H-S Athlete of the Week: Kasey Mahoney, Laurel Highlands
Name: Kasey Mahoney
School: Laurel Highlands
Class: Junior
Sport: Swimming
Mahoney’s week: Mahoney swam to a fourth-place medal in the 100 breaststroke at last week’s PIAA Class 2A Swimming and Diving Championships at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium with a time of 56.86. It was the second year in a row Mahoney earned a state medal as he placed fifth in 2024. The 6-foot junior son of Daniel and Teresa Mahoney was coming off a third-place medal at the WPIAL championships held at the University of Pittsburgh’s Trees Pool, following a fifth-place district medal a year ago. Although his time was a P.R. – Mahoney broke the Laurel Highlands record last year and bested that mark again this year – he has another goal in mind. “I was trying to go anywhere into :55,” he said. “Hopefully I can do that this weekend at YMCA states.” Mahoney’s season still won’t be over after that as he has already qualified for the YMCA nationals in Greensboro. N.C.
Mahoney’s LH record and PIAA medal last year were encouraging. “When I broke the school record as a sophomore last year it was a big confidence boost,” he said. “It made me feel like I was on the right track of reaching my goals. Getting that first state medal gave me even more confidence. But I still needed to earn it again this year.” Mahoney also was part of the Mustangs’ 200 medley relay team which qualified for the WPIAL championships.
Starting out: The 17-year-old Mahoney began swimming when he was 10 at the YMCA. “When I was younger I mostly did free and breaststroke and then I kind of moved to IM (individual medley) as well,” Mahoney said. “But breaststroke has always been my main event, it separated itself from the rest for me. The transition from eighth grade to my freshman year is where my time started dropping a lot. I started thinking well maybe I can make a career out of this at the college level. So I really dedicated my life to it.
“Right now out of the whole year I take about three and a half to four months off but that’s in between seasons. I’ll swim over the summer, over the winter, spring, fall. I play soccer in the fall so I have to double up on certain days of the week to stay in shape in the pool but also stay in shape on the field.” Mahoney is a starter for the Mustangs’ soccer team.
Watch and learn: Mahoney is a fan of Great Britain Olympic gold-medalist Adam Peaty who holds the world record in the 50 and 100 breaststroke. “I like to watch his videos and watch his technique, his stroke,” Mahoney said. “He’s always been a person I try to mimic because I think he’s very good. I watch the technique and the underwater timing of his kick and the pull. With breaststroke you have to really focus on and master the kick and the pull and the timing of it all.
Coaching help: Bob McCombie is in his first year as Laurel Highlands’ swimming coach but has been guiding Mahoney for a long time. “I’ve coached for Kasey for the last eight years at the Uniontown YMCA and then also this year at Laurel Highlands,” McCombie said. “In that time I’ve not only watched him grow into a gifted swimmer but also a really good person. He’d do anything for anybody and is just an all-around good guy.” Mahoney credits McCombie for much of his success. “He’s been there for me since the beginning, in the water and out of the water,” Mahoney said. “I have a lot of trust in him and I believe he can get me to where I want to go.”
Odds and ends: Mahoney has his sights set on the next level. “I really want to swim at the college level,” he said. “I’ve talked to a few schools but I’m still undecided.” … Mahoney does partake in a few other hobbies. “I’m a biker, I like to mountain bike,” he said. “I’m going to start training for the triathlon and hopefully get to that this summer.”
– Compiled by Rob Burchianti