Tigers Compete At Last Ditch Invitational
by Swimming & Diving Contributor
A lively audience witnessed an evening of exciting swims on Saturday as the North Allegheny Swimming Tigers as well as other area high school swimmers attempted to qualify for the WPIAL Championship Meet. There was a total of 50 WPIAL cuts accomplished at the meet, and 33 cuts were from North Allegheny swimmers.
The evening began in dramatic fashion with four NA Tigers qualifying for the Girls 200 yard freestyle. Julianne Weaver (1:58.68) posted the fastest time, while Natalie Reubi (2:00.99) in second, Shelby Sundgren (2:01.67) in third and Maddie George (2:03.23) in fourth all finished under the 2:03.80 cut. For George, it was her first ever cut. Brianna Reinhart (2:04.47) and Kieran Yeakel (2:06.56) dropped time.
Three NA Tiger boys made the 1:52.50 Boys 200 freestyle time – Emmanuel Chu (1:49.23) led the way with Jackson Ross (1:49.50) in second and Talon Xing (1:50.22) in third.
In the Girls 200 IM, Eva Ogden (2:12.69) breezed to a win under the 2:19.50 qualifying time. In the Boys 200 IM, Matthew Lindblad (2:11.07) led the heat and Ryan Crane (2:20.06) had a nice time drop for third.
The ladies 50 freestyle saw time drops across the board for NA swimmers. Dani Hinkson (25.39) was 1st, Tori Tieppo (25.56) placed second, Leah Laughlin (25.89) in third and Grace Jani (25.95) made four under the 26.00 second cut to ignite the audience. For Laughlin, it was her first ever cut. Lorelai Quinet (26.11) finished a heartbreaking fingertip away with an excellent swim and time drop.
Fifty freestyle for the gentlemen saw Nicholas Klein (22.63) slide under the 23.20 second cut. Jackson Frazer (23.98) dropped time.
In the ladies 100 butterfly, a dramatic four NA Tigers qualified under the 1:03.00 cutoff, including Reubi (1:00.50) in first, Madden Woycheck (1:00.61) in second, Sundgren (1:02.52) in third, and Julia Tengowski (1:02.95) in fourth to the delight of the roaring crowd.
In the boys 100 butterfly, three NA Tiger boys sped past the 56.80 second cut, including Dylan Seiford (54.85) who finished first, Alex Harbaugh (55.69) second, and senior Jake Rechenmacher (56.16) in third.
In the girls 100 freestyle, both Tieppo (54.64, 1st) and Angelina Li (56.03, 2nd) claimed victory over the 56.50 second qualifier.
The boys 100 freestyle saw senior Riley Williams (48.80, 1st) and Chu (50.34, 2nd) finish comfortably under the 50.70 cut. Nice time drops were registered by Ross (51.76) and Brendan Yatchenko (52.09).
Shea Mahon (5:29.75, 1st) made easy work of the girls 500 freestyle qualifier (5:32.00), while Yeakel (5:35.45) edged closer with another nice time drop.
Throughout the evening both swimmers and spectators cheered loudly for NA and visiting athletes alike, creating an electric atmosphere in the natatorium. Such was the case with a qualifying performance for the Shaler girls in the 200 freestyle relay.
In the girls 100 backstroke, Tengowski (1:03.32, 2nd) just missed the 1:03.00 cutoff with a career best swim, while Jani (1:04.62, 3rd) had a nice time drop as well.
The boys 100 backstroke swim was led by Seiford (59.91, 1st) edging toward the 59.00 qualifier with Crane (1:02.55) posting another best time.
Three NA lady Tigers cruised past the 1:30.50 qualifier in the 100 breaststroke, including Woycheck (1:11.62) in first, Claire Bacu (1:12.13) in second, and Laughlin (1:12.86) in third.
A whopping five NA boys qualified in the 100 breaststroke, with Grant Regule (1:01.55) in first, Klein (1:02.48) in second, Zachary Totin (1:03.58) in third, Mason Shantz (1:03.76) in fourth, and Harbaugh (1:03.96) in fifth just under the 1:04.00 qualifier. Xing (1:05.54) and Yatchenko (1:07.76) posted time drops.
The Shaler ladies concluded the evening with a qualifying time in the 400 yard freestyle relay.
Next up is the WPIAL Diving Championship on Saturday, Feb. 24.