The West Hills will be well-represented at this week’s WPIAL Swimming Championships, which will take place Thursday and Friday, Feb. 26-27, at the University of Pittsburgh’s Trees Pool.
A dozen swimmers from Cornell and Carlynton will be competing in the Class 2A meet while 12 competitors from Moon and five more from Montour are scheduled to swim in the Class 3A meet.
Competition will get underway at 9:45 a.m. Thursday for the Class 3A meet; Class 2A competition is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Thursday. The same starting times will be in place for Friday’s portion of the Class 2A and 3A meets.
Three local swimmers will be looking to add to their WPIAL medal collections in Cornell sophomores Noah Pickett and Mimi Chamberlain and Carlynton sophomore Evey Fahnestock.
Pickett placed fourth in the 500 freestyle last year and finished fifth in the 200 individual medley. Chamberlain placed sixth in the 100 breaststroke a year ago as a freshman.
The top eight finishers in each event earn medals.
This year, Pickett is the top seed entering the 100 butterfly with a time of 52.48 seconds, and he is seeded fourth in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4 minutes, 52.42 seconds.
Chamberlain is the No. 2 seed in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:06.62, behind only Allison Stinnett of Southmoreland’s 1:05.71. Chamberlain also is the fourth seed in the 200 IM at 2:13.65; she placed 10th in that event at last year’s WPIAL meet with a time of 2:16.87.
Pickett also will swim on the Raiders’ 200 medley relay team along with Drake Barr, Chris Pickett and Sam Bleakley. Chamberlain will join Kendra Durec, Grace Turko and Mira Mosca on Cornell’s 400 freestyle relay quartet.
Barr also will compete in two individual events – the 50 free and the 100 free.
Bleakley, Turko and Mosca are all Our Lady of the Sacred Heart students who compete for Cornell on a co-op arrangement.
Fahnestock will look to improve upon her eighth-place finish from a year ago in the 100 breaststroke, which she achieved with a school-record time of 1:08.44 that also vaulted her into the PIAA meet as a freshman.
She’ll also swim in the 50 free and will join Allie Glass, Paitynn Wright and Chloe Baum in the 200 free relay.
In the Class 3A meet, Moon will bring 12 swimmers, none of whom medaled last year. On the girls side, Mimi Munnell, Anya Muralidharan, Addi Munnell and Gabby Donnelly are set for the 200 medley relay and the 200 free relay.
Mimi Munnell will compete in the 200 IM and 100 butterfly while Addi Munnell is penciled in for the 50 free and 100 butterfly.
Muralidharan qualified for the 100 breaststroke and will join Isabella Foley, Melina Toliver-Lehman and Donnelly on the 400 free relay.
On the boys side for Moon, Evan Slawuta, Anthony Demarco, Logan Ellis and Noah Bogatay are lined up for the 200 medley relay while Ellis, Slawuta and Demarco will team with Chris Bailey on the 200 free relay.
Bailey, Ellis, Slawuta and Ryan Slawuta qualified for the 400 free relay. Bailey also qualified for the 50 free, as did Ellis, and the 100 free.
For Montour, Anastasia Ulintz made the grade in two individual events – the 200 IM and the 500 free – and also will swim in the 200 medley and 400 free relay events. She will join Alana Tonkin, Caitlyn Dettling and Julia Trevenen in both of those relays.
Montour also qualified for the 200 free relay and will be represented by Tonkin, Dettling, Dalia Trevenen and Julia Trevenen.
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