Connors, Aidar leading USC into championships
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Upper St. Clair’s Amanda Aidar surfaces for air on the butterfly leg of the 200-yard IM during a dual meet against Mt. Lebanon.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Upper St. Clair’s Kaitlyn Connors takes a breath during the 200-yard freestyle event.
The Upper St. Clair girls swimming team has modest expectations for the WPIAL championships after graduating a plethora of performers from last year’s third-place finisher at the same meet.
North Allegheny will be seeking a 14th consecutive title when the finals are held March 3-4 at Trees Pool on the University of Pittsburgh campus. Action starts both days at 9:50 a.m. Seneca Valley was the 2021 runner-up, a scant 26 points ahead of the Panthers.
USC finished runner-up to Mt. Lebanon in this year’s section race. The Panthers posted a 5-1 record after dropping the section finale to the Blue Devils, 98-86.
This winter, USC finished 6-4 overall. USC also lost to North Allegheny, Seneca Valley and Fox Chapel.
“Considering what we lost from last year, I am pleased with how our girls have done,” said USC head coach Dave Schraven. “There is nothing wrong with losing to the best. This young team exceeded expectations.”
The Panthers are confident they will advance at least two swimmers to the PIAA championships set for March 16-19 at the Kinney Natatorium on the Bucknell University campus in Lewisburg.
Though sophomores Kaitlyn Connors and Amanda Aidar are seasoned veterans on the area swimming stage.
Connors won gold in the 200-yard freestyle relay, while Aidar won silver in the 400-yard freestyle relay during last year’s WPIAL championships.
Individually, Connors won the 50-yard sprint in 23.75. She added third in the 100 free, two spots behind her sister, Taylor, who is now a freshman at Miami University of Ohio.
Connors will not defend her title in the 50 free. She is entered in the 100 and 200 events. She also holds the second-best time in the 500 free this season.
“It’s rare that you get a top-level swimmer like Kaitlyn who can cover the distances from the 50 through the 500,” Schraven said. “We don’t want to pigeon-hole her into events because she is a complete swimmer.
“For recruiting purposes for colleges,” he added, “the more events she can swim the better. Kaitlyn has demonstrated she can do a variety of things.”
Aidar excels in the individual medley and the butterfly. She was seventh in last year’s individual medley and ninth in the fly.
“We expect Amanda, like Kaitlyn, to go in there and swim fast,” Schraven said. “If they do that, the other stuff takes care of itself.
“We feel confident that Amanda will make it to states like Kaitlyn,” added Schraven, who noted Aidar’s fly time against Lebo was fast enough to make a state cut.
The Panthers will also rely upon Kendall Drew in the 50 free and 100 back, Freja Kile in the 200 free and Rachel Libbi in the 500 free during the WPIAL championships.
“We have had some big holes to fill but we hope to get a relay or two to states. It won’t be easy but we have a legitimate shot,” Schraven said. “If we accomplish that, the meet will be a success.
“We’ve had a great year and we have been successful so far. So I am pleased,” Schraven continued. “Each team is different and you never know what is going to happen but we rallied well.”
USC managed to recover from matriculation because of the addition ofBlaire Gillespie. A USC resident, she swam for Oakland Catholic her freshman and sophomore years. Because of the transfer rule, she has been ruled ineligible for the WPIAL and PIAA championships.
Addison Burnett has contributed to USC’s success, too. A two-time WPIAL qualifier, she finished 10th in last year’s district championships.
“She has a chance to make states,” Schraven said of Burnett. “She had improved a lot this year. She is doing harder dives and she has mastered those.”
The WPIAL diving championships were set for Feb. 26 at North Allegheny High School.