A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Kiski Area’s Paige Kunkle

By: Ted Sarneso
Monday, February 10, 2025 | 10:39 AM

When asked where her medals were from the WPIAL championships last year, when the Kiski Area girls swim team was Class 2A champion, senior Paige Kunkle wasn’t sure.

“I honestly don’t know,” she said.

It’s not the actual medals that are most meaningful to Kunkle. It’s the memories of how the team won and, more vividly, how the girls were told they were champions.

“Right before the last event, the 400 relay, the coaches didn’t tell us that was the closing race,” Kunkle said. “People kept coming up to us and kept saying, ‘You guys are going to do it,’ and I was so confused. We had no idea and people were looking at us like we were crazy, and we didn’t understand.”

Kiski held a two-point lead over Quaker Valley and clinched the title after the 400 relay team took first.

“I remember when Paige came up to me after the breaststroke, and it was time for the relay,” coach Ryan Berberich said. “She said, ‘Coach, are we going to win?’ and I said, ‘It’s going to be close.’ When we won the relay, she asked if we won, and I said yeah and she started to cry she was so happy.”

Kunkle reached the podium four times that day. She was part of two relays — the 200-yard medley that placed sixth and the 200 freestyle relay that placed second — and, individually, she posted a 1:00.54 in the 100 backstroke, good for sixth, and placed eighth with a time of 2:15.76 in the 200 IM.

This year, at the WCCA meet, when swimmers start to compare their times with how they swam last year, Kunkle placed fourth in her individual events, swimming a 2:18.46 in the 200 IM and 1:02.66 in the 100 back. Her times are similar to what she swam last season.

“I can definitely say consistency is a way to define Paige’s efforts in the pool,” Berberich said. “Whenever the gun goes off, you’re going to get her best effort every time no matter what event she’s swimming.”

Added Kunkle: “That’s something that’s important. Because you don’t want to be all over the place. When you have that consistency, the team sort of relies on you in certain situations. But it’s taken a long time.”

Kunkle took some time for a Senior Spotlight Q&A:

How do you think you’ve done so far this year?

My times are around the same as last year, so I’m pretty happy with that. The whole team is working hard together for WPIALs, and I’m excited to see how that goes.

What’s it like to swim with your sister Leah?

She is really good, and it’s hard sometimes for me, but I’m always so happy for her. She accomplishes so many things, and I’m so happy to train with her every day, and I’m going to miss her a lot next year. We also have a little handshake we do before every meet.

What were you focused on improving for this season?

Since I committed to Bloomsburg University, I really wanted to get back into the 100 breaststroke. I finally dropped time in that event from my freshman year. That was really fun to get back into that.

What were your visits to Bloomsburg like and what are you looking forward to next year?

I absolutely fell in love with the school and the team as soon as I stepped on campus. Their team is really close knit, just like Kiski. I love coach Bridget Hilferty. She is amazing, and they’ve made me feel so welcome already, so it would have been hard to say no.

What do you plan on studying at Bloomsburg?

I plan on studying business with a minor in human resources.

How did you feel when you learned you were named a team captain?

I’ve always wanted to be a captain of a team. We still do the same traditions that I came up doing, and it was really important to me that I got to do that with fellow senior Amara Sterlitz. I love the girls so much. We’re always having so much fun. We do like temporary tattoos at our home meets, and we went to Le Café over break.

What’s the most important part, to you, of being in that leadership position?

I want to keep the team motivated. I know that swimming is a long, difficult season, and I just want to make sure everybody knows that it’s OK to be tired and stressed out. Just do your best. You’re not going to want to keep going, but in the end, it will all be worth it.

What were your goals for the season?

I wanted to qualify for WPIALs, which I did, and I would love to qualify for states in our medley and 400 relays. That would be awesome.

Any hobbies?

I work at an ice cream shop, Sweetie’s Ice Cream, and I lifeguard at Hillcrest Country Club, the same place I learned how to swim. I’m in a lot of clubs at school, and I’m the president of student council. I’m also a part of the Unified track team.

Tags: Kiski Area