PENN TWP — Which is the more difficult task: winning your first title after 25 years or trying to defend it?

As it turned out, it didn't matter for the Butler Country Club swim team, which captured its second consecutive Western Pennsylvania Country Club Swimming Association championship recently at Edgewood Country Club.

The team lost only one swimmer from last year's squad, Courtney Shields, but she returned to coach the squad as she did in 2009.

"Last year, I was surprised we won it," said Shields, 19, a Mars High graduate who swims at Xavier University. "This year, everyone wondered if we could win it again.

"That was our goal at the start of the year," she added.

"What happened last year was we had a solid team," said coach Adam Keelan, who coaches the 8-and-under members of the squad. "We pushed and practiced and got great results.

"This year, we had 30 8-and-under and 80 total kids on the roster. We beat each team by 20 or more points and then went on to the regional and then the championship.

"We did even better in meets this year. We went in very confident. It didn't surprise me because we had high expectations," Keelan added.

Butler Country Club turned in three first-place performances en route to the title.

Anne Marie Bilott was the lone individual winner in the 15-to-17 girls 50-meter freestyle.

The 8-and-under girls 100-meter relay team of Aryanna Napora, Elle Santora, Amelia Walls and Heather Wittmer, and the 12-and-under girls 200 medley relay squad of Megan Gottschalk, Camryn Forbes, Morgan Keelan and Lydia Walls also earned gold.

"It was tougher this year," said Bilott, who will be a senior at Shady Side Academy. "Teams were really after us, especially at finals. We weren't sure if we would be able to win."

Bilott placed second in her respective race last year, which was her first season competing in the 50 freestyle.

"This year, I was really pleased with my performance," Bilott noted.

Lydia Walls agreed about trying to defend the title.

"I think it was a little bit tougher. ... We tried to stay positive. We got in the game and just tried to remember what we had to do," Walls said.

Last year's team went 6-1 on its way to the regionals, then the championship finals. This year's team was 9-0.

After advancing from the regionals, the swimmers competed in the morning and the top six advanced to the finals that afternoon.

"You can get one or two points from finishing sixth," said Keelan. "We had a lot of kids we were not expecting to make the finals. No matter where they placed, you got points.

"You place third and you can get 10 points for that. ... Even when they announced the final score, we were so much higher than I thought. It wasn't even close," Keelan added.

Shields acknowledged the extra effort by swimmers who attend the South Butler School District, which remained in school into the third week of June.

"They sometimes had to swim at night on school nights," Shields noted.

With the team expected to lose only three swimmers next year, the BCC could make another run at the title.

The team definitely has experience in the championships and has placed its program among the region's best.

"It makes you feel proud of the country club," said Lydia Walls, "and that we're a strong country club."