Mason Gonzalez Posts 43.03 100 Free at PIAA 3A Day 2

2018 PIAA 3A SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

TEAM SCORES (TOP 10)

GIRLS

  1. North Penn – 258
  2. Avon Grove – 203
  3. Governor Mifflin – 168
  4. Hershey – 163
  5. Upper Dublin – 153.5
  6. Emmaus/Unionville – 82
  7. Wilson – 79
  8. North Allegheny – 78
  9. Conestoga – 77

BOYS

  1. North Allegheny – 301
  2. North Penn – 190
  3. Upper Dublin – 134
  4. Hatboro-Horsham – 109
  5. Conestoga – 106.5
  6. Liberty – 103
  7. LaSalle College/State College – 96
  8. Upper St. Clair – 80
  9. Wilson – 78.5

The North Allegheny boys repeated as PIAA 3A team title winners, while North Penn’s girls won the girls team title. Of the 5 boys events today, North Allegheny won 3 of them, and shattered a national high school record in 1.

Mason Gonzalez, a North Allegheny senior, took the boys 100 free in a battle with teammate Jack Wright and Penn Hills Junior Kimani Gregory. Gonzalez threw down a lifetime best 43.03 (previous best 43.62), while Wright posted a 43.56 (previous best 44.35), and Gregory went 43.76 (previous best 44.57). Gregory led at the 50 turn, flipping at 20.91 compared to Wright’s 20.95, and Gonzalez’s 20.96, but Gonzalez then put up a 22.07 on the final 50, opening up a lead on Wright and Gregory. Gonzalez’ time is 17th in the all-time 17-18 rankings, just ahead of Nicolas Albiero.

North Allegheny sophomore Rick Mihm won the boys 500 free, dropping nearly 5 seconds from his best time of 4:28.89, touching in 4:24.02. His split the race nicely, putting up 100 splits of 50.78/53.40/54.12/53.18/52.54. Brendan Burns, a Conestoga junior, threw down a 46.93 to win the boys 100 back by well over 2 seconds. Burns shaved .07 seconds off his previous best of 47.00. His time ranks 4th in the all-time 15-16 boys rankings, however his previous best time already ranked 4th. It also puts him only .28 seconds of the 15-16 NAG, held by Mike Thomas.

Upper St. Clair freshman Josh Matheny won the boys 100 breast with a stunning 54.55, beating runner-up Sean Faikish (North Penn sophomore) by nearly a second (55.43). Matheny went out slightly faster than Faikish, 25.72 to 25.96, but came home much faster, 28.83 to 29.47. Matheny’s time ranks 29th in the 15-16 boys all-time rankings.

The North Allegheny boys 400 free relay threw down an incredible 2:53.81, obliterating their own national public school record of 2:57.51, and breaking the overall national high school record of 2:54.43 from the Bolles School Sharks. Their previous public school record was set back in December. The team of Gonzalez (43.27), Andrew Zhang (44.24), Wright (43.22), and Mihm (43.08) also shattered their own 15-18 NAG of 2:55.96 that they set in December at the Winter Juniors East meet. This high school’s 400 free relay team would have been the 32nd fastest NCAA D1 team this season. Andy Thomas, led off the Hatboro-Horsham relay with a 44.20, While Brendan Burns led off the Conestoga relay in 44.14.

In the girls meet, Morgan Scott (Pennridge senior) beat out Olivia livingston (Gateway sophomore) in the 100 free, touching in 49.22 to 49.63. Scott was out in 23.75, just ahead of Livingston at 23.86, and came home in 25.47, compared to 25.77 out of Livingston. Scott was just off the PIAA record of 49.01 from Megan Raab.

Anna Kalandadze, a Lower Merion junior, took the 500 by a huge margin, finishing in 4:46.25. She took the race out aggressively, posting a 53.81 on the first 100, and 1:51.03 on the first 200. The PIAA record in the 500 free sits at an incredible 4:36.41 from Leah Smith. Cameron Gring, a Muhlenberg sophomore, threw down a 54.28 to win the 100 back, splitting 26.42 om the first 50, and 27.86 coming home.

Olivia Paoletti, an Avon Grove senior, took the 100 breast in a tight race with Butler sophomore Laura Goettler, touching in 1:01.65 to 1:01.80. Goettler was out .01 seconds ahead of Paoletti, hitting the 50 wall at 29.22 to 29.23.

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