High School State Swimming Championships: Pennsylvania 3A

LEWISBURG, Pennsylvania, March 18. SEVEN state records fell during the Pennsylvania 3A Swimming and Diving Championships March 15-16 at Bucknell University. Hershey's girls team reclaimed the title they last won in 2011, while La Salle College High School earned the boys crown for the second straight season.

Girls
Hershey High School set state records in the sprint relays. In the 200 medley relay, the Lady Trojan quartet of seniors Ari Waitkavicz and Carly Deliberty, junior Gabi Broschard and freshman Collette Robinson combined for a 1:44.22, 3-hundredths ahead of North Allegheny's squad of sophomore Jacquelyn Du, senior Gabriella Borza, sophomore Kayla Churman and senior Arielle Krigger (1:44.25). Both relays were under the state record of 1:44.28 set by Emmaus in 2009.

Robinson was joined by junior Meaghan Raab, sophomore Vivi Tafuto and junior Madelyn Veith for a state record 1:33.48 in the 200 free relay. North Allegheny set the previous standard of 1:33.78 last year. Hershey's 400 free relay of Raab, Veith, Tafuto and Deliberty provided a relay sweep for the Lady Trojans with their 3:23.19.

Veith's 23.15 in the 50 free was 1-tenth ahead of Wilson junior Alexandra Rockett (23.25); Raab's 49.12 earned her the top spot on the podium stand in the 100 free.

Two seniors lowered state records they had set earlier in their high school careers. Oakland Catholic's Leah Smith's 4:36.41 in the 500 free bettered her 2011 mark of 4:39.96. And Christina Leander improved on her state mark from last year in the 100 back (54.14) to this year's effort of 53.70. Smith also landed the 200 free title with her 1:45.52.

Warwick junior Emily Cameron claimed victory in both the 200 IM (2:00.62) and the 100 breast (1:02.15). Niki Price, a junior at Northeastern, topped the field in the 100 fly (54.11). Maria Lohman, a Chartiers Valley sophomore, put together 446.20 points for the diving title, just ahead of North Penn freshman Maria Yacopino (443.35).

Hershey collected 292 points, ahead of North Allegheny's 165, North Penn's 150, Greater Latrobe's 120 and Oakland Catholic's 116.

Boys
Upper Dublin provided state record-setting bookends to the boys meet with new standards in both the 200 medley and 400 free relays. In the 200 medley relay, senior Robert Bantley, junior Cooper Tollen, freshman Michael Jensen and senior Eric Jensen's 1:31.28 erased La Salle College's 2011 record of 1:31.94. La Salle College's quartet of seniors Joseph Maginnis, Sean Regan, Gregory Rogers and junior Michael McBryan also went under the previous mark with their second-place 1:31.51.

Senior Ian Flynn came on board with both Jensens and Bantley to lower the 400 free relay standard to 3:00.23 from Hershey's 2011 standard of 3:00.71. Bantley came in first in the 100 free (44.92) and led a 1-2 Upper Dublin sweep of the 200 free with his 1:37.12 (followed by Eric Jensen's 1:38.93).

By a mere 3-hundredths of a second, Hershey prevented a La Salle College sweep with their 1:23.37-1:23.40 victory in the 200 free relay. Swimming for Hershey was junior Austin Doss, who anchored seniors Shota Nakano, Vinny Tafuto and Jeremy Bauchwitz; La Salle College's quartet consisted of freshman Greg Brocato, Rogers, senior Brendan Koch and sophomore Kyle McElwee.

The only individual state record went to Pine Richland senior Dominic Giordano, whose 584.45 points in diving eclipsed Connor Kuremsky's 2010 total of 543.85 points. Also clearing the previous state standard was Ian Forlini, a junior at William Tennent (572.20).

North Allegheny junior Zachary Buerger was a double-event champion with his 4:28.12 in the 500 free and 1:48.08 in the 200 IM. La Salle College's Regan covered the 100 fly in 48.84 for the win in that event, and Hershey's Tafuto was tops in the 50 free (20.16).

Thomas McCormick, a junior at Henderson, outtouched Penn Hills senior Gabriel Larson for first in the 100 breast, 55.84-55.87. Peter Conzola, a junior at Freedom, cruised to a 48.80 in the 100 back.

La Salle College's 290 points gave them the boys title, with Hershey taking second (218), Upper Dublin third (206), North Allegheny fourth (156) and Upper St. Clair fifth (122).

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