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By STEVE SEMBRAT steves@leader.net
Saturday, March 15, 2003 Page: 1B
UNIVERSITY PARK – Caroline Byron, Julie McLaughlin and Justine Grilz got
the chance to ponder a question that few are posed during the PIAA State
Swimming Championships.
Actually, none of the three Bishop Hoban standouts had to think long when
asked what was better, winning a medal for a relay or an individual event.
“Relay, definitely,” Byron said. “So many more people get to enjoy it.”
Especially when that medal is gold.
Byron, McLaughlin, Grilz and Bryn Mesko teamed to win the 200-yard
freestyle relay, highlighting a strong showing by the Argents and District 2
swimmers in the Class 2A meet on Friday.
Byron won silver in the 50 freestyle, McLaughlin was fifth in the 200
individual medley and Grilz was sixth in the 200 freestyle during the first
day of competition.
The meet concludes today at the McCoy Natatorium on Penn State’s main
campus, and Hoban is in excellent shape to finish as runner-up in the team
standings for the second consecutive year. Oakland Catholic leads the field
with 97 points, Hoban is next with 73, and Bradford is third at 59.
“It’s great to win individually,” McLaughlin said, “but in a relay there
are three other people who get to enjoy it.”
And how they enjoyed it.
“I was down here last year in a relay and we finished seventh,” Mesko, a
sophomore, said. “All I wanted to do was win a medal and be up on the awards
stand, and to get gold is incredible.”
Hoban was seeded first in the event, and received a strong challenge from
runner-up Muhlenberg in the preliminaries and finals. In both races, Hoban
trailed after 150 yards, with Byron pulling out the win in the final 50.
The Argents’ winning time was one minute, 39.03 seconds, and it marked the
second time in school history a Hoban relay team has won gold at the state
meet.
“Having Caroline behind me, I knew that if I was behind she was going to
do it,” Mesko said, who swam the third of the four legs. “After all, she is
a Byron.”
Caroline Byron, a sophomore, joined her older sister Liz, now a freshman at
Boston College, in winning state silver in an individual event. Caroline was
fourth going into the finals of the 50 freestyle, and finished runner-up to
Bermudian Springs senior Kristen Brown in the finals. It was Brown who nipped
Liz in the finals of the 100 freestyle last year.
“I changed my strategy for the final of the 50 free and it worked out,”
Byron said. “I didn’t think too much.”
McLaughlin and Grilz had to sweat out their individual medals in a
different way. After swimming in preliminaries during the morning, they had to
watch two more races before they could be sure if they were in the top six.
At the state meet, the top six times in preliminaries advance to the
finals, where first through sixth is decided. The next six are in consolation
finals, which where an entry can finish no higher than seventh.
“After my race, I sat and watched the other times come up on the
scoreboard,” said Grilz, a senior who seeded sixth going into the 200
freestyle. “Once I saw that I was sixth, it was such a thrill.”
Medal in hand, Grilz and McLaughlin went out in finals with same focus.
“I knew I couldn’t finish any worse than in sixth place,” said
McLaughlin, a junior who was seeded 14th going into the 200 individual medley.
“I just went out there and had fun.”
The lone disappointment for the Hoban girls came in the 200 medley relay.
The Argents’ team of Julie Grilz, McLaughlin, Katelyn Ostopick and Kelly
Dessoye made consolations finals and finished with the second-best time in
that race, which would have been good for eighth, but were disqualified.
The top finisher for the Bishop Hoban boys was Vince Ginocchetti, who went
into the 50 freestyle seeded 14th and finished eight, dropping his time in the
preliminaries and again in the consolation finals.
Dallas had two entries crack the top 12 with outstanding performances.
Senior Jen Arthur, seeded 15th in the girls 50 freestyle, had a nice drop
in time and nearly made finals. She finished seventh in preliminaries, then
12th in consolation finals.
In boys competition, the Mountaineers were seeded 19th in the 200 freestyle
relay. They dropped their time and finished 11th in preliminaries, and the
foursome of Robert Murphy, Sean Gilroy, Mark O’Brien and Joe Stredney finished
12th in consolation finals.
The Wyoming Seminary boys scored two top-12 finishes. The 200 medley relay
team of Brendan Sinatro, William Gagliardi, Phil Mercatili and Matt Kerns
placed 12th. Mercatili finished 12th in the 200 individual medley.
Scranton Prep put together the strongest showing among boys teams from
District 2. Mark Lesak, Eric Hayden, Mark Esolen and Mike Eisner teamed to
finish second in the 200 medley relay and fourth in the 200 freestyle relay.
Eisner finished second in the 50 freestyle and Lesak was third. The Prep boys
are third in the team standings with 73 points (Radnor leads with 88).
The Prep girls also medaled in both relays. Elizabeth Manley, Ashley
Bessoir, Gabby Lucarelli, Alyssa Chiumento finished sixth in the 200 medley
relay. Manley, Chiumento, Melissa McClane and Emly Pizzichemi were third in
the 200 freestyle relay. Pizzichemi was 12th in the 200 freestyle, Bessoir was
12th in the 200 individual medley and Lucarelli was 12th in the 100 butterfly.
The Prep girls are fifth in the team standings with 45 points.
A list of top six finishers and all District 2 competitors can be found on
Page 4B.