Fox Chapel’s Sophie Shao breaks 38-year-old record, wins 100 fly title at WPIALs
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Thursday, March 3, 2022 | 8:11 PM
Fox Chapel’s Sophie Shao competes in the girls 100 butterfly during the WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships March 3, 2022, at Pitt’s Trees Pool.
Fox Chapel’s Sophie Shao competes in the girls 200 individual medley during the WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships March 3, 2022, at Pitt’s Trees Pool.
Fox Chapel’s Sophie Shao competes in the girls 200 individual medley during the WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships March 3, 2022, at Pitt’s Trees Pool.
Fox Chapel’s Holden Smith competes in the boys 200 freestyle during the WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships March 3, 2022, at Pitt’s Trees Pool.
Fox Chapel’s Payton O’Toole competes in the girls 200 freestyle during the WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships March 3, 2022, at Pitt’s Trees Pool.
Fox Chapel swimmers cheer after the girls 200 medley relay during the WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships March 3, 2022, at Pitt’s Trees Pool.
Kiski’s Eliza Miller competes in the girls 200 individual medley during the WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships March 3, 2022, at Pitt’s Trees Pool.
Kiski’s Levi Hansen competes in the boys 200 freestyle during the WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships March 3, 2022, at Pitt’s Trees Pool.
Freeport’s Caitlyn Brennan competes in the girls 100 butterfly during the WPIAL Class 2A swimming championships March 3, 2022, at Pitt’s Trees Pool.
Freeport’s Kira Schrecongost competes in the girls 100 butterfly during the WPIAL Class 2A swimming championships March 3, 2022, at Pitt’s Trees Pool.
Freeport’s Kira Schrecongost competes in the girls 200 individual medley during the WPIAL Class 2A swimming championships March 3, 2022, at Pitt’s Trees Pool.
Freeport’s Kira Schrecongost competes in the girls 200 individual medley during the WPIAL Class 2A swimming championships March 3, 2022, at Pitt’s Trees Pool.
Burrell’s David Matovcik competes in the boys 200 freestyle during the WPIAL Class 2A swimming championships March 3, 2022, at Pitt’s Trees Pool.
Burrell’s Nick Ciuffoletti competes in the boys 200 freestyle during the WPIAL Class 2A swimming championships March 3, 2022, at Pitt’s Trees Pool.
Burrell’s Chloe Walton competes in the girls 200 freestyle during the WPIAL Class 2A swimming championships March 3, 2022, at Pitt’s Trees Pool.
Knoch’s Giona Lavorini competes in the girls 200 individual medley during the WPIAL Class 2A swimming championships March 3, 2022, at Pitt’s Trees Pool.
Plum’s Nina Ricciuti competes in the girls 200 freestyle during the WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships March 3, 2022, at Pitt’s Trees Pool.
A 38-year WPIAL record is no more.
Fox Chapel junior Sophie Shao captured the Class 3A girls 100-yard butterfly title — her third in as many years — Thursday at the WPIAL swimming championships at Pitt’s Trees Pool.
Her time of 53.85 seconds — her personal best for high school after a 54.22 at the PIAA championships two years ago — surpassed the longstanding Class 3A mark of 54.16 set by Penn Hills’ Melanie Buddemeyer at WPIALs in 1984.
Shao now also owns the fastest overall 100 fly time in WPIAL history, as she edged Class 2A record-holder Margaret Gruber from Mars, who swam a 53.88 in 2013.
“I’ve been training hard to try and get (Buddemeyer’s) record,” said Shao, who had recorded a 54.14 at the Speedo Junior Nationals in December.
“Actually, I didn’t know until after I swam freshman year that it was the WPIAL record. After that, I was like, ‘I’ve got to get it.’ This year was the year. (The 54.14) was motivation, and also states is a big motivation. I’ve got competition this year, and I am really excited.”
Buddemeyer, reached shortly after Shao’s record-setting swim, said she knew her record would eventually fall.
“I never ever dreamed it would stand for 38 years,” she said. “It’s mind-boggling in itself, and I am very humbled by that. Also, there is no duo in the WPIAL who I respect more than (Fox Chapel) coach Dan Taylor and Sophie. My daughter, Ali, who swam with Sophie, always said she was a such a hard worker and very humble. If it had to be broken, it couldn’t have been planned any better.”
