Click here to subscribe today or Login.
By STEVE SEMBRAT steves@leader.net
Sunday, March 16, 2003 Page: 1C
UNIVERSITY PARK – Second place can leave you with a winning feeling.
That was true for Bishop Hoban on Saturday at the conclusion of the PIAA
Class 2A State Swimming & Diving Championships, held at the McCoy Natatorium
on Penn State’s main campus.
The Argents won silver in the final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay.
The team of Justine Grilz, Katelyn Ostopick, Bryn Mesko and Caroline Byron
took second in three minutes, 35.31 seconds, turning in a time more than four
seconds faster than their previous best coming into the event.
That cemented Hoban’s second-place finish in the team standings, as the
Argents finished runner-up for the second consecutive year. Oakland Catholic,
which won the final relay in 3:34.81, won the team title with 145 points.
Hoban was second with 121, followed by Bloomsburg with 75.
“It was a blast,” Hoban head coach Mara Pawlenok said of the weekend
meet. “It was a lot of fun. We came as close as we ever have to the ultimate
prize.
“Oakland Catholic fields a great team year after year, and to be up there
with them is a thrill. Maybe in years to come we can win it.”
Hoban won medals for a top-six finish in eight of the 12 events. Byron won
bronze in the 100 freestyle on Saturday, and Julie McLaughlin was fifth in the
100 breaststroke. The Argents won gold in the 200 freestyle relay 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. Hoban’s Caitlin
Neiderhiser placed sixth in diving on Thursday.
“Getting second two years in a row is amazing,” said Byron, one of just a
handful of individuals to take home a state medal in four events. “We’re
amazing. I love it.
“The competition got to us in a positive way. We embraced the challenge
and it made us all go faster.”
Byron opened the competition on Saturday by taking third in the 100
freestyle. She was sixth during qualifying in the morning, securing the final
spot in championship finals. She dropped her time nearly one and one-half
seconds to win bronze in 52.11 seconds, foreshadowing greater things to come.
McLaughlin won her second individual medal with a solid swim in her
signature event, the 100 breaststroke, finishing fifth in 1:05.66.
“Julie had her best time this season,” Pawlenok said. “It was a very
good meet, we’re thrilled with it.”
The biggest thrill came in the final event, as Hoban dropped its time two
seconds during preliminaries, then two more in the finals, assuring the
Argents of All-America status in that event as a result of their time.
“Caroline did a 51.5 relay split at the end,” Pawlenok said. “They all
had amazing swims. You can’t ask for better than that.”
Byron swam the anchor leg, and nearly caught Oakland Catholic in the final
100 yards. It seemed as if she might have pulled it off if the race were a few
yards longer.
“A lot of times what place you gets pushes you,” Byron said. “We knew we
had a chance to win and that really pushed us. We had a lot of fun.”
Berwick senior Julie Gunderson took seventh in the girls 500 freestyle, a
finish that pointed out one of the peculiarities of the state swim meet.
Gunderson’s time was better than that of the sixth-place finisher. However,
during the preliminaries in the morning, she was one of six swimmers to
qualify for consolation finals, where seventh through 12th place is decided.
The top six qualify for finals and are guaranteed a medal.
In the 2A boys competition, Bishop Hoban and Wyoming Seminary each had a
pair of entries crack the top 12.
Hoban’s 400 freestyle relay team of senior Vince Ginocchetti, senior Andrew
Potsko, freshman John Dougherty and junior Gerry McGroarty finished 10th.
McGroarty placed eighth in the 100 backstroke.
Seminary senior Matt Kerns and junior William Gagliardi reached the
consolation final of an individual event. Kerns was 12th in the 500 freestyle,
and Gagliardi was eighth in the 100 breaststroke.
Scranton Prep made a strong showing in the 100 backstroke. Junior Mark
Lesak reached the finals and placed third in the boys competition. Junior
Elizabeth Manley was eighth in the girls event, and junior Melissa McClane was
11th.
The Prep boys finished fourth in the boys team standings with 85 points.
Hershey won with 142, followed by Radnor with 118 and Garnet Valley with 103.
The Prep girls finished eighth in the girls team race with 52 points. Their
400 freestyle relay team was disqualified for what can best be described as an
illegal substitution. Prep used two swimmers in that relay who were in four
other events at the district meet. That put them in five events at districts
and states combined, and you can only be in four.
A list of top-six finishers and all District 2 competitors can be found on
Page 4C.