WPAIL AA Swimming: Freeport, NC snare individual crowns
UPPER ST. CLAIR —Alexis Schrecongost and Brittney Carmazzi both achieved their goals in Saturday's WPIAL Class 2A championship swim meet — three times over.
Schrecongost, a junior from Freeport, didn't just win the girls 100-yard breaststroke, she did it with a personal-best and school-record time of 1 minute, 6.03 seconds at Upper St. Clair High School.
North Catholic's Carmazzi accomplished the same trifecta in the 100 butterfly.
Schrecongost had performed well in her two prior appearances in the breaststroke at WPIALs, placing third in 2019 and fourth as a sophomore.
“To go from tied for fourth last year to now winning, it's such an improvement,” she said. “It's definitely amazing.”
She trailed for much of the race, but her final 25 yards was fast and allowed her to pass Indiana's Yana Noronha (1:06.21) and California's Anastasia Georgagis (1:06.60).
“My last pullout (off the wall) was really strong and that played a big part in it,” Schrecongost said. “I didn't know I had won at first, but then I looked up at the (electronic timing) board and saw the number one next to my name ... I've never felt this good about swimming.”
Schrecongost, Noronha and Georgagis were far faster than the rest of the field. Georgagis' time was 2.75 seconds faster than fourth place, Belle Vernon's Delaney Patterson.
“I thought we would all be separated by about a second or so,” said Schrecongost, who bettered her school record of 1:07.13 from her freshman year. “I didn't think there would be three seconds between any of us.”
The meet did not include the usual raucous crowd. Most of the teammates of swimmers in the water were forced to watch events on a television in the gymnasium.
The change in environment did not bother Schrecongost, who had a goal of going 1:06 in the breaststroke and she nearly surpassed that.
“For the kids competing here today, they should be laser-focused, regardless of the number of fans,” said Sheryl Schrecongost, Freeport's assistant coach and Alexis' mother. “To see her win today, it was fantastic!”
For three straight years, Carmazzi finished runner-up in the butterfly, so she has a rather unique perspective for a first-time winner. She won the crown with a time of 57.13.
“I thought about how hard I worked to get here,” she said. “I'm really excited about this.
“I was hoping to go 1:56, but I'm completely happy with how I did.”
After one lap, Carmazzi had the lead, but the swimmer on either side of her — Mount Pleasant's Reegan Brown and Quaker Valley's Emily Connors — were less than a half second behind.
Carmazzi then shifted to another gear her foes could not match. Maria Mrosko of Laurel Highlands, last year's champion, placed second, 1.46 seconds behind.
“Brittney swims the 200 butterfly for her club team, so I knew she had the endurance to close out the 100,” said North coach Joella Baker. “I'm so thrilled for her.”
“I get into a rhythm in the first 50 (yards), then I push it after that,” said Carmazzi, who broke her own school record of 57.60, achieved last year at WPIALs.
In the boys meet, North Catholic earned seven total medals, led by the quartet of Matt Littleton, Jackson Kress, Zac Baker and Julian LaPietra, which finished third in the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:30.70.
Knoch junior Caden Traggiai earned two medals, placing sixth in the 500 freestyle and seventh in the 200 freestyle.
Mars senior Aidan Wolf was seventh in the 500 freestyle.
