Shaler swimmer finds success in pool, open water

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, February 20, 2022 | 11:01 AM

Circumstance didn’t keep Noah Long out of the water. Opportunities to swim inside were limited by the pandemic, so the Shaler junior decided to try an open water event.

Moraine State Park holds monthly races during the summer, and Long signed up in 2020 to give it a go.

Long finished his first race in 1 hour, 12 minutes and won his age division.

“It was really cold and there were a lot of people,” Long said. “I ended up winning my race by a decent amount. I had a blast. I kept going back to do it every month.”

Before competing at Moraine, Long had never done an open water event before. The longest swim he had done was 3,000 or 4,000 yards in practice to build endurance. Open waters events are 5Ks that require swimming 5,000 meters.

Long, who has qualified for the WPIAL Class 3A championship meet in five events, decided he would work with a club coach to reach his goal. He would like to qualify for open water junior nationals.

Originally, Long planned to compete in a qualifier in Las Vegas last summer but ended up getting ill before the race. After getting better quicker than anticipated, Long planned to grin and bear it. Then he tore his shoulder.

Long has also competed in Virginia and Maryland.

“The water in other places has been nice. It’s cleaner and there’s a lot less stuff floating around,” Long said.

For the Titans’ swim team, Long has qualified for WPIALs in the 200 freestyle, 500 free, 200 IM and 100 butterfly. Long also qualified as a member of the 200 free relay, along with Lorenzo Basa, Derek Forrester and Jake Bacasa.

“He’s a versatile swimmer,” Shaler coach Abi May said. “If we had consistency with the schedule last year, he would have made more cuts. He’s so versatile he can do anything. He’s a talented swimmer.”

Long is hoping as the Titans taper toward the end of the season he will be able to drop times. While Long’s happy he’s qualified for WPIALs in so many events, he has a long way to go to fight for a state bid.

“I’m not doing as well as I hoped,” Long said. “My times are nowhere near my best times. I’m hoping once I taper, I will be able to beat most of those times.”

Back outdoors, Long wants to swim at a qualifying event either in Kentucky or Las Vegas this summer. Should he finish in the top three of his age division, he will be able to qualify for open water junior nationals.

Long embraces the challenge ahead.

“Open water swimming is all about mindset,” Long said. “You have to keep going and really want it. I think I’ve always done more distance-oriented swimming. The longer the race is, the better I’ve always done. The 5K is the perfect event to push myself.”

Tags: Shaler