Mt. Lebanon swimmer expected to dominate final WPIAL
Roy going for 4-peat in two events
Sylvia Roy will attempt to win her fourth title in the 100-yard backstroke when the WPIAL swimming championships are held Feb. 27-28 at Pitt.
The WPIAL swimming championships will be held Feb. 27-28 at the University of Pittsburgh’s Trees Pool.
Look for Sylvia Roy of Mt. Lebanon to make a big splash in her final hurrah before she matriculates to the University of Virginia. The senior is looking to become a four-time WPIAL champion in both the 50-yard freestyle as well as her signature swim, the 100 backstroke.
Roy is seeded first in both events. Her entry time of 22.60 in the 50 free is under the WPIAL record mark of 22.72, which she set in 2023. She also holds the district and state records in the back with a 52.90. Her seed time for the back is 53.34, two seconds faster than the second seeded Lauren Orpitz from Peters Township.
“We expect Sylvia to be Sylvia,” said Lebo coach Tom Donati. “She really has an opportunity to do something special. Not too many people have gone 4-for-4 in double events. That’s pretty prestigious.”
In the regular season finale, Roy shattered two pool records and two school marks as the Lebo girls claimed the Section IV banner with a 6-0 slate.
“Wherever Sylvia has gone this year, she has put her name on the board. Most of the time without wearing a racing suit,” Donati added.
The Blue Devils finished dual meet competition with an 8-2-1 slate. They tied Franklin Regional and lost to North Allegheny and Fox Chapel. The Tigers, who have won 28 WPIAL titles, 16 of them in a row, and the Foxes are expected to battle for the top two slots in the team standings.
Donati anticipates Lebo battling Seneca Valley, Greater Latrobe and Peters Township to battle for the other Top 5 spots.
“We are young,” he said, “but this team has rallied all year. I’m excited to see what happens at WPIALs.”
Individually, Helen Albu is seeded third and 10th in the 100 and 200 free events while Lillyan Evan has the No. 3 time in the back and No. 9 in the butterfly.
“Helen has had a remarkable year and Lillyan is a junior at what has become known as Backstroke University because of the Roys,” Donati said. “We expected them to do well.”
The Lebo boys enjoyed a successful regular season as they finished in a three-way tie with Upper St. Clair and Bethel Park for the section title. Overall, the Blue Devils finished 8-3.
North Allegheny is expected to win its 18th boys title.
The Lebo boys are led by Malcolm Thompson. The Fordham recruit was seeded first in the diving competition held Feb. 22 at North Allegheny.
“Malcolm gets us started,” Donati said. “We are excited for him. Our boys are pretty good. We have a lot of depth and numbers but we are young, with only one guy graduating,” he added.
“We are looking to be a Top 5 team. Hopefully higher,” he added. “We have guys that can do that and relays that are really going to help the team if they all perform well.”
Among the Lebo boys qualified for the WPIAL championships are: Matthew Burton, William Coleman, Peter Goslin, Casper Krowinski, Sangay Lama, Noah Loboda, Rinzen Sherpa, Anton Sikorsky, William Thomas, Benjamin Watterson, Thomas Vilardaga and Michael Zhu.
Other female qualifiers include: Sarah Albu, Colleen Hart, Clara Shellenberger, Evelyn Smith, Quinn Thompson and Leah Werzyn.
USC TRIO
A trio of Upper St. Clair swimmers enter the WPIAL championships as the top seeds.
Nazar Zoukovski is the defending champion in the 100 free. His seed time if 45.80. The junior is also seeded third in the 200 free.
Ben Whitfeord is the favorite in the 100 fly with a 50.30 seed time, .73 ahead of NA’s Gus Miller. The junior is also among the top three entrants in the 100 back with a 50.32 seed time, a shade off the top marks produced by Luke Lamb from Mars and Bethel Park’s Jackson Edwards.
Griffin Tomsheck gives the Panthers a shot in the 100 breaststroke. The senior is seeded third with a 57.31 time. He is also entered in the 50 free.
With the threesome, USC is a formidable foe in the medley relay, where they are seeded first, ahead of NA and Lebo.