Claire Bacu Receives 2026 WPIAL James Collins Scholar-Athlete Award
By Randy Gore
The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) announced the recipients of the 35th annual WPIAL/James Collins Scholar-Athlete Award on Wednesday. Among the 20 honorees, which include 10 males and 10 females, is North Allegheny senior Claire Bacu. The 20 recipients were selected from a pool of 151 nominees. Bacu, who will continue her swimming and academic career at Brown University, receives a $1,000 scholarship. Below is a brief overview of Bacu’s career as provided by the WPIAL.
Claire Bacu (North Allegheny) – 4.541 GPA … Earned seven varsity letters across swimming and diving … Member of the four-time section champion and four-time WPIAL champion swimming and diving team … Earned WPIAL gold medals as a senior in the 200 and 500-yard freestyle events and served as the 200 freestyle runner-up in prior years … Won PIAA gold medals in the 200 and 500-yard freestyle as a senior and was a member of two state champion teams as a freshman and sophomore … Holds numerous pool records in the 500-yard freestyle at Mt. Lebanon, Bethel Park, North Allegheny, and Seneca Valley, as well as the North Allegheny 200 freestyle relay and 500 freestyle varsity records … Recognized as a four-time Swimming All-American and a two-time Scholastic All-American … Named to the All-Section and All-State teams for the 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle, and various relays throughout all four years of high school … A two-time first prize winner in the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science and a recipient of a presentation award at the Pennsylvania Regional Science and Engineering Fair … Served in Student Council and Key Club and volunteered over 150 hours with North Hills Community Outreach (NHCO) and at the Passavant Hospital ER … Organized both clothing and food drives for the community and swimming team … Plans to continue her academic and swimming career at Brown University.
