Quaker Valley captain caps swimming career with PIAA medal

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, March 30, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Quaker Valley’s Thomas Fuener was highly motivated to secure a spot on the PIAA medal stand.

All of his hard work and sacrifice was rewarded at the 2025 PIAA Class 2A boys swimming championships at Bucknell’s Kinney Natatorium.

Fuener captured sixth place in the boys 100-yard butterfly event at the state meet with a time of 52.00.

“The 100 fly was a great race,” Fuener said, “and I am happy with how I did. That is the best I have performed at the state meet, and I am looking forward to my retirement.”

QV coach Mercedes McCarthy believes the PIAA-medal win was a bit belated for the Quakers’ senior team captain.

“It was my honor to present Thomas with a high school state championship medal,” McCarthy said. “It is his first, but it was long overdue.

“All of our swimmers at states this year did an amazing job of representing Quaker Valley and Sewickley Academy.”

Fuener flawlessly served the role of team leader in 2024-25 and finished as the high point scorer for the Quakers. He holds a 3.91 GPA and has been accepted into the Honors College at Pitt, where he will study political science.

Fuener also holds the school record in the boys butterfly event.

“He will be remembered,” McCarthy said. “I’ve seen alot of fly swimmers in my time, and he’s one of the best. Thomas hits the books and his swim training equally hard.

“He’s the businessman of the team. I often tell him to ‘take care of business’ before he swims. He’s clutch in the lineup; he knows what he has to do to get the job done. Kudos to his early coaching on the Sewickley YMCA Sea Dragons swim team.”

Fuener’s senior season was a success from the moment he jumped into the pool in mid-November for his team’s first official practice.

In his first meet of the season, Thomas earned four WPIAL cuts. That’s quite an accomplishment for a swimmer who only swims in high school,” McCarthy said.

“What’s most impressive is that he is a two-year qualifier for the All-American Academic national award through the National High School Coaches Association,” she said. “It’s an award that he and numerous Quaker Valley and Sewickley Academy swimmers were presented last year.”

Fuener corralled four medals in four events at this year’s WPIAL 2A championships.

“Thomas knows the math,” McCarthy said.

One other PIAA finalist for the QV boys team was freshman Augustin Zhan, who took 11th place in the 500 freestyle with a 4:46.72 time. Zhan also qualified for states in the 200 individual medley.

Other PIAA qualifiers for the Quakers included junior Marcus Zhan (200 free, 500 free), senior Ryan Steinfurth (100 backstroke), along with all three relay teams.

Steinfurth, senior Adlan Hifri, Fuener and Marcus Zhan competed in the 200 medley relay; junior Austin Young, Steinfurth, Augustin Zhan and Fuener participated in the 200 free relay.

The Quakers’ third group of relayers — Augustin Zhan, Hifri, Young and Steinfurth — swam in the 400 free race.

“I’m very happy to have had as many state meet entries for the size of this team,” McCarthy said. “All six boys in all three relays, plus Augustin and Marcus Zhan swimming two individual events, and Ryan Steinfurth and Thomas Fuener swimming an individual event.

“They had a memorable WPIAL meet. Every team member scored points and made it to the podium for medals. The highlight of the meet had to be the boys 400 free relay finishing with a state meet qualifying time of 3.24.07 from their entry time of 3:35.09.”

QV’s boys team tied for 35th place with Northwestern Lehigh of District 11 in the final PIAA Class 2A standings.

“The boys team did amazing,” Fuener said. “We accomplished what we set out to do and swam to the best of our abilities. States is a difficult meet, but everyone did excellent and should be proud of how they swam.

“Qualifying in all three relays is no easy feat and the boys team represented Quaker Valley very well.”

A total of 13 QV swimmers in 10 individual events and four relays qualified for the PIAA championships held March 12-15 at Bucknell.

Ruby Olliffe also represented the QV swim program well at states with a third-place showing in the Class 2A girls diving.

Mt. Pleasant finished first in the state in both the boys and girls 2A divisions.

The Vikings narrowly edged runner-up Indiana by a 198-197 score in the boys competition.

Tags: Quaker Valley