Westmoreland high school notebook: Mt. Pleasant quartet sets national swimming record

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, December 22, 2024 | 2:53 PM

A national record, not bad for this fearsome foursome’s first time swimming together.

Mt. Pleasant put its four NCAA Division I recruits on display last Sunday at a Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics meet at Pitt’s Trees Pool, a place they know well.

The mixed medley relay from Mt. Pleasant Aqua Club — Kiersten O’Connor, Joe Gardner, David Mutter and Lily King — set a national record for the 15-18 age division with a time of 3 minutes, 25.59 seconds, topping the previous mark (3:25.84) by .25 seconds.

“Since Kiersten O’Connor finished third in the state last year in the 100 backstroke and first in the 50 free, and Joseph Gardner finished first in the state in breaststroke, David Mutter finished first in butterfly and Lily finished first in 100 free, we felt that these four state champs would be a perfect foursome to try for the national record,” Mt. Pleasant coach Sandy Felice said.

All four swimmers have signed with D-I schools, O’Connor with Connecticut, Gardner with Pitt, Mutter Alabama and King N.C. State.

“I am very proud of them for all the effort they put into swimming practice on a daily basis year round,” Felice said. “They set the goal earlier this year to break the record and I’m ecstatic about the results.”

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New Norwin coach

Kathy Bernardi is primed to lead the Norwin swimming teams this winter.

She took over for longtime coach Doug Watson, who resigned after six seasons.

An English teacher at Norwin for 15 years, Bernardi also has coached youth swimming in Indianapolis and Portsmouth, Va. and serves as head coach of the Monroeville Marlins club team.

Two of her children, Morgan and Andrew Holmes, are swimmers at Bloomsburg. Both graduated from Gateway.

Another son, Michael Holmes, also swam at Gateway before a college career at Mount Union.

Bernardi is familiar with WPIAL swimming because she competed for Gateway, her alma mater.

“I swam in high school, but not with anything close to the success my own kids have had,” she said.

She attended Indiana and taught in Indiana and Virginia before moving back to Pennsylvania.

“I’m not nearly as interesting as this team,” Bernardi said. “They are small, but I think they might do some big, unexpected things. They have already gotten all relay WPIAL cuts. Last year, the girls were unable to get the 400 free cut. This year they got all of them in the first two meets.”

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On track

The Hempfield girls track and field team opened the indoor season with some highlights.

Competing at home, Hempfield was led by Point Park commit Katie Dolinski, who won the shot put (36 feet, 9 inches) and weight throw (39-9).

Allie DeMatt won the high jump (4-8), and Tessa Tragesser took first in the pole vault (9-7).

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Whipple offered

Make it two Division I scholarship offers for Penn-Trafford senior football standout Tasso Whipple.

St. Francis (Pa.) made a scholarship offer to Whipple, who played running back and outside linebacker for the Warriors. He also has an offer from Robert Morris.

He was the second-leading rusher in Westmoreland County this season with 1,716 yards and 14 touchdowns.

St. Francis is recruiting Whipple as an athlete, meaning the Red Flash do not have an exact position lined up for the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder.

“They did not say for what side of the ball,” Whipple said, “but, at the end of the day, I just love playing football so I truly have no preference. I couldn’t be happier getting an offer in general. I’m very appreciative of all of it.”

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Jeannette donation

The Jeannette football program received a monetary donation from the nieces of longtime Jayhawks fan William Holtzer, who died in October at age 91.

Pat Kadlebek, Vicki Schantz, Wendy Rees and Betty Jean Cooksey presented the program with the donation in memory of “Uncle Bill.”

Holtzer was a two-way lineman for the Jayhawks when he played in the late 1940s.

He was a team captain who went on to marry his high school sweetheart, the late Delores “Dee” Demark, who was a Jeannette cheerleader.

Recruiting

Yough softball player Sidney Bergman will play at Penn State Fayette. Bergman is a pitcher who did not play for the high school team last year.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Jeannette, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Penn-Trafford