PIAA Boys Swimming Preview: Spring-Ford’s McKenna set for states debut
Spring-Ford’s Luke McKenna thought he was heading to states when he finished in seventh in the 500-yard freestyle event at the District 1 Championships last season.
In most years, he might have.
Instead, McKenna ended his junior season as the last one out of the state field among the District 1 swimmers.
The Spring-Ford senior came into this season on a mission to get to the PIAA Swimming Championships this season. After last month’s fourth place finish at districts, McKenna will get the chance this week as he heads to the state meet at Bucknell University.
“I was very happy and very excited because last year we didn’t have anyone from our team go to states and I was very disappointed to see that I was the first one out,” McKenna said. “It was unfortunate because I had worked really hard to get to that point … To see that I was going to states and along with a bunch of my teammates who qualified for states was awesome. It was a fantastic way to end senior year.”
Spring-Ford coach Greg Huff described McKenna as “one of the hardest working swimmers” he’s ever had. Fueled by the disappointment of last season, McKenna cranked things up a notch even higher this season.
McKenna put an emphasis on strength training this offseason, putting more time into lifting weights. When training for the 2019-20 season began this fall, McKenna put a plan in place to ensure a trip to states for his senior season.
“I started swimming back this season in the beginning of September last year,” McKenna said. “Heading into it, I 100 percent wanted to get back to states and not be the first one out.”
McKenna finished fourth at the District 1-3A championships last month. His time of 4:40.90 was more than four seconds faster than the mark he reached at the meet last year when he finished in 4:45.13.
The Spring-Ford senior enters the PIAA championships with the 16th-best time. The top 16 swimmers in the preliminary heats advance to the finals.
“To ‘B’ final or ‘A’ final is really what I’m looking for,” McKenna said. “I want to be able to come back at night and swim that event again. But I’m also just kind of looking forward to making memories with my teammates and just kind of having one last ride.”
After no Spring-Ford swimmer advanced to states last season, McKenna will be one of three individuals competing this year. Junior Brendan Baganski will swim in the 50 free and the 100 free, and on the girls side freshman Ashley Gutshall will swim in the 50 free.
The Rams are also sending two relay teams to Bucknell. Baganski, senior Sean Laing, senior Cory Laing and junior Sam Ricci will swim in the 200 free relay, while McKenna, Baganski, Cory Laing and junior Andrew Cubbler will compete in the 400 free relay.
“It’s just like a team effort with the relay,” McKenna said. “As an individual, you’re striving for that on your own. But when you have your whole team, when you hit the water you want to race for your team and for your teammates because you all want to have that special feeling of going to states. And you all want to be there and experience it.”
McKenna, who will swim at Gettysburg College, started swimming around age 7 when his older sister began the sport. He became serious when he joined the Phoenixville YMCA around eighth grade, which is also about the time he made the transition from a backstroker to an endurance swimmer.
As he nears the end of his high school career he’s had some time to look back on the growth he’s made in the last four years. He said he’s also reflected on the growth of this Spring-Ford team, which went 9-1 in the Pioneer Athletic Conference this season for the program’s first second place finish in the league since 2015-16.
“I’ve been kind of thinking about it over the past few weeks of how far I really have come,” McKenna said. “And kind of looking at my times I started out freshman year and seeing where I am now. I’ve dropped close to 20 seconds in the 500 from freshman year until now.
“And I’ve really been looking at how our team atmosphere has changed over the years and how much closer we’ve really come, especially this season. Between even the freshmen, the seniors and the juniors and sophomores, we’ve all really become a super close team, a super close and fun environment. It’s definitely something that I’ve been thinking about.”
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The Mercury area will have a large contingent of boys swimmers at the PIAA Championships this week led by Daniel Boone junior Chris Guiliano.
Guiliano finished fifth in the 200 IM (1:50.24) and sixth in the 100 free (45.11) at last year’s Class 3A state meet. He is seeded third in the 100 free (44.83) and second in the 200 free (1:38.80) coming off gold medals in both events at the District 3 championships. He will also help the Blazers in the 200 free relay.
Boyertown sends a pair of seniors to states, one heading back to Bucknell while the other is going for the first time. Nolan Benner, who missed out on the finals of the 100 free and 100 breast last season, will be joined by teammate Owen Miller. The Bear senior duo will both compete in the 100 free, while Benner races again in the 100 breast and Miller adds the 100 fly to his schedule. Boyertown also has 200 medley and 400 free relay teams
In the school’s second year competing at the Class 3A level, Upper Perkiomen junior Sean Lyman gives the Indians’ a state qualifier for the second straight year as he will compete in the 200 IM and 500 free.
Three more PAC swimmers will swim multiple events: Perkiomen Valley sophomore Jacob Replogle (200 and 500 free), Owen J. Roberts junior Dalton Fink (100 fly and 100 back), and Upper Merion junior Michael Lemishko (100 back and 100 fly).
Phoenixville junior Jack Hussin (500 free) and Methacton sophomore Tommy Gibbs (100 fly) round out the area Class 3A individuals. OJR has 200 free and 400 free relay teams headed to states. Upper Merion will send 400 free and 200 medley relay teams.
In boys 2A, Pope John Paul II freshman Henry Phillips will swim in the 200 free and 500 free. Phillips won the 500 free (4:54.17) and finished third in the 200 free (1:49.22) at the District 1-2A championships last month.
