Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Paoletti nabs pair of golds
Avon Grove girls lead team standings at Bucknell
“I couldn’t see the board, so I was waiting for (my teammate’s) reaction. And that screaming, it just goes through you. It’s relief and, oh my gosh, it was so exhilarating. It was amazing.” – Avon Grove’s Sophie May
Saturday was a memorable opening day of the 2017 PIAA Girls Class 3A Swimming Championship for Avon Grove’s Olivia Paoletti.
The junior grabbed a pair of state titles at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium, successfully defending her crown in the 200-yard IM (1:59.2) and helping the Red Devils prevail in the 200 medley relay (1:43. 61). The team also included Sydney Paglia, Emma Brinton and Sophie May.
“I couldn’t see the board, so I was waiting for (my teammate’s) reaction,” said May, who swam the anchor leg. “And that screaming, it just goes through you. It’s relief and, oh my gosh, it was so exhilarating. It was amazing.”
The two victories helped propel Avon Grove to the top of the team standings at the midway point of the meet, which will conclude today. The Red Devils have 121 points, which is 27 points ahead of second placed Upper Dublin. Unionville (83 points) is in fourth place.
“I could not have asked for a
better start to the meet,” said Paoletti, referencing the relay win which was the initial event. “Getting to win with some of my best friends, they’re amazing people.”
As for the individual win, Paoletti said: “I was super nervous, but I’m always nervous before my races. I just tried to stay out of my own head and just let the race take care of itself, and it worked. I’m really happy with how it went.”
Another local relay team also notched a gold medal as Conestoga took first place in the 200 freestyle relay, just edging out runner-up Unionville. The Pioneers – with Caroline Famous, Sophia Poeta, Caroline Apathy and Madison Ledwith – won in a time of 1:34.38.
“I just was so excited because we were third (seeded) and something in me was just like, I want to win this so badly,” said Famous, who also placed second in the 50 freestyle. “And then I went off the block and then I touched and it was the exact same time that I did in the 50 free, and I was like, ‘wow.’
“Each of our splits kept getting faster and faster, and at the end, I knew we had it. It was the best feeling ever.”
In all, Chester County swimmers notched 10 top-five finishes, including four seconds. Famous went 22.98 in the 50 freestyle but was the runner-up to Gateway’s Olivia Livingston, who set a state meet record (22.73). And Unionville’s 200 freestyle relay unit (Maura Grimes, Jessica Homitz, Olivia Miller and Camryn Carter) finished just 32-hundreths of a second behind Conestoga.
“It’s incredible,” Famous said. “I was so happy to race next to someone so fast in the 50 and that whole heat. I was not expecting (to get silver), so I’m really happy.”
Two locals grabbed individual seconds: Downingtown East’s Heather MacCausland and West Chester East’s Ann Carozza. MacCausland was edged out by Paoletti in the 200 IM (2:00.73) and Carozza went 54.46 in the 100 butterfly.
The remaining top-five efforts came from Oxford’s Morgan Curl and the Avon Grove 200 freestyle relay team. Curl went 1:50.34 in the 200 freestyle to take fifth, and the Devils’ relay squad was also fifth, with May as the leadoff swimmer this time.
“It’s just the mindset of bringing it home and then leading off and getting that head start that you want to get when you’re leading off the relay,” May said. “But I don’t necessarily change much about the swim.”