Multiple Swimmers Go Under Pennsylvania State Records at WPIAL Championships

WPIAL AA and AAA Championships

• Pittsburgh, PA
• February 27-28, 2025
• SCY (25 Yards)
• 2A Meet Results | 3A Meet Results

The Pennsylvania High School State qualifying meets went off last week. The winner of every event gets to move on to the high school state meet, along with additional athletes who have achieved the automatic time standard. After these athletes are counted they add swimmers who earned the consideration time until they reach the maximum number of qualifiers. (2A- 16, 3A- 40).

2A Recap

Mt. Pleasant senior and NC State commit Lily King led the 2A meet, swimming under Pennsylvania State records and breaking three Western Pennsylvania (WPIAL) record while leading the team to a 2nd place finish. Despite the notation on the results, state records cannot be set at district meets.

King started off the day swimming freestyle on the girls 200 medley relay, splitting 21.40 to help her relay earn the gold medal. The rest of the relay consisted of Kiersten O’Connor on back (25.14), Lainey Brown on breast (29.82), and Maddie Barrick on fly (28.86) and they finished 1st in 1:45.22 to break their own WPIAL record of 1:45.86 from 2023.

She went on to win both of her individual events in times that would be under the Pennsylvania State Records. In the 200 freestyle, she touched first in 1:44.62, winning the event by more than 10 seconds. This was a second faster than her previous best of 1:45.51 that she went at last year’s State championships. It was also just over a tenth under the PIAA record of 1:44.73 set by Courtney Harnish in 2017.

She also won the 100 freestyle in 47.65, more than half-a-second faster than her previous best of 48.21 from this meet last year. Again, she was under her own state record of 48.38 from last year’s state meet in the event.

Finally, King anchored Mt. Pleasant’s winning 400 freestyle relay. Riley Shinsky (54.35) led them off, then Maddi Barrick (56.81), and Lainey Brown (55.51). King brought them home in 46.79 to help them go 3:33.46 in the event.

King was not the only swimmer to break records. Shady Side Academy sophomore Ava Jochims won the girl’s 200 IM in 2:00.09, which broke the WPIAL record of 2:00.57 set by Bailey Bonnett from 2:00.57. This was a new best time, dropping from her previous best of 2:01.79 from last year. Jochims also won the 500 freestyle in 4:54.22, a slight add from her lifetime best of 4:50.44 from January of 2024.

On the boy’s side, Mt. Pleasant senior David Mutter won the 100 fly in 48.01. This time broke his own WPIAL record of 48.30 from last year. Mutter also owns the state record in the event at 47.52. He also split 21.73 as the flyer on the medley relay. His other event was the 500 freestyle which he won in 4:34.54 by two seconds.

2A Event Winners:

• 200 Medley Relay
  • Girls: Mt. Pleasant- 1:45.22; Kiersten O’Connor (25.14), Lainey Brown (29.82), Maddie Barrick (28.86), Lily King (21.40) **WPIA record
  • Boys: Mt. Pleasant- 1:25.08; Seth Painter (26.89), Joseph Gardner (25.05), David Mutter (21.73), Gunner Probst (21.41)
• 200 Free:
  • Girls: Lily King, Mt. Pleasant- 1:44.62 **PIAA Record
  • Boys: Preston Kessler, Indiana- 1:40.83
• 200 IM:
  • Girls: Ava Jochims, Shady Side Academy- 2:00.09 **WPAIL Record
  • Boys: Sam Cavanaugh, Northgate- 1:52.95
• 50 Free:
  • Girls: Kiersten O’Connor, Mt. Pleasant- 23.30
  • Boys: Joshua Reed, Indiana- 21.38
• 100 Fly:
  • Girls: Kira Schrecongost, Freeport- 54.85
  • Boys: David Mutter, Mt. Pleasant- 48.01 **WPIAL Record
• 200 Free Relay:
  • Girls: Tomas Jefferson- 1:37.75; Wynter Olsen (25.50), Nadia Casamassa (25.72), Shannon Chalfant (24.03), Genevieve Cody (22.50)
  • Boys: Indiana; Josh Reed (21.53), Matthey Blystone (22.21), Joey Margita (21.97), Preston Kessler (20.21)
• 100 Free:
  • Girls: Lily King, Mt. Pleasant- 47.65 **PIAA Record
  • Boys: Preston Kessler, Indiana- 44.91
• 500 Free:
  • Girls: Ava Jochims, Shady Side Academy- 4:54.22
  • Boys: David Mutter, Mt. Pleasant- 4:34.54
• 100 Back:
  • Girls: Kiersten O’Connor, Mt. Pleasant- 54.62
  • Boys: Chris Belch, Hampton- 50.90
• 100 Breast:
  • Girls: Giona Lavorini, Knoch- 1:03.03
  • Boys: Joseph Gardner, Mt. Pleasant- 55.77
• 400 Free Relay:
  • Girls: Mt. Pleasant- 3:33.46; Riley Shinksy (54.35), Maddie Barrick (56.81), Lainey Brown (55.51), Lily King (46.79)
  • Boys: Indiana- 3:08.34; Joey Margita (49.56), Rey Nunez (46.59), Joshua Reed (47.62), Preston Kessler (44.57)

