Plum swimmers earn berth to PIAA championships

By: Michael Love
Saturday, March 9, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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The Plum girls swim team fared well in a number of events at the WPIAL Class 3A championships Feb. 29 and March 1 at Pitt’s Trees Pool.

The Mustangs clinched three PIAA appearances — the two freestyle relays and junior Giuliana Ricciuti in the 200-yard freestyle — and were close to states in a few more.

There were other season- or career-best swims from the boys and girls teams throughout the two days of competition.

Ricciuti got the Plum girls going in the second event of Day 1 as she swam to sixth in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1 minute, 55.88 seconds.

That put her as the 23rd seed for the state championships at Bucknell that were to begin Wednesday and continue Thursday at Bucknell.

“That 200 free was a fantastic swim on her part,” Plum coach Shawn Haupt said. “She brought that first 100 out right around a personal best. She had no fear. She went after it and was able to hold on.

“We talk about training so we can finish races. That is what she did. Her underwaters were phenomenal which really helped her. She was dominating on the walls. She was absolutely thrilled with it. We expected the time she posted would get her into states. That helped start the whole meet out in a positive way.”

Ricciuti came back on Day 2 and swam to ninth in the 100 backstroke with a time of 59.40. She got closer to the school record of 59.01.

Her time also was just 0.11 seconds away from a top-eight medal, and she fell just short of a trip to states. She was one of the five alternates established by the PIAA, as of deadline, before it ultimately set the field for Bucknell.

“It was a good race for her,” Haupt said. “From my standpoint, her approach to the finish, the final stroke going into the wall, she shortened up, arched a little bit, and got a little short for the finish.

“I would’ve liked to have seen her stretch it out a little bit more. If she would’ve done that, I think we would’ve seen a 58 high. It was a season best and a good swim. I just think that we have to keep working on that finish, and she’s aware of it.”

Ricciuti, senior Amelia Faust and sophomores Charlotte Faust and Dom Massie capped Day 1 by matching Ricciuti’s sixth in the 200 freestyle relay.

The quartet cut more than three seconds off their seed time to finish at 1:39.40. They not only earned a medal but qualified for states as the 20th seed and closed in on the school record of 1:39.25 set at WPIALs last year.

“We talked all year about the relay, knowing we had three of the returning four and had a shot at (the record),” Haupt said. “We had four really good swims. We could’ve pushed our luck a little bit more with a few things.

“At the end of the day, I would rather have these girls go to states and miss the record than to potential DQ trying to chase the record. They swam fantastically, and I am super proud of all of them.”

All three Plum girls relay teams earned medals, and the 400 freestyle relay of Ricciuti, Charlotte Faust, Massie and sophomore Delaney Hunsinger swam to a state-qualifying time of 3:37.19, almost 12 seconds better than their seed time.

They placed seventh and will head to states as the 18th seed.

The 200 medley relay began the WPIAL meet for Plum. Massie, Amelia Faust and sophomores Brooke Price and Kaileigh Smith reached the podium in eighth place with a time drop of more than a second to 1:52.74.

Massie picked up her first WPIAL individual medal in her second WPIAL appearance, as she swam to seventh in the 100 freestyle. She also came close to a qualifying time for states.

Only the district champions earn automatic berths to states. The remaining 31 in each event were determined through times recorded at the district meets.

The final at-large berth in the 100 freestyle that wasn’t a district champion was a time of 53.23.

“Going into WPIALs, her goal was to be able to go that 53 which she did with a 53 mid,” Haupt said. “She ended up on podium. I am super proud of her, and also not surprised.

“I expected her to be able to do that. It was a really exciting moment for her.”

Mazurek to represent Oakland Catholic at states

Plum resident Luci Mazurek will be pretty busy Friday and Saturday at Bucknell, as she will swim two individual events and will be a part of two relays during her Class 2A state-meet debut.

This trip for the Oakland Catholic freshman comes on the heels of a WPIAL performance where she twice stood on the medals podium.

Mazurek swam to eighth place in the 50 freestyle at WPIALs (24.83) and seventh in the 100 backstroke (1:01.87). Both swims were season-best times.

She also was a part of the Eagles’ 200 freestyle relay that just missed a medal, finishing ninth with a season-best 1:44.04.

The Oakland Catholic 400 freestyle relay placed 13th and knocked 11 seconds from their seed time to finish in 3:48.03.

Mazurek, who trains with the SPY club team in Plum, is seeded 21st in the 50 freestyle, 27th in the 100 backstroke, 26th with the 200 freestyle relay and 24th with the 400 freestyle relay.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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