Sophomore enjoys the role as favorite

Tri-State Sports & News Service

Heather Gardner got a rough indoctrination to the WPIAL Class 2A individual swimmingfinals last year.

It wasn’t that her freshman year was horrible. She finishedwith a pair of silver medalsfor second place in both the 50-yard freestyle and the 100 breaststroke and qualified for thestate finals in both events.

And in both, she finished behind Division I recruits in Ohio State’s Taylor Petrak in the 50 freestyle and Kentucky’s Bailey Bonnett in the 100breaststroke.

All that did was make her work harder to make sure that, as the top returning swimmer in each event, she would make it more difficult forothers to chase her.

“I’ve been doing really well this year and me and my coach are really happy with how I’ve been doing. I’m very confident for WPIALs this year,” the Mount Pleasant sophomore said. “I know that a lot of the seniors graduated and I’m going to be moved up inmy competition. I’m hoping I’m going to be first [seed] and I’m striving to get first at WPIALs and hope for the best.”

Gardner got her first taste of what the competition might be like at the WPIAL finals at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association meet when she set school and meet records with a 23.38-second time in the 50 freestyle and 1:05.51 in the 100 breaststroke.It’s a distinct improvement from her performance in the 2017 WPIAL finals when she went 24.18 in the 50 freestyle and 1:06.74 in the breaststroke.

Petrak won the 50 freestyle for Ellwood City last year in 23.43, while Bonnett brought home the gold for Highlands in the 100 breaststroke in a recordtime of 1:01.61.

Considering the drop in time — and the fact Pitt’s Trees Pool is a traditionally fast track — Gardner could have a shot at breaking the WPIAL record of 23.10 in the 50 freestyle, set by Emily Zimcosky of Geibel in 2015. But this meet will have a bit of a different feel as she heads into the event as a favorite instead of a contender or defending champion.

“It’s honestly an honor and I can’t wait to swim. It’s just so much fun going to Pitt and just swimming as fast as you can,”Gardner said. “Basically it’s just about having fun, going in there and giving it your all.”

Northgate

Northgate junior Karen Siddoway also knows what it’s like to have Petrak relegateher to second place.

Last year, Siddoway posted a 51.56 at the WPIAL finals and a 51.53 in the PIAA meet at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium, but stood in the second position on the podium as Petrak took both sprintevent titles. She also finished a distant second to Quaker Valley’s Maddy Andrews in the 200 freestyle in the WPIAL finals with a time of 1:53.34, which was 2.63 secondsback.

All that did was make her moremotivated.

“She’s probably one of the most driven athletes I’ve ever worked with,” Northgate coach Jess McKelvey said. “I’ve been coaching for like a decadeand she just has a sixth gear. She trains super-hard, she trains with her club team andshe never stops.”

Siddoway, who is sifting through her collegiate options, will come into the WPIAL finals as the top returningfinisher in each event.

“I’ve already gotten a better time this year in the 100 freestyle than I had at states last year, so I’m pretty happy with that,”Siddoway said. tojust pretty good 10th graders in Western Pennsylvania. That’s why they all have offered Morton, and why the Indiana Hoosiers and a number of other big-time colleges also are showing plenty of interest. That’s why West Virginia coach Bob Huggins, Purdue’s Matt Painter, Ohio State’s Chris Holtmann and Iowa’s Fran McCaffery have all been in Butler’s gym this season. That’s why Rivals.com ranks Morton the No. 50 sophomore inthe country.

“Once I started to just concentrate on basketball, I knew I was pretty good,” said Morton. “But if you would’ve told me when I was in sixth and seventh grade that all these things would be happening and I would be where I’m at now, I would’ve told you that you were crazy. But now that I’m here, I feel like if I stop working … I can’t stop working.”

What teenager is so driven that he turns his mirror into a life-goal mural? But that says a lot about the oldest of Ryan andCindy Morton’s three children.

“I’ve known him since maybefirst grade,” said Butler coach Matt Clement. “Besides his talent, the thing that always stood out from everything was he has always had this different work ethic than everybodyelse.”

This isn’t trite talk about Morton’s work ethic. Many high school athletes work hard. But those who know Morton well will tell you his drive and will to succeed is on a different level. Heck, when Morton was in elementary school, the bus stop was in front of his house in Center Township. Morton used to work on his ballhandling and shoot at the driveway hoop while classmates stood and waitedfor the bus.

But there are more stories about Morton’s work ethic. Clement built a gym (half court) next to his home in Butlerand Morton knows where a key to the gym is hidden — because it’s his home away from home. On a Sunday a few weeks ago, Morton and his family were scheduled to visit Ohio State and attend a noon game against Michigan State. At5:30 in the morning, Morton was in Clement’s gym, working out on his own before the familyleft for Ohio State.

In December, Butler lost a big home game to Pine-Richland. Immediately after the game, still in his uniform, Morton went straight to Clement’s house and worked out from9:30 to 11 p.m.

“It’s not a show, him doing all these things, because the only person that knows a lot of these things he does is me,” saidClement. “It’s just the way heis.”

Earlier this week after a practice, Morton sat at the kitchen table in his family home, trying to explain this inner drive and will to succeed. His father sat across from him while his mother made homemade meatballs in a pot nearby. Morton is extremely well-spoken.

“I don’t know if I’d call my work ethic legendary,” said Morton,flashing a big smile. “I think I get it from them [his parents]. They always taught me if you want to be good at something, you have to put in thework.”

Put that work ethic together with his size and talent — and special is a word that comes to mind. Look back in WesternPennsylvaniahistory and you’ll have a hard time coming up with a true point