Nathan Silsby got a late start to his high school swimming career, but he's finishing up where all swimmers strive to be.

The Mars senior will be competing in the 50-yard freestyle as well as two relays at the PIAA Class 2A Championships next Friday and Saturday at Bucknell University.

"It's amazing. At the start of the season, I wasn't thinking about states and was just focused on WPIALs," said Silsby. "But I entered the WPIAL meet seeded fifth in the 50 and thought, 'Yeah, I want to make the state championship. I want to go all the way."

He placed fifth in the district with a time of 22.65 seconds at the University of Pittsburgh's Trees Pool March 3. It was a significant improvement over his 12th-place effort as a junior.

Silsby had little experience in the water when he decided, at the urging of his older brother, Hayden, to join the Planets in the middle of his sophomore year.

"He made me take part in a practice and I thought it was pretty fun," said Nathan, who at the time, decided to compete as a way to condition for his favorite sport, lacrosse.

The first time he swam the 50, he finished in 29 seconds, but began to make consistent strides in the event, thanks in part to joining the club team at Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township in 2020.

"My times started decreasing last year and that's when I started thinking that I could qualify for WPIALs."

Silsby's work ethic helped him become a team captain as a junior. Mars coach Todd Slobodnyak sees his qualifying for the PIAA meet as a just reward.

"He's a person who sets goals and goes after them," he said. "For him to make states with the late start that he got, it's really impressive."

Silsby will also anchor Mars’ 200 and 400 freestyle relays and will be joined by Leo Saver, Kevin Butler and Jacob Harsch.

Girls

Knoch freshman Giona Lavorini may be new to the varsity swimming scene, but her upcoming appearance at the state meet shouldn't come as a big surprise.

Lavorini has been a member of Butler's YMCA team since she was 10. This past summer, she qualified for nationals in the 100 and 200 breaststroke.

"I realized at that point that making states wasn't that out of reach for me," she said.

That success has extended into the high school season. At the WPIAL meet earlier this month, she placed fifth in the breaststroke (1:05.57) and fourth in the 200 individual medley (2:10.64), making states in both events.

Ironically, she initially did not take well to the breaststroke in youth swimming.

"I would do what I could to not swim it back then," Lavorini said. "But I got to the point where I wanted to get better at it and started putting in the work."

Now the breaststroke is her best event and a stroke she knows she can count on in the IM.

"Giona is a very talented and humble swimmer," said Knoch coach Dominique Patrick. "She's done something (reach PIAAs) that a lot of kids work their entire high school careers for."

Butler County will be sending three district champions to the Class 2A state meet. Moniteau's Katie Reott won District 9 titles in the 50 freestyle and breaststroke. North Catholic's Maggie Foley and Freeport's Kira Schrecongost won WPIAL titles in diving and the butterfly, respectively.

Following are Butler County's Class 2A swimmers and divers who have qualified for the PIAA championship meet, scheduled next Friday and Saturday at Bucknell University.

Girls

Freeport, Knoch, Moniteau

North Catholic, Slippery Rock

200 medley relay: Freeport (Caitlyn Brennan, Kira Schrecongost, Alexis Schrecongost, Isabelle Barton) 1:49.71; Slippery Rock (Natalie Double, Anne-Katherine Burns, Mollie Massella, Grace Olshanski) 1:53.53

200 individual medley: Kira Schrecongost (F) 2:08.86; Giona Lavorini (K) 2:10.64

50 freestyle: Grace Olshanski (SR) 24.52; Katie Reott (M) 24.54; Anne-Katherine Burns (SR) 25.50

1-meter diving: Maggie Foley (NC) 470.70

100 butterfly: Kira Schrecongost (F) 56.09; Mollie Massella (SR) 1:00.00

100 freestyle: Alexis Schrecongost (F) 53.87

200 freestyle relay: Freeport (Alexis Schrecongost, Danielle Parke, Kira Schrecongost, Isabelle Barton) 1:41.80

100 backstroke: Caitlyn Brennan (F) 1:02.50

100 breaststroke: Alexis Schrecongost (F) 1:04.56; Giona Lavorini (K) 1:05.57; Katie Reott (M) 1:08.06; Anne-Katherine Burns (SR) 1:08.72

Boys

Knoch, Mars, North Catholic

200 medley relay: North Catholic (Luke Lamb, John Lamb, Matthew Littleton, Julian LaPietra) 1:38.64

200 freestyle: Caden Traggiai (K) 1:47.24

200 individual medley: Jackson Kress (NC) 1:56.17; Luke Lamb (NC) 2:06.83

50 freestyle: Nathan Silsby (M) 22.65

1-meter diving: Kellen Fletcher (M) 304.90, Kevin Butler (M) 292.90

100 butterfly: Matthew Littleton (NC) 53.05

100 freestyle: Julian LaPietra (NC) 47.05

500 freestyle: Caden Traggiai (K) 4:50.42; Owen Schessler (NC) 5:07.91

200 freestyle relay: North Catholic (Matthew Littleton, Jackson Kress, John Lamb, Julian LaPietra) 1:27.98; Mars (Leo Saver, Kevin Butler, Jacob Harsch, Nathan Silsby) 1:32.10

100 backstroke: Jackson Kress (NC) 52.27; Luke Lamb (NC) 56.48

100 breaststroke: John Lamb (NC) 1:01.10; Sean Muchnok (M) 1:03.23

400 freestyle relay: North Catholic (Matthew Littleton, John Lamb, Jackson Kress, Julian LaPietra) 3:13.81; Mars (Leo Saver, Kevin Butler, Jacob Harsch, Nathan Silsby) 3:28.64