Megan Deuel Sets NY Public School Record as Pittsford Wins NYSPHSAA Title

2019 NYSPHSAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

• November 22-23, 2019
• Ithaca College (Ithaca, NY)
• Results

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) state swimming and diving championships took place in Ithaca, NY, over the weekend, with Pittsford taking the team title.

Senior Megan Deuel, a Notre Dame commit, led the way for Pittsford. Her highlight swim came in the 100 butterfly, where she dropped a lifetime best 52.95 to win by less than two-tenths over Sacred Heart Academy’s Tess Howley (a lifetime best 53.08). Both went under Kristen Romano’s 2016 state record of 53.13.

Deuel came back to race the 100 backstroke, winning it in a 53.82, with no other competitors dipping under 55 seconds. It was a best by almost nine-tenths of a second, shredding her 54.77 previous best from 2017. She also split 23.77 fly on Pittsford’s 200 medley relay (Sacred Heart won there in 1:42.21, a state record by a full second with Howley leading off in 25.26) and anchored Pittsford’s 400 free relay with a 50.15.

Winning the Outstanding Swimmer/Diver award was Northport-Commack’s Chloe Stepanek. The senior and Texas A&M commit broke her own state record in the 200 free, winning with a 1:46.15, while she added a 48.76 in the 100 free, just two-tenths off of Kate Douglass‘s 2016 state record. She dropped roughly a half-second in both events. On relays, Stepanek broke 23 seconds for the first time leading off Northport-Commack’s 200 free relay (22.82), and she anchored their 200 medley relay with a 22.52.

On that medley relay with Stepanek was Denise Phelan, who had the field’s best breaststroke split (27.99). The sophomore would go on to claim the 100 breast title, going 1:02.33 to edge Sleepy-Hastings-Edgemont-Irvin’s Ava Franks (1:02.99).

In the 500 free, Sacred Heart freshman Cavan Gormsen put up a new best time of 4:46.75 to take out Lindsay Stone’s 2016 state record of 4:46.80. Gormsen came into the high school season with a best of 4:52.90 before taking it down to a 4:49.39 earlier this month and now finally a 4:46.75. Close behind her was Alexa Reyna, an eighth-grader from White Plains, at 4:47.80, and third was Herricks junior Sophia Karras (4:48.16). Neither Reyna nor Karras had ever been under 4:50, and Reyna was the top public school finisher.

OTHER WINNERS

• Oceanside senior Catherine Stanford, a Penn State commit, won the 50 free with a lifetime best of 22.84. She was also runner-up to Stepanek in the 100 free, another best at 49.94, and she split 22.55 and 50.09 anchoring the Oceanside 200 medley relay and 400 free relay, respectively.
• Port Jefferson senior Kyra Sommerstad sailed to the 200 IM win, going 2:02.17 to win by a full second. The Ohio State commit was also 55.26 to take second in the 100 back behind Deuel.
• Sacred Heart won the 400 free relay in 3:26.46, getting a 50.83 lead-off from junior Joan Cash and a 50.40 anchor from Howley. Horace Greeley had the best public school performance there with a 3:29.11, getting a 50.43 split from sophomore Sabrina Johnston.
• Sleepy-Hastings-Edgemont-Irvin was 1:35.82 to win the 200 free relay, getting a 23.20 anchor from senior and Navy commit Theresa Milio.
• Alice Diakova of Brighton won the 1-meter diving competition, amassing a score of 527.85. She was fourth last year and just 38th two years ago. She’s committed to Columbia to dive collegiately starting next year.