North Allegheny boys take team title, 3 other WPIAL swimmers win gold at PIAA Class 3A meet

By: Michael Love
Sunday, March 16, 2025 | 12:23 AM

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Previous Next

LEWISBURG — North Allegheny had already wrapped up the Class 3A boys team title before the Tigers’ 400-yard freestyle relay of Danny Lesinski, Zach Totin, Dylan Seiford, and Grant Regule took to the pool for their finals race Saturday evening at the PIAA swimming championships at Bucknell University.

The quartet swam to a time of 3 minutes, 4.84, dropping almost a second from their preliminary time earlier in the day. They finished second overall, and the 34 points they earned added to the already insurmountable lead the strength and depth of the team had produced.

“This is the goal,” said North Allegheny coach Patrick Wenzel, his voice hoarse after coaching and cheering on his teams throughout Saturday’s championship sessions.

“Last year at this meet, we talked to the boys about coming back and winning it. They worked so hard to be back and be in position to take the title. We were fast all weekend, and we finished it off with a really good relay swim. They earned this. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I am so proud of them.”

North Allegheny captured its seventh team title overall and first since the Tigers won three in a row from 2017-2019.

Lesinski, a junior, and senior Gus Miller helped add big points to the championship with a second- and third-place finish, respectively, in the 100 backstroke.

North Allegheny finished with 215 team points. That included 16 points from junior Ethan Maravich’s third-place finish in diving earlier Saturday.

La Salle College from District 12 was a distant second with 162 points. District 1’s North Penn, which came in as the two-time defending state champ, took third (156 points) followed by District 1’s Upper Dublin (143), and Upper St. Clair (137).

WPIAL swimmers also took home three individual state championships Saturday.

Sylvia Roy already had the Class 3A girls 100 backstroke state record in her possession, a 52.90 set in winning gold last year.

Never satisfied, Roy did that one better Saturday as she cruised to a third consecutive PIAA crown and lowered the record to 52.74.

This comes on the heels of her WPIAL title two weeks ago when she went even faster at 52.53.

“To get the state record again, it is really a huge accomplishment,” said Roy, who will swim next year at the University of Virginia. “It was a great way to close out my last (individual) swim at states.

“Every single year, it’s been so special to come (to Bucknell) and compete. It’s not just my performances but also being around this amazing group of girls. We’ve been through so much together, and to come here and share these moments with them and achieve these huge successes, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

The WPIAL went 1-2-3 in the boys 100 back, and while NA was well-represented at the top with Lesinski and Miller, Mars senior Luke Lamb led the way with his second straight state title in the event.

He went faster than he did at WPIALs with a winning time of 47.78.

Lamb won the Class 2A title last year with a state-record time of 48.08. When North Catholic and Mars merged their teams, Mars became Triple-A, and Lamb knew he would be going up against a whole new crop of the state’s best.

“It is amazing to see how strong the WPIAL is, especially in that event,” said Lamb, who credited both Miller and Lesinski — situated on either side of him during the championship heat — with pushing him to be his best when the lights shone the brightest.

“We come to states every year and just get the job done. I am proud that I moved up a division and still was able to win. There is a lot of depth in Triple-A, and I knew a lot of guys were coming for me. It was nice to be able to test myself against guys who I never swam before.”

Central Catholic’s McClellan Clark won the 500 free, beating second-place Trevor Olson of Penns Manor by more than three seconds.

Clark’s time of 4:22.78 was a lifetime best as the Tennessee commit dropped from a previous best 4:23.57 set at the Winter Junior Nationals East in December.

It also lowered the school record – 4:25.06 – he set in winning the WPIAL title Feb. 28 at Pitt’s Trees Pool.

“I felt really good, like my training has paid off,” Clark said. “I felt consistent from the first 50 on. I knew my pace, and it set me up for a good finish.”

Clark knew of the PIAA record – 4:19.64 – but the goal was to come to states and win a gold medal.

“(State College’s) Sam Huggins, who was next to me, we’ve raced so much throughout the years,” Clark said. “He’s a great friend and great competitor. It was good to be able to race him.”

Huggins took third overall with a time of 4:27.

Clark was third in the 500 at states last year and sixth in 2023.

North Allegheny junior Claire Bacu finished second in the girls 500 free, pairing that result with the second she earned in the 200 free Friday.

Her time of 4:52.24 was 2.61 seconds better than what she swam in the prelims (4:54.85) and faster than the 4:54.94 she clocked in claiming WPIAL gold at Pitt.

“This is really exciting. I haven’t dropped time in the 500 at state ever,” Bacu said. “To do it this year was great for me. I am happy to win two (individual) silver medals. I am really looking forward to next year to see if I can (win gold).”

Bacu wasn’t alone in her runner-up finish as sophomore teammate Julia Tengowski took fourth (4:57.66)

She also was the fourth seed coming into states.

“I love to see how hard she works in practice,” Bacu said. “Her work is really paying off. We really push each other. It’s a lot of fun.”

The North Allegheny girls 400 free relay of Bacu, Tengowski, Eva Ogden and Dani Hinkson swam to fifth in the championship heat (3:29.83).

The 20 points earned gave the Tigers 171 for the two-day meet, good for fourth overall behind champion Upper Dublin (261) from District 1, Wilson (188) from District 3, and District 1’s Hatboro-Horsham (180).

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: North Allegheny