Mercury All-Area: Methacton’s Christopher Groff makes strong final push to grab PIAA bronze in backstroke

Christopher Groff didn’t get off to the best start or make a turn midway through the race as well as he would have liked. But he kept pushing down the stretch of last month’s PIAA Class 3A 100-yard backstroke final at Bucknell University and was pleasantly surprised when he touched the wall third to win the bronze medal.

That was his highest finish in two years of multiple events at states and also the best of any Pioneer Athletic Conference boy this season. In the process, he became District 1 champion and set a new personal and school record for the event, one of many marks he set and re-set during his stellar career at Methacton.

In addition to having an outstanding season, he – as the only senior on the Warriors’ boys team – took it upon himself to help, encourage and develop the younger members of the squad.

And for all he did in and out of the pool himself and for his team during the regular season and his impressive performances in postseason meets, Groff has been selected as The Mercury All-Area Boys Swimmer of the Year.

Groff had two major goals heading into his second year at the state championship meet: finish higher in the 100 back than last year’s seventh-place and break the 50-second mark. He accomplished both with a time of 49.75, just behind the winning time of 49.43 by Jake Kennedy (Springfield-Delco) and the runner-up time of 49.66 by Jonathan Hoole (Penncrest).

“That was basically my goal,” he said. “I just wanted to go under 50 my senior year. The time was close, but I couldn’t see him (Kennedy). It was mentally hard. I ended up getting a really good finish on the wall. I knew I hadn’t gotten a really great start. So getting that close, I was really happy.”

That event wrapped up a busy two-day meet for Groff, who finished 21st in the 200 freestyle and led off for the Methacton 200 medley relay team that finished 13th the day before.

His accomplishments come from a desire to constantly improve and win, according to Methacton head boys coach Sarah Stevens.

“I have known Christopher since he was about six, when he started swimming for the summer swim team I coach for,” she said. “He has always been at the top of his age group and always determined to win and get faster each time he swam. Like most swimmers, they always want to drop time. But his determination and motivation is different than most.”

That includes keen attention to his times and analysis of his stroke while watching videos.

“He is constantly analyzing every aspect of his strokes every time he is in the water, whether it is during practice or during a race,” said Stevens. “He is always aware of where he is at all times in the water. I know his dad will typically video his races at meets. This helps Christopher to see his stroke in a race and analyze the parts where he needs to work on them. The post video analysis also helps to motivate him on what he needs to focus on in practice and in the next meet.”

“He loves to take videos,” Groff said concerning his father. “I can hear some funny things on the videos in the background. It gives me some perspective. You can hear how excited they (his family members) are.”

His analysis always extends to the performances of his teammates.

“In practice, I love knowing I’m hitting my times,” he said. “I know every person on the team’s best times.”

“He usually can tell when someone is not putting effort in and he has a way of telling others to step up in a positive and motivating way,” Stevens added.

And that is just one of the ways he helps to motivate his teammates.

“The big thing I try to do, I like to have fun in the locker room,” he said. “It’s forming the team and making friends. But whenever you’re in the pool it’s swimming and only swimming.”

“Christopher is a natural leader,” Stevens added. “Not only does he lead his team in points and performance, he sets high expectations on himself and the team. He works to motivate others to be a better swimmer and to ultimately help the team to improve their times. I noticed Christopher giving stroke and turn advice to his peers this past year. This helps him connect with the other boys and they listen. The boys look up to him and I know he has set a great example of how to lead a team.”

Earlier in the season, Groff finished a surprising fourth in the District 1-3A meet in the 200 free at 1:41.45,  knocking over five seconds off his Pioneer Athletic Conference championships second-place time and breaking his only school record. He also won the 100 back district championship with a then personal and team record time of 50.13.

At states, the 200 medley team (including juniors Christian Lebold, John Du and Eric Zang) swam a 1:36.13, missing the school record by a tenth of a second.

As a junior, Groff was a bit overwhelmed by the state meet experience, but found comfort and success in the final high school swims.

“That was kind of surreal,” he said. “You have upwards of 300 to 400 swimmers pushing each other to get in. I can’t even remember my races too clearly. But it was kind of different this year, especially being a senior. All my friends were swimming there. It was more like a normal meet. But I knew no matter how I felt this year, I was going to feel great in the water.”

In addition to swimming with the Towamencin Swim Team, Groff is a member of Methacton’s Medicine and Science Club and takes part in activities at his church. This past winter, he also helped to coach a mini group for the Methacton Aquatic Club, teaching the youngest swimmers on the team.

Groff plans to pursue a pre-med course in college.