PIAA District 6 Championships
- March 3-4, 2023
- University Park, Pennsylvania
- Short Course Yards (25 yards), Prelims/Finals
- Results on Meet Mobile
Bedford High School junior Leah Shackley swam 50.83 in the 100 yard backstroke last week at the PIAA District 6 Championship meet, which shattered her own personal best and Allegheny Mountain LSC Records in the event. That time was the fastest 100 backstroke at the meet – for either gender.
Shackley, who is 16, entered the meet with a personal best of 51.82 from a local meet in December, which was also the open-age Allegheny Mountain LSC Record.. Prior to this season, her best was a 52.42 from last year’s PIAA AA High School State Championship meet.
Shackley now ranks 3rd all-time in the 15-16 age group in the 100 backstroke.
All-Time Top Performers, Girls’ 100 SCY Backstroke, 15-16 Age Group:
- Claire Curzan, Tac Titans – 50.03 (2021)
- Regan Smith, Riptide – 50.58 (2018)
- Leah Shackley, Bedford High – 50.83 (2023)
- Maggie Wanezek, Elmbrook Swim Club – 51.13 (2022)
- Phoebe Bacon, NCAP – 51.18 (2018)
Of the five swimmers on that list, the top two are Olympic gold medalists, Bacon was a 2021 Olympian and 2022 World Championships silver medalist, and Wanezek, like Shackley, is still a junior in high school.
Wanezek and Shackley are due for some Big Ten battles down the road when they’re in college: Wanezek is committed to Wisconsin and Shackley is committed to Indiana.
Shackley also swam, and won, the 100 fly, though her time of 53.10 was not a new personal best.
At this weekend’s state championship meet, the girls’ 100 backstroke will be among the highlights. Besides Shackley, the race will feature Mount Lebanon’s Sylvia Roy, who swam 53.84 in the 100 back and a personal best of 22.72 in the 50 free at the WPIAL district championships last week,
Other big results in district competition came from State College’s Samuel Higgins, who won the 200 free in 1:39.59 and the 500 free in 4:33.31 in District 6, and Lily King (not to be confused with Olympian Lilly King), who swam bests of 48.58 in the 100 free and 1:47.36 in the 200 free at WPIALs. King is only a sophomore.
She had a great state championship meet, PIAA Class AA, and was named swimmer of the meet. She didn’t better her seed time in the 100 back, but she won with new state records in the 100 fly and 100 free.
IU womens team trending in the right direction
Wow huge drop for her. Just went from potential A finalist her FY at B1G’s to potential winner for the Hoosiers congrats to her could drop even more at state. Still has another year of HS so she could become one of the greatest recruits for IU in quite awhile.
Also her time would crack the current school record of 51.05 for the Hoosiers!
Get her to Bloomington asap- she’d form a fearsome duo with Peplowski and McKenna/DeWitt/Broshears could learn a thing or two from her