Freeport contingent, 9 swimmers strong, ready for PIAA Class 2A meet

By: Michael Love
Monday, March 10, 2025 | 9:15 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Isabelle Barton didn’t expect to swim an individual event at last year’s PIAA Class 2A championships at Bucknell University.

Barton was at the meet set to swim relays with her Freeport teammates. But after the first day of the two-day meet, someone scratched out of the girls 500-yard freestyle, and Barton was thrust into the field of competitors.

She had about 12 hours to prepare for her preliminary swim.

“(Coach Sheryl Schrecongost) texted my mom to let her know that I was in for the 500,” said Barton, a senior who will swim at states for the fourth time in as many seasons starting Wednesday morning.

“It really changed my mindset and focus.”

Barton added a half-second to her WPIAL 500 time in last year’s preliminaries, but she was in the pool competing and finished 27th (5:29.54).

“I had the relay my freshman and sophomore years, but to come back last year and get a chance to swim an individual event at states was a whole new special thing.”

Barton again will swim the 500. She secured an at-large time this year in 5:25.66 and is seeded 23rd. She also added the 200 free on Wednesday (2:00.83, 25th) and also will swim a pair of relays.

She is part of a nine-swimmer Freeport continent to the PIAA championships.

“For how small our teams are, it is great to see us take this many to states,” Barton said.

Knoch and Highlands will have swimmers also representing the Alle-Kiski Valley at the Class 2A meet Wednesday and Thursday.

Knoch senior and Pitt commit Giona Lavorini, just as she was entering the WPIAL championships Feb. 28, is the hunted in the girls 100 breaststroke as the defending state champion.

She defended her WPIAL 100 breast title in a time of 1:03.03 and is the top seed for Thursday morning’s preliminaries. Southmoreland’s Allison Stinnett is seeded second, and two-time WPIAL 100 breast champion, Indiana’s Peyton Scott, is third.

“It is tough sometimes being the defending champion and wanting to keep the title,” said Lavorini, who also is seeded sixth in the 200 individual medley (2:07.59).

“It’s definitely going to be a tight race like it was at WPIALs.”

Lavorini, Stinnett (1:03.74) and Scott (1:03.84) have seed times two seconds or more faster than the rest of the field.

Lavorini didn’t have much time to rest between WPIALs and states as she, along with several other area standouts, swam three days last weekend at YMCA districts.

“It was a little harder preparing for states,” Lavorini said. “I didn’t taper at all for the district meet. I just went in there and swam to make it to my YMCA state meet. Peyton and some of the other Indiana swimmers were there, so they are in the same position as me, going from WPIALs to Y districts and then right into states.”

The preliminaries Wednesday and Thursday begin at 8:05 a.m. The top 16 from those boys and girls prelim heats in each event return in the evening, starting at 4:35, for the consolation and championship finals.

The A-K Valley will be represented in 22 events over the girls and boys meets.

While Lavorini is the top seed in the girls 100 breast, Freeport senior Kira Schrecongost will go after a state title as the top seed (54.85) in the girls 100 butterfly.

The three-time WPIAL champion in the event, Schrecongost finished second last year (55.87) to Bedford phenom Leah Shackley, who set a state record in a time of 50.29.

Schrecongost also is the fifth seed in the 200 IM (2:06.44).

The Freeport girls are one of a select number of teams to have all three of their relays qualify for states. Their 200 medley and 400 free relays are seeded second and third.

Sophomore Kasey Schrecongost made a splash in her PIAA debut last year, taking fifth in the 100 free and seventh in the 100 back.

Last year’s 100 free was dominated by WPIAL swimmers who placed first through fifth, led by Mt. Pleasant Lily King with a state-record time of 48.38.

Kasey Schrecongost is back seeking two more individual medals as the fifth seed in the 100 fly (58.36) and ninth seed in the 100 free (53.61).

Knoch junior Adrian Lavorini is no stranger to returning for the evening session at states.

Last year, he swam the consolation finals in both the 200 IM and the 500 free, taking 10th and 12th.

He is positioned to move up to the championship final heats this year as the sixth seed (1:55.84) for Wednesday’s 200 IM and the 12th seed (58.99) for Thursday’s 100 breast.

Also ready to swim at states on the boys side and make his PIAA debut is Freeport senior Nathan Tarbi in the 200 free (1:48.25, 15th seed) and 100 free (49.13, 15th).

The Knoch boys 200 medley relay is seeded 23rd (1:43.62), and the Knights’ boys 200 free relay is the 31st seed (1:34.72).

Freeport senior Mary Anne Altman caps her varsity career as the 18th seed for the girls 50 free (24.83) and the 15th seed for the 100 free (54.22).

PIAA individual debuts also include Highlands sophomore Addie Imler as the 20th seed in the 100 back (1:00.85), Freeport freshman Rylee Freshcorn as the 21st seed in the 100 back (1:00.95), and Knoch sophomore Olivia Wasewski as the 25th seed in the 100 back (1:01.39).

The Knoch girls 200 medley relay hopes for a berth to Wednesday’s evening session as the 16th seed (1:52.88), while the Freeport girls 200 free relay is seeded 25th (1:43.71).

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: Freeport