Among the Chester County teams at the upcoming PIAA Swimming and Diving Championships March 13-16 at Bucknell University, Conestoga looks the strongest, based on its performance at the District 1 3A meet last month. At Districts, the Pioneers finished second in the boys team competition, while Conestoga placed third in the girls competition.
Conestoga is a perennial swimming power, and last winter, the Pioneer boys and girls teams each finished third in their respective Class 3A team competitions at States.
The Conestoga boys, in particular, have a strong senior class, highlighted by Jake Wang, who was named Boys Swimmer of the Meet at the PIAA District 1 3A Swimming & Diving Championships for the third year in a row.
Conestoga boys swimming head coach Mark Tirone said, “We would like to win it (States) this year and it may be possible, but a few things must go in our favor. Overall, I would like to see the team swim well and have personal best times in all their events and see what the score is at the end of the meet. I’m more focused on having them swim well and perform to the best of their ability on race day.”
At Districts last month, Wang won the 100 yard breaststroke with a District 1 meet record time of 53.30, breaking the record of 55.28 set by six-time Olympic medalist Brendan Hansen in 2000. He also won the boys 200 IM, setting a District 1 3A meet record with his clocking of 1:47.36. At States, Wang is seeded first in both events at States.
Conestoga senior Can Yeniay is seeded fourth at States in both 200 freestyle (1:39.93) and 500 free (4:32.86), while fellow senior Brock Whitaker is seeded sixth in 100 butterfly (49.80) and 14th in 100 free.
The Pioneers’ 200 freestyle relay is seeded first at States. At Districts, the quartet of freshman Liam Haas, Wang, Whitaker and Yeniay set a District 1 meet record with their clocking of 1:23.47.
Conestoga is also seeded first in the boys 400 free relay. At Districts, the Pioneers won the 400 free relay with a District 1 meet record clocking of 3:02.59, with a quartet of junior Hutch Wood, Wang, Whitaker and Yeniay.
Seven Conestoga boys are competing at States – Wang, Yeniay, Whitaker, Haas, Wood, Stanley Cui and James Oken. Haas is competing in the 200 medley relay (seeded 21st), the 50 free (seeded 25th) and the 200 free relay. Wood is competing in the 200 medley relay and 400 free relay, and Cui and Oken in the 200 medley relay.
For the Conestoga girls, District 1 3A diving champion Avery Hillier tops the list – she recorded a score of 499.70 in winning at Districts. Sophomore Maddie Fox is seeded 12th in the 100 back and 17th in 100 fly; senior Sarah Fox is seeded 18th in 500 free and 26th in 200 free; junior Hadar Miller is seeded 14th in 100 breaststroke; senior Jena Nowoswiat is seeded 29th in the 100 fly; and senior Mackenzie Nagel is seeded 27th in 500 free.
The Pioneer girls will be competing in all three relays – the 400 free relay (seeded 12th), 200 medley relay (21st) and 200 free relay (26th).
On an individual level, one local girls’ swimmer to particularly watch will be Unionville senior Izzy Iwasyk, who is seeded second in girls 50 free (23.14) and third in 100 free (50.65). She won medals in both of these events at States last winter, when she was seeded sixth in the 50 and fourth in the 100.
Here’s a look, by team, at the other local swimmers who will be competing at States:
Avon Grove: Junior Kaitlyn Burk will swim the girls 200 IM (seeded 17th) and 100 fly (seeded 23rd), freshman Kyle Burk will swim the boys 500 free (seeded 21st) and 100 back (seeded 25th), and sophomore Cailin Maley will swim the girls 200 IM (seeded 10th) and 100 breast (seeded 16th). The Red Devils have two girls relays competing, the 200 medley relay (seeded 14th) and the 400 free relay (seeded 14th), manned by Burk, Maley, Lily Perrin and Ava Pfaff.
Bishop Shanahan: Landyn Snook will be competing in boys diving at States, and at the District 1 2A meet he recorded the third-highest score (419.40) among all districts in PIAA Class 2A. Julia Taylor will be swimming the girls 100 back (seeded 31st).
Coatesville: Sophomore Sarah McGann is seeded 13th in the 500 free and 27th in the 100 fly. Senior Macey Speakman is seeded 20th in 100 breast.
