Several WPIAL individuals, relays qualify for PIAA Class AA championship finals

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, March 13, 2019 | 1:36 PM

The championship heats are set for Wednesday’s boys and girls events at the PIAA Class AA swimming meet at Bucknell University, and several from the WPIAL are in contention for state gold.

Northgate senior Karen Siddoway is the top seed in the girls 200-yard freestyle. She swam a 1:52.66 in the prelims to take first. Elizabeth Forward junior Kaelyn McClain is seeded seventh for the finals (1:56.15).

Quaker Valley freshman Isabel Huang is seeded fourth (2:08.84) for the finals in the girls 200 IM. Indiana’s Harley Kessler is seeded sixth (2:09.62), and Laurel Highlands’ Maria Mrosko is the No. 7 seed (2:09.86).

In the girls 50 free, Mt. Pleasant junior Heather Gardner heads to the finals seeded second (23.73).

Northgate’s 200 free relay combination of Siddoway, juniors Isabella Salerno and Angelina Patarini and freshman Anna Neiss swam to a 1:40.19 in the prelims and will be seeded sixth for the finals.

On the boys side, Indiana (Kyle Thome, Cole Thome, Isaac Griffith and Kevin Zheng), Belle Vernon (Ian Shahan, Robert Spekis, Isaac Evans, Alex Miller) and Riverside (Alexander Roth, Josiah Shaffer, Graham Kralic, Donnie Paracca) are seeded fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively, for the finals in the 200 medley relay.

The 200 free finals will have New Castle senior Zachary Bell (1:42.88), Mars senior Andrew Pierre (1:43.28) and Deer Lakes junior Adam Morrison (1:44.14) as the respective fourth, fifth and sixth seeds.

Spekis, a senior, is the third seed (1:56.84) for the finals in the 200 IM, while Geibel Catholic senior Cole Dorobish is seeded eighth (1:59.47).

In the 50 free, Neshannock sophomore Conner McBeth secures the top seed (21.36) for this evening’s championship heat. Also in the finals are Shady Side senior Adrian Beckford (sixth, 21.72) and Greensburg Salem senior William Crites (seventh, 21.74).

Shahan, a sophomore, is in the mix for the 100 butterfly as he is seeded fourth for the finals (50.15).

Shady Side Academy’s 200 free relay quartet of Beckford, seniors Nicholas Lauer and William Engel, along with sophomore Stefan Stratimirovic, swam a time of 1:28.96 and is seeded fourth. Belle Vernon (Miller, Shahan, Spekis, sophomore Sam West) and Riverside (Shaffer, Roth, Kralic, Paracca) own the seventh and eighth seeds, respectively.

The girls finals begin at 4:35 p.m. and the boys finals are set for 7:05. The consolation and championship heats will be broadcast live on the Pennsylvania Cable Network.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Deer Lakes, Elizabeth Forward, Geibel, Greensburg Salem, Indiana, Mars, Mt. Pleasant, Neshannock, New Castle, Northgate, Quaker Valley, Riverside, Shady Side Academy