North Penn captured the team title at the PIAA Class AAA swimming championships Thursday at Bucknell. Pennridge finished second.
LEWISBURG - The North Penn girls swim team waited 26 years to win a state title.
That wait ended Thursday night when the Maidens scored 243 points to capture the team crown at the PIAA Class AAA girls swimming championships, held at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium.
The Maidens picked up a lot of points from their divers.
Marie Yacopino led the charge, winning the state title with a meet record score of 530.75 after taking two silvers and a bronze in her career.
“I wouldn’t change anything,” she said. “I like how it wasn’t a struggle but a challenge to make it here. I didn’t even realize it was the record.”
Paige Burrell was second (471.70), Rachael Fisher was 10th (408.06) and Callie Smith was 15th (380.85) to round out diving for North Penn.
The Maidens ended the meet with a second place finish in the 400 freestyle relay (3:26.39). Aimee Baur, Claudia Thamm, Parker Schulz and Kailyn Evans were the team members.
Megan Zartman was fifth in the 100 backstroke (55.70), Evans finished ninth in the 100 freestyle (51.06), Erin O’Neill was 11th in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.63), Maureen Boland Bintner was 12th in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.91), Aimee Baur was 14th in the 100 freestyle (51.99), Heather Hartmann was 15th in the 500 freestyle (5:10.75) for North Penn.
“They’re real self-sufficient,” North Penn coach Matt Weiser said. “They knew what they had to do, they came in and took care of their business every day at practice.
“The coolest thing to me is that we did this as a team. We won the meet outright with swimming, but we scored 46 points with diving and I just can’t say enough about how awesome it is that we can all work together to do that.”
Family ties were abundant for the Maidens. The 1990 coach was Selma Robinson, now the assistant athletic director at North Penn. When she led North Penn to that state title, Robinson was expecting daughter Molly, who is now an assistant coach on the team.
One of Selma Robinson’s swimmers on that team was a freshman, Julie Krail, who won the state title in the 100 breaststroke.
Krail’s daughter is Kailyn Evans.
“My mom was on that team 26 years ago and she was coached by Molly’s mom, and now Molly’s coaching me,” Evans said. “It’s such a privilege to be a part of all of this. My mom was so excited. She was jumping around in the hotel lobby.
“It feels so good. I’m so proud of the way everyone swam and how we did this together. Everyone made it back for the night swims and I was just blown away by that. That’s where the points come from.”
Brittany Weiss of Pennridge took first place in the 100 backstroke (53.27) and Hannah Zurmuhl, Anna Beno, Weiss and Morgan Scott won the 400 freestyle relay (3:23.88).
“That was the highlight of my high school career, winning that relay for my last high school swim,” Weiss said. “And for us to finish second in team scoring was just the topper. It’s a lot of hard work but it all paid off in the end.”
Morgan Scott took second in the 100 freestyle (49.65).
Zurmuhl was 20th in the 100 freestyle (51.96) and Beno was 28th in the 100 backstroke (59.71).
Nicole Costello, a junior from Pennsbury, took fifth in diving (443.75).
Quakertown sophomore Taylor Bennett was sixth in diving (431.35).
Council Rock South sophomore Phoebe Shaya picked up a medal in her first state appearance, taking eighth in diving (418.35).
Jenna Johns of Upper Dublin took ninth place in the 100 freestyle (51.06) while teammate Abbie Amdor was 16th in the 100 breaststroke(1:05.91).
Wissahickon’s Carly Zlotnikoff finished 11th in the 500 freestyle (5:01.94).
Also for the Trojans, Amanda Zlotnikoff was 26th in the 100 backstroke (59.56).
Amanda Zlotnikoff, Liliana Xu, Carly Zlotnikoff and Kelly Wild finished 18th in the 400 freestyle relay (3:38.50).
Barbara Schmele of Hatboro-Horsham finished 14th in the 100 backstroke (57.44).
PIAA Girls Swimming and Diving Championship
Girls 100 Yard Freestyle
(A - Final) 1, Siena Salvaggio, Parkland-11, 49.34. 2, Morgan Scott,Pennridge-01, 49.65. 3, Lauren Mcgrath, North Allegheny-07, 50.84. 4, ClaireWalsh, Penncrest-01, 51.11. 5, Meredith Newman, Manheim Twp-03, 51.13. 6,Madison Ledwith, Conestoga-01, 51.36. 7, Ann Carozza, WC East-01, 51.40. 8,Abby Kosic, Henderson-01, 51.79.
