Shady Side Academy, Fox Chapel well represented at WPIAL swimming

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, February 26, 2018 | 12:06 AM

Shady Side Academy has 13 swimmers at the WPIAL Class AA championships Thursday and Friday at Pitt.

Qualifying for the girls were Sasha Arefyev (200-yard freestyle, 500 free, 200 and 400 free relays), Meredith Cummings (100 fly, 100 free, 200 and 400 free relays), Jeanne Lauer (200 IM, 500 free 200 medley relay and 400 free relay), Maya Groff (200 IM, 100 breaststroke, 200 medley relay and 200 free relays), Heather Grune (100 fly, 100 breaststroke, 200 and 400 free relays), Lindsey Grune (200 IM, 100 free, 200 medley relay and 200 free relays) and Marie Kim (100 backstroke).

Boys qualifiers were Sevryn Napora (100 breaststroke, 200 medley relay and 200 free relay), Christian Taylor (100 backstroke, 200 medley relay, 200 and 400 free relays), Adrian Beckford (50 free, 200 medley relay, 200 and 400 free relays), Will Engel (100 fly, 200 medley relay), Nick Lauer ( 200 and 500 free, 200 and 400 free relays) and Sean Kelley (100 free, 400 free relay).

“After a very successful dual meet season, we are off to the championship time of year,” SSA coach John Landreth said. “This is the training block that all swimmers live for: reduced work load, rest and recovery in order to drop gobs of time in our respective events. It really is a blast.

“Our girls will be looking for their fourth consecutive title but will face an incredibly daunting onslaught from Indiana High School. It is going to be a very difficult defense this year. Our boys are focused and excited to capitalize on three very strong relay teams. We are hoping to qualify them for the PIAA championships at Bucknell on March 16 and 17 by placing in the top four.”

Fox Chapel

The Fox Chapel swim team will be represented by the following swimmers at the WPIAL Class AAA championships. In the girls: Grace Gackenbach (200 medley relay, 200 free, 500 free, 400 free relay), Joslyn Filo (200 medley relay, 100 fly, 100 free, 200 free relay), Jaclyn Filo (200 medley relay, 200 im, 100 breaststroke), Molly Wiese (200 medley relay, 50 free, 200 free relay, 400 free relay), Maria Luciana (200 free, 100 free, 200 free relay, 400 free relay), Vivian Shao (50 free 200 free relay, 400 free relay) and Kate Eames (diving). Shao will be an alternate in the 200 medley relay, and Jaclyn Filo will be the alternate for the 200 free relay.

Boys qualifiers are Nate Roe (200 medley relay, 50 free, 100 backstroke, 200 free relay), Colin Hackwelder (200 free, 500 free, 400 free relay, 200 free relay), Will Wang (200 medley relay, 200 IM, 100 breaststroke), Brandon Brewster (200 free, 400 free relay), Tristan McClelland (400 free relay, 200 free relay), Liam Botos (200 medley relay), Nathaniel Haitema Serkov (200 medley relay, diving, 200 free relay), Jonah Cagley (diving), Jake Sperry (400 free relay), David Manelis (diving) and Magnus Loeffler (diving). McClelland and Ian Chang will be alternates in the 200 medley relay, and Brewster will be an alternate in the 200 free relay.

The Foxes' divers earned a pair of medals at the WPIAL diving competition: Jonah Cagley, a silver medalist as a freshman and gold medalist last year, nailed an inward-two-somersault dive on his final attempt to defend his Class AAA title, and freshman David Manelis earned the bronze medal.

Magnus Loeffler and Nathanial Haitema-Sercov finished ninth and 14th, respectively.

Marty Stewart is a freelance writer.

Tags: Fox Chapel, Shady Side Academy