The Indiana girls won their first WPIAL girls swimming championship last winter. As an encore, they followed that up with a second straight Class 2A title.
It was a bit longer for the Northgate boys team, as Flames’ first title came in 2018. Championship No. 2 came Friday at Pitt’s Trees Pool.
Both titles featured a bit of excitement in the meet’s final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay.
On the girls’ side, Franklin Regional was just behind Indiana after 22 events. The Panthers needed a win, and for Indiana to finish sixth. The Panthers finished second, and Indiana was third to clinch the team title with a score of 284 points. The Panthers were second at 277. Shady Side Academy finished third (214).
For the boys, Northgate won the 400 freestyle relay to finish with 229 points. Indiana placed second (209), and Shady Side Academy was third (180).
The Shady Side Academy girls and the Northgate boys won the first two gold medals on Day 1, and they both captured the final two golds in the 400 freestyle relays.
Winchester Thurston’s Thea Siegel, who won gold in the 50 freestyle Thursday, finished first in the 100 freestyle Friday in 51.11 seconds.
Indiana’s Joshua Reed won his second gold with a time of 46.82 in the boys 100 freestyle. Reed was a bronze medalist in that event last year.
Shady Side Academy junior Ava Jochims won the girls 500 freestyle in 4:59.98. Jochims won the 200 IM Thursday.
Northgate’s Sam Cavanaugh won his second gold medal in the 500 freestyle, after winning the 200 IM on Day 1.
In the 100 backstroke, Hampton senior Lainey Sheets won in 54.94. She was a silver medalist in that event last year and won a gold in the 100 butterfly Thursday.
“I thought it was a pretty good competition for me,” Sheets said. “I know a lot of the girls I raced, and it’s always a pleasure racing them.”
In the final relay, Sheets swam a great first leg, with her twin sister Libby as the anchor.
“It’s also special swimming with her,” Lainey said of her sister. “It’s a little harder swimming against her, but I love swimming with her. She’s made such an impact on my life, just getting to swim with her.”
That combination will continue, as Lainey and Libby will swim at Duquesne after high school, where their father David is the head coach. Their older brother Ben is a swimmer at Queens College.
“It’s an honor swimming behind my brother,” Lainey said. “My parents are amazing. They help us out so much, so I really have them to thank.”
Northgate’s Greyson McKelvey won his second gold medal of the meet in the boys 100 backstroke in 51.87.
Shady Side Academy freshman Ella Kiger won the 100 breaststroke in 1:05.62. The boys’ winner was Clarion recruit Kasey Mahoney from Laurel Highlands (56.64).
The next competition for many of the swimmers is the PIAA championship meet, set for March 11-14 at Bucknell. Only the WPIAL gold medal winners are guaranteed a spot at the state meet. The other qualifiers will be chosen by at-large bids based on time this weekend.