Trib HSSN Girls Swimmer of the Week: Mt. Lebanon’s Sophia Donati

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, January 10, 2019 | 4:54 PM

Mt. Lebanon senior Sophia Donati hopes to make the most of her senior season, finish strong at the WPIAL swimming championships and hopefully make a return trip to states.

She also has much to look forward to after she graduates as she will continue her swimming career at Bucknell.

“I think it’s a great school for her, and the Patriot League is a great conference for swimming,” Mt. Lebanon coach and Sophia’s father, Thomas Donati, said. “She put all the work in, and all the credit goes to her for earning her place there.”

Coach Donati said much of the success Sophia has achieved so far has come from the work she put in during the offseason, including work in and out of the pool over the summer.

“Sophia worked hard and got into shape, including in the weight room,” he said. “It really built her confidence knowing she could come into the season and post better times. She’s really put herself on the map.”

Donati went head to head against North Allegheny sophomore Molly Smyers when the schools met for a dual meet Dec. 13.

In a rematch from WPIALs in the 200 freestyle where Smyers finished second and Donati third, Donati swam a time of 1 minute, 52.25 seconds, edging Smyers for the win by nine one-hundredths of a second.

Heading into the new year, Donati and Smyers were 1-2 in the 100, 200 and 500 in WPIAL Class AAA.

“Sophia was really excited for those races against Molly,” coach Donati said. “She went out there and raced and did her thing. She hit the wall, came up and was smiling. It was a lot of fun to see them go head to head again.”

Smyers is the defending WPIAL champion in the 500 free (4:58.32).

Donati swam the 100 free at WPIALs last year in addition to her 200 free, and she placed fifth.

“Sophia’s getting better and better every day, and we’re excited to see where she goes over the next couple of weeks,” coach Donati said.

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Michael at 412-388-5825, mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MLove_Trib.

Tags: Mt. lebanon