Golden Boy: Miller tops 2023 Herald-Standard All-Area Boys Swimming & Diving Team
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
Southmoreland senior Henry Miller swims into the light in the 100 butterfly in the 2023 WPIAL Class AA Swimming & Diving Championship at Trees Pool. Miller won the gold medal in a meet record time of 48.87 seconds, one of four total gold medals he won in the WPIAL and PIAA meets to repeat as the area’s top performer on the 2023 Herald-Standard All-Area Boys Swimming & Diving Team.
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
Laurel Highlands’ Kasey Mahoney swims the 100 breaststroke at the 2023 WPIAL Class AA Swimming & Diving Championship at Trees Pool. Mahoney had a solid first high school season to receive Newcomer of the Year award on the 2023 Herald-Standard All-Area Boys Swimming & Diving Team.
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
Mount Pleasant’s Joseph Gardner flies off the block at the start of the 200 IM in the 2023 WPIAL Class AA Swimming & Diving Championship at Trees Pool. Gardner finished fourth.
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
Uniontown junior Logan Voytish swims the 100 butterfly in the 2023 WPIAL Class AA Swimming & Diving Championship at Trees Pool. Voytish placed fifth.
Laurel Highlands senior Ian Hamilton reacts to the gun at the start of the 100 freestyle in the 2023 WPIAL Class AA Swimming & Diving Championship at Trees Pool. Hamilton finished fifth.
Southmoreland senior Henry Miller was the only local male swimmer to win two gold medals in both the WPIAL and PIAA championships.
Miller’s golden performances, along with a WPIAL record, earn him top honors on the 2023 Herald-Standard All-Area Boys Swimming & Diving Team.
Laurel Highlands freshman Kasey Mahoney finished in the top 12 in two WPIAL individual events and won a pair of district relay medals for the Newcomer of the Year award.
The impressive group of swimmers joining Miller and Mahoney on the first team includes:
200 medley relay: Mount Pleasant.
200 freestyle: David Mutter, Mount Pleasant.
200 IM: Joseph Gardner, Mount Pleasant.
50 freestyle: Henry Miller, Southmoreland.
Diving: Wyatt Dean, Uniontown/Garrett Vietmeier, Elizabeth Forward.
100 butterfly: Henry Miller, Southmoreland.
100 freestyle: Ian Hamilton, Laurel Highlands.
500 freestyle: Benjamin Carpeal, Ringgold.
200 freestyle relay: Laurel Highlands.
100 backstroke: Nick Reda, Belle Vernon.
100 breaststroke: Joseph Gardner, Mount Pleasant.
400 freestyle relay: Mount Pleasant.
MOST OUTSTANDING PERFORMER: Henry Miller, Southmoreland.
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Kasey Mahoney, Laurel Highlands.
COACHING STAFF OF THE YEAR: Uniontown.
HONORABLE MENTION: Belle Vernon, Jake Wessel, Tim Reda; Connellsville, Kasey Stanton; Elizabeth Forward, Kaden Faychak, Bryce McLaughlin, Thomas Fine, Matt Vietmeier; Laurel Highlands, Phil Cohen, Connor Locke; Mount Pleasant, Logan Snively, Matthew Koch, Brendan Korpiel, Seth Painter, Gunner Probst; Ringgold, Gionni Traeger, Brandon Nguyen, Tyler George; Uniontown, Logan Voytish, Parker King, Leyton Maust, Jacob Schiffbauer.
NOTES: Miller dropped the 100 breaststroke in favor of the 50 freestyle, meaning the senior had back-to-back events on the first day of the WPIAL meet and swimming the same schedule with heats and finals in the state meet. … Miller’s repeat as WPIAL gold medalist in the 100 butterfly broke the mark set by Belle Vernon graduate Ian Shahan. … Miller edged Mutter for the gold medal in the 100 butterfly twice, by .70 seconds in the WPIAL finals and .18 seconds in the state championship. … Gardner had another solid performance in his sophomore season, winning WPIAL and PIAA gold in the 100 breaststroke. He placed fourth in the district meet in the 200 IM and won silver in the PIAA final. … Mutter added a PIAA bronze medal in the 200 freestyle after finishing fourth in the WPIAL final. … Gardner, Mutter, Korpiel and Snively won PIAA silver in the 400 freestyle relay after finishing fourth in the WPIAL championship. Snively, Gardner, Mutter and Koch finished third in the 200 medley relay at the state meet and second in the district final. … The Red Raiders won the Section 5-AA title under Ed Yauger, the program’s first section crown since 1982. … Mahoney had a 10th-place finish in the 100 breaststroke and was 11th in the 200 IM at the WPIAL championship. … Hamilton capped his career by placing fifth in the 100 freestyle and sixth in the 50 freestyle. Hamilton finished 11th in both the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle in the state meet. … Hamilton and Mahoney, along with Phil Cohen and Connor Locke, were the fourth-fastest squad in the WPIAL 200 freestyle relay. The same quartet was seventh in the 200 medley relay. … Nick Reda placed sixth in the 100 backstroke at the WPIAL meet and just missed the state final after placing ninth .. He was seventh in the WPIAL final and placed 12th in the 200 freestyle in the PIAA championship. … Voytish was fifth in the WPIAL 100 butterfly and 10th in the butterfly. Voytish advanced to two PIAA ‘B’ finals, placing 13th in the 100 butterfly and 15th in the backstroke. … Carpeal was the area’s only WPIAL medal winner in the 500 freestyle after the junior finished eighth. He placed 15th in the state final. The junior placed 12th in the WPIAL 200 IM. … Traeger finished seventh in the WPIAL and 15th in the PIAA 100 freestyle. … Traeger and Carpeal swam on the Rams’ 200 freestyle that was seventh in the WPIAL final. … The area’s boys combined to win 18 WPIAL medals, including three gold medals and two silver. … Local boys won eight PIAA medals, including three gold, two silver and two bronze. Local swimmers also added eight honorable mention performances by placing in the PIAA ‘B’ final. … Albert Gallatin freshman Aaron Moccaldi earned a lane in the WPIAL final, finishing 24th in the 100 backstroke.