Delaware Valley swim team fares well at Sub-Regional and District Championship

The Delaware Valley swim and dive team recently attended the PIAA District II AAA Swim and Dive Championship, a multi-day event with 10 teams competing. DV boys won both the District II AAA Championship as well as the Sub-Regional. DV Girls were runners up in District II AAA.

Swimmers and divers must qualify to attend Districts and can only compete in the events they qualified. Swimmers who qualify in multiple events must opt to compete in the events that will most likely earn points for the team. Placing first though twelfth will garner points for the team, however only the top six will medal.

The divers got the scoring started last week with Jessica Willson earning 12 points for third place and Etain Starr earning 11 points for fourth place. The divers taking first and second were from District IV, thus making Jessica Willson the District II girls diving champion. Ben Kruler earned 11 points for his fourth-place finish. Abington Heights took first through third, earning 41 points and setting the stage for a showdown during the swim competition.

In the first event on Friday evening, DV girls placed fifth in the 200-yard medley relay. Senior Maya Sussman led off with the backstroke; Olivia Cruz, also a senior, followed with the breaststroke. Freshman Grace Holderith completed the butterfly leg and junior Riley Hunt finished it off with the freestyle. DV boys won bronze in the medley relay. Senior Liam Fass started strong with the backstroke. Freshman Thomas Zaucha stepped up to complete the breaststroke portion followed by senior Shane Naturale. Senior Joey Kessler finished with the freestyle, getting edged out of the District II champ title by Wyoming Valley West 1:45.45 to 1:45.54.

Senior Michelle Zakharova reached the podium placing sixth in the 200-yard freestyle. Teammates Eva Bogusta (senior) and Riley Hunt (junior) earned points for the girls, placing seventh and 11th. DV boys sought to narrow the Abington lead by having all four of their swimmers earn points. Seniors Tyler Ingraham and Liam Fass medaled, taking third and fourth. Freshman Thomas Zaucha placed seventh and senior Nick Colon placed twelfth.

Olivia Cruz earned the bronze medal in the 200-yard individual medley. Sophomore Chloe Cruz got edged off the podium to take eighth and junior Mariana Wyss earned points for the girls taking 12th. Three of the sophomore boys also earned points in the individual medley. Ryan O’Connell medaled, taking fourth, Samuel Fisher placed eighth, and Anthony Sevek 12th.

DV girls were edged off the podium in the 50-yard freestyle but still managed to earn points. Senior Payton Yakupcin placed seventh, freshman Isabella Cady took 11th, and junior Kayleigh Jagger placed 12th. The boys did not disappoint in this speedy sprint. Joseph Kessler and senior Dean Finelli made the podium, placing fourth and fifth. Freshman Dylan Sevek added to the point column, placing eighth.

Maya Sussman graced the podium placing fifth in the 100-yard butterfly. Grace Holderith earned points for her seventh-place finish. In the boys butterfly, Shane Naturale took fifth. Junior John Calabria and Colin O’Conner earned points at seventh and ninth.

The District Competition changes things up from the typical swim meet by ending the first day of swim with the 200-yard freestyle relay. The girls’ team, made up of Olivia Cruz, Payton Yakcupcin, Riley Hunt and Michelle Zakharova, won Bronze. The boys’ team, made up of Joseph Kessler, Dean Finelli, Tyler Ingraham and Ryan O’Connell, won Silver. They are also the District II, 200-yard freestyle relay champions.

Day two began with Abington Heights and DV scoring running neck and neck. The girls led off with the 100-yard freestyle. Three DV swimmers scored but did not reach the podium. Riley Hunt took seventh, Payton Yacupcin ninth, and Eva Bogusta 10th. Three of the DV boys reached the podium: Ryan O’Connell placed third, Dean Finelli fourth, and Joseph Kessler fifth. Shane Naturale placed ninth to earn points toward the District Championship.

In the distance portion of the evening, Michelle Zacharova fell short of the podium, placing seventh in the 500-yard freestyle. Grace Holderith and Elizabeth Bailey earned points for their 11th and 12th place finishes. Tyler Ingraham place third for the boys.

The 100-yard backstroke found Maya Sussman, Chloe Cruz and Megan O’Connell scoring for the girls. They placed seventh, ninth, and 11th. For the boys, Liam Fass won silver behind a Williamsport swimmer, making him the District II AAA Backstroke Champion. John Calabria won bronze.

The DV girls needed to score to keep pace with Abington. Olivia Cruz came up big in the 100-yard breaststroke, winning Silver. She is the District II AAA Breaststroke Champion. Irelyn Roberts and Mariana Wyss added to the point column at ninth and 10th. For the DV boys, Dylan Sevek won fourth and Thomas Zaucha fifth.

As the final race of the night approached, anxiety was mounting with the scores being so close. The DV girls 400-yard freestyle relay team of Payton Yakupcin, Eva Bogusta, Chloe Cruz and Michelle Zakharova charged out in a tight race. Abington’s girls, however, prevailed to win the title. DV girls placed fifth.

The boys 400-yard freestyle relay team of Ryan O’Connell, Dean Finelli, Liam Fass, and Tyler Ingraham had a winning time of 3:18.82. O’Connell, Finelli, Fass, and Ingraham are the District II AAA and Sub-Regional 400 Yard Freestyle Relay Champions. This win sends them to the state championship.

It has been a very successful season for the DV swim and dive team with the boys going undefeated and taking the District II AAA and Sub-Regional titles. PIAA State Swimming and Diving Championship will be held at Bucknell University March 11 through 14.