Conestoga girls, Wang, Eruslanova lead Main Line swimmers at Districts

The Conestoga High School girls swimming team, Pioneer junior Jake Wang and Haverford senior Katya Eruslanova were the biggest Main Line standouts at the PIAA District 1 3A Swimming Championships Feb. 24-25 at the York County YMCA.

Defending District 1 3A girls champion Conestoga captured another district team title, earning 316 points, well ahead of second-place North Penn (207).

“Our depth is the main strength of our team at this meet,” said Conestoga girls swimming head coach Rob Kirkby. “We had 17 girls, including two divers, at Districts – that’s more than any other team had.”

Wang was named the Boys Swimmer of the Meet for the second year in a row, winning the 100 breast Feb. 25 (55.74) and finishing first in the 200 IM Feb. 24.

“Jake was very consistent with his swims this weekend,” said Conestoga boys swimming head coach Mark Tirone. “I’m hoping that it’s the start of things to come (going into States).”

Eruslanova won the girls 500 free (4:52.31) Feb. 25, and one day earlier finished first in the girls 200 free (1:48.74).

For the Conestoga girls, first-place finishers included senior Naomi Furman in the 100 breast (1:03.12) and the 200 medley relay team of senior Keira Haas, Furman, freshman Maddie Fox and senior Lily Robinson (1:45.65).

The Pioneers feature four High School All-Americans in Robinson, Furman, Audrey Laganelli and Haas. Furman and Laganelli are committed to the U.S. Air Force Academy, while Robinson is a Brown University commit and Haas is headed to University of Connecticut.

“These seniors have been a strong and dominant force in our league throughout the years, and they’ve complemented each other very well,” said Kirkby.

Other high finishes by the Conestoga girls included a second-place finish by the senior quartet of Robinson, Haas, Furman and Laganelli in the 400 free relay (3:29.51), Furman in the 200 IM (fourth), Laganelli in the 200 free (fourth), the 200 free relay of Haas, Maddie Fox, Ayala Miller and Laganelli (fifth), Laganelli and Robinson in the 100 free (sixth and seventh place, respectively), junior Sarah Fox in the 500 free (seventh), Maddie Fox and Haas in the 100 back (sixth and eighth place, respectively) and sophomore Hadar Miller and freshman Reilly Dolan in the 100 breast (sixth and 10th place).

Among other Main Line squads in the District 1 3A girls team competition, Haverford was seventh, Lower Merion 10th, Radnor 16th and Harriton 20th.

Lower Merion junior Alexa Conner won the girls 100 back (54.65) Feb. 25, and one day earlier placed third in the 200 IM. Harriton senior Kate Levensten finished second in the girls 100 back (54.85) and placed third in the 100 fly.

Other top-10 performances in individual events by Main Line girls included Radnor senior Marina Wang in the 100 back (fourth) and Haverford senior Sarah Krissinger in the 50 free (seventh). The Haverford girls 400 free relay team of Eruslanova, Sarah Krissinger, Ellie Krissinger and Erin Kelly finished fifth, and the same quartet placed sixth in the 200 free relay. In the 200 medley relay, the Radnor quartet of Marina Wang, Skyler Semisch, Anne Lindgren and Sophia Mlodzienski finished 10th.

In the District 1 3A boys team competition, Conestoga finished second in the team competition, behind North Penn. On Feb. 25, Pioneer junior Cam Yeniay finished second in the boys 500 free (4:31.34), Conestoga placed second in the boys 400 free relay with a quartet of Wang, junior Brock Whitaker, senior Andrew Zhang and Yeniay (3:06.37); and Whitaker was 10th in the boys 100 free.

Among other Main Line squads in the District 1 3A boys team competition, Haverford was 12th, Harriton 16th, Lower Merion 23rd and Radnor 26th.

Other top-10 performances in individual events by Main Line boys included Harriton junior Charlie Nenchev in the 100 back (fifth) and 100 fly (seventh), Haverford senior Kyle Given in the 100 fly (fourth) and 100 back (seventh), Harriton senior Francis Fan in the 50 free (seventh) and 100 free (eighth) and Haverford sophomore TJ Hayes in the 500 free (10th).

In the boys 400 free relay, the Haverford quartet of Sam Graaf, Zach Koptyra, Hayes and Given finished eighth. The Harriton foursome of Nenchev, Matthew Weaver, Ethan Niu and Fan placed 10th. In the boys 200 medley relay, the Haverford quartet of Given, Koptyra, Graaf and Kenny Keagy placed fifth.

*****

In the District 1 2A Girls Swimming Championships, Villa Maria Academy placed fifth in the team competition. The  Keriann Collison had another productive day with a third-place finish in 100 free and a personal record of 54.94. The Hurricanes’ 400 free relay (Collison, Graciella Schofield, Ainsley Ingram, Brinley Beck) finished sixth with a season-best time of 3:54.74.

Villa coach Fritz Schumann said, “We are proud of our young swimming team, along with a strong diving team, and look forward to an even stronger finish next season.”