Daniel Diehl And Sadie Buckley Shine At Mountaineer June Invite

WV Club Mountaineer June Invite

• June 8-11, 2023
• Morgantown, WV
• LCM (50m)
• Results on MeetMobile: “Club Mountaineer June LC Invite”

Club Mountaineer Aquatics hosted their annual June long course Invitational earlier this month in Morgantown, West Virginia. The meet attracted over 500 athletes from 29 different teams across the area.

Perhaps the biggest name of the competition was 17-year-old Daniel Diehl from the Cumberland YMCA. Diehl, an NC State commit, won a total of three events across the weekend. He hit a 50.60 in the 100 freestyle, putting him within four tenths of his season best from May. He also won the 50 backstroke (25.58) and 200 backstroke (1:57.37), with his 200 marking his 3rd-fastest time ever in the event. 

On the girls’ side, 14-year-old Sadie Buckley from the Mason Makos Swim Team had a phenomenal weekend of racing with five victories and six personal best times. Highlighting her schedule was the 200 backstroke, where she dropped nearly two seconds to log a 2:14.15. Her swim secures her the 2023 U.S. National time standard, as well as moves her to 30th all-time among 13-14 girls.

Buckley’s other wins came in the 200 IM (2:24.67), 100 back (1:05.37), 50 back (30.74), and 100 free (1:00.08). She also raced in prelims of the 400 IM, where she knocked three seconds off her best time to post a 5:10.44.

West Virginia also had a handful of college swimmers in attendance, led by Danny Berlitz. Berlitz hit a big best time of 1:51.92 in the 200 freestyle, which is nearly four seconds quicker than he was at the Mission Viejo Pro Swim Series. He also dropped over two seconds in the 100 back (56.29) and a tenth in the 100 breast (1:03.57) to win both of them. 

Other standout club swimmers included Delaney O’Toole from Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics and Club Mountaineer’s Caroline Riggs, both of whom won seven individual events. O’Toole, 12, swam a best time of 1:01.74 in the 100 freestyle to rank 7th this season among 11-12 girls, while in the 200 IM she clocked a 2:29.91 to also move to 7th. 

Riggs, a Yale commit, notched four personal best times. She dropped almost 16 seconds in the 800 freestyle (8:59.58), as well as nearly three seconds in the 200 breast (2:33.61). Rounding out her best time performances was the 100 breast (1:13.18) and 200 IM (2:20.02).