Owen J. Roberts, Spring-Ford and Phoenixville finish strong in Day 2 of District 1 Swimming Championships

The 2024 District 1 Swimming Championships are in the books after the conclusion of day two of the two-day event that took place at the YMCA in York, Pa.

Once again, the Class AA and AAA boys got the day started in the morning session, followed by AA and AAA girls taking their turn in the water.

Class 3A

Spring-Ford posted the best finish amongst Pioneer Athletic Conference boys teams with a sixth-place finish and 130 points. Owen J. Roberts followed the Rams in 10th with 102, while Methacton (22nd, 23 points), Phoenixville (29th, 8 points), Perkiomen Valley (32nd, 6 points) and Upper Merion (33rd, 4 points) further down the list.

Spring-Ford’s Patrick Baganski had the best individual finish of his team’s day in the 3A bracket, swimming to a ninth-place finish in the 100 backstroke (52.37). Justin Delp placed 10th in the 500 freestyle (4:47.61), while the 400 free relay team of Nate Reagan, Kyle Kruppa, Blaise Sadowski and Delp scored an eighth-place finish with a time of 3:13.44.

For Owen J. Roberts, Colin Davis had an excellent fourth-place finish in the 100 freestyle (46.05). Davis was also the anchor of the Wildcats’ fourth-place 400 free relay squad along with Ethan Suessmuth, Sam Vallino and Patrick Bowker (3:11.28). Suessmuth finished three spots behind Davis in the 100 free in 46.96.

Elsewhere, Methacton’s Christian Lebold finished 13th in the 100 breaststroke (59.18).

In Girls 3A action, Owen J. Roberts had the best weekend amongst PAC squads, finishing with 119.5 points, a mark good for sixth place. Phoenixville was eighth with 115 points, while Methacton placed 24th with 32.

For OJR, Meredith Hummel finished in 10th place in the 100 backstroke (58.94). The 400 free relay team of Kaitlyn McGuire, Mackenzie Gorman, Hummel and Audrey Schroeder added to the Wildcats’ strong weekend, finishing in ninth place (3:35.85).

Phoenixville’s Kenzie Padilla swam to a fourth-place showing in the 100 freestyle (51.57), while her teammate Brynn Lewis placed eighth in the 500 freestyle (5:06.78). The quartet of Lewis, Liza Barbash, Maddy Deeney and Padilla ended up in fifth place in the 400 free relay in 3:35.32.

Methacton’s Madison Wimmer was a third-place finisher in the 500 freestyle (4:59.44).

Class 2A

For the boys, Upper Perkiomen’s Hunter Francisco won the 500 freestyle in 4:51.62. Francisco was part of the 400 free relay squad that finished third in 3:23.28, along with teammates Andrew Kelly, Brayden Favre and Evan Harter. Also for the Indians, Favre (56.26) and Harter (58.25) were third and fifth, respectively, in the 100 backstroke. Kelly (100 freestyle) and Justin Maciolek (100 breaststroke) each finished seventh in their individual events.

For Pope John Paul II, Dominic Testa placed fourth in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.41), and Nicholas Zinn was eighth in the 500 freestyle (5:17.09). Those two, along with Michael Fiore and Aidan Maiale, were on the 400 free relay team that finished fifth in 3:36.76.

On the girls’ end, Pottsgrove finished in sixth place for the weekend with 149 points. Upper Perkiomen compiled 127 (seventh place) and PJP tallied 42 (11th place).

Pottsgrove’s Elsa Lucas finished sixth in the 100 breaststroke (1:11.33), while teammate Kennedy Krock was two places behind (1:14.82). Bayley Richard placed seventh in the 100 freestyle (55.82), and the 400 free relay group of Ava Reicher, Sara Yost, Ava Fazekas and Olivia Chapman swam to an eighth-place finish with a time of 4:23.15.

Upper Perk’s Ellianna Smith (seventh place) and Charlotte Forte (ninth) each scored top-10 finishes in the 500 freestyle, while PJP’s Molly Houchins was ninth in the 100 breaststroke in 1:14.21.