Time is on Bochanski’s side in qualifying for PIAA finals

LEWISBURG >> Haverford coach Matt Stewart read the result off his phone, then sprinted halfway across the deck at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium to deliver the news. Matthew Bochanski received it with a smile, then put a little extra height on his leap into the sun-splashed warm-down pool.

Few swimmers have been as intimately acquainted with the cut lines at events this year than the Haverford senior. But Thursday, fortune was on his side.

It took two disqualifications for Bochanski to eke into the B final of the 100 breaststroke at the PIAA Class 3A Championships, the senior earning the 16th and final berth.

Original results showed Bochanski in 17th, but the disqualification of La Salle’s Patrick Cunningham in the final heat bumped him up into an evening swim.

Even had the chips not fallen in Bochanski’s favor, his personal-best time of 58.97 to win the first heat of four would’ve sufficed.

“I was just very excited after my race,” Bochanski said. “Of course I was happy with my time. I was even more excited to make finals. … I just tried to come in and have fun and see how I do.”

Bochanski was a long shot to even make states, much less finals. He finished ninth at the District 1 Championships, and his time of 59.18 earned him the 16th and final at-large berth to states, .01 ahead of West Chester East’s JP Perucki. Even with a scratch that allowed Perucki, as first alternate, to swim Thursday, Bochanski was still just .03 ahead of the cut line. In his other event, the 200 individual medley, Bochanski landed on the wrong side of the cut by .02 seconds.

So if anyone was equipped to deal with the mental waiting game, it was Bochanski.

“With such a small margin, I’d say it’s a bit of luck that I got in,” he said. “But it definitely helps fuel my race, my mentality before my race. It keeps me going.”

Bochanski made it four-for-four in Delco boys in the 100 breast. Teammate David Abrahams cracked 57 to qualify third in prelims at 56.79. Garnet Valley’s Aidan Zipf (57.91) is the ninth seed for finals with Radnor’s James El-Deiry (58.17) 11th.

All involved were aided by the disqualification of Hatboro-Horsham’s Andy Thomas, who was sanctioned for a false start, nullifying the top qualifying time of 55.57.

Haverford qualified all three of its morning swimmers for finals, with Collin Pettit going 4:39.27 in the 500 freestyle, good for the 14th seed and a B final berth a spot behind Strath Haven’s Will Resweber (4:39.19). Radnor’s Patrick Cullen was 13th in the 100 free in 46.50, and the Radnor 400 free relay is the top seed in the B final.

Penncrest’s prelims efforts were similarly fruitful, the Lions going three-for-three on the girls side. Claire Walsh slipped into the A final of the 100 free as the eighth seed, trimming a second off her seed time to 51.07. Julia Colizzo likewise made the A final in the 100 back in 56.95 seconds, and Madison Dickert broke 1:05 to nab 13th spot in the 100 breast in 1:04.92.

Garnet Valley’s 400 free relay of Anastasia Erley, Amy Townend, Catherine Weaverling and Noelle DiClemente ended the day on a high note with a 13th-place result to make finals. Weaverling did the same in the 100 back in ninth in 57.41, but it was disappointment for Townend (21st in the 500) and DiClemente (18th in the 100 free despite a time drop and improvement from the 28th seed).

That’s a lot of extra swims earned, but perhaps none is as precious as the reprieve Bochanski got, though he was at peace with the result no matter what.

“I would’ve been happy with that,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting two people to DQ, so I was really happy with my time, even if I didn’t make finals.”