Mt. Lebanon wants more than section banners
WPIAL trophy in swimming the goal
A pile of section plaques sit in a corner of Tom Donati’s office inside the Mt. Lebanon High School natatorium.
“Collecting dust,” he said. “Paper weights,” he added.
This year’s section titles for both the boys and girls swim teams are “a nice accomplishment” says Donati but they are not the goal. At Mt. Lebanon the aims are WPIAL and state titles.
So the Blue Devils enter the District 7 championships set for Feb. 26-27 at the University of Pittsburgh’s Trees Pool with one objective in mind.
“We’re chasing a trophy,” said Donati, who is in his 14th season at the helm at Mt. Lebanon.
Defending champion North Allegheny, which has 19 boys and 29 girls titles, including 17 in a row, is the “clear cut” favorite to take home the top trophy.
According to Donati, the Blue Devil boys, who finished third last year, Upper St. Clair, which placed fifth in the state in 2025, and Peters Township are contenders for the runner-up team title in Class 3A.
Mt. Lebanon went undefeated in section dual meet competition with 6-0 slates. The boys posted a 12-1 overall record with the lone loss to North Allegheny while the girls finished 10-3 overall.
“By far my girls are my most improved team,” said Donati, who has been coaching for 35 years. “Credit them, particularly after the graduation losses we had. The culture, work ethic and being one together with the boys team is the reason for their success.
“Expectations at WPIALs, obviously, are for best times,” Donati continued. “We want to be at our best and get faster. Success with the team goes with that.”
Mt. Lebanon enters the WPIAL championships with high expectations because they not only have 16 boys and eight girls qualified for individual events but because they can group their best into strong relay teams.
There are three relays – 200 medley, 200 free and 400 free – among the 12 featured events included in the WPIAL swimming and diving championships. Relays contribute more points to a squad’s score than individual races so they are an important strategy for those teams vying for championships.
That’s why arch-rival Upper St. Clair is a threat to Lebo’s goals.
The Panthers feature seniors Nazar Zoukovski and Ben Whiteford.
Zoukovski is the reigning champion in the 100 free and while the top two finishers in the 50 free have graduated, Whiteford is back as the bronze medalist.
Zoukovski is committed to the University of Arizona while Whitford is a Northwestern recruit.
Donati predicts both Zoukovski and Whitford will win both their individual events. Plus, the Panthers are favored to win in the relays.
“USC has great high school swimmers. Not just Zoukovski and Whitford but they have two others behind them that makes them capable of winning at least two of the relays. That’s a lot of points right there.
“We have to dig deep,” Donati said. “We can’t worry about anybody but ourselves and take care of business.”
Lebo’s top male swimmers are Rinzen Sherpa and William Thomas.
A junior, Sherpa has top times of 1:51.09 in the 200 individual medley and 56.48 for the 100-yard breaststroke. A senior, Thomas has top times of 1:43.29 and 4:44.10 in the 200 and 500 freestyle events.
In addition, Michael Zhu is an added weapon for the Blue Devils. A senior, he will compete in the 100 free and breast.
“Rinzen, William and Zhu were made for WPIALs,” said Donati. “They are excited to compete and they give us three great relays.”
Class 3A competition commences on Thursday and Friday at 9:45 a.m.
Race events on the first day of competition in order will be: 200 medley relay; 200 freestyle; 200 IM; 50 free; 100 butterfly and 200 free relay. Order of events on the second day are: 100 and 500 free; 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke and 400 free relay.
Among Lebo’s other male qualifiers for the WPIAL meet are: Matthew Burton (100 fly and breast); Lee Campbell (50 free and back); Matthew Coleman (200 IM and breast); William Coleman (200 and 500 free); Peter Goslin (200 IM and back); Matthew Harrold (fly); Rafael Labriola (200 free and fly); Noah Loboda (50 and 100 free); Ethan Lopert (back); Anton Skorski (fly and back) Finn Thompson (50 free) Thomas Vilardaga (200 and 500 free) and Benjamin Watterson (200 IM and 500 free).
Among Lebo’s female qualifiers for the WPIAL championships are: Sarah Albu (200 and 500 free); Gwyneth Davis (fly and back); Lillian Evan (fly and back); Colleen Hart (200 and 500 free); Clara Shellenberger (breast); Evelyn Smith (50 free and fly); Quinn Thompson (50 free and back) and Leah Werzyn (fly).
After graduating Sylvia Roy, a four-time 50 free and 100 backstroke champion as well as multiple WPIAL record-holder who is now at the University of Virginia, the Lebo girls are still in a rebuild, says Donati. Expectations are to advance a relay and/or an individual to states as well as finish in the Top 10 of the team standings.
WPIAL champions along with those meeting the qualifying standards advance to the PIAA championships set for March 11-14 at Kinney Natatorium on the campus of Bucknell University.
“We are a work in progress,” Donati said. “We are still young and the future is bright.”