Countdown to WPIALs: Mt. Lebanon’s Trinity Ward eyes longstanding WPIAL record

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, February 22, 2018 | 6:54 PM

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Tribune-Review sports reporter Michael Love and the TribLive High School Sports Network will be profiling 10 swimmers to watch leading up to the 2018 WPIAL championship meet, set for March 1-2 at the Pitt's Trees Pool.

TRIBHSSN is the exclusive audio and video home for the WPIAL Class AAA and AA championship meets, which will be broadcasted and video streamed live at TribHSSN.triblive.com.

Here is the fifth installment of a 10-part series featuring some of the area's top swimmers.

Trinity Ward

School: Mt. Lebanon

Class: Junior

Events: 100 butterfly, 100 freestyle, 200 medley relay, 200 free relay

2017 WPIAL AAA results: 100 butterfly, 1st (55.08); 100 freestyle, 2nd (50.46); 200 medley relay, 1st (1:43.90); 400 freestyle relay, 1st (3:25.76, WPIAL record).

Trinity Ward was the best in the WPIAL and in the state last year in the Class AAA girls 100 butterfly.

She captured the WPIAL crown with a time of 55.08 seconds and then lowered it to 54.14 at Bucknell University to claim state gold.

Ward hopes to do it all over again starting next Thursday on the first day of the WPIAL finals.

“Trinity doesn't like to lose and is always concerned of who is there to challenge her, whether it's an experienced (WPIAL) swimmer or a freshman out there rested and peaking,” Mt. Lebanon coach Thomas Donati said. “Her ultimate goal is to defend her PIAA title. No matter where she is swimming, she wants to go as fast as she can.”

While title defenses are on her mind, Ward also is hoping to be fast enough at Pitt to unseat a WPIAL legend. The Class AAA girls 100 fly record is 54.16 seconds, held by former Penn Hills swimmer Melanie Buddymeyer … since 1983.

It is the longest-standing WPIAL swim record.

“It's amazing how long the record has stood,” Donati said. “If anyone is going to break the record, I would bet it would be Trinity.”

Ward is seeded fifth in the 100 free (53.22) with several others around her between 53 and 54 seconds. They all are looking up at Gateway sophomore Olivia Livingston, the defending WPIAL champ and WPIAL record holder who clocked a qualifying time of 49.47.

If not for Livingston, Ward would own the 100 free WPIAL record, as she swam a runner-up time (50.46) last year that also was faster than the previous top mark held by Oakland Catholic graduate and U.S. Olympian Leah Smith (50.48).

Ward did about as well as one could at WPIALs overall last year as she also helped the Blue Devils' 200 medley relay and 400 free relay win WPIAL championships. The 400 free relay also set a WPIAL record.

“Trinity's had a great year,” Donati said. “She's worked hard and is really pumped up for (WPIALs) and states.”

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Mlove_Trib.

Tags: Mt. lebanon