SWIMMING GOOD IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Livengood shines at B Championships
Ian Livengood wasn’t satisfied with his 100-meter breaststroke Wednesday night, but the Pennridge senior swimmer didn’t have to look far for inspiration.
Turned out, it was jumping and jostling all around him.
“I was really trying to attack it in the breaststroke, and I was kind of disappointed,” Livengood said, even though he did manage a second-place finish. “So I just went and hung out with the little kids. And I was like, ‘alright, yeah, this is fun, lemme get back (into my groove).’ I was just messing around with them behind the block.
“Anjali (Verma), one of the 12-and-under girls, was like ‘you gotta kick more.’ So I’m thinking in my head while I’m swimming (the back), ‘I gotta kick, I gotta kick.’ So I told her after I got out, ‘you were in my head.’ It was a good race.”
Livengood surged to a victory in the 100 back and also added a sixth-place finish in the 100 free to come away with three impressive swims at the Bux-Mont B Championships at Nor-Gwyn.
Those who didn’t quite make the cut for the A Championships — slated for Saturday at Towamencin — had a chance to showcase their skills at B’s, and Livengood, a rising senior at Pennridge
High, took full advantage.
“Doing swimming, water polo, I got a full plate. I hope it’s gonna be a lot of fun,” Livengood said of the upcoming year. “One more year before I ship off somewhere.”
GATORS HAVE BITE » Some of Pennridge’s exploits Wednesday night included a one-two-three finish in the boys senior breast, courtesy of Nicholas Ricca (1:22.97), Livengood (1:23.73) and Julian Arteaga (1:24.80), and then Livengood cranked out his winning backstroke in 1:13.99.
Pennridge also notched a third- and fourth-place finish in the event (Ricca, Declan Mullen).
“We’re small but mighty,” Livengood said of the squad. “We like to have a lot of fun. It’s about personal improvement.”
The swimmer and assistant coach saw dramatic improvement in his times during the summer months.
“Usually summer times are gonna be slower than your high school times but this summer, because of coaching, I’ve been there in the pool five times a week,” said Livengood, “so I’ve been in there, intensively pushing myself. So my times are right around my high school times.”
COACHING ‘EM UP » Livengood has also embraced his other role.
“I love it,” he said of coaching. “It’s so much fun. It is a blast. We call the 8-and-unders our baby gators, and it’s fantastic. I think the little kids really enjoy it, and I enjoy it just as much as they do.”
Wednesday night provided a nice capper to the season, and offered a chance to look back.
“I started (swimming for Pennridge) when I was seven and I’m 17 now, so it’s been 10 years, 20 seasons for winter and summer. So it’s been a while,” Livengood said. “There’s a point when you get to a lull, maybe around season 12 or 13 (laugh), but come high school (you’re re-energized), and coaching adds a new aspect to it.
“The little kids wanna see you and cheer you on, so that’s awesome. The best friends I’ve had have come from swimming, so I’m glad I came out 10 years ago.”
Bux-Mont B Championships
Boys 8-and-under 25 fly: Parker Thim (Lansdale) 27.44; 25 breast: Ryan Bennacef (Nor-Gwyn) 28.10; 25 back: Ryan Bennacef (NorGwyn) 24.72; 25 free: Jack Heebner (Towamencin) 20.95.
9-10 25 fly: Cooper Helm (Towamencin) 18.59; 25 breast: Neil McGeehan (Towamencin) 24.15; 25 back: Noah Makarichev (Harleysville) 20.70; 25 free: Kieran Thompson (Fanny Chapman) 16.95. 11-12 50 fly: Ethan Martin (Towamencin) 39.56; 50 breast: Brendan Fahey (Fanny Chapman) 45.66; 50 back: Arman Khatri (Harleysville) 41.93; 50 free: Caleb Dilenge (Towamencin) 34.21. 13-14 50 fly: Eric Lewis (Lansdale) 35.98; 50 back: Ryan Symons (Fanny Chapman) 35.66; 100 free: Kyle Krader (Harleysville) 1:08.24. Senior 100 fly: Will Tornambe (Towamencin) 1:13.02; 100 breast: Nicholas Ricca (Pennridge) 1:22.97; 100 back: Ian Livengood (Pennridge) 1:13.99. Girls 8-and-under 25 fly: Avery Goldcamp (Harleysville) 23.47; 25 breast: Alexis Valerian (Souderton) 28.08; 25 back: Maddie McCloskey
(Nor-Gwyn) 25.81; 25 free: Cameron Wehr (Nor-Gwyn) 21.18. 9-10 25 fly: Greta Evans (Lansdale) 19.21; 25 breast: Harper Wentzel (Souderton) 24.16; 25 back: Emma Catanese (NorGwyn) 21.43; 25 free: Emma Catanese (Nor-Gwyn) 17.60. 11-12 50 fly: Brooke Pannepacker (Harleysville) 37.75; 50 breast: Laurel Duplicki (Lansdale) 44.86; 50 back: Aurora Martin (Towamencin) 40.29; 50 free: Lily Hiestand (Souderton) 33.86. 13-14 50 fly: Alexis Olberding (Souderton) 35.06; 50 breast: Yasmin Khatri (Harleysville) 43.88; 50 back: Vanessa Morrison (Harleysville) 38.70; 50 free: Alexis Olberding (Souderton) 31.78. Senior 50 fly: Morgan Eater (Fanny Chapman) 37.59; 50 breast: Nisha Kantesaria (Towamencin) 45.37; 50 back: Rileigh Thompson (Fanny Chapman) 38.74; 100 free: Rileigh Thompson (Fanny Chapman) 1:10.38.