Central Catholic girls lead after Day 1 of District 11 Class 2A finals
A junior at Notre DameGreen Pond, Gianna Farina is now a perfect three-for-three in the Class 2A girls 200 individual medley at the District 11 Swimming Championships.
Farina won the 200 IM in 2:09.86 during Friday's meet at Parkland High School.
She was one of four individuals from the Colonial League to capture Class 2A individual titles during a Day 1 dominated, mostly, by Schuylkill League swimmers. Bangor's Brenek Strawn established a district record in the boys 100 butterfly, 50.69 seconds; Salisbury's Sarah Bobeck won the girls 200 freestyle; and Moravian Academy's McKayla Blazure took the girls100 butterfly.
Central Catholic claimed the girls 200 medley relay crown, the team of Emma Luchetti, Amanda Svetz, Grace Schcavage and Erin Chlebove clocking 1:53.51 to upset top-seeded Blue Mountain. Salisbury's quartet of Cathryn Fitzsimmons, Madison Jewell, Julia Graver and Sarah Bobeck earned gold in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:43.15.
Central Catholic's girls will enter Saturday in first place in the team standings with 185.5 points.
Farina was proud of remaining unbeaten in the 200 IM and she was even prouder of her final time.
“Lifetime best,” she said. “I stayed focused on the little things — my turns, my underwater, my stroke — and It turned out great. It was amazing.”
Entering the pool, Farina wasn't favored according to the seeds. She was seeded second (2:16.44) behind Maddie Dando of Marian (2:14.09). That was hardly a worry for Farina, the daughter of former Seton Hall University swim coach Ron Farina.
Dando placed second in 2:16.00.
“I was confident I was going to win,” she said. “This was the fastest I've been in-season by two seconds, unshaved and untapered.”
Farina attends Notre DameGreen Pond but practices with the Moravian Academy team. She also trains at Parkland Aquatic Club. This year's district meet is a family affair as her younger brother, Ronald Farina, a freshman, placed fourth in the 200 freestyle.
“That was pretty cool,” Gianna Farina said. “It's an exciting weekend.”
Strawn man
Bangor's Strawn expected to repeat in the 100 butterfly. His focus was on setting a district record and earning a solid seed for states. Done and done.
Strawn, a junior who qualifies for districts through the Nazareth team, broke the mark set by Salisbury's Daniel Bonge in 2017 (50.84). Morgan O'Brien, Strawn's classmate at Bangor, made it a 1-2 Slater sweep in the event by taking second in 52.58.
“I was very excited going into the race,” Strawn said. “I knew I had to swim my best to break the record.”
With no scholastic team to swim for, Strawn trains with the Blue Eagles Swim Team coached by Nazareth first-year coach Mike Rinde. He said the workouts have intensified in recent weeks.
“It's been tough,” he said, “but I'm swimming a lot better. I'm working hard and pushing my teammates.”
Strawn is also the top seed for Saturday's 100 freestyle.
Bobeck wins big
Salisbury's Bobeck was happy to win the fifth district gold of her scholastic career. She was happier with her performance.
A 13-time district medalist, Bobeck prevailed in the 200 freestyle in 1:56.91. She dropped almost five full seconds off her seed time and finished five-plus seconds ahead of second-place Erika Zimmerman, a freshman from Panther Valley.
“I haven't done a 1:56 since my sophomore year and I wasn't really expecting this,” Bobeck said. “I was expecting a bit of a drop but I'm ecstatic with this time.”
Last year, the Falcons standout secured gold medals in the 50 and 500 freestyle at the district meet.
This season, Bobeck opted to enter the 100 and 200 free. She's the top seed for Saturday's 100, as well.
“Basically, my favorite stroke is the freestyle,” she said. “I love freestyle. I love doing anything freestyle. So I changed it up this year. I think I swam these two events my freshmen year and I wanted to hit every freestyle I could again before I graduate.
“The distance doesn't matter to me. I always have fun and I like to push myself. The 200 is definitely one of the hardest races, so this was a great way to push myself especially in this type of environment.”
Bobeck picked up her sixth district gold as part of Salisbury's 200 freestyle relay, making a huge move as the last leg.
Schuylkill stars
Blue Mountain owns a fivepoint edge over Schuylkill League rival and defending team champ Pottsville, 198-193, on the boys side. Central Catholic is third with 116 points.
Marian senior Danny Berlitz set a district and pool record in the boys 200 IM with a time of 1:49.81.
Short strokes
District 11 champions qualify for the PIAA Swimming and Diving Championships set for March 13-16 at Bucknell University. Others will also qualify, pending results from other districts around the state. .. Saturday's Class 2A action starts at 10 a.m.