District 1 Swimming: Life at the top, or even close to the top, fine with Haven’s Bergstrom
PHILADELPHIA — Sydney Bergstrom achieved another first Friday at the District 1 Swimming and Diving Championships: The Strath Haven sophomore got to experience life as a top seed.
Overall, Bergstrom was happy with her silver medal in the 500 freestyle in 4:55.31.
“It was kind of scary but I just needed to keep my head in the game and stick with my own strategy,” she said. “That is one of the reasons why I love that race so much, because you have so much time just to get into a good pace and it can be fun.”
The 500 is long enough to accommodate different goals, as the Delco contingent saw with four of the top 11 finishers. Haverford’s Katya Eruslanova was sixth in 5:02.79. Sun Valley’s Keeley Durkin took eighth in 5:04.25, and Garnet Valley’s Amy Townsend dropped 4.5 seconds to 5:11.32 for 11th. The cut for the last states at-large last year was 5:10.54.
Bergstrom, like Durkin, is gearing her training to states. So when second seed Izzy Paoletti, an Avon Grove senior, sped up with 200 yards left, Bergstrom didn’t push herself into the red and risk dying late.
Paoletti won in 4:53.42. Bergstrom will get another chance at states.
“It wasn’t as fast as I wanted it to be,” Bergstrom said. “But this meet wasn’t really about that. It was more about the place.”
Eruslanova has been soaking up the experience. The freshman phenom earned the top seed in Thursday’s 200 IM, bested by Paoletti.
“I was so nervous for it,” she said. “When those psych sheets first came out, the whole week was so nervous. And then I came in and I dropped time, so it felt good.”
Friday, she added a solid 500 free in a best time, two-tenths off the school record.
Durkin last year shook off a core muscle injury that kept her out of the pool for three weeks to nab two top-eight finishes and states berths. This year was less drama-filled but more pressure-packed.
“I was stressed this whole week,” she said. “At school, all my friends were hyping me up. My school expects a lot. But it was a good meet.”
Durkin was sixth in the 200 free in 1:52.73, under last year’s state cut and a personal-best.
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Before the 400 free relay, Matthew Hurford’s wait for state at-larges was already arduous.
Thursday, the Garnet Valley junior finished seventh in the 200 free in 1:43.78. On Day 2, he went 4:42.41 in the 500 free for seventh again. Both times are under the cut for the last at-large in 2019, though not so decisively as to instantly book the Bucknell hotel.
But when Hurford — with Griffin Young, Tyler Baldino and Aidan Zipf — finished eighth in the 400 free relay, dropping three seconds to 3:14.09, the wait gained new significance.
“It’s going to be really heavy with the relay because we all want to get in,” Hurford said. “We worked really hard to go fast in that relay. I’m really proud of all of them, and I think we have a good chance of making it. It’s a bigger anticipation, I guess you can say.”
The final cut last year was 3:15.62, so the Jags stand a shot. Zipf is certain to get there in the 100 breaststroke, and Hurford could end up with three swims. He was satisfied, if not entirely happy with his 500, with 4:40 as his target. But overall he was pleased, and adding a states berth (or three) when psych sheets are revealed Sunday would be a bonus.
“I think I’m leaving here knowing that I tried my best and I did the best I could,” Hurford said. “Hopefully, that’s enough to get me in.”
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NOTES >> Delco has two potential states qualifiers in the 100 back, as Penncrest’s Steven Woolery finished sixth in 52.15 and Haverford’s Zach Given was eighth at 52.44. It took 53.08 last year. … Radnor’s Rhett Cosgrove was fifth in the 500 free in 4:41.07. That breaks an 11-year-old team record set by two-time Daily Times Boys Swimmer of the Year Robbie Norton and likely gets Cosgrove to states. … Garnet Valley’s Catherine Weaverling added another district medal by finishing third in the 100 back in 56.12. It’s the junior’s fifth individual medal. She won Thursday’s 100 fly. … Radnor freshman Marina Wang finished 11th in the 100 free in 52.86. It took 52.93 for states last year. Haven’s Mia Yancey was 15th in 53.05. Wang anchored the Raiders 400 free relay (Kelsey Wakiyama, Avery Barber, Casey Cullen) to eighth in 3:33.51. … Garnet Valley was the only Delco school in the top 13 of the boys team standings. Radnor was 14th. For the girls, Radnor led the scoring in ninth with Strath Haven 16th.