Shao’s first individual WPIAL title Thursday came in the 200 individual medley as she swam to a winning time of 2:02.51, more than three seconds faster than runner-up Natalie Sens, a sophomore from North Allegheny.
It was Shao’s first 200 IM title after finishing second to North Allegheny’s Molly Smyers last year. Shao didn’t swim the 200 IM as a freshman, opting for the 100 breast, where she finished fourth.
“I’ve been working hard to get that title, too, so it really means a lot,” said Shao, who swam three events on Day 1 with only the 400 free relay on Day 2.
The Fox Chapel girls 200 medley relay of junior Talia Bugel (back), senior Ariana Pasquella (breast), Shao (fly) and senior Rei Sperry (free) kicked off the Class 3A meet in fast fashion with a WPIAL title in a school-record time of 1:43.90.
It is the second straight title for the group and first for Pasquella, who joined this year after last year’s member, Vivian Shao, graduated.
“As I watched each one of them come in, I was like, ‘Go, go!’ My adrenaline was rushing,” said Sperry, the team’s anchor.
“I was getting so fired up. We knew this was our WPIAL title, our record and our chance to defend it. We just came together with great swims.”
Only the champions in each event from each of the 12 PIAA districts earn automatic bids to the state meet March 16-19 at Bucknell University. The remaining state berths will be determined based on the remaining times from the district meets.
With the three WPIAL titles leading the way, the Fox Chapel girls own 174 points and sit in second place in the team standings after Day 1. North Allegheny is in first with 212 points.
Sperry returned to the pool in the 50 free and placed second overall with a personal-best time of 24.02.
Mt. Lebanon freshman Sylvia Roy bested the field in the event with a time of 23.09.
Sperry and Roy also faced off in the 50 free at a dual meet Jan. 11.
“She is so fast. I have so much respect for her,” Sperry said.
“It’s cool to race someone that good. You know they’re there, and you know they are going to push you to go faster.”
Kiski Area junior Levi Hansen broke his own school record and earned a silver medal in boys 200 free with a time of 1:40.96.
He was right with champion Kevin Donaldson, a senior from Seneca Valley, the whole race, and the two traded the top spot a few times. Donaldson came away with the title in 1:40.22.
“I knew it was going to be a good race because our times coming in were similar,” said Hansen, who is seeded fifth for Friday’s 500 free.
“I just wanted to pace off of him so I could race with him. I swam my fastest and gave it my all. Hopefully, I will be able to race (Donaldson) again at states.”
The Fox Chapel girls 200 free relay of Bugel, sophomore Gloria Wen, freshman Sarah Pasquella and junior Payton O’Toole took third in a time of 1:38.10.
Class 2A
Kira Schrecongost watched older sister Lexi capture the WPIAL Class 2A girls 100-yard breaststroke as a junior last year.
She made sure she wasn’t left out of the fun when Thursday rolled around and she got her chance at WPIAL gold.
The Freeport freshman came in as the No. 1 seed in the 100 fly, and she left as a WPIAL champion, taking the title with a school-record time of 56.09.
“This morning, I woke up and I was like, ‘Holy crap. My time is finally here,” said Schrecongost who set the 100 fly school record early in the season and bettered its several times leading up to WPIALs.
“When I got up to the block (in the 100 fly), I was like, ‘OK, I got this.’ Come the last turn, I knew I had to keep going. I wanted this so bad. That was my goal.”
Schrecongost was a workhorse on Day 1 as she swam four times and won four medals. She also finished runner-up in the 200 IM (2:08.86) to defending champion Ella Menear, a junior from Mapletown.
“I had been practicing well enough to keep my endurance and be able to do all those events,” she said.
The Freeport girls 200 medley relay of the Schrecongost sisters, sophomore Caitlyn Brennan and freshman Isabelle Barton came close to the title but ended up second (1:49.71) to champion Mt. Pleasant (1:49.46).
The Yellowjackets girls 200 free relay — Lexi and Kira Schrecongost, Barton and freshman Danielle Parke — capped Day 1 with a third-place swim in a time of 1:41.80.
Day 2 of the WPIAL swimming championships is Friday and will begin with the final events of the Class 3A meet. Class 2A swimming will start at 3 p.m.
Events to be contested are the 100 free, 500 free, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke and 400 free relay.
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: Fox Chapel
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