More All-America honors for Gateway swimmer Livingston

By: Karen Kadilak
Friday, September 13, 2019 | 6:52 PM

Previous Next

Gateway senior Olivia Livingston is determined to do as well in the classroom as the pool, and it has paid off with a national swimming award.

Livingston, 17, was named to the 2018-19 USA Swimming Scholastic All-America Team, the second year she was honored.

To earn the title, athletes must be in grades 9-12 and maintain a minimum 3.5 GPA during the application year, while meeting the 2018 winter junior time standards in the pool.

Livingston, a member of the Jewish Community Center Sailfish, was one of 1,634 high school swimmers selected.

“(It) just shows how dedicated I am,” Livingston said.

Gateway swimming coach Sherry Sonetti said making All-America twice is astonishing.

“It doesn’t surprise me because Olivia sets high goals for herself,” Sonetti said. “What stands out most about Olivia is how humble she is.

“She is one of the hardest workers I have seen, in and out of the water, and she strives to be the best at whatever she is swimming. Since she was a little girl, she has dedicated her life to swimming, and it has certainly paid off.”

Sonetti said Livingston — a three-time WPIAL and PIAA Class AAA champion in the girls 50-yard freestyle and three-time WPIAL champion in the 100 freestyle — is a role model.

“She is a person young people can look up to because of everything she has put into swimming,” Sonetti said. “The last several years, there have been younger swimmers (who) are in (awe) of her abilities and have set higher goals because of Olivia.”

The 5-foot-11 Livingston, who is the PIAA and WPIAL record-holder in the 50 free and the WPIAL record-holder in the 100 free, has made a verbal commitment to Louisville, which placed fourth in the NCAA meet last season.

She plans to study biology and become a geneticist.

Among other swimmers from the Allegheny Mountain Local Swimming Committee making girls Scholastic All-America were Leah Baker, Moon Aqua Club; Madeline Dorish, Racer X Aquatics; and Emily Morrissey, Team Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics.

Baker was honored for the third time.

Making boys Scholastic All-America from Allegheny Mountain were Nico Butera, Team Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics; Jerry Chen, Allegheny North Swim Club; Jack Fitzpatrick, Team Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics; Joshua Matheny, Team Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics; Jacob McCarran, Allegheny North Swim Club; Nick Settembrine, Moon Aqua Club; Ian Shahan, Team Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics; Robert Spekis, Belle Vernon Swim Club; and Jered Moore, unattached.

Chen, Matheny, McCarran, Shahan and Spekis were honored for the second year.

Tags: Gateway