WPIAL swimmers earn spots on All-American lists

By: Michael Love
Thursday, July 11, 2019 | 12:16 PM

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Upper St. Clair’s Josh Matheny set a National Federation of High Schools record of 52.52 seconds in the 100-yard breaststroke at the PIAA Class AAA championships in March at Bucknell University.

So, it came as no surprise Wednesday when the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association All-American lists for the 2018-19 season were released that Matheny, a rising junior, was at the top of the heap in his top event.

He had the best time in the country by 22 one-hundredths of a second over runner-up Ben Dillard, a rising senior at Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills, Calif.

The top 100 recorded times in each event this season earned All-American status, and numerous WPIAL swimmers landed on the list.

Posting top-five times were North Allegheny’s Jack Wright (200 freestyle – fourth, 1:35.04) and Rick Mihm (200 individual medley – third, 1:44.97), the Tigers 200 free relay of Wright, Branko Kosanovich, Joel Songer and Josh Galecki (fourth, 1:22.48), and the NA 400 free relay of Mihm, Kosanovich, Wright and John Ehling (fourth, 2:59.80).

The diving All-American lists were released early last month.

WPIAL All-Americans

Top 100 times – 2018-19 season

Girls

200-yard medley relay

North Allegheny (Molly Smyers, Mary Flavin, Lila McGrath, Torie Buerger), 77th, 3:29.10

200 freestyle

Karen Siddoway, Northgate, 63rd, 1:49.08

200 individual medley

Zoe Skirboll, Fox Chapel, 10th, 1:58.75

Torie Buerger, North Allegheny, 37th, 2:00.96

100 butterfly

Trinity Ward, Mt. Lebanon, 37th, 54.19

100 free

Karen Siddoway, Northgate, T-64th, 50.36

200 free relay

Mt. Lebanon (Meredith Reese, Maddie Dorish, Trinity Ward, Sophia Donati), T-77th, 1:35.77

North Allegheny (Torie Buerger, Olivia Kisow, Mary Flavin, Molly Myers), 87th, 1:35.88

100 backstroke

Torie Buerger, North Allegheny, 30th, 54.31

100 breaststroke

Zoe Skirboll, Fox Chapel, 9th, 1:00.96

Leah Baker, Moon, 53rd, 1:02.72

Heather Gardner, Mt. Pleasant, 57th, 1:02.77

Maddie Dorish, Mt. Lebanon, T-77th, 1:03.02

Tatum Detwiler, Connellsville, T-84th, 1:03.10

400 free relay

North Allegheny (Molly Smyers, Mary Flavin, Lila McGrath, Torie Buerger), 77th, 3:29.10

Boys

200 medley relay

Upper St. Clair (Jack Fitzpatrick, Josh Matheny, Reese Samuel, Ryan Senchyshak), 10th, 1:30.67

North Allegheny (Rick Mihm, Jerry Chen, Tolik Borisov, Joel Songer), 12th, 1:30.70

200 free

Jack Wright, North Allegheny, 4th, 1:35.04

Rick Mihm, North Allegheny, 32nd, 1:37.67

200 IM

Rick Mihm, North Allegheny, 3rd, 1:44.97

Jack Fitzpatrick, Upper St. Clair, 17th, 1:47.70

Josh Matheny, Upper St. Clair, 40th, 1:49.00

50 free

Kimani Gregory, Penn Hills, T-21st, 20.21

Jack Wright, North Allegheny, 23rd, 20.22

Gavin Mayo, Hempfield, T-60th, 20.60

100 fly

Kimani Gregory, Penn Hills, 14th, 47.94

Branko Kosanovich, North Allegheny, 40th, 48.69

Ian Shahan, Belle Vernon, 49th, 48.83

Owen Blazer, Seneca Valley, 97th, 49.60

100 free

Jack Wright, North Allegheny, 8th, 43.81

Rick Mihm, North Allegheny, 9th, 43.88

Kimani Gregory, Penn Hills, 13th, 43.98

Ian Shahan, Belle Vernon, T-93rd, 45.39

500 free

Rick Mihm, North Allegheny, 14th, 4:23.48

Jack Wright, North Allegheny, 43rd, 4:28.23

John Ehling, North Allegheny, 65th, 4:30.16

200 free relay

North Allegheny (Branko Kosanovich, Joel Songer, Josh Galecki, Jack Wright), 4th, 1:22.48

100 back

Jack Fitzpatrick, Upper St. Clair, 8th, 47.67

Owen Blazer, Seneca Valley, T-65th, 49.38

100 breast

Josh Matheny, Upper St. Clair, 1st, 52.52

Jerry Chen, North Allegheny, 90th, 56.40

400 free relay

North Allegheny (Rick Mihm, Branko Kosanovich, John Ehling, Jack Wright), 4th, 2:59.80

Upper St. Clair (Reese Samuel, Jack Fitzpatrick, Graham Kretschmar, Josh Matheny), 92nd, 3:07.21

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: Belle Vernon, Connellsville, Fox Chapel, Hempfield, Moon, Mt. lebanon, Mt. Pleasant, North Allegheny, Northgate, Penn Hills, Seneca Valley, Upper St. Clair