SOPHOMORE SPRINGS TO TOP IN DIVING
Tri-State Sports & News Service
Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic sophomore Kyle Maziarz hadn’t been on a competitive diving board in years, but took up the sport again after a lengthy hiatus just to see if he could qualify for the state meet.
He did a lot more than that.
Maziarz, a 6-foot-4 anomaly in a sport populated by gymnasts and tumblers usually no taller than 6 feet, pulled off what may be the surprise of the year when the sophomore posted a 418.70 in his 11-dive set to win the PIAA Class 2A title by 2.35 points over Shamokin’s Quinn Rollman.
He is the first WPIAL boys diver to win a state title in either classification since Pine-Richland’s Dominic Giordano in 2013 and the first in Class 2A since South Park’s Justin Duncan in 2008.
Maziarz was one of three WPIAL divers to medal as Beaver junior Andrew Cestra came in fifth and senior John Ek of Laurel Highlands was seventh.
While the boys did well on the 1-meter springboard, the action at the other end of the Kinney Natatorium pool was much quieter for WPIAL boys competitors as they were shut out for gold medals for the second consecutive year at Bucknell University and brought home only 11 individual medals. There is, however, quite a bit of hope for the future.
Belle Vernon freshman Ian Shahan finished second in two events, the 100 butterfly and the 100 backstroke. Neshannock freshman Conner McBeth finished fourth in the 100 freestyle and ninth in the 50freestyle, missing the medal cutby just 0.13 seconds.
Class 2A girls
It’s not very often the WPIAL has to use the ‘Wait ‘till next year’ slogan in relation to its performance in the PIAA Class 2A girls swimming finals, but this season brought a rare vacuum at the top of the podium for the district.
For the first time since 2014, no WPIAL female competitor won a state title. Northgate junior Karen Siddoway earned silver medals for second place in the 100- and 200-yard freestyles and Mount Pleasant sophomore Heather Gardner took home a second place in the 50 freestyle and fourth in the 100 breaststroke.
It wasn’t just the top of the medal stand that was empty of WPIAL participants.
In the eight individual events, the WPIAL girls brought home a total of eight medals. In contrast, last year the WPIAL won 12 medals including four individual championships.
Having a pair of silver medalists returning does bring some optimism for gold in 2019, but it has to be tempered just a bit. Siddoway was the top returning performer in 100 freestyle after finishing second to Ellwood City’s Taylor Petrak in 2017 and still came in second, while Grove City’s Emma Wilson, who beat Gardner in the 50 freestyle, is only a junior.
Class 3A girls
Gateway’s Olivia Livingston was the only WPIAL girls swimmer to bring home a gold medal, but she is only leading the way for a trio of sophomores who have plenty of time to improve and make a huge impact at the state level.
Livingston, who won her second consecutive state championship — and tied her own PIAA record — in the 50 freestyle is still waiting to become a double state champion as she now has two silver medals in the 100 freestyle after finishing second to Morgan Scott of Pennridge for the second consecutive year.
Butler sophomore Laura Goettler already has three WPIAL titles to her credit, including two in the grueling 200 individual medley, but despite coming into the state finals as the top seed in the 100 breaststroke she had to settle for second in that event and third in the 200 IM.
North Allegheny sophomore Torie Buerger finished third in the 100 backstroke and still has time to close the 1.28-second gap on Muhlenberg sophomore and state champion Cameron Gring before the two graduate in 2020.