H-S All-Area Boys Swimming and Diving Team
Mustangs鈥� Mahoney earns swimmer of the year honors
Kasey Mahoney climbed the ladder each year on the podium in the PIAA Class 2A Boys Swimming and Diving Championships, which culminated last Saturday inside the Kinney Natatorium on the campus of Bucknell University in Lewisburg.
The Laurel Highlands senior finished third in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 56.07 in the final. Mahoney’s time broke a school record that he set in winning the event at the WPIAL championship meet on Feb. 27 at Joseph C. Trees Pool on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. Mahoney was the top finisher among District 7 participants at the state meet.
The race was won by Bloomsburg’s Grayson Reck in 55.39. Bishop McDevitt’s RJ Duffy was second in 55.51.
Mahoney placed fifth in the 100 breaststroke as a sophomore and fourth as a junior. The four-time state qualifier will continue his academic and swimming careers at PennWest Clarion.
Mahoney also placed at the state meet in the 200 IM (individual medley) with a fourth-place finish after swimming the final in 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.
Mahoney teamed with Aidan Swaney, Lincoln Metheney and Drew Tupta in qualifying for the state meet in the 200 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay. 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.
For his achievements this season, Mahoney has been selected as the Swimmer of the Year on the 蘑菇视频 All-Area Boys Swimming and Diving Team.
“It is a great feeling to finish the highest on the podium my senior year,” Mahoney said. “It was nice to place in the 200 IM because last year I wasn’t able to make the ‘A’ final. I was in the ‘B’ final and finished 15th, so to be in the ‘A’ final this year was awesome.”
Unlike most of his opponents and teammates, Mahoney started swimming as a 10-year-old, but he definitely made up for it.
“Most people start when they are six, but my sister (Abby) swam, and she convinced me to join when I was 10-years-old,” Mahoney said. “I started soccer when I was four, and I played all the way through high school, but swimming has been my main sport.”
Mahoney and LH coach Bob McCombie had known each other from the YMCA, where McCombie also coaches and Mahoney began his competitive career.
“My freshman year, my head coach was Logan Knoyer, then we had a parent coach my sophomore year,” Mahoney said. “Bob was my coach in high school the last two years. The YMCA was where I got started, and when I qualified for the YMCA Nationals my freshman year, that is when I started to realize I could swim at the next level.”
Mahoney is eager to swim at the next level, and hopefully beyond, before focusing on his career. He wouldn’t rule out the possibility of coaching swimming at the high-school level.
The following makes up the first and second team All-Area performers in the 蘑菇视频 coverage area:
FIRST TEAM
200-yard medley relay: Laurel Highlands (Kasey Mahoney, Aidan Swaney, Lincoln Metheney, Drew Tupta)
200-yard freestyle: Cody Fusco, Mount Pleasant
200-yard IM: Kasey Mahoney, Laurel Highlands
50-yard freestyle: Brady Malekovich, Belle Vernon
Diving: Noah Lahm, Mount Pleasant
100-yard butterfly: Gunnar Probst, Mount Pleasant
200-yard freestyle relay: Mount Pleasant (Cody Fusco, Colby Emerick, Lucas Poole, Gunnar Probst)
100-yard freestyle: Gunnar Probst, Belle Vernon
500-yard freestyle: Lincoln Metheney, Laurel Highlands
100-yard backstroke: Colby Emerick, Mount Pleasant
100-yard breaststroke: Kasey Mahoney, Laurel Highlands
400-yard freestyle relay: Mount Pleasant (Cody Fusco, Colby Emerick, Lucas Poole, Gunnar Probst)
SECOND TEAM
200-yard medley relay: Mount Pleasant (Colby Emerick, Owen Spires, Ben Marsh, Gage Burkes)
200-yard freestyle: Lincoln Metheney, Laurel Highlands
200-yard IM: Aaron Moccaldi, Albert Gallatin
50-yard freestyle: Gunnar Probst, Mount Pleasant
Diving: Kavon Novak, Uniontown
100-yard butterfly: Kasey Mahoney, Laurel Highlands
200-yard freestyle relay: Connellsville (Vincenzo Stader, Cory Stanton, Corbin Hoffer, Dalton Shoemaker
100-yard freestyle: Brady Malekovich, Belle Vernon
500-yard freestyle: Cody Fusco, Mount Pleasant
100-yard backstroke: Vincenzo Stader, Connellsville
100-yard breaststroke: Aidan Swaney, Laurel Highlands
400-yard freestyle relay: Laurel Highlands (Kasey Mahoney, Aidan Swaney, Lincoln Metheney, Drew Tupta)