Mercury All-Area Boys Swimming Selections
FIRST TEAM
Patrick Lance, Boyertown
Junior … Finished 23rd in both the 200 free (1:45.04) and the 100 fly (52.39) at the PIAA-AAA Championships … Earned a seventh-place medal with a 51.81 at District 1-AAA Championships where he also placed 10th in the 200 free (1:44.54) … Held The Mercury coverage-area’s top regular season time in the 100 fly with a 52.48 … Named to PAC-10 First Team in the 200 free and 100 fly, honorable mention as part of Bears’ 400 free relay… Mercury All-Area First Team last season.
Colin Bauer, Owen J. Roberts
Senior … Was among the area’s top three regular season times in nine events including the top time in the 200 medley relay (1:41.03) … Led OJR to 7-0 record en route to a second consecutive PAC-10 title … Finished 23rd in the PIAA-AAA 50 free (21.90) and 29th in the 100 fly (53.62) … Captured a bronze medal at District 1-AAA Championships with a 51.28 in the 100 fly and also took fourth in the 50 free (21.49) … Anchored Wildcats’ 23rd-place 200 free relay (1:30.71) at states … All-PAC-10 First Team in the 50 free and anchor of Wildcats 400 free relay, Second Team 100 free … Mercury All-Area First Team last season.
Gil Price, Methacton
Senior … Placed 8th (16th overall) in B-Finals of the 100 free at PIAA-AAA Championships with a time of 47.82 … Finished fifth at District 1-AAA Championships with a 47.34 in 100 free … Owned the thrd regular season time in the 100 free (48.38) … Named to PAC-10 All-Academic Team … Named to All-PAC First Team in 100 free, Second Team 50 free, 200 medley relay … Mercury All-Area Second Team last season.
Kevin Basch, Pottsgrove
Senior … Mercury-Area Boys Swimmer of the Year … Medaled at PIAA-AA placing second in the 500 freestyle with a 4:34.79 … Captured a sixth-place PIAA-AA medal in the 200 free with a 1:43.72 … Won a gold medal at District 1-AA with a 4:35.22, nearly breaking a district record … Won silver in the 200 free at districts with a 1:44.02 … Owned area’s top time in the 500 free (4:48.11) and was third in the 200 free (1:48.54) … Named to PAC-10 All-Academic Team … Named All-PAC-10 First Team in the 500 free, Second Team in the 200 Free … Committed to swim at University of Delaware … Mercury All-Area First Team last season.
Mike Prior, Pottsgrove
Junior … Owned area’s top regular season time in the 100 back (55.96) … Captured gold at District 1-AA in the 200 IM with a time of 2:00.28 … Took silver in the 100 back (52.77), behind only Calvary Christian’s Owen Robinson who set a district record … First firth in the B-final (ninth overall) in the 100 back at PIAA-AA with a 53.33 … Took 14th overall in the 200 IM at states (2:01.18) and also anchored Falcons’ 15th-place 200 free relay (1:31.64) … All-PAC First Team in 100 back … Mercury All-Area Second Team last season.
Austin D’Angelo, Methacton
Senior … Placed 21st in the 100 breast at PIAA-AAA Championships … Placed eighth in the 100 breast at districts where he edged Central Bucks West’s Brad Johnson by just 0.02 for a spot at states … All-PAC-10 First Team in 100 breast, Second team as part of Warriors’ 200 medley relay … All-Area Honorable Mention last season.
Alberto Mestre, Hill School
Junior … Owned Mercury-Area’s top regular season times in three individual events including the 200 free (1:43.91), 50 free (20.53) and the 100 free (45.10) … Was also part of two Blues’ top-finishing relays (200 free relay, 400 free rela) … Was named All-American and took home two silver medals following Easterns including the 50 free (20.64) and the 100 free (45.10) … Swam first leg of the fourth-place 200 free relay (1:26.57) and the sixth-place 400 free relay (3:12.48) … All-Area Second Team last season.
SECOND TEAM
Noah Cancro, Spring-Ford
Carson Huff, Spring-Ford
Ivan Escott, Boyertown
Luke Waite, Perkiomen Valley
Hayden Fink, Owen J. Roberts
Christian DeVol, Hill School
Alec Schneider, Owen J. Roberts
HONORABLE MENTION
Boyertown: Alex Longacre.
Daniel Boone: Eric Dietrich.
Hill School: Michael Schiavone, Chase Chen, Tommy Dunn.
Methacton: Kevin Roy, Greg Stimmler, Michael Palumbo, Steven Zeng.
Owen J. Roberts: Ryan Bowker, Alec Schneider, Matt Snyder, Jordan Roach, Ryan King, Logan Baker, Simon Crew, Andrew Kull, Matt Dinnocenti.
Perkiomen School: Kristian Olsen.
Perkiomen Valley: Michael Yannantuono, Jake Gamble.
Pottsgrove: Jacob Harvey, Sean Orrison, Patrick Agnew.
Spring-Ford: Carson Hilliard, Eric Jordan.
Upper Perkiomen: Mitch Cairns, Cameron Junk, Kevin Himmelwright, Kyle Kovalenko.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Alex Diehl, Pottsgrove
Took over for former coach Karen Youtzy after serving as head coach at Pottstown … Took a school-record six swimmers to the PIAA-AA Championships including the 200-yard freestyle relay, which finished 7th in the B-final (15th overall) … Falcon boys placed sixth overall at states with 46 team points … Pottsgrove swimmers garnered four medals at the PIAA-AA Championships this season.
