Matt Ramey finishes third in 500 yard freestyle
PITTSBURGH – Make no mistake about it, Southmoreland’s Matt Ramey is still wet behind the ears.
Only a freshman, Ramey came into his first WPIAL swimming championships for the most part hoping to improve on his personal best times. If he managed to do that, Ramey figured the rest would be gravy.
Well, Ramey not only bettered his mark, but in doing so, he wound up with a spot atop the medals stand.
Not once, but twice.
Ramey followed up a medal-winning performance on Thursday with a third-place finish in Friday’s 500-yard freestyle event at the WPIAL Swimming & Diving Championships at the University of Pittsburgh’s Trees Pool.
“I’m happy about my finish,” Ramey said. “I was going for a national time and I missed that by a couple of seconds. I really wish I could have got the national time. For me, it’s more about the time than the place.”
Ramey was trying to come in under 4:50.29, a mark that would have allowed him to compete in a national meet as a member of his YMCA squad. He wound up finishing Friday’s event in 4:53.94, nearly seven seconds better than his seed time.
Coming into the finals, Ramey was seeded third.
Hampton senior Jack Zierenberg captured first place with a time of 4:40.48, good enough for consolation All-American status.
Ramey was riding a crest of momentum leading into Friday’s competition after finishing fifth in the 200-yard freestyle a day earlier.
“It really means a lot to me,” said Ramey’s coach, Laurel Highlands. “I’ve been coaching Matt since he was six. To see him come this far and do this as a freshman lets you know we’re on the right track and his hard work is paying off.
“I don’t think too many people know a lot about swimming. To reach this point as a freshman, especially since he still is growing and hasn’t lifted any weights yet … it’s quite an accomplishment.”
Also, Jefferson-Morgan senior Erin Barbetta followed up a trip to the medals podium on Thursday with another top-eight finish Friday. Barbetta placed seventh in the 100-yard backstroke, bettering her 10th-place showing as a junior.
On Thursday, Barbetta tied for seventh place with Belle Vernon’s Stacy Hoffman in the 50-yard freestyle.
In the Class AA team competition, Shady Side Academy edged Indiana by a single point to capture its sixth straight overall title. Hampton finished third, with Blackhawk and Serra Catholic rounding out the top five.
Laurel Highlands came in 21st out of 39 teams, one spot ahead of Southmoreland, which consisted of Ramey only.
The previous two years, the Mustangs challenged Shady Side Academy for the Class AA title, but didn’t have the numbers for a third run.
“We graduated quite a few boys and our numbers are down this year,” said LH coach Bill McCombie. “But it’s still exciting to be here.
“I think numbers are down everywhere, not just at LH. One year at the middle school, I didn’t have any boys and we’re seeing the effects of that now. Boys numbers are down everywhere, even at the YMCA.”
In the girls’ Class AA team competition, Oakland Catholic grabbed its eighth straight title.
Connellsville junior Marie Nedley just missed grabbing another medal in the 500-yard freestyle. Nedley finished ninth with a time of 5:16.08, improving her seed time by two seconds.
Two years ago as a freshman, Nedley became the first Fayette County female to win a gold medal. Nedley then followed that performance by winning a silver medal as a sophomore.
Other area results from Friday were as follows:
n Connellsville’s Heidi Halfhill came within .20 of a top-eight finish, but settled for 10th place in the 100-yard freestyle with a mark of 54.48, 1.14 faster than her seed time. Bethel Park’s Katie Brinkhoff wound up eighth in the event with a time of 54.28.
n The Falcons’ Alan Nedley was 15th in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:00.73, exactly eight seconds faster than his seed time.
n Belle Vernon’s Andre Maldonado finished 20th in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:01.67, two seconds slower than his seed time.
n Laurel Highlands’ Chris Hunchuck placed 16th in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 51.47, a second-and-a-half faster than his seed time.
n Belle Vernon’s Sydney Rusak missed the medals stand by two spots, finishing 10th in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 57.32, a second-and-a-half lower than his seed time.
n Southmoreland’s Kaitlyn Ramey was 27th in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 59.59.
n Belle Vernon’s Alana Puskavich was 28th in the 500-yard freestyle with a mark of 5:52.76. Puskavich nearly shaved a full second off her seed time.
n The Leopards’ Jeremy Matta finished the 100-yard breaststroke 30th, with a time of 1:10.92
n Hoffman dropped a second off her seed time and wound up 15th in the 100-yard breaststroke with a mark of 1:12.91.
n Belle Vernon’s 400-yard freestyle relay team of Jay Lewis, Matta, Maldonado and Zachary Wardle had a strong showing, placing 10th. The group posted a time of 3:33.44, nearly three seconds faster than their seed time.
n Laurel Highlands’ 400-yard freestyle relay squad of Dave Johnson, Joey Saylor, Zack Collins and Hunchuck placed 18th with a time of 3:43.39. The relay team impressively shaved 10 seconds off their seed time.
n Belle Vernon’s girls’ 400-yard freestyle relay team of Aubree Petrone, Ashley Bronakowski, Puskavich and Rusak placed 24th with a mark of 4:05.60.
n Connellsville’s 400-yard freestyle relay team of Marie Nedley, Gabrielle Keene, Paige Herbert and Halfhill came in 18th, after posting a mark of 3:54:11. Uniontown finished in 19th place, as Kaitlyn Johnson, Holly Nedley, Katie Patek and Jessica Dzara finished with a mark of 3:54.60.