Swimming: Eruslanova wins two more golds at her last district meet
It may be a different event, but the dominance of Katya Eruslanova at the District 1 Class 3A championships remains undimmed.
The Haverford senior won the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle in the meet Friday and Saturday at the York YMCA, bringing her career tally to five gold medals at the meet.
Eruslanova won the 200 free in 1:48.74, easing past the field with 1.8 seconds to spare. That event was a change for the two-time reigning champ in the 200 individual medley, who also finished second in the IM as a freshman.
Eruslanova was made to work for the repeat gold in the 500 free. She and North Penn’s Madeline Faikish, also the runner-up in the 200 free, went stroke for stroke. Faikish briefly looked like she was closing, but Eruslanova held her off down the stretch to win in 4:52.31. Her margin of victory was .12 seconds.
Eruslanova, a Penn signee and the two-time reigning Daily Times Girls Swimmer of the Year, led off relays that finished sixth in the 200 free and fifth in the 400 free. Sarah Krissinger, Ellie Krissinger and Erin Kelly joined her on both. Her flat-start split in the 50 free (23.89) would’ve been sixth in the individual event, and her 51.07 in the 100 would’ve taken fourth in that event (and been just .04 off second).
Krissinger finished seventh in the 50 free in 24.32. The Fords were seventh as a team, best among the Delco squads but well behind winning team Conestoga.
Springfield’s Mary Kubiak finished third in the 100 backstroke in 56.90 seconds. Radnor’s Marina Wang was fourth, .27 seconds back, and Springfield’s Addyson Despeaux dropped 3.5 seconds to slot into seventh. Kubiak was 11th in the 50 free. She anchored the Cougars’ 200 medley relay (with Despeaux, Ava Despeaux and Ayva Christie) to a sixth-place finish, then led off the 400 free relay, with Christie, Addyson Despeaux and Michelle Kubiak, for seventh.
Both relays have a strong chance to get to states, with only district champions automatically qualifying and the next 24 fastest teams statewide getting at-large berths.
Wang was 15th in the 50 free, and Anne Lindgren took 11th place in the 100 fly for Radnor.
Garnet Valley’s Zoey Rogers tied for seventh in the 100 butterfly in 57.18. GV’s Mallorie Jeremiah was 12th in both the 200 free and 500.
In Class 2A, Delco Christian’s Audrey McKeaney took home a silver medal in the 200 IM with a time of 2:14.30. She added silver in the 100 breaststroke by going 1:07.62. Sun Valley’s Kara Damico clocked 24.69 to record a runner-up finish in the 50 free. She was seventh in the 100 free.
The Class 3A meet produced sprinting intrigue aplenty. Ridley’s Shane Eckler was crowned the 50 free champ, outtouching Central Bucks East’s Marcus Papanikolaou by .01 seconds. Springfield’s Jake Kennedy captured bronze in 20.53.
Papanikolaou got his revenge in the 100 free, winning in 44.72. Eckler was second in 45.37.
Kennedy’s gold came in spectacular fashion in the 200 free relay. He joined Alex Chan, Jacob Johnson and Luke Kennedy to win in 1:25.44. Jake Kennedy’s sensational anchor split of 20.16 did the job, hauling back a deficit of 1.1 seconds to edge North Penn by .07. He added a silver medal by going 50.60 in the 100 back.
Johnson was fresh off gold in the 100 fly, clocking in at 49.02. He would add fifth in the 100 free. The Kennedys, Johnson and Tristan Ronayne (10th in the 200 IM, 14th in the 100 back) finished third in the 400 free relay in 3:09.11. Springfield was fourth in the team standings.
Penncrest’s Jonathan Hoole added a medal, going 50.73 in the 100 back for third. He had been 10th in the 50.
Kyle Given of Haverford is likely ticketed for another states trip in two events. He finished fourth in the 100 fly in 50.46, then took seventh in the 100 back. Teammate TJ Hayes was 10th in the 500 and 14th in the 200 free.
Strath Haven’s Gavin Shifflett medaled in fourth in the 500 free and seventh in the 200 free. Upper Darby’s Gabriel Green took eighth in the 100 fly.
At the Catholic League Championships:
Cardinal O’Hara didn’t need an individual win to get to the top of the team standings. The Lions tallied 485 points Friday and Saturday, enough to edge Archbishop Ryan’s 448 to the title.
It was all about consistency for O’Hara. The Lions were second in all three relays, with Rylie Pellegrino, Madison Gibson, Hannah Walkowiak and Sarah Cox swimming on two each. Gibson was the runner-up in both the 50 free (26.49) and 100 free (57.81), with Walkowiak sixth in the former. Pellegrino took fourth in the 200 IM.
The two individual titles returning to Delco are in the hands of Bonner & Prendergast’s Grace McBlain. The senior went 2:14.02 to win the 200 IM, then was the only swimmer to break a minute in claiming the 100 back in 59.32.
Carroll’s Maddie Formica finished fourth in the 500 free.
Cardinal O’Hara’s boys team finished third in the 200 medley and 200 free relays, with John Schueren, John Shelton and Jonathan Sandone on both squads. Schueren took home fourth place in the 100 breast in 1:00.29, the best individual result for the Lions, who finished fourth in the team standings.
Bonner’s Joshua Travers was seventh in the 100 back and eighth in the 200 free at PCLs. Carroll’s Konnor Roselle took seventh in the 500 free, the same spot Jason Kutufaris of O’Hara claimed in the 200 IM.
At the District 12 Championships:
O’Hara punched tickets to Class 3A states in two relays, with the 200 medley and 200 free both winning. Gibson, Pellegrino, Cox and Walkowiak comprised the medley relay, with Ava Soltycki subbing in for Cox on the 200 free.
Gibson won the 100 free in 57.99 to ease to states. She had been second in the 50, as was Pellegrino in the 200 free. O’Hara won the District 12 Class 3A crown with 339 points to Little Flower’s 195.
In Class 2A, McBlain set the district record by going 57.50 in the 100 butterfly to get to states. She needed that speed to stay ahead of Archbishop Wood’s Alyssa Bean, in 57.88. McBlain had an easier time in the 100 back, again setting the district mark in 58.41 to head back to states.
The Delco boys squads had an easier time in the District 12 Class 2A meet. O’Hara won the 200 medley relay in a district record 1:45.01, Kenneth Rutherford, Schueren, Sandone and Shelton getting to states. They also won the 200 free relay in 1:33.99 (Schueren, Jason Kutufaris, Patrick Bray and Sandone).
Schueren got to states with a time of 54.91 in the 100 fly, nearly three seconds clear of the field. He was second in the 100 breast with a time of 59.82 that is in play for an at-large. O’Hara scored 372 to take home the title.
Travers went 23.15 in the 50 free to edge Sandone (23.54) to the states spot in the 50 free. He also clocked in at 50.80 to win the 100 free, with Kutufaris second, as he had been in the 200 free.