Downingtown East: The Cougar boys have two relays, with Gabe Carroll, Matt DiAddezio, Sam Sperling and Jack Thompson swimming the 200 medley relay (seeded 18th) and 400 free relay (seeded 26th). D-East boys swimming coach Kirsten Snyder said, “The boys (400 free relay) set a school record at Districts, but many felt they could go faster – we’re looking forward to testing that theory at States.” For the Cougar girls, freshman Whitney Kane will swim the 500 free (seeded 25th).
Downingtown West: The Whippets have a quartet of girls at States. Keira Carmella will swim the 200 IM (seeded 26th), Ellie McNamara will swim the 200 free (seeded 13th) and 500 free (seeded ninth, 5:05.02), Morgan Harlan will swim the 500 free (seeded 12th), and Carmella, Harlan, McNamara and Leah Lacovara will swim both the 200 medley relay (seeded 25th) and 400 free relay (seeded eighth, 3:34.07).
Great Valley: Patriot sophomore Grace Curtis will swim the girls 200 IM (seeded 27th) and 100 breast (seeded 28th).
Kennett: Blue Demon sophomore Alexandra Scime will compete in the girls 200 free (seeded 10th, 1:52.77) and 500 free (seeded eighth, 5:02.62).
Oxford: Hornet sophomore Claire Livingston will swim the girls 100 breast, and is seeded 25th.
Unionville: Other than Iwasyk, freshman Grant Fleming will swim the boys 100 back (seeded 26th), and the Longhorn quartet of Amelia Miller, Jackie Heyer, Lauren Dobie and Iwasyk will be competing in both the girls 200 free relay (seeded 19th) and 400 free relay (seeded 19th).
Villa Maria Academy: Competing in the Class 2A division at States, the Hurricanes will have the 200 free relay (seeded ninth, 1:40.77) and 400 relay (seeded eighth, 3:39.13) with junior Keri Collison joined by three freshman teammates – Gwen Devenney, Hailey Rittenhouse and Meg Collison (Keri’s sister). Devenney also will swim 200 free (seeded 29th) and Rittenhouse will swim 50 free (seeded 24th) and 100 free (seeded 14th).
West Chester East: Viking senior Taiylor Tegler is seeded eighth in girls 100 breast (1:04.30) and seeded 22nd in 200 IM, sophomore Emily Schwarz will swim the girls 200 free (seeded 24th), senior Sam Heiland seeded 26th in girls 50 free and 25th in 100 back. The Vikings girls 200 medley relay of Heiland, Tegler, Sarah Zeminski and sophomore Grace Herlihy is seeded 12th and the girls 400 free relay of Schwarz, Heiland, Herlihy and Tegler is seeded 13th.
West Chester Henderson: The Warriors will have a solid slate of swimmers at States. For the boys, Eddie Stoltz will swim the 50 free (seeded 11th) and 100 back (seeded ninth), Finn Lukens the 100 breaststroke (seeded 14th), Sean Dillon the 500 free (seeded 29th). The 200 medley relay (seeded fifth) will include Stoltz, Lukens, Bailey Steimel and Vedant Bedekar, while the 200 free relay (seeded 18th) will be Stoltz, Steimel, Lukens and Bedekar. Colin Smolders will be an alternate for relays. For the Henderson girls, Paige Fisher will swim the 200 free (seeded seventh, 1:52.32) and 100 breast (seeded 11th), Caelan Ladd the 200 IM (seeded 21st) and Natalie Krauss the 500 free (seeded 19th). The 400 free relay (seeded 24th) will be Meghan Denney, Ladd, Krauss and Fisher, while the 200 free relay (seeded 25th) will include Ladd, Denney, Courtney Hallowell and Fisher. Grace Mills will be an alternate.
West Chester Rustin: Freshman Claire Roussakis will swim the girls 100 back (seeded fifth, 56.39) and 50 free (seeded 10th), while Connor Kirby will compete in the boys 50 free (seeded 27th) and 100 back (seeded 11th). Also competing will be the girls 200 medley relay (seeded 27th) of Roussakis, Aoife Speer-Gibson, Paige Clancy and Emily Thomas, and the boys 200 medley relay (seeded 26th) of Kirby, George Harkins, Alec Khatib and Jonah Hilt.
