PIAA releases preliminary qualifiers for swimming and diving championships

By: Michael Love
Sunday, March 5, 2023 | 8:36 PM

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The PIAA released the at-large (time) qualifiers Sunday afternoon for the Class 2A and Class 3A state swimming championships March 15-18, at Bucknell University.

The WPIAL is well represented in every boys and girls event and owns numerous top seeds.

Only the champion in each event at all of the district championship meets earned an automatic bid to the PIAA meet.

Class 2A swimming and diving will be March 15-16, with Class 3A events March 17-18.

The top 16 finishers from the morning preliminary heats will return in the evening for the championship (first through eighth) and consolation (ninth through 16th) heats.

Diving each day will be between the prelims and the consolation and championship finals.

As with the WPIAL meet, the top eight finishers in each event at states earn medals.

The diving finals and the swimming championship and consolation heats will be broadcast live on the Pennsylvania Cable Network.

PIAA top seeds from WPIAL

Class 2A

Girls

200 medley relay, Mt. Pleasant, 1:45.86

200 freestyle – Lily King, Mt. Pleasant, 1:47.36

200 individual medley – Ella Menear, Mapletown, 2:03.96

50 free – Kiersten O’Connor, Mt. Pleasant, 23.76

Diving – Maggie Foley, North Catholic, 491.40

100 free – King, 48.58

200 free relay – Mt. Pleasant, 1:35.90

100 breaststroke – Peyton Scott, Indiana, 1:02.80

400 free relay – Mt. Pleasant, 3:32.07

Boys

200 free – Preston Kessler, Indiana, 1:40.16

200 IM – Matthew Purcell, Northgate, 1:51.38

50 free – Henry Miller, Southmoreland, 20.18

Diving – Brecken Finkbeinder, Blackhawk, 488.00

100 butterfly – Miller, 48.87

100 free – Kessler, 44.98

500 free – Parker Sterlitz, Kiski Area, 4:32.20

200 free relay – Indiana, 1:26.24

100 backstroke – Joseph Roth, Riverside, 49.40

100 breast – Joseph Gardner, Mt. Pleasant, 55.81

400 free relay – Kiski Area, 3:10.23

Class 3A

Girls

200 medley relay – North Allegheny, 1:43.86

50 free – Sylvia Roy, Mt. Lebanon, 22.72

Diving – Christina Shi, North Allegheny, 540.75

100 back – Roy, 53.84

100 breast – Sarah Shaffer, Pine-Richland, 1:02.95

Boys

200 medley relay – North Allegheny, 1:32.88

200 IM – Haihan Xu, Seneca Valley, 1:49. 64

Diving – Isaiah Clerkley, Seneca Valley, 559.35

500 free – McClellan Clark, Central Catholic, 4:29.36

100 back – William Gao, North Allegheny, 49.54

100 breast – Haihan Xu, 54.92

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: Blackhawk, Indiana, Kiski Area, Mapletown, Mt. lebanon, Mt. Pleasant, North Allegheny, North Catholic, Northgate, Pine-Richland, Riverside, Seneca Valley, Southmoreland