Freeport’s Schrecongost, Fox Chapel’s Shao lead strong A-K Valley contingent into WPIAL swimming championships

By: Michael Love
Tuesday, March 1, 2022 | 4:52 PM

Lexi Schrecongost’s swimming future is at Toledo.

The Freeport senior’s swimming present is preparing for some unfinished business Thursday and Friday as the WPIAL Class 2A and 3A championships return home to Pitt’s Trees Pool.

“This meet will definitely hit close to home as it will be my last (WPIAL) one,” said Schrecengost, the defending WPIAL girls Class 2A champion in the 100-yard breaststroke. “But I am super excited for it and feeling really confident with how I’ve been practicing. I am ready to see what’s beyond this season, but there is so much left to accomplish, hopefully, over the next couple of weeks.”

Schrecongost is a part of a loaded Alle-Kiski Valley boys and girls contingent that hopes to bring home several titles and top-eight medals. She is seeded second in the 100 breast and fourth in the 100 freestyle.

As with last year, only the WPIAL champion in each individual event and relay receives an automatic berth to states at Bucknell. The other spots will be filled with the fastest remaining times from all of the district meets.

Lexi Schrecongost will swim for the first time at WPIALs with sister, Kira, a freshman who is positioned as the top seed for the 100 butterfly and second in the 200 individual medley.

“It is a great feeling to share these moments with her,” the elder Schrecongost said. “Not many people can say they get that chance.”

The Schrecengost sisters will be together in a pair of relays, including the second-seeded 200 medley relay with sophomore Caitlyn Brennan and freshman Isabelle Barton.

Overall, there are a plethora of top-eight seeds from the A-K Valley, and those leading that listing are preparing to hold off a number of challengers.

Others situated out of the top eight are hoping to make a charge to the medals podium.

Fox Chapel’s Sophie Shao has been successful in holding off the field in the Class 3A 100 fly. She won it in 2020 and defended it last year. She again is the No. 1 seed.

“Right now, the biggest thing for me going into this meet is confidence,” Shao said. “I can’t have room for any doubt. I know there are a number of girls who want my title, but I have to trust in my abilities to get it done again.”

Shao, who swam a 54.14 at the Speedo Junior Nationals in December and owns a high school personal best of 54.22 from states as a freshman, also is chasing the 38-year 100 fly record of Penn Hills’ Melanie Buddemeyer.

She also is the top seed in the 200 individual medley, the event in which she finished runner-up in last year to the now-graduated Molly Smyers from North Allegheny.

Shao swam the 100 breast as a freshman and took fourth.

A deep Fox Chapel girls team, with 13 top-eight seeds including seven in the top three, are among the favorites to capture a WPIAL Class 3A team title. The Foxes finished fourth last season.

Junior Talia Bugel hopes to defend her 100 backstroke title, and she is seeded second (56.73) to freshman Sylvia Roy from Mt. Lebanon. It will be a close individual 1-2 for Bugel as she also will swim the 500 free (seeded eighth) on Friday.

Senior Rei Sperry is seeded second in the 100 free (52.37). She and Upper St. Clair sophomore Kaitlyn Connors (No. 1, 51.24) are the only two in the event at WPIALs who hit automatic qualifying times during the regular season.

Foxes junior Payton O’Toole, seeded third in the 200 free and fourth in the 500 free, is back at WPIALs after not competing at the high school level last year. She qualified for states as a freshman at Burrell in 2020, but she was denied the opportunity to swim at Bucknell as the Class 2A meet was canceled with the onset of the covid-19 pandemic.

“The whole team is super-psyched for the potential we have,” Shao said. “We’re all swimming for each other, too.”

Another one to watch on the girls side is Kiski Area sophomore Eliza Miller. The 2021 state qualifier is seeded third in the 200 IM and 100 breast.

Her Cavaliers teammate, junior Levi Hansen, also hopes to return to states. Hansen is the No. 1 seed in the boys 200 free (1:42.53). He swam 1:43.57 in the event last year and took fifth.

Hansen also is the fifth seed in the 500 free (4:45.69), with classmate Parker Sterlitz situated one spot higher in fourth (4:44.26).

Parker and Hansen took third and fourth, respectively, in the 500 at WPIALs last year behind Butler graduate David Bocci, and Fox Chapel’s Zachary Zornan-Ferguson. Zornan-Ferguson decided not to swim at the high school level this year.

St. Joseph senior Sam Wygonik owns the third seed in the boys Class 2A 200 free and the fifth seed in the 500 free. He earned a medal in both at WPIALs last year and went on to take 11th in the 500 at states.

Also hoping for big things at WPIALs and a return to the PIAA championships is Plum senior Sam Schohn, the third seed in the boys Class 2A 100 breast (1:00.22).

He is situated better than his WPIAL finish last year: fifth overall in 1:01.17. Like Wygonik, Schohn earned 11th at states with a time of 1:01.09.

WPIAL swimming championships

What: WPIAL Class 2A and 3A swimming championships

When: Thursday and Friday

Times: Class 3A: 9:45 a.m. (both days); Class 2A: 3 p.m. (both days)

Where: Pitt’s Trees Pool

Events: Day 1: 200-yard medley relay, 200 freestyle, 200 individual medley, 50 free, 100 butterfly, 200 free relay; Day2: 100 free, 500 free, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, 400 free relay

Medals: Top eight finishers in each relay and individual event

PIAA Qualification: Automatic to WPIAL champions only

Masks: Required for all spectators

Tickets: $10 (Gate sale only)

Live stream: TribLive High School Sports Network

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Fox Chapel