Quaker Valley swimmers earn WPIAL qualifying marks at West Allegheny invitational

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, January 4, 2019 | 7:06 PM

Shorthanded because of the holidays, the Quaker Valley boys and girls swimming teams struggled at the West Allegheny invitational meet Dec. 28-29, but there were bright spots.

“We had many great swims and dives,” first-year coach Alexis Glenn said.

Among girls, junior Annie Hrabovsky placed fourth in 1-meter diving and qualified for the WPIAL Class AA championship with a score of 193.10.

Sophomore Halle Wagner came in fourth in the 50-yard freestyle (26.79 seconds) and fifth in the 100 freestyle (58.45), making the WPIAL qualifying cut in the 100 freestyle.

The 200 freestyle relay team of freshman Amanda Kerrish, senior Megan Harkins, freshman Rebecca Glass and Wagner (1 minute, 51.83 seconds) came in seventh in a WPIAL qualifying time. The 400 freestyle relay team of Harkins, freshman Anna Cohen and seniors Erin Glas and Amber Huang (4:44.74) placed eighth.

Making Midwestern Athletic Conference championship qualifying cuts individually were Glas, Huang, Kerrish, Glass and Harkins.

The Quakers finished seventh of nine.

Harkins, whose brother, Harry, is a former standout on the boys team, liked that the meet included some Class AAA squads.

“We get to compete against some really fast swimmers,” she said. “Being one of the only seniors at the meet, I definitely felt pressure to do well individually and contribute to our relays.

“Everyone felt pressured to do their best and try their hardest. We had a lot of personal bests and MAC qualifiers, which is really impressive for this time of the season.”

Cohen, who is new to swimming, said it was cool to watch high-level athletes, and Huang said it was a good way to see where she was at this point in the season.

Glass said the meet reminded her of a USA Swimming club competition.

“In club swimming, the focus is on the individual events,” she said. “In high school swimming, it is all about competing with the other team.

“Because I have been at so many club meets, I know to just swim my best every time.”

On the boys side, sophomore Simon Iwanonkiw (221.80) placed third in 1-meter diving with a mark that would qualify him for the WPIAL Class AAA championship.

“This was not Simon’s best meet, but he still did extremely well,” Glenn said.

Freshman Ethan Albright, one of only two swimmers for the Quakers, posted personal bests in the 50 freestyle (35.83) and the 100 breaststroke (1:53.05).

The girls (3-0 in Section 2-AA) and the boys (1-2 in the section), both part of a cooperative sponsorship with Sewickley Academy, returned to action Jan. 3 at Montour. The girls earned a 93-64 win, while the boys lost 102-62.

Karen Kadilak is a freelance writer.

Tags: Quaker Valley