MP’s King, Mutter, Gardner swim to PIAA gold
Mount Pleasant started the first day of the PIAA Class AA Swimming and Diving Championships with a gold rush at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium.
The Lady Vikings’ Lily King turned in another record-breaking performance Wednesday while the Mount Pleasant boys rang up three gold medals, including individual victories by seniors Joseph Gardner in the 200 IM and David Mutter in the 100 butterfly, giving coach Sandy Felice’s squad four overall on the first of the two-day competition.
King dominated the 200 freestyle with a PIAA and pool record time of 1:44.64. King finished over seven seconds ahead of second-place Kane Whitney of Bishop Shanahan. The senior North Carolina State recruit claimed her third straight victory in the event and her seventh individual state gold medal.
Felice was expecting more hardware from her team heading into Thursday’s second day of competition.
“The kids have been working very hard and I’m proud of their performances,” Felice said Wednesday night. “We’re looking forward to more gold medals tomorrow.”
Mount Pleasant’s boys 200 medley relay team of seniors Seth Painter, Gardner, Mutter and junior Gunnar Probst won the gold medal with a time of 1:34.45 while the girls team of junior Lainey Brown and seniors Kiersten O’Connor, Maddie Barrick, King took silver with a time of 1:46.06. The Lady Vikings were seeking a third straight gold medal in the event but were beaten out by Erie Cathedral Prep (1:45.68).
Mount Pleasant also earned a silver medal in the 200 freestyle relay with Shinsky, Brown, Barrick and O’Connor turning in a time of 1:38.50. Erie Cathedral, which led the girls team standings after day one with 122 points, also was victorious in that event (1:37.23). Mount Pleasant was second in the standings with 106 points.
O’Connor wound up with three silvers on the day as she placed second in the 50 freestyle with a time of :23.34. Shinsky finished 16th (:25.13).
Gardner, a Pitt recruit, turned in a winning time of 1:49.52 in the 200 IM. Northgate’s Sam Cavanaugh had the best seed time entering the event but wound up second. Laurel Highlands junior Kasey Mahoney was 15th (2:01.01).
Mutter, an Alabama recruit, couldn’t quite match his state-record time of :47.52 in the 100 butterfly, set last year, but still was victorious again, touching the wall in :48.08.
Probst earned a seventh-place medal with a time of :21.91 in the boys 50 freestyle.
The Vikings also earned a bronze medal in the 200 freestyle relay as Gunnar, senior Quinn Heinnickel, Painter and Gardner combined for a time of 1:28.24.
Southmoreland junior Allison Stinnett reached the medal stand also with an eight-place finish in the 200 IM (2:07.97).