King still breaking records

Mount Pleasant junior hauls in 6th individual title, wins 100 freestyle

Lily King has mentioned several times how she likes to break her own records.

In fact, she likes it so much she did it twice.

For the third consecutive year, the Mount Pleasant junior won the 100-yard freestyle at the PIAA Class 2A finals on Saturday at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium.

This time, the North Carolina State recruit broke her 2023 record of 48.93 seconds with a 48.48 heat in the morning preliminary that set state and pool records, then lowered it even more with a 48.38 in the championship heat to edge out Northgate senior and Ohio State signee Elise Nardozzi by 1.28 seconds. Mount Pleasant won the team title with 164 points. King has now won six WPIAL and six PIAA Class 2A individual titles and has an opportunity next season to become the first swimmer in WPIAL history ever to complete a Sweet 16 with eight district and state titles.

While King celebrated her sixth title, Knoch jun i o r Giona Lavoirini claimed her first in the 100 breaststroke. Lavoirini, who went into the final head as the No. 2 seed behind WPIAL champion Peyton Scott of Indiana, came through in 1:02.11 to edge Scott by 0.19 seconds.

Mount Pleasant junior

Joseph Gardner was already a champion in the 100 breaststroke after winning the event in recordbreaking fashion in 2023. All he did was add to his legacy and strike his own time from the record book in the process. Gardner rocketed off the blocks and finished with a 54.28-second heat that shattered his state championship recordsetting run of 55.23 from a year ago. He also won the 200 individual medley in the meet and was named Swimmer of the Meet.

North Catholic junior Luke Lamb finished with in 48.08 seconds in the 100 backstroke to edge Riverside senior Joseph Roth by 0.26 seconds to with his second state title of the meet.

Lamb also won the 50- freestyle on Day 1 on Friday.

In other events, Preston Kessler had never lost an individual race at the WPIAL or PIAA meets in his three years but had to settle for silver in the 100 freestyle. The Indiana junior came in second to Blue Mountain junior Noah Powers, who touched the wall in 43.82 to beat Kessler by 0.19 seconds. Kessler has six WPIAL and five state titles to his credit.

Although he may have had his individual streak end, Kessler was the anchor leg on the Little Indians state-title-winning 400 relay team, which helped the team to the team title, 184-168, over second-place Mount Pleasant.