Lebo’s Ward wins third straight title
By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Trinity Ward coasted to victory in the 100-yard butterfly with a 55.18 time during the WPIAL Class AAA girls’ swimming championships. The junior also helped Mt. Lebanon win the 200-yard medley relay to start the event.
Eleanor Bailey/the almanac
Trinity Ward
Trinity Ward remembers preparation for her races vividly. Just like her winning times, the execution, however, is a blur.
During the WPIAL Class AAA swimming championships held March 1-2 at the University of Pittsburgh Trees Pool, Ward coasted to victory in the 100-yard butterfly. The Mt. Lebanon junior clocked in at 55.18.
“Before the race I remember getting ready, warming up in the pool, looking at the other end of the pool at all the people and my teammates, but when I race I don’t think that much,” the Mt. Lebanon junior said.
Before leaping off the starting block, Ward was thinking about the long-standing WPIAL mark of 54.16 set by Melanie Buddemeyer in 1983.
“Yes,” she admitted, she wanted the record. “Oh but winning is more than okay,” she added.
Winning is par for the course for Ward in the event. Though a three-time WPIAL champion in the fly, Ward found it a challenge to come up with a favorite gold-medal performance.
“Honestly my freshman year was my first time. Oh my gosh,” she said thinking back to three years ago. “So that was so incredible. Last year, I had to think about I have to defend (my title) and this year I wanted to set the record. What’s great is I get another shot at it next year.
“They are all special, though,” she said.
Special times are ahead for Ward as she prepares for the PIAA championships set for March 14-17 at Bucknell University. She is the defending state champion in the fly.
“No matter what, states is the important swim,” she said. “I’m focused more on states.”
Ward focused enough to help Mt. Lebanon finish third in the team standings with a 252 score, three points behind rival Upper St. Clair and 75 off the winning pace set by North Allegheny, which won its 10th team title in a row. The Blue Devils had been runners-up to the Tigers the past two seasons.
Lebo set the tone from the start, winning the first event in an upset over NA. The Blue Devils edged the Tigers by .74 to capture the 200-yard medley relay in 1:45.00. The unit consisted of Hannah Morelli, Maddie Dorish, Ward and Libby Mcdyer.
“Proud of our team,” Ward said. “All of our kids did well and swam fast.”
Ward also had a fast swim in the 100 freestyle but not quick enough to topple Olivia Livingston of Gateway, who also defended her title by setting a WPIAL record in the 50 free. In addition to Ward’s second-place showing in the event, her teammate, Sophia Donati finished fifth. Donati also took third in the 200 free.
The duo of Ward and Donati guided the 400 free relay team to a silver medal behind NA. Devon Scott-Davis and Abbey Greene joined Ward and Donati on the podium for that event.
Other top performances for the Lebo women included:
- Scott-Davis, 9th and Greene 15th in the 200 free.
- Mcdyer, 12th, 200 IM.
- Dorish, 7th, 50 free.
- Marley Howell, 6th, 100 fly.
- Dorish, Donati, Meredith Reese and McDyer, fourth, 200 free relay.
- Scott-Davis, 11th and Howell, 14th in the 500 free.
- Morelli, 14th, 100 back.
- McDyer (12th), Reese and Olivia Yaremcho tied for 17th in 100 breast.
Top finishers for the Lebo boys included:
- Petru Mihailescu, Gabe Towell, Leo Matros and Charlie Rice, 13th, medley relay.
- Rice (11th) and Jack Cusick (14th), 50 free.
- Mihailescu, 15th in the 100 fly.
- Cusick, 14th, 100 free.
- Andrew Klepchick, 15th in the 500 free.
- Cusick, Caden Smith, Aron Johansen and Klepchick 14th in the 400 free relay.
Baker medals
Seton-La Salle’s Cullin Baker finished second in the 50 free (21.73). The Seton-La Salle senior was just .39 off the winning pace set by Neshannock’s Conner McBeth, a freshman.
In the 100 free, Baker finished fourth with a 48.55 time. McBeth again topped the podium with a winning mark of 46.70.
South Fayette’s Dante Cecere tied for seventh place in the 50 race and 11th in the 100.
Other top performers for the Lions were:
- Ryan Miller, Garrett Fincke, Kyle Lynch and Carson Tucker, 16th in the medley relay.
- Michael Grimenstein, 12th in the 200 IM and 11th in the 500 free.
- Fincke and Lynch, 13th and 14th in the 500 free.
- Cecere, Josh Francis, Tucker and Grimenstein, ninth, 200 free relay.
- Grimenstein, Lynch, Fincke and Cecere, 11th, 400 free.
Among the top finishers for the South Fayette girls were:
- Abbie Duncan, eighth, 200 free.
- Duncan, Lexi Ray, Hailey Poe and Morgan Young, 14th, medley relay.