This week’s notebook highlights swimmers from William Tennent, Souderton and Springfield. To view photos of all the action at last week’s district meet, please visit the Photo Gallery.
National Conference
Battis at home in 500 free - William Tennent’s Shannon Battis is still looking for that second event.
The first one she has down pat.
Battis, a sophomore, competed at the District One Class AAA meet two years in a row in the 500-yard freestyle.
Last year she swam the 200 freestyle and this year the 200 individual medley.
“I’ve been successful in the 500 but I haven’t really found my second event,” she said. “Last year I did pretty well but we were struggling to find my other event.
“This year I decided to try the IM and it got me into districts, but I don’t know if it’s something I’m going to keep swimming.
“I didn’t swim well in the 200 last year. If I don’t like an event, I’m not going to swim well in it, and I don’t really like the 200 but I just get the chills thinking about swimming the 500.”
She is a good backstroker, but that isn’t an ideal pairing with the 500 freestyle since the events are back-to-back.
“The backstroke isn’t the right race for me because it’s too close to the 500, and the 500 is such a long race,” she said. “I wouldn’t have enough recovery time.”
She has her eye on the school record, a 5:15 currently held by 2009 graduate Meghan Forlini, who has just completed her final swim season at La Salle, coincidentally where the district meet is held.
Forlini was the lap counter for Battis when she swam her 500.
“She has been really encouraging me and for her to be my lap counter at districts was so great,” Battis said.
Battis has an older sister on the team, Deanna.
“She wasn’t swimming competitively, but I’d swim with her and we got into racing,” she said. “We both enjoyed it so that’s what got me into competitive swimming.”
Continental Conference
Pagano strives for best - Gabriella Pagano is the type of swimmer who is happy with her best effort.
The Souderton junior should be pretty satisfied with her performance in the District One Class AAA meet.
She swam the 100-yard butterfly on Thursday, finishing 33rd (1:02.67). On Friday, she was a member of the 400 freestyle relay, which finished 24th (3:50.25) along with senior Megan Furey, freshman Laura Harkins and senior Jess Wimmer.
Souderton finished sixth in team scoring with 130 points.
“Our team did well,” Pagano said. “I’m very happy. For myself, I did the best that I could and that’s all anyone can expect of themselves at a big meet like this. I was happy with my time but, of course, you always think you can do a little better.
“Districts is such a fun meet. It’s so exciting to be swimming and hear my teammates cheering the whole time.”
At the SOL Continental Conference meet, she was fifth in the 100 butterfly (1:01.98) and 16th in the 200 individual medley (2:24.01).
She has been swimming for a good seven or eight years.
“It’s been a long time,” she said. “Souderton is a very big program and it’s very intense but a lot of fun. It’s nice to be on a competitive team because it makes achieving our goals so much more worthwhile.”
Pagano is also on the Souderton water polo team.
Out of the pool, she is part of the Link Crew at Souderton.
“We help freshmen who are coming into the school,” she said. “We get them involved and used to the high school experience.
“It’s awesome because you learn a lot about other people but you also learn a lot about yourself.”
American Conference
Giampietro excels at districts - Danny Giampietro was one happy fellow last week.
The Springfield Montco sophomore won the 200-yard freestyle at the District One Class AA meet on Thursday at La Salle University’s Kirk Pool.
Giampietro, who was seeded first, clocked in at 1:47.45, well below his seeded time of 1:51.58.
“It felt good,” he said of his first district win. “I haven’t swum the 200 that much this year so I was pretty nervous. I didn’t think I’d do as well as I did so I’m really happy.”
He was also second in the 500 freestyle (4:57.14).
His first place finish in the 200 automatically qualified him for the PIAA championships, to be held March 13-16 at Bucknell.
He went to the PIAA meet last year as the breaststroker on the Spartans’ 200 medley relay, which finished 15th.
“That was a great experience for me,” said Giampietro, who has been swimming since age 10. “Now I know what that meet is like.
“I really loved the atmosphere there. Everyone’s nice and everyone’s cheering for you. It’s such a great meet and I’m so glad I’m going again.
“Hopefully I’ll go even faster there than I did at districts. I have a lot of confidence now.”
He had played baseball but did not do so last year.
“It’s hard to do it all and you have to choose,” he said.
In addition to swimming, he played on the offensive line and was a linebacker on the Springfield football team.
“I like football but after this I think I’m going to start swimming a little bit more,” he said.
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