Title defense in 400 free relay caps another strong WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships for Fox Chapel girls

By: Michael Love
Friday, February 28, 2025 | 7:56 PM

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The Fox Chapel girls 400-yard freestyle relay put an impactful capper on a successful two days at the WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships at Pitt’s Trees Pool.

The quartet of seniors Sarah Pasquella and Grace Kovach and sophomores Josie Stanczak and Charlotte Rusche swam to a school-record time of 3 minutes, 27.93 seconds to best the field and stand on top of the podium for the second year in a row.

They surpassed the previous record of 3:28.05 set in 2023. Pasquella was on that team along with Sophie Shao, Talia Bugel and Payton O’Toole.

“It’s a great feeling to come back with such a great relay,” Stanczak said. “It’s gives all of us a lot of confidence knowing that when we get up on the block, we’re all working really hard to help us do what we did today.”

Pasquella came back in the 400 relay after finishing agonizingly close to her second WPIAL title (200 free) in as many days.

She was the top seed in the 100 breaststroke. In what turned out to be a speedy final heat, Pasquella was out-touched at the wall by Pine-Richland senior Sarah Shaffer.

Shaffer won with a time of 1:02.11, just four one-hundredths of a second ahead of Pasquella (1:02.15).

“I think Sarah did a great job with her race,” Pasquella said. “To get to this level of swimming, it takes a lot of hard work. I credit her for that. It was a really good race, and I am happy to race her. Obviously, I wanted to be the WPIAL champion, but states is coming soon, and I am just going to keep working hard and work to get another best time there.”

Pasquella’s second in the 100 breast and the win in the 400 relay completed the Fox Chapel girls’ fourth straight Class 3A runner-up finish.

Victories and depth propelled the North Allegheny girls to their 17th consecutive Class 3A title with 415 points. The Foxes were second with 306 points. The Tigers went into the championships with a 41-8 advantage over Fox Chapel from points scored in diving last weekend.

“I am proud of all the girls on my team,” Kovach said. “We’ve all been working so hard. North Allegheny is just such an amazing team every year. They really deserve it. We’re looking forward to preparing for states and some more good swims.”

The Fox Chapel boys, with 204.5 team points, placed fourth behind North Allegheny (395.5), Upper St. Clair (227) and Mt. Lebanon (210).

Thirty-four of those points came in the 100 breast, where Foxes senior teammates Christian Dantey and Owen Howell finished second and third, respectively. The top three, including champion Chris Heese, a junior from Latrobe, were separated by just four one-hundredths of a second.

Heese, as the No. 6 seed, won with a time of 55.94, one one-hundredth ahead of Dantey (55.95). Howell clocked a time of 55.98.

Howell and Dantey were the top two seeds, and Dantey was last year’s 100 breast bronze medalist.

“Owen and I train together all the time, and we know what each other is capable of,” Dantey said. “We were right next to each other in the race, and we knew we would push each other. (Heese) had an awesome swim as well. I got the chance to talk to him after. He’s a great guy, and he does deserve that win. I look forward to racing him and Owen again at states.”

Added Howell: “Anything can happen at WPIALs. Christian and I were going stroke-for-stroke and were going to hit the wall at the same time and go 1-2. I hit the wall, looked up at the board and it said 2-3. I was so confused. Heese came on and had an incredible swim. I can’t complain about my swim. I dropped time. There’s only so much you can do, and Christian and I tried our best.”

Kiski Area senior Justin Tucker placed second last year in the Class 2A boys 500 free with a time of 4:39.46. With the Cavaliers’ move up to Class 3A this year, Tucker had the chance to race a new set of competitors.

He made the most of the opportunity, shaving almost 7 seconds off last year’s time and capturing his second straight silver medal with a personal-best 4:32.64.

“In warm-ups, I felt OK, but lately I’ve been telling myself that feelings are overrated,” Tucker said. “No matter how you feel, if you have the right mindset, you will do well. I was confident. When I got in the water, I felt super smooth, and I was moving really well. I knew I was going to finish with a really good time.”

Central Catholic senior McClellan Clark brought home the 500 title in a WPIAL-record time of 4:25.06.

It was the Tennessee commit’s third straight WPIAL crown in the event.

“I loved racing all of these guys, including McClellan,” Tucker said. “They are all awesome.”

Only the WPIAL champion in each event earned an automatic trip to the PIAA meet in Bucknell the week of March 13.

The other state qualifiers will be determined based on times recorded at each of the district or regional meets. The at-large qualifiers are expected to be released Sunday on the PIAA website.

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.

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