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By STEVE SEMBRAT steves@leader.net
Saturday, March 15, 2003 Page: 3B
UNIVERSITY PARK – The great race got a little bit better on Friday.
For the second consecutive year, Shana Welch of Wyoming Valley West was
part of the fastest 50-yard freestyle event in the history of PIAA girls
swimming.
And for the second consecutive year, the Spartan senior won bronze, turning
in the best performance by a District 2 competitor in the 3A portion of the
meet.
The meet concludes today, and Welch will get one last chance to go
head-to-head with Parkland junior Jessica Lewis and Hatboro-Horsham junior
Kelsey Morrissy. The 100 freestyle will start the competition at the state
event going on at the McCoy Natatorium on Penn State’s main campus.
“It’s something I can go after,” said Welch, who thrives on challenges.
“It was a great race last year and it was a great race this year. That adds a
little bit to it.”
Lewis won the race in 23.19 seconds. Her time of 23.13 in preliminaries set
a PIAA 3A meet record. It broke the mark of 23.15 that Morrissy recorded in
winning the event last year. Those are the two fastest 50 freestyle times in
the history of the PIAA for both classifications.
Welch took third this year in 23.87, and for the first 25 yards it appeared
as if she might beat out Morrissy for silver.
“When it was at the wall,” Valley West coach Frank Tribendis said, “I
though Shana was going to get second.”
Morrissy, however, surged ahead of Welch in the final 25 yards and nearly
caught Lewis.
“I felt great all this week,” Welch said moments after she received her
bronze medal. “I was ready for the meet. This morning I was really pleased
with my time. Tonight I was a little tired, but I couldn’t have asked for
more. It was a good race.”
Welch entered the event seeded ninth, based on her winning time of 24.24
from the District 2-4 Class 3A regional championship meet, and needed to crack
the top six to earn a rematch with Lewis and Morrissy. At the state meet, the
top six finishers in preliminaries make finals, where first through sixth
places are determined. The next six are in consolation finals, where a swimmer
can finish no higher than seventh. Welch made finals with a time of 23.77, as
only three individuals swam the event in less than 24 seconds.
Now Welch will try to pull off a similar feat in the 100 freestyle, an
event in which she finished third to Lewis and Morrissy last year. She is
seeded 11th, and hopes to use her performance on Friday as a springboard to
the final race.
“Hopefully it carries over,” Welch said. “I want to get some rest and
come out and drop my times.”
While Welch was the only individual to win a medal in the 3A portion of the
state meet, other Spartans distinguished themselves by improving upon their
times. Welch was part of Valley West’s 200 medley relay along with Kim Perzia,
Erin Lehman and Sally Kaminski, as that foursome dropped nearly one second
from its seeded time and placed 20th.
“Shana had a great split in that relay,” Tribendis said. “The kids came
down and got a little bit better. That’s all you can ask.”
Also enjoying a drop in time was Tunkhannock senior Joe Petchalonis, who
placed 22nd in the 100 butterfly.