Athletes from Pennsbury, Hatboro-Horsham and Upper Merion are featured in this week’s notebook.
National Conference
Jeronis key in Falcons’ big win - Pennsbury senior Nicholas Jeronis was already nervous about the Falcons’ upcoming meet with Council Rock North when he got the news that the event, slated for Jan. 8, might have to be postponed due to a maintenance issue.
“I was already nervous for the meet,” he said. “It was all I could think about all day, and then I found out we might not be swimming it.
“You’re not supposed to look at your cell phones during school and I had gym at the time, anyway, but I couldn’t look at my phone. I half wanted the meet to be postponed and I half wanted to just go out there and swim it.”
Fortunately for Jeronis and his teammates, the meet went off as scheduled and the Falcons beat CR North, 117-69, for the first time in four years.
Jeronis contributed wins in the 200-yard individual medley and 500 freestyle. He was also on the winning 400 freestyle relay with Daniel Lawton, Connor Doyle and Travis Venables.
“We haven’t won this meet in a long time, since my brother (Taylor) was a junior I think, so this is huge,” he said.
Jeronis now has his sights set on the next level.
“I’d like to get to states this year,” he said. “I feel good about the 500.”
He would also like to swim in college and is looking at Division III Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana.
“They’re a top-ranked school in engineering, which is what I want to major in,” he said.
Continental Conference
Schmele has sights set high - Hatboro-Horsham’s Barb Schmele has big plans for this season.
“I do have a lot of expectations for myself,” said Schmele, a junior. “I’ve been working harder on my technique this year and so far that’s been paying off for me.
“I want to swim well at districts this year and I would love to get to states. If I can do that, it would be great, but this year I really want to also focus on having fun. At the end of the day that’s what it’s all about.
“I don’t want to take things too seriously, so I want to work hard and get as far as I can and just see where that is.”
Last year she competed at the District One Class AAA meet in two individual events, finishing 13th in the 200-yard individual medley in 2:11.01 and 14th in the 100 backstroke (1:00.01).
“I definitely want to stick with the IM,” said Schmele, who is the president of her class at Hatboro-Horsham. “That’s been one of my favorites and I’ve been swimming that since freshman year. As for the other events, I like them all. Anything except freestyle I’m really into.
“I think I’m going to stick with backstroke but there’s a lot of time left in the season so we’ll see.”
The Hatters do cross fit as a team on Saturdays.
“We get up early and do it together, and it’s something we’ve really adapted to,” she said. “I think it makes us so much stronger, and mentally, it’s also a really great help to know that you’re powerful somewhere other than in the pool. It gives us confidence.”
Schmele has not chosen a college yet, but would like to swim.
“I just can’t imagine my life without swimming,” she said.
American Conference
Cattani puts name in record books - Andrea Cattani is definitely on a roll.
The Upper Merion senior set a school record for six dives with her score of 223.80 points when the Vikings hosted conference foe Plymouth Whitemarsh on Jan. 8.
The previous mark of 223.60 was set by Elaine Lammey in1984.
Not one to rest on her own laurels, Cattani broke the record again at Norristown on Jan. 13, posting a score of 260.55.
“Ever since I came to high school, I was waiting to beat the record,” Cattani said. “The first time I did it I was really close and I wasn’t sure if I got it so it was really exciting when I found out what my score was.
“The second time I beat it by a lot more, but I was still really excited.”
She has been diving for just five years.
“My best friend, Nicole Harper, got me into it,” she said.
Harper is one of her teammates at Upper Merion.
“It’s a lot of fun to dive with her and she was really excited for me,” Cattani said. “I played soccer when I was younger but I wasn’t the best at it. When I started diving, I knew I was a natural right away, so it was a really good decision for me.”
She plans to dive in college and major in counseling. She has already been accepted at Scranton, Susquehanna and La Salle and awaits word from her first choice, Pace.
She qualified for the District One meet her freshman year when the Vikings were Class AA. She missed her sophomore year when Upper Merion moved up in class to AAA but was back at the meet last year, finishing 17th with a score of 250.80.
“My goal this year is to make it to states,” she said. “I think it’s reachable for me and I’m really super excited for the rest of the season.”
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