 fly on Friday. “Now I’ve got two weeks to get ready for it. Hopefully I can do something there like I did today.”
Unionville’s Matt Magness qualified for states with a silver 4:34.63 in the 500 free, cutting over seven seconds off his seed time.
“This is the first time I’ve ever swam at a meet where it’s either qualify or go home,” he said. “So pressure’s on. Now I’ve got to focus on states and see what I can do there.”
Magness also captured an eighth place medal in the 200 free on Friday.
A day after defending his title in the 100 butterfly, Bishop Shanahan’s Olivier Nguyen came up just shy of defending another title. The senior posted a 48.87 in the AA 100 free, finishing just .08 behind Springfield-Montco’s Jake Corcoran for the top time.
“I knew it was would be a tight race,” said Nguyen. “Jake had a really good race, so there isn’t much I can hang my head about.”
Though he didn’t receive an automatic qualification for the state championship, his time should earn him a trip to Bucknell.
Corcoran and Nguyen may not have seen the last of each other just yet. Both seniors are highly considering swimming at Arcadia over the next four years.
“We might be teammates next year, so we’d definitely go back and forth in the 100 free,” he said with a smile. “Whatever happens, I’m excited to say I was a part of that race.”
NOTES >> Bishop Shanahan’s Tom Powell earned the bronze in the 500 free with a 4:57.05. … Kennett’s John Libert placed sixth in the 100 back with a 53.06 and will have to wait on time qualifications. … West Chester Henderson’s Jared Fruhwirth placed seventh in the 100 breast.