3A Recap

The 3A meet also saw times that would be new state records on the women’s side. Mt. Lebanon senior Sylvia Roy.

Roy, who is committed to swim at Virginia in the fall, broke state records in both of her individual events. She started with a win and WPIAL record in the 50 freestyle, where she went 22.57. The PIAA 3A record in the event is 22.66 set by Alexa Fulton in 2022. Her previous best in the event was 22.60 from a few weeks ago.

She also swam under the record in the 100 back, winning the event in 52.53. She holds the state record at 52.90 from last year, which was also her best time in the event.

Roy also swam on two relays for Mt. Lebanon, though they didn’t win any of them. She anchored the girl’s 200 medley in 21.70. She also led off their 400 freestyle relay in 49.13, which was a new WPIAL record in the event, breaking Olivai Livingston’s 49.53 record from 2017.

3A Event Winners:

• 200 Medley Relay:
  • Girls:  North Allegheny- 1:45.40; Dani Hinkson (27.44), Tori Tieppo (29.60), Eva Ogden (24.96), Madden Woycheck (23.40)
  • Boys: Upper Saint Clair- 1:32.68; Ben Whiteford (23.41), Griffin Tomsheck (23.54), Liam Tomb (23.41), Nazar Zoukovski (20.52)
• 200 Free
  • Girls: Sarah Pasquella, Fox Chapel Area- 1:48.79
  • Boys: McClellan Clark, Pittsburgh Central Catholic- 1:39.17
• 200 IM
  • Girls: Dani Hinkson, North Allegheny- 2:07.72
  • Boys: Owen Howell, Fox Chapel Area- 1:51.40
• 50 Free
  • Girls: Sylvia Roy, Mt Lebanon- 22.57 *PIAA Record
  • Boys: Luke Lamb, Mars Area- 20.43
• 100 Fly
  • Girls: Amber Klingensmith, Norwin- 56.34
  • Boys: Gus Miller, North Allegheny- 49.71
• 200 Free Relay
  • Girls: Fox Chapel- 1:35.14; Sarah Pasquella (23.38), Norah Kovach (24.30), Josephine Stanczak (24.08), Charlotte Rusche (23.38)
  • Boys: North Allegheny- 1:23.01; Grant Regule (20.96), Gus Miller (20.51), Mason Shantz (21.16), Zachary Totin (20.38)
• 100 Free
  • Girls: Ava Komoroski, Peters Township- 51.68
  • Boys: Nazar Zoukovski, Upper St. Clair- 45.38
• 500 Free
  • Girls: Claire Bacu, North Allegheny- 4:54.94
  • Boys: McClellan Clark, Pittsburgh Central Catholic- 4:25.06 **WPIA record
• 100 Back
  • Girls: Sylvia Roy, Mt. Lebanon- 52.53 **PIAA Record
  • Boys: Luke Lamb, Mars Area- 47.86
• 100 Breast
  • Girls: Sarah Shaffer, Pine Richland- 1:02.11
  • Boys: Chris Heese, Greater Latrobe- 55.94
• 400 Free Relay
  • Girls: Fox Chapel Area- 3:27.93; Sarah Pasquella (50.67), Grace Kovach (52.95), Josephine Stanczak (52.77), Margaret Rusche (51.54)
  • Boys: North Allegheny- 3:06.32; Danny Lesinski (46.82), Grant Regule (45.40), Alex Harbaugh (47.64), Zachary Totin (46.46)

State Preview:

The PIAA State Meet will combine swimmers from multiple different districts, and is set to occur from March 12-15 at the Kinney natatorium in Lewisburg Pennsylvania.