Radnor’s Cullen, Delco Christian’s McKeaney win sprint events at districts

Call Delco the sprint county when it comes to swimming, after Saturday’s first day of the District 1 Swimming Championships.

Radnor senior Patrick Cullen won the Class 3A boys 50 freestyle, and Delco Christian’s Scottie McKeaney claimed the Class 2A girls 50.

Both swimmers nab the only automatic berth available in either class, a change this year as 24 of the 32 swimmers at the class 3A meet will now qualify on the basis of time finish, instead of the previous five automatic berths in each event for 3A.

Cullen entered as the top seed and delivered in the 3A boys 50, his time of 20.73 seconds edging Michael Fazio of Oxford by 0.22 seconds.

McKeaney clocked in at 24.33 in the girls 2A 50.

Cullen is also likely to swim a relay at states, with the Raiders’ 200 free team finishing second in 1:25.34. Cullen led off (in 20.76) with Andrew Davis, Wil Cosgrove and Nick Mlodzienski rounding out the squad. Mlodzienski also has a strong states case in the 100 butterfly, where he finished fourth in 51.39 seconds.

Haverford’s 200 medley relay finished fourth, the squad of Zach Given, David Abrahams, Jackson Graham and Jon Meyer clocking in at 1:34.49. Abrahams was ninth in the 200 individual medley in 1:55.57, a spot ahead of Ridley’s Alex Boeckx, and Graham was ninth in the 100 fly.

Strath Haven’s Will Resweber could return to states after finishing eighth in the 200 free in 1:44.94.

Garnet Valley’s girls made their forceful state cases. Catherine Weaverling finished second in the 100 fly in 55.70. Noelle DiClemente was third in the 50 free in 23.63. Both are likely to get states nods, as is the sixth-place 200 free relay of Weaverling, DeClemente, Anastasia Erley and Alexa Hipp.

Claire Walsh of Penncrest finished sixth in the 50 free, and Radnor’s Casey Cullen was sixth in the 100 fly. Both have good chances of making states on time. In the 200 free, Sun Valley’s Keeley Durkin finished eighth in 1:53.39, a spot ahead of Strath Haven freshman Sydney Bergstrom (1:53.79). Both could wind up at states.