Penn Girls High School State Champs: Oakland Catholic Takes 2A Title, Parkland Takes 3A

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA., March 24 — Oakland Catholic, led by 11th-grade record-setter Jordan Wallace, and Parkland, led by budding ninth-grade star Jess Lewis, were the 2A and 3A winners, respectively, at the Pennsylvania girls' state championship meet the second weekend of this month at Penn State's McCoy Natatorium.

2A CHAMPIONSHIPS
Wallace won the 200 free in a pr 1:49.67, then came back several races laer to set a state- record in the 100 back with her 56.01 clocking — breaking the old record of 56.32 she swam in the prelims. She also anchored Oakland's victorious 400 free relay team that clocked 3:33.55, registering the fastest split of the meet (49.88). As a 10th-grader last season Wallace anchored Oakland's state record-setting 400 free relay that went 3:32.75.

Another double winner was Central Columbia 12th-grader Courtney Stanchock, who won the 200 IM (2:05.06) then came back to set a state record in the 100 breast (1:03.48). That time bettered her own state standard of 1:03.70 from last season.

The Pennslyvania state record in the 200 IM is 2:04.28 by Danville's Jessi Perruquet from 1998. Whatever happened to "little" Jessi? She's alive and well in Chapel Hill, North Carolina where she was a star member of Coach Frank Comfort's Lady Tar Heels team that won its second-consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference Championship the third weekend of last month at Charlottesville, Virginia.

Perruquet was named Freshwoman of the Meet for her win in the 200 free (pr 1:47.67), third in the 500 free and legs on the 'Heels' winning 400-800 free relays.

In the 50-100 frees at the 2A Championships 10th-grader Jessica Stephens (Bloomsburg) was tops with her 24.07 – 52.18 swims.

The 100 fly was swum in a state-record 54.54 by 11th- grader Sarah Haupt (Trinity), who dropped a cool two- plus seconds from her old pr (and state record) 56.85 in 1999. She was also runner-up in the 100 free.

The final individual state record was in the 500 free by 11th-grader Kara Boland (Gwynedd Mercy), who splashed home in 4:55.46 — breaking Perruquet's old standard of 4:57.83 from three years earlier. Boland earned another trip to the victory podium via her silver-medal finish in the 200 free.

The relays were split among three schools, with Hershey taking the 200 medley (1:51.64 to Shady Side's 1:52.27), Muhlenberg the 200 free (1:38.18 to Hersehey's 1:39.28) and Oakland Catholic the 400 free (3:33.55 to Gwnyedd Mercy's 3:35.15).

200 MEDLEY RELAY
1:51.64 Hershey
1:52.27 Shady Side
1:53.83 Bishop Hoban

200 FREESTYLE
1:49.87 Jordan Walace, Oakland Catholic
1;51.89 Kara Boland, Gwynedd Mercy
1:54.66 Erin Cutrell, Greensboro Central Catholic

200 IND. MEDLEY
2:05.06 Courtney Stanchock, Central Columbia
2:05.64 Courtney Choura, Oakland Catholic
2:06.23 Aubra Thomas, Keystone Oaks

50 FREESTYLE
24.07 Jessica Stephens, Bloomsburg
24.31 Lindsay Billet, York Suburban
24.47 Kim Reinhardt, East Stroudsburg

100 BUTTERFLY
54.54* Sarah Haupt, Trinity
58.22 Avy Mitchell, Clearfield
58.37 Liz Byron, Bishop Hoban

200 FREESTYLE RELAY
1:38.08 Muhlenberg
1:39.28 Hershey
1:41.59 Gwynedd Mercy

100 FREESTYLE
52.18 Jessica Stephens, Bloomsburg
52.31 Sarah Haupt, Trinity
52.52 Lindsay Billet, York Suburban

500 FREESTYLE
4:55.46* Kara Boland, Gwynedd Mercy
5:01.41 Erin Cutrell, Greensboro Central Catholic
5:01.67 Melissa Klein, Saltsburg

100 BACKSTROKE
56.01* Jordan Wallace, Oakland Catholic
56.44 Katie Peterson, Lowel Moreland
59.30 Tricia Radd, Wyoming Seminary

100 BREASTSTROKE
1:03.48* Courtney Stanchock, Central Columbia
1:04.07 Avy Mitchell, Clearfield
1:04.53 Courtney Choura, Oakland Catholic

400 FREESTYLE RELAY
3:33.55 Oakland Catholic
3:35.15 Gwynedd Mercy
3:37.68 Muhlenberg

3A CHAMPIONSHIPS
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA., March 24 — Sparked by 100 free champ Jess Lewis, Parkland raced to a 153.50-145 victory in the race for the Pennsylvania girls' 3A team title the second weekend of March at Penn State's McCoy Natatorium.

An up-and-coming ninth-grader, Lewis won the century in 51.87 (pr 51.46 in the prelims) and anchored her school's state record-setting 400 free relay in 50.11, fastest split of the meet. She also led off the 200 free relay in 23.88, quickest leadoff leg, and helped her Parkland team finish third.

Third in the team race was Emmaus with 126.

Individual state records were set by Seneca Valley 11th-grader Amanda Smith in the 200 IM (2:01.36) and Hempfield's Jenn Windstein in the 500 free (4:50.21).

Smith's 2:01.36 is one of the nation's fastest clockings for the 2000-01 season and makes her an automatic All- America selection. She was pushed to the title and the record by Council Rock's Trish Harm (2:01.69), whose swim also guarantees her automatic All-America honors.

Haram moved to the top of the victory podium two races later when she swept to the 100 fitle in 55.41. The state record here is 54.02 by former University of North Carolina All-America Melanie Buddemeyer, who was a multi gold-medalist at the Maccabiah Games some 20 years ago.

Other individual winners included Council Rock ninth-
grader Sharon Leary (1:51.31 in the 20 free) with Windstein a close second (1:51.58); Trinity's Dee Dlugonsk in the 50 free (23.71, not far off the state ercord of 23.45 by North Penn's Daniella from 1970!); Cumberland Valley's Ryan Smith in the 100 back (56.64) and ninth-grader Ryan Smith of Cumberland Valley was quickest in the 100 breast (1:04.24 with a nice 1:03.81 in the heats).

It will be interesting to see if Smith can equal the feats of former Pennsylvania prep star Kristen Woodring, now a freshman at Penn State, who was runner-up in the 100 breast at last week's NCAAs to Stanford's Tara Kirk and holds the national prep record.

—Bill Bell

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