Countdown to WPIALs: Upper St. Clair’s Jack Fitzpatrick eyes back-to-back titles in 200 IM

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, February 27, 2018 | 6:21 PM

Tribune-Review sports reporter Michael Love and the TribLive High School Sports Network will be profiling 10 swimmers to watch leading up to the 2018 WPIAL championship meet, set for Thursday and Friday at the Pitt's Trees Pool.

TRIBHSSN is the exclusive audio and video home for the WPIAL Class AAA and AA championship meets, which will be broadcasted and video streamed live at TribHSSN.triblive.com.

Here is the final installment of a 10-part series featuring some of the area's top swimmers.

Jack Fitzpatrick

School: Upper St. Clair

Year: Junior

Events: 200 individual medley, 500 freestyle, 200 medley relay, 400 free relay.

2017 WPIAL AAA results: 200 medley relay, 4th (1:34.85); 200 IM, 1st (1:52.83); 100 backstroke, 2nd (50.39); 400 free relay, 6th (3:11.50).

Jack Fitzpatrick placed 10th in the 200 individual medley at the WPIAL Class AAA championships two years ago. His goal after that event his freshman season was to move up the ladder and contend for the WPIAL title.

Mission accomplished.

Fitzpatrick came back to WPIALs last year and brought home gold in the 200 IM.

Now, it's all about defending his crown, and he will attempt to do that in a competitive field Thursday morning at Trees Pool.

He will be in the final heat and is seeded third overall.

“All of these kids swim club, so they all know each other and what each other can do,” Upper St. Clair coach Dave Schraven said. “Jack knows (top seed) Rick Mihm (from North Allegheny) is fast, and he welcomes the competition. It's an opportunity to have a great race.”

USC freshman Josh Matheny is seeded second.

“Jack battles Josh in practice every day, and it should be no different at WPIALs,” Schraven said.

Fitzpatrick placed third in the 100 backstroke at WPIALs as a freshman and took second last year, but he switched things up this season and will swim the 500 free on Friday. He is seeded second.

“He has been training so well in his freestyle,” Schraven said. “His best event is the 400 IM, but it's not a WPIAL event. Training for the 500 is in his sweet spot. He's confident he has time still to drop.”

Top times and titles at WPIALs are goals for Fitzpatrick but so are improved place finishes at states.

He picked up a pair of state medals last year with a fourth in the 100 back and a seventh in the 200 IM.

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Mlove_Trib.

Tags: Upper St. Clair