Local swimmers receive berths into PIAA meet
A number of local boys and girls swimmers learned their seasons would be extended by another week after receiving at-large berths into the PIAA Class AA Swimming & Diving Championships.
The Class AA state meet will be held at Bucknell University on Friday, March 15, and Saturday, March 16. The nine district champions received an automatic berth and the 23 fastest times across the state fill out the 32 qualifiers.
The Mount Pleasant boys 200 medley relay, the Vikings’ David Mutter (100 butterfly), the Lady Vikings’ Lily King (100 freestyle, 500 freestyle) and Kiersten O’Connor (50 freestyle, 100 backstroke), and 200 medley relay all earned automatic berths by virtue of their gold medal finish in the WPIAL Championship.
Mutter also qualified in the 200 freestyle with his silver medal finish ranking him with the third-fastest time. Teammate Joseph Gardner is seeded sixth in the 200 IM and second in the 100 breaststroke. Gardner was the WPIAL silver medalist in the breaststroke.
Logan Snively is the 18th seed and Seth Painter is 28th in the 100 butterfly. Snively also qualified for the 100 backstroke with the 8th-fastest time. The Vikings’ 200 freestyle relay is the 18th seed and 400 freestyle relay is seeded seventh.
The Elizabeth Forward boys 200 medley relay qualified with the 11th-fastest time and the 200 freestyle relay is seeded 19th. Bryce McLaughlin has the 30th-fastest time in the 50 freestyle. Ethan Glessner earned a lane in the 100 backstroke with the 16th-fastest time.
The Red Raiders’ 200 medley relay slipped in with the 30th-fastest time.
Logan Voytish received berths in the 100 butterfly (11th) and 100 freestyle (10th). Voytish was the WPIAL silver medalist in the 100 freestyle.
Laurel Highlands’ Kasey Mahoney received two berths. He’s seeded 22nd in the 200 IM and seventh in the 100 breaststroke. Teammate Addie Ciez slipped into the field with the 31st seed in the 200 freestyle.
Connellsville’s Kasey Stanton will be swimming in his first state meet as the 11th-seeded swimmer in the 50 freestyle. Teammate Addie Ciez will also be participating in her first PIAA final after she slipped into the field of the 200 freestyle as the 31st seed.
Ringgold’s Gionni Traeger is seeded 19th in the 200 freestyle and 28th in the 100 freestyle. Teammate Benjamin Carpeal is 14th in the 200 IM. Brandon Nguyen has the 31st-fastest time in the 50 freestyle.
The Rams’ 200 freestyle relay is seeded 13th and 400 freestyle relay is 17th.
Belle Vernon’s Tim Reda enters the state meet with the 27th-fastest time in the 500 freestyle.
Uniontown’s Hannah Foster has one last meet this season as the 25th seed in the 100 breaststroke.
The Belle Vernon girls’ 200 medley relay qualified with the 19th-fastest time and the 400 freestyle relay is seeded 23rd. The Lady Leopards’ Megan Shusteric (15, 200 freestyle) and Ava Bosetti (20, 100 breaststroke) also received berths.
Elizabeth Forward’ Sydney Boyd is seeded 28th in the 200 IM.
Ringgold’s Natalie Noll is the 13th seed in the 100 butterfly and 16th in the 100 backstroke.
The Mount Pleasant girls 200 freestyle relay is the No. 6 seed and the 400 freestyle relay is seeded fifth.