Pottsgrove’s Glinecke, Basch medal on PIAA-AA opener
Lewisburg >> They didn’t make the two-hour drive to Bucknell University just to ride home empty-handed.
So when all six of Pottsgrove’s swimmers advanced from the morning preliminary round on the opening day of the PIAA-AA Championships at Kinney Natatorium, it came as no surprise to the Falcons themselves.
“This morning, every single one of our swimmers knew their seed but didn’t let that change anything,” said Pottsgrove first-year head coach Alex Diehl. “It’s a huge accomplishment for them to make it to the finals. They earned every bit of that experience.”
Once the waves settled and the decks were cleared, Pottsgrove seniors Kevin Basch and Emily Glinecke each sported a medal around their necks.
Glinecke captured the bronze in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:51.94. Basch captured sixth in the 200 free, with a time of 1:43.72.
“It’s bittersweet to be back here,” said Glinecke, who transferred from The Hill School to Pottsgrove her junior year. “Even though this is only my second time swimming at this meet, it’s really taught me a lot about handling all the pressure.”
She’s obviously a quick-learner.
During her first try at the state championships last season, Glinecke rode home with two silver medals clanging around her neck. She’ll look ride home to a similar melody as she is seeded fourth in the 100 breast Saturday to close out her high school career.
“I love this atmosphere, the intensity,” she said. “The competition is a lot stronger here than anything I’d experienced while I was at The Hill. I think it brings out the best in everyone.”
The competition clearly brought out the best in Glinecke’s teammate, Basch, who posted his highest state finish to date.
“Going into it, I was aiming for a 1:43,” said Basch of his sixth-place swim in the 200 free, “so I’m really happy with the way it went.”
The 200 free serves as Basch’s penultimate to his high school career. He’ll close out his state championship seeded first in the 500 free on Saturday. With that being his main event, he hopes day two will bring on even more success.
“I’m kind of glad to have gotten the 200 (free) out of the way,” he admitted. “Now I can shift my focus completely to the 500. The 500 has always been my best event, so now I need to set my mine completely on it.”
Junior teammate Mike Prior finished 14th in the consolation final of the 200 individual medley, with a time of 2:01.18. He also served as anchor to the Falcons’ 200 free relay, which capped the meet with a 15th-place finish at 1:31.64. The contingent also included Patrick Agnew, Jacob Harvey and Sean Orrison.
“I don’t think our relay expected to be here in the beginning of the year,” admitted Prior. “None of us expected to make it to states, let alone make the finals, so we’re really happy about that.”
Diehl is confident that the Falcons’ success in the relay was a result of their desire.
“They were seeded at 18th coming into it this morning,” said Diehl, “so they knew they had nothing to lose. That was really impressive.”
Much like Basch and Glinecke, at the conclusion of day one, Prior’s weekend is far from over. He’ll swim in the 100 back on Saturday where he is seeded seventh.
“Tomorrow (Saturday) is the big day,” he said. “I tapered and swam pretty well in the 200 IM, so we’ll see if it carries over to the 100 back.
“It’s certainly felt more competitive this year than it was last year,” he added. “Last year was more of a learning experience, and this year I’m getting a feel for what it’s like to compete. I know that will help me for next year, too.”
Upper Perkiomen senior Kirsten Siwy placed 15th in the 200 free with a time of 1:56.21. Entering the meet as the No. 17 seed, Siwy clawed her way into the consolation final with a time of 1:57.38 in the morning preliminary. Her time proved to be 0.13 better than Shady Side’s Caroline Colville. Though she started the meet on the outside looking in, she says that provided all the motivation she needed.
“Coming into this meet, I knew I was going to have to really push it,” said Siwy, who will attend King’s College next fall. “I wanted to leave everything in the pool and give it everything I had.”
Her finish marked the first time the senior had made it to the consolation final, with last season being her first trip to Bucknell. Now as the sun begins to set on her high school swimming career, she has just the 100 free to look forward to on day two.
At the conclusion of day one, Grove City leads the boys AA championships with 129 points followed by Trinity with 117. Pottsgrove is currently tied for 20th with Hopewell and Manheim Central with 20 points.
On the girls side, Villa Maria Academy moves another step toward capturing a sixth-straight title as it leads the way with 168.5 points followed by Gwynedd-Mercy with 106. Pottsgrove is tied for 21st with Moravian Academy at 16 points while Upper Perkiomen has two points.
Day 2 of the PIAA-AA Championships will get underway Saturday with the boys preliminaries beginning at 8 a.m. and followed by the girls. The boys championship rounds will start at 5 p.m. with the girls closing it out in the night.
