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It will be make or break for many of the Wyoming Valley Conference’s top swimmers and divers this week at the PIAA Championships at Bucknell University.
While seed times aren’t entirely full proof of success, local natators will need an extra push to medal at this year’s state championship meet that runs from Wednesday to Saturday in Lewisburg. For the first time in recent memory, no WVC swimmer or diver is a lock to come home with a medal around his or her neck. However, the psych sheets read like a laundry list of WVC athletes on the verge of cracking the top eight.
One team with high expectations for the week is the District Class 2A boys and girls champions Dallas. The Mountaineers received good news when they learned Matt Reinert received an at-large bid in the 100 fly, along with their boys medley relay team. Both are fighting for school records.
“It’s always a goal to make it to finals,” Dallas coach Romayne Mosier said. “We’re seeded to do well. I’m not a predictor. They’re prepared. And we’ll see what happens.”
The Wyoming Seminary girls team has the best chance of collecting the most hardware this week. Its 400 free relay team of Ava Baur, Julia Baur, Paige Kupsky and Tara Kupsky has the conference’s best seed of fifth with a top time of 3:36.75. Six of the top eight in the race are within two seconds of each other. The same quartet comprises a 400 medley relay team slotted at No. 9 but within two seconds of the top four.
“We rested them coming up to districts,” Wyoming Seminary coach Philip Mercatili said. “We’ve been resting them a little in the past week. But they looked good in practice. I’m ecstatic to see how the excitement of a big meet plays out.”
Tara Kupsky has the ninth seed in the 200 IM, followed by her sister Paige at 13th. Mercatili feels confident in both girls’ chances of making the A-Finals. Paige’s eighth-place medal last year in the 200 IM registered at a time 2.5 seconds slower than Tara’s 2:09.68 seed from this month’s districts. The Wyoming Seminary coaching staff worked on the backstroke in practice to improve Tara’s time.
The Blue Knights could have a chance at cracking the top 10 in the team competition – an astonishing feat for a program that was at the bottom of the WVC standings just three years ago. Freshman Ava Baur is on the cusp of making B-finals in the 100 free with her excellent finishes, and Julia Baur has time to drop in the 100 backstroke.
“We’re newer on the scene,” Mercatili said. “I think if things go well we could go top 10 and would be pretty impressive. If both of the relays perform as well as I think they can. Individually, we have some swimmers that could get score some points. If most things go well, we have a really good chance of making some noise.”
Dallas sophomore Annalise Cheshire has eyes on reciprocating her stunning bronze medal performance at last year’s states. Cheshire is pegged ninth in the 50 free, and less than a second separate her from the favorite Emma Wilson, of Grove City. Again, Cheshire is on the outside looking in for her first medal in the 100 free. She sits 10th with a 52.93-second seed time.
“She’s a competitor. She’s focused,” Mosier said. “When she’s out there on the box, she can do her best. She’s going to do what she can do to do well.”
Dallas’ Abby Zolner is seeded 11th in the 100 butterfly and is likely to crack the 59-second mark for the first time. Zolner finished 13th at last year’s states with a time 1.5-seconds slower than her 2016 seed.
The Mountaineers’ 400 free relay team expects to join the Blue Knights on the podium. Zolner, Cheshire, Melinda Ratchford and Lauren Finnegan are the No. 7 seed with a 3:38.79. Mosier anticipates the boys 400 free relay team of Jared Krawetz, Port Luksic, Reinert and Mikail Krochta flirting with 3:17 – a time that could give them both a medal and a school record if they can drop two seconds.
“The boys 400 relay team should do well,” Mosier said. “They did well in districts even though they didn’t have the competition to push them. They’re only two seconds off their record.”
Luksic leads several boys Class 2A swimmers with favorable seeds at 11th in the 100 breaststroke.
Dallas’ Maddie Ross and Holy Redeemer’s Riley Williams – both of whom share the same coach – represent the always strong District 2 in girls diving.