Big meet becomes a pool party
PITTSBURGH — Every swimmer enters the WPIAL Championships hoping to improve, but Julie Titley managed to surprise herself Friday.
The Seneca Valley senior entered the Class AAA girls 500 freestyle with a seed time of 5 minutes, 17.12 seconds.
When the event was over, she looked up to find she had posted a third-place time of 5:09.46 at the University of Pittsburgh's Trees Pool.
"I was hoping to get under 5:10, but really wasn't expecting to go that fast," she said after receiving her medal.
Titley's previous best finish in the 500 was a 5:10.83 last year at the same venue.
With Friday's swim, she earned a spot at the PIAA Championships, which will be held Thursday through Saturday at Bucknell University.
"I've got to believe she had the swim of her life today," said SV coach Jerry Koller. "The performances of Julie and Makena (Lynch), they translate to the rest of the team."
Lynch placed fourth in the day's first event: the 100 freestyle.
Titley and Lynch swam with Stephanie Ciraula and Katie Miller in the Raiders' 400 freestyle relay, which placed fifth.
The second day of Class AA girls action brought yet another second-place finish for Mars freshman Maggie Gruber, who swam a 58.35 in the 100 backstroke.
As was the case in Thursday's butterfly event, the lone swimmer to finish ahead of Gruber was Greensburg Central Catholic's Andrea Marko.
After making the state meet in an event for the second straight day, Gruber remained modest, saying, "I'm a bit surprised at what I've done here."
Gruber also teamed with Gabri Pierre, Corinna Luschini and Phoebe Pierre in the Planets' sixth-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay.
In other Class AA highlights, Penn Township's Anne Marie Bilott was fourth in the 100 breaststroke for Shady Side Academy.
Tory Bruch, also of Penn Township, is headed to the state meet after helping SSA's 400 freestyle relay squad finish fourth.
Knoch's Kristy Daubner broke her own school record in the 100 freestyle, placing ninth with a time of 55.63.
In Class AAA girls, Butler's 400 freestyle quartet of Brianna Keelan, Kati Herr, Jordan McElhaney and Morgan Morrison took six seconds off their seed time, placing 17th at 3:51.23.
