8 is enough for Freeport freshman Kira Schrecongost at PIAA championships

By: Michael Love
Friday, March 18, 2022 | 9:15 PM

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LEWISBURG – Freeport freshman Kira Schrecongost swam four times on the first day of the WPIAL Class 2A championships March 3 at Pitt’s Trees Pool.

She doubled that during the first day of the PIAA championships Friday at Bucknell.

Schrecongost swam two relay and two individual preliminaries and came back in the championship finals as part of the 200-yard medley relay and in the 200 individual medley and the 100 butterfly. She also joined her Yellowjackets teammates in the 200 free relay.

“I feel accomplished with the eight swims, but it also is a little physically and mentally draining,” said Schrecongost, possibly the only swimmer in either the Class 2A and Class 3A meets to swim eight time in a single day.

“I pushed through it and exceeded my expectations for how I thought I was going to do.”

The Freeport girls 200 medley relay of sophomore Caitlyn Brennan, senior Lexi Schrecongost, Kira Schrecongost and freshman Isabelle Barton finished sixth with a time of 1 minute, 49.67 seconds, four one-hundredths better than their WPIAL time of 1:49.71.

The quartet came to the state meet seeded sixth, so they were able to hold their spot.

Kira Schrecongost added an eighth-place medal in the 200 IM (2:11.01) to her runner-up finish from WPIALs. She also finished seventh in the 100 fly (57.01) after winning the event at WPIALs.

The 200 free relay of the Schrecongost sisters, Barton and freshman Danielle Parke closed out Day 1 with a 12th-place swim in a time of 1:42.41.

Kira Schrecongost, now finished with her state swims, will cheer on her sister and Brennan on Saturday. Lexi Schrecongost is the fourth seed in the 100 breast and the 12th seed in the 100 free.

Brennan will swim in the first heat of the 100 backstroke.

Several others from the Alle-Kiski Valley swam consolation finals heats.

Knoch freshman Giona Lavorini made her PIAA debut and was second in her consolation finals heat and 10th overall in the 200 IM with a time of 2:10.05.

She came into the state meet seeded 11th with a seed time of 2:10.64 recorded at WPIALs.

Lavorini will swim the 100 breast Saturday.

On the boys side, Knoch senior Caden Traggiai finished 16th in consolation finals of the 200 free (1:47.75). He came into the state meet seeded 14th (1:47.24).

Traggiai will swim the 500 free Saturday.

St. Joseph senior Sam Wygonik just missed the consolation finals in 200 free. He was 17th (1:48.09) after the prelims, and Traggiai was 16th (1:47.89).

Wygonik returns tomorrow in the 500 free and is seeded 11th.

Saturday’s Class 3A boys preliminaries begin at 7:50 a.m., with the girls prelims to follow at 10:25.

The boys consolation and championship finals will be at 4:20 p.m., and the girls finals will begin at 6:50.

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.