Kirsten Brasch (William Tennent), Wesley Ahart (Souderton) and Michael Burke (Upper Dublin) are featured in this week’s SOL Boys/Girls Swimming Notebook.
National Conference
Kirsten Brasch, William Tennent.jpg)
William Tennent’s Kirsten Brasch got the job done.
Brasch, a senior, posted two District One Class 3A automatic qualifying times at the SOL National Conference meet.
Brasch earned her berths in the 200 and 500-yard freestyle. She finished third in both events at the league meet, posting a time of 1:58.73 in the 200 freestyle and 5:21.95 in the 500 free.
“I’m super excited because this season didn’t go as well as I wanted it to so I knew that this was something I really had to get done,” she said.
“Getting the automatic times gives me so much confidence. I’m so happy that I have them. Districts is going to be really exciting and I’m hoping to be in the mix. There’s a lot of really good girls and I’m familiar with a lot of them and that’s just going to make it more exciting and fun.
“Last year at districts I didn’t do well in my 200 but I got a best time in my 500 so hopefully I can bring that down some more.”
She plans to swim in college. She has not made a commitment yet but right now her top choice is Monmouth University.
“I’m going in as undecided but I think I want to be a dentist so I’ll definitely major in a science,” she said. “I’m just not sure which one right now.”
In addition to swimming, she is a member of the National Honor Society and the Key Club and she participates in Tennent’s Black and White Night.
“I like to keep busy,” she said.
Continental Conference
Wesley Ahart, Souderton
What a night for Wesley Ahart..jpg)
The Souderton senior posted a score of 534.30 points to pick up the silver medal at the District One Class 3A diving competition.
“It’s really been building up to this point for me,” he said. “It’s really great to do it and finally have a really good district meet my senior year. I had a great season and it’s not over yet.”
Ahart will compete at the PIAA competition March 14-15 at Bucknell.
“I’ve been to states before but this year I’m definitely coming in a better position than last year,” he said. “Last year at districts I finished eighth. I had a really bad meet. I’m definitely going to work on my higher degree of difficulty dives and clean them up so I have something to show at states.”
Like many divers, he started out as a swimmer.
“I’d be doing laps in the morning and look over and see the divers flipping and I thought that looked like more fun than swimming so I gave it a try and that was that,” he said.
Ahart has committed to the University of Pittsburgh. He also considered Cincinnati, Kenyon and Delaware before choosing to become a Panther.
“I’m undeclared as a major but I want to do something with advertising, marketing and art,” he said.
In addition to diving, he is a member of SAVE (Students Against Violating the Earth) and Future Business Leaders of America.
“In SAVE we do a lot of sustainability projects and for FBLA I just made a video to compete in their competition and I made states for that video,” he said.
American Conference
Michael Burke, Upper Dublin
It’s a funny story how Michael Burke became a diver..jpg)
The Upper Dublin junior started out as a swimmer, but the cold got to him.
“I saw that the divers had a hot tub,” he said. “I’d already done gymnastics for a year so I asked my parents if I could try diving. I loved it and I just stuck with it.”
Burke punched his first-ever ticket to the PIAA Class 3A competition with his fourth place finish at the District One competition, scoring 471.60 points.
“I felt like I had a fair chance,” Burke said. “I was also pretty nervous because I did some dives I haven’t done before. One I just learned a couple of weeks ago, the reverse one and a half. I competed with that dive back in my freshman year but I didn’t do it my entire sophomore year so now this was my third time doing it in a meet this year.
“I really just wanted to get through the meet and get farther than I did last year. Last year I missed the final cut so I’m really happy with how I dove. I think I improved a lot.”
Burke dove with seven stitches in his left pinky due to a dryland injury one day before the competition.
“I just put a waterproof bandage on it and I was good to go,” he said. “I have two weeks now until states so there’s time for it to heal. It didn’t really alter anything for me.
He would like to dive in college and is considering Rochester and Lehigh, with an eye on computer science as his major.
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