Radnor’s Undercofler finishes in style
Dropping time at states is always a win. But swims like what Radnor senior Jack Undercofler turned in Saturday at the PIAA Class 3A Swimming and Diving Championships are of a rare vintage.
He didn’t just deliver a high school best time as a senior, in his one and only states swim. He didn’t just drop a full second over 100 yards of backstroke. He didn’t just climb into the medal picture.
Any one of those accomplishments alone would make for a successful meet. But to do them at the end of a chaotic, COVID-19-overturned seasons … it’s even more remarkable.
Undercofler finished sixth in the 100 back, earned the highest finish among the Delco boys swimmers. But there’s so much more than he accomplished with his swim.
Undercofler dropped a second and a half at the District 1 championships to book a states place, getting to Cumberland Valley with a 51.51. He trimmed that in similarly symmetrical fashion to a 50.50, jumping from the 11th seed to sixth and a medal. It also improves his Radnor program record from last year.
“I think my strokes were very efficient,” Undercofler said by phone. “I was able to move very efficiently through the water but still pulling a lot of water so getting a lot of power out of each stroke. And I think my turns were really fast coming off of the walls, and it just kind of felt like everything came together.”
Three of the four swims from Delco came from Radnor. Rhett Cosgrove supplied the other two, finishing 11th in the 200 free (1:42.64) and eighth in the 500, the latter a time drop from districts to 4:36.43.
The other Delco swimmer was Springfield freshman Jake Kennedy, who was 15th in the 50 free in 21.63 seconds.
For Undercofler, who will swim next year at Middlebury College in Vermont, the finish to his senior season was a fitting reflection of the challenges that went into it.
“This whole last year and a half has been all about being able to adapt and overcome whatever is being thrown your way,” he said. “I think I’ve done that to the best of my ability and it worked out pretty well for me here.”