Delco Swimmers Aim for PIAA State Titles
The PIAA Swimming Championships are set to take place at Bucknell University, with the Class 3A meet scheduled for March 11-12 and the Class 2A meet following on March 13-14. Several Delaware County (Delco) swimmers are poised to develop a splash, chasing state titles and aiming for medal contention.
Class 3A Contenders
Addyson Despeaux of Springfield is a strong contender in the 100 backstroke, seeded third in the PIAA Class 3A field. She recently won the District 1 title with a time of 55.09 seconds. She trails District 7 champion Delaney O’Toole (Fox Chapel, 54.13) and Addison Buckman (Cumberland Valley, 55.02) in the rankings. Swimcloud provides further details on Despeaux’s performance.
In the 200 individual medley, Despeaux and Haverford’s Caroline Whitney are both medal threats. Whitney is seeded seventh, just ahead of Despeaux.
Kayla Reasons of Garnet Valley (11th seed) and Morgan Peterson (13th seed) are also looking to make their mark in the 50 free. Peterson is also seeded eighth in the 100 free and will contribute to Penncrest’s 200 medley and 400 free relays. Despeaux will swim on Springfield’s 200 medley relay.
Radnor boasts a strong girls’ team, qualifying all three relays, with the 200 free relay seeded sixth and having the best chance to medal. Alice Lake is seeded seventh in the 100 back, while Elise Flannaan is 14th in the 100 fly and 17th in the 200 fly. Freshman Charlotte Quinones also qualified in the 100 back.
Class 3A Boys
On the boys’ side, Radnor leads Delco with three qualified 200 medley relays (ninth seed), followed by Haverford (11th seed). Radnor also qualified a 400 free relay, making them the only Delco school with two qualified relays.
Alex Yu is the highest-seeded Delco boys swimmer, ranked seventh in the 50 free and 17th in the 100 breaststroke. Aaron Neville of Garnet Valley is seeded eighth in the 100 back and 16th in the 100 fly.
Class 2A Spotlight
Cardinal O’Hara has medal contenders in Class 2A. Brady Turner has the fourth-best time in the 500 free (4:42.45), while Jason Kutufaris is the 12th seed in the 200 free and Turner is 12th in the 200 IM. Kutufaris is also 17th in the 100 free, and Colten Turner is 15th in the 100 back. The Lions qualified all three relays, winning District 12 championships.
Kylie Arnot of Interboro is aiming for a fourth consecutive state title in the boys Class 2A diving competition. He currently holds the third-highest score, trailing Landyn Snook of Bishop Shanahan, who won the District 1 title.