(B - Final) 9, Kailyn Evans, North Penn-01,51.06. 10, Julia Cullen, Radnor-01, 51.28. 11, Jenna Johns, Upper Dublin-01,51.29. 12, Hannah Bumgarner, Mt Lebanon-07, 51.69. 13, Chelsea Gravereaux,Emmaus-11, 51.72. 14, Aimee Baur, North Penn-01, 51.99. 15, Summer Martin,Strath Haven-01, 52.26. 16, Mikaela Lantz, Reading-03, 52.65.
Girls 500 Yard Freestyle
(A - Final) 1, Anna Kalandadze, Lower Merion-01, 4:51.79. 2, Frances Resweber,Strath Haven-01, 4:55.21. 3, Morgan Curl, Oxford-01, 4:56.43. 4, Abby Hay,Peters Twp-07, 4:57.08. 5, Victoria Connolly, Parkland-11, 4:57.75. 6, EmmaSchouten, Warwick-03, 5:00.63. 7, Rebecca Cubbler, Spring Ford-01, 5:02.50. 8,Sally Tafuto, Hershey-03, 5:05.82. (B - Final) 9, Abby Matheny, Upper StClair-07, 5:00.03. 10, Sarah Mautino, Oakland Catholic-07, 5:01.12. 11, CarlyZlotnikoff, Wissahickon-01, 5:01.94. 12, Clare Mcgovern, Avon Grove-01,5:05.34. 13, Lexi Kostelnik, Laurel Highlands-07, 5:06.97. 14, Cara Megill,Boyertown-01, 5:07.42. 15, Heather Hartmann, North Penn-01, 5:10.75. 16,Gianna Caputo, North Allegheny-07, 5:12.40.
Girls 100 Yard Backstroke
(A - Final) 1, Brittany Weiss, Pennridge-01, 53.27. 2, Maddie Hart,Haverford-01, 54.65. 3, Kacey Oberlander, Dallastown-03, 54.86. 4, AlexaKutch, Easton-11, 54.89. 5, Megan Zartman, North Penn-01, 55.70. 6, SarahMautino, Oakland Catholic-07, 55.78. 7, Kaylee Hollenbach, Lower Dauphin-03,56.74. 8, Mackenzie Gring, Muhlenberg-03, 56.83. (B - Final) 9, Emma Brinton,Avon Grove-01, 56.02. 10, Megan Koczur, WC Rustin-01, 56.48. 11, Trinity Ward,Mt Lebanon-07, 56.95. 12, Clare Flanagan, Hampton-07, 57.00. 13, GeorgiaApostolu, Springfield Del-01, 57.23. 14, Maura Grimes, Unionville-01, 57.44.14, Barbara Schmele, Hatboro-Horsham-01, 57.44. 16, Hannah Rusinko, Norwin-07, 58.16.
Girls 100 Yard Breaststroke
(A - Final) 1, Olivia Paoletti, Avon Grove-01, 1:01.43. 2, Emily Sykes,Methacton-01, 1:02.73. 3, Rabea Pfaff, Avon Grove-01, 1:02.79. 4, PeytonKondis, Oakland Catholic-07, 1:03.08. 5, Heather MacCausland, Dtown East-01,1:03.16. 6, Madeleine Cooke, Phoenixville-01, 1:03.39. 7, Erin Kuhn, NorthAllegheny-07, 1:04.02. 8, Gabriella Johnson, Governor Mifflin-03, 1:04.28. (B- Final) 9, Madi Grenoble, Dtown West-01, 1:04.18. 10, Maddie Yoos, Upper StClair-07, 1:04.52. 11, Erin O'neill, North Penn-01, 1:04.63. 12, MaureenBoland Bintner, North Penn-01, 1:04.69. 13, Caylene Rippon, Hershey-03,1:05.03. 14, Gab Rudy, Ridley-01, 1:05.18. 15, Emma Schouten, Warwick-03,1:05.40. 16, Abbie Amdor, Upper Dublin-01, 1:05.91.
Girls 400 Yard Freestyle Relay
(A - Final) 1, Pennridge-01, 3:23.88. 2, North Penn-01, 3:26.39. 3, MtLebanon-07, 3:26.84. 4, North Allegheny-07, 3:29.09. 5, Avon Grove-01,3:29.56. 6, WC Henderson-01, 3:30.74. 7, Hershey-03, 3:31.98. 8, ManheimTownship-03, 3:32.08. (B - Final) 9, Downingtown West-01, 3:32.43. 10,Parkland-11, 3:33.47. 11, Unionville-01, 3:34.26. 12, Emmaus-11,3:34.49. 13, Upper St Clair-07, 3:35.30. 14, Strath Haven-01, 3:36.10. 15,Oakland Catholic-07, 3:36.45. 16, Haverford-01, 3:38.42.
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