Making a Splash
PITTSBURGH — Ben Borvendeg and Kira Schrecongost don’t have a whole lot in common.
Being a WPIAL swimming champion is a notable exception.
A senior from Butler, Borvendeg on Thursday won his second district crown by successfully defending his Class 3A boys 50-yard freestyle title from last year.
Schrecongost, a freshman from Freeport, earned WPIAL gold for the first time when she placed first in the Class 2A girls butterfly.
Borvendeg managed a time of 20.83 seconds. Hempfield’s Dom Falcon entered the meet as the No. 1 seed and placed second at 21.15.
“I caught a glimpse of where I was on the turn and had (the lead) pretty much the whole way,” said Borvendeg, who knows his time as a high school swimmer is winding down.
“I’m happy with the time, but I’m really excited that I get another chance (at the upcoming state meet),” said Borvendeg, who has his eye on improving his own school record, which currently sits at 20.69.
“Last year, I had nothing to lose at WPIALs,” he added. “It feels great to be able to defend it.”
Schrecongost did not ease in to her first WPIAL meet. She competed in four events, the maximum for the two-day meet, and came away with four medals.
She won the butterfly with a time of 56.09 seconds, breaking the school record in the event for the sixth time this season.
“I woke up this morning and was really excited about swimming today,” said Schrecongost. “I got to the last 25 yards and thought to myself: ‘I want this so bad!’”
Schrecongost also placed second in the 200 IM and helped the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay teams break school records.
“I expected her to do well, but she blew it out of the water,” Freeport coach Nikki Heasley said of Schrecongost.
In the medley, she teamed with her sister, Alexis, Caitlyn Brennan and Isabelle Barton for a second-place time of 1:49.71.
The freestyle relay saw Parke replace Brennan and the Yellowjackets took the school standard down to 1:41.80.
Knoch freshman Giona Lavorini had a memorable introduction to WPIALs, finishing fourth in the Class 2A girls 200 IM with a time of 2:10.64, which shaved nearly 7½ seconds off her seed time.
“At the start of the season, I thought I could qualify for this meet in the breaststroke (which she competes in Friday), but not the IM,” Lavorini said. “I wasn’t expecting this time today.”
North Catholic’s foursome of Matthew Littleton, Jackson Kress, John Lamb and Julian LaPietra finished runner-up to Riverside in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:27.98.
