Five Individuals and Five Relay Teams named Swimming & Diving All-Americans
by: Jonathan Spina
Five North Allegheny individuals and five of the Tiger relay teams were named to the NISCA All-American team! All-American status is determined by the fastest times for the season, in the relay events, you can only enter one relay team per event.
William Gao was named to the All-American team for the 100-yard butterfly. Gao has won the last two WPIAL championships in the event and took bronze at the PIAA Championships this year. Natalie Sens made the team for her 100-yard breaststroke times. Sens was the WPIAL and PIAA champion in this event. Claire Bacu is an All-American for her performance in the 500-yard freestyle. Bacu won the WPIAL Championship in the event and placed seventh at the PIAA Championships. Juliet Hood and Lola Malarky both made the All-American list with their diving. Malarky took gold at the WPIAL Diving Championships while Hood took the silver medal. Hood would also take silver at the PIAA Diving Championships while Malarky got the bronze.
On the relay side, the Boys 200-yard Medley relay was named to the All-American team featuring Gao, Grant Regule, Riley Williams and Gus Miller winning the WPIAL gold and finishing in fourth place at the PIAA Championships. The Girls 200-yard Medley relay of Sens, Greta Mott, Tori Tieppo and Eva Ogden was named to the All-American list for their bronze performance at the PIAA Championships. The Boys 200-yard Freestyle relay was given All-American honors for their fourth place performance at the PIAA Championships. The team consisted of Danny Lesinski, Grant Regule, Riley Williams and Zachary Totin. The Girls 200-yard Freestyle was also on the list after repeating as WPIAL Champions and finishing in fifth at the PIAA Championships. Sens, Ogden, Bacu and Julianne Weaver composed the lineup. The Boys 400-yard Freestyle Relay team was also honored with All-American status for their silver medal performance at the WPIAL Championships and a fifth place performance at the PIAA Championships.
These five individuals and five relay teams contributed to North Allegheny’s 16th straight WPIAL title in girls swimming & diving and the 10th WPIAL Championship in 13 years for boys swimming & diving. The girls also contributed to their second straight PIAA Championship.
