A-K Valley swimming preview: Fox Chapel’s Cagley aims to defend diving title

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, December 10, 2018 | 9:48 PM

Fox Chapel’s Jonah Cagley is after a three-peat.

The 2017 and 2018 WPIAL Class AAA boys diving champion has his sights set on No. 3, and the senior enters the 2018-19 campaign with a lot of positive vibes.

“I am just super excited to go into my last year with a strong boys and girls team of divers,” said Cagley, who capped last season with a third-place finish at states. He is one of five returning Fox Chapel divers — four boys and one girl — to compete at WPIALs last year.

A productive offseason, Cagley said, included a trip to the USA Diving Junior National Championships in August with teammate David Manelis as members of the Pitt Aquatic Club.

Manelis, a sophomore, placed third at WPIALs last year and went on to take 10 ^th at states. At junior nationals, he made the 1-meter semifinals and placed 15 ^th out of 30.

“We both continue to push each other to be better divers,” Cagley said.

Section and nonsection swimming and diving dual-meet competitions are in full swing this week as individuals and relays begin to earn qualifying performances to the WPIAL championships in February.

For swimming, the WPIAL has lowered the qualifying time standards in order to make it more challenging to earn spots at the competitions.

“I think whenever the times get faster, it’s a great motivational factor to push harder in practice and in meets to make the cut,” said Plum senior Devan Taylor, a James Madison commit who finished her 2017-18 season with an eighth-place state medal in the Class AAA girls 100-meter breaststroke.

The Alle-Kiski Valley was well represented on the WPIAL medals podium last year with 22 different top-eight performances among returning swimmers and divers.

Knoch returns a large continent from last year’s WPIAL Class AA meet, led by individual medal winners in junior Braden Zukowski (eighth, boys 100 breaststroke), senior Lindsey Fanton (seventh, girls 200 IM), junior Aryanna Napora (fourth, girls diving) and senior Kristin Jerich (fifth, girls diving).

Jerich and Napora both made the finals at states, placing 11 ^th and 16 ^th , respectively.

Knights junior Claire Lindsey returns after not competing last year. She swam at states as a freshman in the 100 breast.

“The work ethic of the kids has been fantastic so far, and I’m really excited to see what this group can do this year,” said Knoch coach Rick Hassler, who returns to the helm of the Knights program after a two-year hiatus. It is his ninth season as head coach overall.

Deer Lakes juniors Noah Loper and Adam Morrison enjoyed highly decorated sophomore seasons at the WPIAL and PIAA level. The duo captured four WPIAL individual medals and formed the core of two medal-winning relay squads.

At states, Loper, the WPIAL runner-up in the Class AA boys 500 freestyle, scored a 13 ^th in the consolation final.

“I’m not satisfied yet,” said Loper, who teamed with Morrison and returning junior AJ Dorman on the 200 free relay team that took seventh at WPIALs. “Last year’s success set me for higher expectations at WPIALs and states.”

Morrison, who produced at WPIAL silver in the 200 free and a fourth in the 500 free, landed in 10 ^th in the 500 free at states.

“I joined a new club team in the offseason (Racer-X Aquatics) so I have been doing a lot of additional training,” Morrison said. “I am definitely focusing on placing higher at states than I did last year.”

Highlands junior Rachel Blackburn made her PIAA Class AA debut two years ago in a relay. Last year, she went for the first time as an individual in the 100 breast after placing third in the event at WPIALs.

“I stepped up my game a little more in the offseason with club swimming,” she said. “I’ve just focused on different ways to drop time to do better at WPIALs and hopefully return to states.”

Others hoping to make an impact and return to the medals stand at WPIALs are Springdale senior Rachel Halapchuk (seventh, AA girls 100 back), Knoch senior Lindsey Fanton (seventh, AA girls 200 IM) and Freeport senior Ariana Clark (eighth, AA girls 100 back).

Fox Chapel swim coach Dan Taylor said there is strong potential for freshman Zoe Skirboll, who has established herself as one of the top swimmers throughout the region.

Skirboll competed in seven events at the USA Swimming East Winter Junior Nationals from last Thursday to Saturday in Greensboro, N.C., and she earned a fourth-place medal in the 100 breast.

Sophomore Beth Shoop brought Riverview back to the WPIAL championships last year after a 17-year absence.

Representing the Raiders as a swimmer independent of a team, Shoop was 11 ^th in the Class AA girls 500 free and 15 ^th in the 200 free.

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Michael at mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MLove_Trib.

Tags: Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, Freeport, Highlands, Knoch, Plum, Riverview, Springdale