WPIAL 2A race ends in tie
Two swimmers break record in 50-yard freestyle
Ian Shahan and Conner McBeth have had their share of battles over the past few years, but their meeting in the 50-yard freestyle in the WPIAL Class 2A finals at Upper St. Clair was one for the books. Upper St. Clair eclipsed them all. Still, in the end, nothing was really decided. and Shahan McBeth of of Belle Neshannock Vernon broke Blackhawk alum Mark Stepanian’s 12-yearold WPIAL record of 20.79 in the event with identical 20.36-second laps and ended up as co-champions. “I definitely didn’t expect that because, when you’re going into the 50, you’ve got to have the mindset that it’s a dogpile,” Shahan said. “One’s going to come out on top and it’s rare you see a tie finish like that.” Because of the tie and the fact that the PIAA is only taking district champions as automatic qualifies, McBeth did not automatically qualify for the state finals March 19 at Cumberland Valley. Shahan had a better seeding time but McBeth still could qualify with an at-large bid among non-winners. “I’m kind of glad that neither of us lost and that we both got to finish first in our last year,” McBeth said. “I’m sure that we would be seeded first and second at states anyway, so it’s not a deal-breaker for me.” After the 50 freestyle, Shahan won the next event, the 100 butterfly for the third consecutive season with a 49.62. McBeth, too, was a double winner on the day as he cruised to a victory in the 100 freestyle with a 44.87.
While the two might have had the most dramatic ending to be double-gold medalists, they weren’t the only ones.
Indiana senior Kyle Thome captured titles in the 200 and 500 freestyles, but wasn’t enough to help the Little Indians repeat as team champions. Instead it was Hampton, thanks to 36 points in the breaststroke, that defeated Northgate, 218-201.5. The Flames girls won the title for the second time in three years, edging Quaker Valley, 254-199.
Katie Jackovic wanted to make some kind of an impact in her first WPIAL championship meet and, in doing so, she joined an elite group. The South Park freshman took over the mantle of fastest swimmer with wins in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle.
“Honestly, it just showed that all the hard work is paying off and, if you put your mind to it, and you’re going to do it, you’ve just got to go fast,” Jackovic said. “I knew it was going to be success. I didn’t know it was going to be this big.”
Jackovic, who was seeded first in both events, began her day with a 23.80second swim in the 50 freestyle that edged Thomas Jefferson senior Hallie Findlan by 0.29 seconds. She came back about an hour later and became the meet’s first two-time individual champion on the afternoon when she relegated defending champion Findlan to third place. Jackovic edged fellow freshman Elise Nardozzi of Northgate by 0.58 seconds as she touched the wall in 51.57 seconds to win her second individual crown.
Maeve Kelley may have changed schools from Winchester Thurston to Shady Side Academy, but she didn’t alter her events or her finish as she repeated in the 200 and 500 freestyles.
While Kelley is now 4 for 4 in individual events in her WPIAL career, Isabel Huang had her perfect record end abruptly. The Quaker Valley junior, who was the top seed in the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke, lost both events to Mapletown sophomore Ella Menear.
Not only is Menear the first Maples girls swimmer to win a WPIAL title, her 2:04.58 beat Huang by 0.54 seconds in the 200 individual medley and her 54.58 was 1.36 seconds faster in the 100 backstroke.