Pool renovations can’t slow Norwin swim teams

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, February 5, 2022 | 11:01 AM

The pool is undergoing a remodel at Norwin, but that doesn’t mean swimming talent has dried up.

The Knights boys and girls programs have learned to cope with the inconvenience, even rallying around it through another WPIAL season.

“We have been busing to nearby East Allegheny High School to practice every night,” Norwin coach Doug Watson said. “We cannot have morning practices or weight lift per our normal schedule, so it has been a strange year.”

The remodel was originally going to be finished in October, Watson said. It now has a target date for March.

With their routine flipped, the Knights have made adjustments.

“Despite not having a pool, we have had some really good swims this year, and I am proud these kids continue to fight through all the difficulties,” the coach added.

“East Allegheny has been very accommodating in helping us out,” Norwin athletic director Mike Burrell said. “They were the closest school with a pool, and they were happy to oblige.

“Our kids have done a great job adjusting to everything.”

Through the next to last week of January, Norwin had a number of qualifiers for the WPIAL championships.

Girls qualifiers include Anna Little (100 breaststroke, 200 individual medley, 200 freestyle); Chloe Black (100 backstroke); Joey Testa (100 butterfly); and the 400 medley relay (Black, Little, Testa, Allison Arendas).

Boys qualifiers were Nathan Kostrobola (100 butterfly, 100 backstroke); Nicholas Cormas (100 freestyle); 400 medley relay (Noah Mulac, Cole Kubistek, Kostrobala, Connor Lydon).

The WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships will be March 3-4 at a site to be announced.

The Knights achieved WPIAL standards at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association meet at Derry. Juniors Kostrobala and Little had strong showings. Kostrobala finished fourth in the 100-yard butterfly.

He also registered automatic WPIAL cut time in the 100 butterfly (52.97), which was good enough for fourth place in the event, while Little made WPIAL cut marks in in the 200 individual medley (2:12.36) and 100 breaststroke (1:06.26). She took second and third in those events.

Kostrobala also was fourth in the 100 backstroke (55.24).

Other top six finishers for Norwin at the WCCA meet were the girls 200 medley relay (Black, Little, Testa and Arendas, third, 1:51.99); the boys 200 medley relay (Mulac, Kubistek, Kostrobala, and Lydon, sixth, 1:44.86); Lydon in the 50 freestyle (sixth, 23.19); Testa in the 100 butterfly (fifth, 1:00.40); Arendas in the 100 freestyle (sixth, 56.84); Mulac in the 500 freestyle (fifth, 5:09.97); the boys 200 freestyle relay (Kubistek, Nathan Helpenstine, Austin Hewitt, and Nicholas Cormas, fifth, 1:37.83); Black in the 100 backstroke (fifth, 1:00.87); the girls 400 free relay (Arendas, Testa, Black, and Little, fourth, 3:47.69); and the boys 400 free relay (Lydon, Mulac, Cormas, and Kostrobala, sixth, 3:26.38).

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Norwin