Freeport’s Kira Schrecongost climbs all the way to the top of the PIAA medal podium

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, March 12, 2025 | 9:29 PM

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LEWISBURG — Kira Schrecongost already had captured three medals in the girls 100-yard butterfly at the PIAA Class 2A swimming championships at Bucknell University.

On Wednesday, the Freeport senior and Duquesne commit wanted the top prize.

And in a time of 54.96 seconds, Schrecongost earned the gold medal she had coveted for years.

She bested the field, which included rival Lainey Sheets, a junior from Hampton. Sheets finished second in a time of 55.66.

“I didn’t feel I was moving that fast,” said Schrecongost, who swam a personal best 54.85 in winning the WPIAL title Feb. 27 at Pitt.

“I just wanted to get my hand on the wall first. But when I saw 54 again, I was happy. I am glad it is my last 100 fly for a while.”

She made the move up the medals podium each year, from seventh as a freshman to third as a sophomore to second last year.

Leah Shackley, the Bedford phenom who set records in both of her events in recent PIAA meets, including the 100 fly, yielded her state crown to Schrecongost.

“It gave me a lot of confidence knowing that I have had so many good swimmers come before me in this race,” she said. “I knew I wanted it to be my time to take the role of champion this year.”

Kira wasn’t the only Schrecongost to find success in the 100 fly.

Kasey, a sophomore, made her return to states and swam the event at Bucknell for the first time.

Seeded third for the finals, she added two one-hundredths from her prelim time earlier in the day but still went sub-58 at 57.93 and finished fourth.

Kasey captured top-eight medals in both the 100 free and 100 backstroke in her PIAA debut last year.

She will come back Thursday as the ninth seed (53.61) in the 100 free.

The Freeport girls 200 medley relay of Kira and Kasey Schrecongost, senior Mary Ann Altman and freshman Rylee Freshcorn were in the hunt for state gold in the championship heat Wednesday.

The quartet entered the finals seeded third, and that is where it finished. The Yellowjackets earned bronze in a time of 1:48.08, faster than their preliminary time of 1:48.74.

The relay set a school record at WPIALs (1:46.82).

“For being a senior, it was just incredible to have such a wonderful relay team,” said Altman, who also swam individually in the 50 free Wednesday. “We worked so hard together this season. That (finals) race was crazy. It was so fast.”

Kira Schrecongost added to her medal haul on Day 1 with a fifth-place finish in the 200 individual medley. She recorded a time of 2:06.87, faster than her prelim swim by 74 hundredths of a second.

Knoch senior Giona Lavorini shared the 200 IM medal podium with Kira Schrecongost. She swam a finals time of 2:07.92 and took seventh.

Lavorini returns to the pool Thursday with hopes of defending her state championship in the 100 breaststroke. She is the top seed (1:03.03) with Southmoreland’s Allison Stinnet second and Indiana’s Peyton Scott third.

The Freeport girls are third in the team standings after Day 1 with 89 team points.

Cathedral Prep owns the top spot with 122 points, while Mt. Pleasant is second at 106.

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