WPIAL swimmers earn top seeds in 9 events for PIAA Class 2A Day 1 finals

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, March 12, 2025 | 1:48 PM

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LEWISBURG — The Mt. Pleasant and Freeport girls 200-yard medley relay teams kicked off the first day of the PIAA Class 2A swimming and diving championships with qualifying times for Wednesday evening’s championship heat at Bucknell.

The Vikings quartet of Kiersten O’Connor, Lainey Brown, Maddie Barrick and Lily King led the WPIAL contingent in second (1:48.02) behind Cathedral Prep.

The Yellowjackets were third at 1:48.74.

Indiana (sixth) and Hampton (seventh) also punched their tickets to the championship finals which will begin at 4:35 p.m.

The top 16 from each boys and girls individual and relay event will return for the consolation and championship heats. The boys finals are set to start at 6:55 p.m.

All heats this evening will be broadcast live on the Pennsylvania Cable Network.

King swam to a dominant first-place finish in the prelims of the 200 free (1:46.35) and will be the hunted as she goes after another state title.

Franklin Regional’s Magdalena Hull (1:56.54) will be the fourth seed followed by Northgate’s Joann Cook (fifth, 1:56.61) and Franklin Regional’s Scarlett Zolnak (sixth, 1:57.20).

Shady Side Academy sophomore Ava Jochims is the top seed for the girls 200 individual medley as she clocked a prelim time of 2:03.06.

Freeport’s Kira Schrecongost is seeded fifth (2:07.61), Southmoreland’s Allison Stinnett is seeded sixth (2:08.27) and Knoch’s Giona Lavorini is the seventh seed (2:08.29).

The WPIAL owns the top two seeds for the finals of the 50 free as O’Connor is first (23.52), followed by Thomas Jefferson’s Genevieve Cody (23.69).

Winchester Thurston’s Thea Siegel checks in as the fifth seed (23.91).

The top five seeds for the finals in the 100 butterfly and six of the eight are from the WPIAL. Hampton’s Lainey Sheets (55.53) is the top seed, followed by Freeport’s Kira Schrecongost (56.29) and Kasey Schrecongost (57.91), Trinity’s Paige Schott (58.40) and Indiana’s Peyton Scott (58.88).

They will be joined by Derry sophomore Alexa Darazio, seeded eighth after swimming a prelim time of 59.66.

Mt. Pleasant is the second seed for the girls 200 free relay (1:39.17), while Thomas Jefferson is tied for fourth (1:39.32) with District 1’s Villa Maria Academy. Franklin Regional is sixth (1:39.66), Indiana is seventh (1:40.55), and Derry is eighth (1:41.16).

Boys

The Mt. Pleasant 200 medley relay of Seth Painter, Joseph Gardmer, David Mutter and Gunnar Probst will be the top seed (1:34.87) for their championship heat Wednesday evening.

They will be joined by three other WPIAL teams: Hampton in fourth (1:37.77), Northgate in fifth (1:38.35) and Shady Side Academy in sixth.

Indiana’s Preston Kessler dropped nearly a second from his seed time in the 200 free prelims and is the top seed for the finals (1:40.01).

He will get a challenge in the finals from Shady Side Academy’s Soren Cooper (third seed, 1:42.26) and Northgate’s Greyson McKelvey (fifth, 1:43.28).

Northgate’s Sam Cavanaugh led the way in the preliminaries of the 200 IM with a top time of 1:50.73.

Gardner grabbed the second seed (1:51.35), and he will be joined in Wednesday’s finals by Cornell’s Noah Pickett (seventh seed, 1:57.27).

Indiana’s Joshua Reed is the second seed in the 50 free after swimming a 21.38 in the prelims. Also making it to the championship heat with Reed is Probst as the fifth seed (21.89).

Mutter will go after defense of his 100 fly title as the top seed (48.28). Hampton’s Chris Belch is second (50.45), followed by Quaker Valley’s Thomas Fuener in third (51.70), Indiana’s Joey Margita in fourth (51.79) and West Allegheny’s Alex Aivalotis in seventh (52.29).

Indiana’s 200 free relay of Reed, Kessler, Margita and Matthew Blystone placed first in the prelims with a time of 1:26.45.

Mt. Pleasant also is in the finals as the third seed (1:28.72).

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: Derry Area, Franklin Regional, Freeport, Hampton, Indiana, Mt. Pleasant, Northgate, Quaker Valley, Shady Side Academy, Thomas Jefferson, Trinity, West Allegheny