Gold Rush at States: Upper Dublin, North Penn shine on Day One of PIAA’s

LEWISBURG >> Upper Dublin’s Matt Jensen was able to nudge his buddy out of the record book.

“It’s pretty amazing. Brendan Burns is an amazing swimmer so it’s really cool to be able to beat his record,” Jensen said. “And I’m really happy with that time – that’s really fast.”

Jensen swam the 100-yard butterfly in 46.58 seconds Wednesday night, setting a state record and replacing the previous mark of 46.97, set by Burns of Conestoga a year ago.

Jensen’s fast feats were part of a big day for Upper Dublin swimming, and part of a big Day One for locals at the PIAA Swim Championships at packed Kinney Natatorium.

“I’ve been eyeing that record since last year,” Jensen said. “I’ve been thinking about it so it’s been a long-term goal. It’s really cool to get it. (I felt) pretty confident (going in), especially after this morning’s swim, where I went faster than I thought I would. So I knew I had it in me.

“I had a really good Junior Nationals in the winter so this is a good continuation of that. I don’t get to swim as many events but I’m focusing on my best events here.”

Another one was the 200 medley relay, in which he teamed up with Jake DiMartile, Kyle Pro and Nicholas Gewartowski to go 1:30.12 and win the gold.

“That was our first time winning so to come right back and win another one was great,” he said of the two golds. “And the team swam really well so I’m happy about that.

“We’ve been doing that relay every meet since sophomore year so we’ve been doing that a lot. We’ve had a lot of practice at that.”

Un-four-gettable >> The North Penn 200 free relay was a record setter in motion this winter, and it culminated with a state gold on Wednesday night.

The team of Luke Schwar, Nick Clark, Evan Mancini and Sean Faikish went 1:21.70, winning the event by over a second and again replacing the North Penn school record.

“It’s awesome. Just being with this group of guys and Ryan (Faikish) from the morning, it was just awesome to see how fast we could go,” Sean Faikish said. “They broke the team record this morning and it was just an honor to break it again with these guys.

“It’s the first relay that I’ve been on at North Penn that has won a gold medal (at states), which is awesome. We’re excited, happy and confident going into Day Two.”

Nick Clark, the one junior on the senior-heavy relay, did his part.

“It’s great to share this with them,” he said with a wide smile. “It’s tough to see them go so I’m glad to share this experience with them.”

Schwar led off and put the Knights in position.

“It feels really good, especially with these guys,” he said. “I couldn’t ask for a better crew to do it with. Ryan really helped push us to get that time, get that first and it felt great.”

Mancini had been waiting for this.

“It was really relieving, because I was on two relays last year that were second and fourth,” he said. “To finally get a gold and win a relay, I’m so honored to swim with these guys every day. I wouldn’t choose a better group of guys.”

Ryan Faikish was vital to the team’s success, swimming a fast leg in the morning swim to get the team qualified for the finals.

“It’s not many times you see a guy (swim the ninth fastest split) in prelims not make a relay, but it was just awesome to see that he’s pushed all year, and for him to throw out a fast time like he did in this meet is just awesome,” Sean Faikish said. “And we couldn’t have done it without him.”

Aly all in >> Aly Breslin really didn’t have to leave the medal stand.

The Upper Dublin senior won gold as part of the Cardinals’ 200 medley relay (joining Meghan DiMartile, Molly Braun and Korinna Pesti), setting a state record in 1:41.96 (1:42.09, Hershey, 2014).

And in the very next event, she raced to first in the 200 free, touching in 1:47.48.

“It’s really exciting. I’m really happy with how today went,” she said. “I like (doing back-to-back events). I think it gets my heart rate up, it gets me going, and I think it helps me a lot more than just doing one.”

Breslin’s heroics helped Upper Dublin to first place in the team scoring after Day One, with 110 points.

Big finish >> The North Penn girls provided a fast finale to Wednesday’s festivities, as Caroline Dunigan, Kaelan Daly, Charlotte Thamm and Nicole Chiappa joined forces to go 1:32.96 in the 200 free relay and earn the gold.

“My freshman year, I DQ’d this relay,” Dunigan said with a smile, “so it’s redemption I’d say.”

The senior got the Knights off to a tremendous start. Daly and Thamm, both juniors, came through on the middle legs.

Said Thamm: “I had never been on a relay because every time, it was like ‘wait your turn.’ So it’s finally my turn and it feels so good, being with three amazing athletes.”

“We’re just a family,” Chiappa said.

This was the goal long before they pulled into the campus at Bucknell University.

“Doing it with this group of girls, thinking about it all season, knowing that this was a goal, thinking about it every day in practice and having so much fun at this meet, this is the end product,” Daly said.

The North Penn girls powered to third in the team scoring in Day One, and the boys battled to second.

“They’re fueling each other,” said coach Jeff Faikish.

On the podium >> La Salle’s foursome of Tim Grossi, Kevin O’Dare, Alex Patti and Quinn Buck raced to the silver in the 200 medley relay, touching in 1:31.57 to help the Explorers to first in the team scoring after Day One.

Also for the Explorers, Liam Smith earned the silver in the 200 freestyle, his time of 1:35.99 placing him second in the state.

In that same race, Upper Dublin’s Kyle Pro earned fourth (1:39.32), the North Penn tandem of Evan Mancini and Max Bachman pushed to sixth (1:40.03) and seventh (1:40.75), and La Salle’s Harry Hearn placed eighth (1:41.14).

Earlier in the day, Abington’s Conor Gesing, the District One Diving Champ, followed through with a silver medal at Bucknell, with a score of 515.85.

A second straight gold narrowly eluded North Penn’s Sean Faikish in the 200 IM. He had a tremendous race against North Allegheny’s Rick Mihm (1:43.98), finishing second in 1:44.62.

Upper Dublin’s Jake DiMartile was third in the IM with a 1:49.16, and the La Salle tandem of Paul Brosky (1:52.68) and Kevin O’Dare (1:53.54) was sixth and seventh.

It took a national record by Matt Brownstead (19.24) of State College to keep Plymouth-Whitemarsh’s Caleb Kelly from the gold in the 50 free – Kelly notched the silver in 20.13.

Schwar of NP was fifth in the 50, with a 20.77.

La Salle’s Tim Grossi earned seventh in the 100 fly, going 49.92.

And in the 200 free relay, La Salle’s team of Smith, Dan McBryan, Andrew Pave and Quinn Buck was a bronze medalist in 1:23.96.

In the girls portion, North Penn’s 200 medley relay foursome of Charlotte Thamm, Maddie Fritz, Caroline Dunigan and Nicole Chiappa swam to a fourth-place time of 1:44.48.

In the 200 free, Hatboro-Horsham’s Vivi Vergara tied for fifth (1:50.97) and Upper Dublin’s Elle Braun medaled in eighth (1:51.35).

North Penn’s Kaelan Daly notched eighth in the 200 IM with a 2:04.52 and Caroline Dunigan captured the silver medal in the 50 free, racing to a 22.97.

Molly Braun of Upper Dublin was a sixth-place medalist in the 100 fly with a 55.47.

And in the 200 free relay, Upper Dublin’s DiMartile, Korinna Pesti, Laura Pendleton and Elle Braun went 1:35.96 to grab sixth.

Souderton’s night swims included the contributions of Robbie Ferlick (15th in the 50 free) and the 200 free relay of Drew Stephens, Erik Moyer, Austin Graham and Robbie Ferlick (16th), along with the girls medley foursome of Ellie Hiestand, Hailey Freed, Abby Burns and Frankie Ferlick going 1:47.90 for 15th.