Mighty Mustang
LH senior Mahoney places twice in state swimming finals
Kasey Mahoney left it all in the pool Saturday evening inside Kinney Natatorium on the campus of Bucknell University in Lewisburg.
The Laurel Highlands senior competed in his final high school state meet and finished third place in his top event, the 100-yard breaststroke, in the PIAA Class 2A Boys Swimming and Diving Championships.
Mahoney, who was the WPIAL Class 2A champion in the event on Feb. 27 at Joseph C. Trees Pool on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh, broke his school record with a time of 56.07 in the final. He was the top finisher among the other participants in the race from District 7.
Bloomsburg’s Grayson Reck won the race in 55.39 and Bishop McDevitt’s RJ Duffy was second in 55.51.
Mahoney was pleased with his accomplishments, but also felt some sadness in realizing he just completed his high school swimming career.
“It has been a huge change from freshman year to now, and it feels great to do it this year,” Mahoney said. “As soon as I touched the wall, all I could think about was it being my last time I would swim in high school. I would think it was a successful meet, and I’m happy with how it ended.”
Mahoney, who qualified for the state meet all four years in high school, was fourth in the 100 breaststroke last year and fifth as a sophomore.
He also believes a few tactical errors may have cost him some time, and possibly a victory in Saturday’s final.
“For finals, I took it out way faster than I did in the morning during the prelims,” Mahoney said. “I would say my walls messed me up the most, but everything else besides that, I would say, was better than the morning session. We were all pretty even at the 50 and 75 mark, but I would say the last turn put me behind, and I just couldn’t get that edge to stay with them.”
The PennWest Clarion brought home a second state medal when he returned to Uniontown on Sunday after he placed fourth in the 200 IM (individual medley) on Friday in a time of 1:55.14.
Northgate’s Sam Cavanaugh won the race in 1:49.23. Scranton Prep’s Lukas Iannone finished second in 1:53.07 and Knoch’s Adrian Lavorini edged Mahoney for the bronze medal in 1:54.78.
Mahoney qualified for the state meet last season in the 200 IM, but he wasn’t able to reach the podium in finishing 15th.
“Was in the ‘B’ final last year, so it was nice to make the ‘A’ final and get on the podium,” Mahoney said. “The 200 IM was a pretty perfect race for me in the final. If there was anything I could have done differently, I would say the backstroke portion of the race. I could have taken it out faster and done some more underwaters off each wall. Other than that, it was a pretty good race for me.”
Mahoney wasn’t the only Laurel Highlands swimmer competing in the state meet, as he teamed with Lincoln Metheney, Drew Tupta and Aidan Swaney on the Mustangs’ 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams. The quartet was 27th in the 200 medley with a time of 1:44.45 and 30th in the 400 freestyle after touching the wall in 3:25.68.
Metheney, a sophomore, was 26th in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:00.78. He will return next season, along with Tupta (freshman) and Swaney (junior). Mahoney hopes he guided the returning trio to be their best next year.
“I took a lot of people under my wing this year and showed them the ropes in how things go in high school,” Mahoney said.
LH placed 24th in the team standings with 31 points.
Laurel Highlands senior Addie Ciez also finished her high school career at the state meet. She swam in the 200 IM consolation final on Friday night and placed 16th with a time of 2:15.25. The Frostburg State University commit was 19th in the 500 freestyle on Saturday in 5:22.89.
Uniontown’s Eleanor Carei broke her own school record for 11 dives with a score of 341.65 in Saturday’s final. Carei, a sophomore, was competing in her first state meet.
Teammates Addison Caruso, Shelbie Covert, Hannah Foster and Joss Rutter placed 22nd in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:55.55, which broke the school record that the quartet set at the district meet. Foster, a senior, swam her final high school race Saturday in the 100 breastroke. She finished 24th in 1:08.53.
Rutter, also swam her final high school race, but Caruso and Covert will return next year as sophomores.
Albert Gallatin’s Caylee Psenicska qualified for the consolation final in the 500 freestyle. The sophomore placed 13th after swimming 5:16.47 in the final, which bested her preliminary time of 5:17.70. Psenicska was 21st in the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:00.15.
Southmoreland senior Allison Stinnett earned the bronze medal in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:03.99. She was seventh in the 50 freestyle after touching the wall in 24.33.
Mount Pleasant’s girls 200 medley relay team was sixth in 1:50.14. Lady Viking junior Riley Shinsky was ninth in the 50 freestyle (24.28). She was 13th in the 100 freestyle with a time of 53.61 in the consolation final.
Mount Pleasant senior Lainey Brown placed 13th in the 100 breaststroke in 1:07.10, as she qualified for the consolation (“B” final).
The Lady Vikings were 10th in the 400 freestyle relay after swimming 3:41.48 in the final event of the competition Saturday evening.
Mount Pleasant was 15th in the 200 freestyle relay (1:43.67).
The Lady Vikings were 13th in the team standings with 61 points.
Viking senior Gunnar Probst swam in the consolation final in the 100 freestyle Saturday evening. He placed ninth in the event with a time of 47.57. He was 11th in the 50 freestyle (21.60).
Fellow senior Cody Fusco was 24th in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:49.52. Fusco finished 29th in the 500 freestyle (5:03.58).
Mount Pleasant was 16th in the 400 freestyle relay (3:20.82) and 18th in the 200 freestyle relay (1:31.41).
Viking senior Noah Lahm was 14th in the 11-dives competition with a score of 309.
Belle Vernon senior Brady Malekovich was fifth in the 50 freestyle in Class 2A boys with a time of 21.12. He was 11th in the 100 freestyle (48.13).
The Lady Leopards’ Josie Nikolic swam in the consolation final of 100 freestyle Saturday night, and the sophomore placed 12th in 53.53. She didn’t make the finals in the 100 breaststroke, but was tied with two others for 21st in 1:08.41.
Teammate Megan Shusteric qualified for the consolation final in the 500 freestyle Saturday evening. The junior placed 14th in 5:19.18. She was 26th in the 200 freestyle Friday morning with a time of 2:02.27.