Westmoreland County Senior Spotlight: Mt. Pleasant’s Logan Snively

By: Anthony DiFilippo
Monday, January 29, 2024 | 11:46 AM

Purchase Photo Options

Previous Next

Mt. Pleasant’s boys swimming program has enjoyed plenty of success the last few seasons.

This year, the Vikings sit at 7-1 overall with a perfect section record of 3-0.

It’s success senior Logan Snively is happy with, but he also hopes the group continues to build on it.

“Every team we’ve gone against, it’s been 100 percent effort. Every meet, it’s really just a learning experience,” Snively said. “Nothing’s ever 100 percent right. But we take that, we learn from that, and we apply that onto the next meet so we can keep getting better and hopefully keep on winning.”

Individually, Snively has been one of the better swimmers in the WPIAL.

When the WPIAL released top times Jan. 8, Snively found himself in 12th in the 100 fly, 29th in the 100 free and seventh in the 100 back.

While he’s consistently performed the best in the backstroke in the last few years, that wasn’t always the case.

“It kind of chose me, I guess. I had been a flyer growing up, really through my sophomore year,” Snively said. “I want to say I almost hit a wall, or I wasn’t improving. My coach tried me in something different, and the rest is history.”

Team-wise, the medley relay team from Mt. Pleasant has the best time in the WPIAL to this point in the year.

What’s the key to that group’s strong performances?

“It’s a tight-knit group of guys,” Snively said. “Every practice, we’re all swimming together and pushing each other to be better every day. Eating the right food, having the right mindset and wanting to be where we want to be.”

It isn’t just the boys team with the accomplishments.

The girls team, led by Lily King, won a state championship just last season.

“Overall, both teams are good, tight-knit groups,” Snively said. “Each team pushes the other team to try to succeed, and that’s just the culture out there at Mt. Pleasant.”

Snively plans to attend John Carroll to swim and major in biology with hopes of pre-med studies.

As the postseason approaches, Snively took some time for a Senior Spotlight Q&A:

How did you get started with swimming?

I played baseball growing up, and I didn’t really enjoy it anymore. I belonged to a country club, and they had made a (swim) team. I tried out for that, and that’s kind of where it all started.

How would you describe your individual performance this season?

I would say it’s going really well. Lots of linear growth here. I’ve gotten better every meet. Going into counties, I’m not quite sure what I’m swimming yet, but I’m expecting another big jump in time here. Especially now, getting ready to go into WPIALs and preparing for that. I would say I’m right where I want to be, and hopefully I keep on improving and working really hard.

What kind of goals do you have for the rest of your senior season?

Individually, I would definitely like to podium at states as an individual. It’s been a long-time goal of mine. I just have to keep working hard for that, keep my head on my shoulders. I would definitely say team goals would be to try to capture a state title and just keeping undefeated in the section. That’s always been a goal of ours. We captured that our sophomore year and fell short my junior year. All that does is push us to be better every single day and work towards the goal of trying to be section champs again.

What was your process like in choosing a college?

I talked to a couple of schools, and really nothing had resonated with me. A friend of mine at John Carroll, Dom Falcon, goes up there. I’d asked him some questions about what he thought about the team. After talking with the coaches and visiting up there with their academics and athletic programs, I just felt like that was going to be the best fit for me. I really love the campus and the facilities, and everyone up there seemed really nice. It’s definitely the place that I wanted to be.

What is one thing that people may not know about you?

My side thing is that I build computers. That’s a hobby of mine. I’ve been doing it since I was 12 or 13. That was my second major choice was computer science. I really like that stuff. It’s something that I do a lot in my free time when I’m out of the pool.

Tags: Mt. Pleasant