Defending champions from WPIAL among top seeds for Day 2 of PIAA Class 2A finals

By: Michael Love
Thursday, March 13, 2025 | 12:58 PM

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LEWISBURG — Mt. Pleasant senior Lily King swam faster than her own PIAA record in the preliminaries of the Class 2A girls 100-yard freestyle Thursday morning at the PIAA swimming and diving championships at Bucknell’s Kinney Natatorium.

She swam to 48.15 seconds, faster than the state record of 48.38 she set in the finals last year.

King will go after her fourth 100 free state title in as many attempts in the finals Thursday evening at 4:35.

Also making the championship finals heat were Thomas Jefferson senior Genevieve Cody, Freeport’s Kasey Schrecongost, Indiana’s Sydney Anderson and Winchester Thurston’s Thea Siegel.

The top 16 finishers from each girls and boys individual and relay event will return to swim this evening. Only the eight in the championship heat are eligible to win a state title.

The consolation and championship heats will be broadcast live on the Pennsylvania Cable Network.

Shady Side Academy freshman Ava Jochims hopes to claim her second PIAA title in as many days. She is the top seed for the 500 free finals. Jochims won the 200 individual medley Wednesday.

Also returning for the 500 finals is Franklin Regional’s Magdalena Hull (seventh seed).

Hampton’s Lainey Sheets (second), Mt. Pleasant’s Kiersten O’Connor (fourth), Northgate’s Joann Cook (fifth) and Ringgold’s Natalie Noll (seventh) will swim the championship heat of the 100 backstroke.

Southmoreland’s Allison Stinnett, Indiana’s Peyton Scott and Knoch’s Giona Lavorini lead the WPIAL and the state after the prelims of the 100 breast. They are the top three seeds, and Lavorini will attempt to claim her second straight PIAA title in the event.

Mt. Pleasant is the top seed for the girls 400 free relay. They swam to a 3:35.37 in the prelims.

Franklin Regional (third), Freeport (fifth), Thomas Jefferson (sixth) and Hampton (seventh) also occupy a finals heat filled with WPIAL talent.

Boys

Indiana senior Preston Kessler is the top seed for the finals of the boys 100 free as he goes after his third state title in four attempts.

Also in the 100 free finals is Indiana’s Joshua Reed (third seed).

Mt. Pleasant’s David Mutter, the defending champ in the 500 free, swam a 4:37.52 in the prelims and is seeded first. He has WPIAL company at the top for the finals heat as Shady Side Academy’s Soren Cooper and Northgate’s Sam Cavanaugh are seeded second and third, respectively. Cornell’s Noah Pickett also is in the finals heat as the eighth seed.

Hampton senior Chris Belch is seeded third for the boys 100 back finals and will be joined by fourth seed Josh Grimenstein, a senior from South Fayette.

Mt. Pleasant’s Joseph Gardner is seeded second for the 100 breast finals. He will go after his own state record (54.28 in 2024) and a third straight gold medal.

Laurel Highlands’ Kasey Mahoney (fourth seed) and West Allegheny’s Alex Aivalotis (sixth) also will provide a WPIAL presence in the championship heat.

Indiana, which claimed the boys 200 free relay title Wednesday, is the top seed for this evening’s 400 free relay.

Mt. Pleasant, Wednesday’s champion in the 200 medley relay, is the fourth seed for the 400 final.

Northgate (fifth), Hampton (sixth) and Shady Side Academy (seventh) also will swim the championship heat.

Freeport sophomore Isaac Barton is set to swim the para 50 and 100 frees this evening. He is the top seed out of four in the 50 free and the No. 1 seed out of three for the 100 free.

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: Cornell, Franklin Regional, Freeport, Hampton, Indiana, Knoch, Laurel Highlands, Mt. Pleasant, Northgate, Ringgold, Shady Side Academy, South Fayette, Southmoreland, Thomas Jefferson, West Allegheny, Winchester Thurston