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Girls Swim Team Edges Shady Side Academy in Exciting Split with Section Rival
Posted on 05/15/2025
Posted on 05/15/2025
Antelopes News ·
Girls’ Swim Team Edges Shady Side Academy in Exciting Split with Section Rival
“You would have to be here to believe it!” – Mike Lange, Legendary Pittsburgh Penguins Announcer
A split second—0.38 to be exact—earned the Northgate-Avonworth Girls’ Swim Team the 2 precious points that sealed their breathtaking victory over section rival Shady Side Academy last week at Northgate High School.
When it was time for the final girls’ event, the 400 Freestyle Relay, the score was razor close and anyone’s guess. All knew, however, that this battle would likely determine the winner of the meet. At the gun, three Shady Side and two Northgate teams launched from the blocks. The race was ferocious, the cheering on both sides deafening. Shady Side “A” relay, anchored by Ava Jochims, a 2024 US Open meet champion, hit the final wall just a few seconds ahead of our A relay, comprised of Katie Petrina, Rachel Buzzard, JoAnn Cook and Clair Boughton.
Close behind the A relays, however, the B relay squads were neck and neck, fighting for every inch, and for third place–worth 2 points. When it was all over, B relay anchor Addison Hase, in a dead heat with Shady Side’s Anabel Lantzman, beat Anabel by 0.38 seconds. It was the wildest finish of the meet, backed by the wildest cheering of the night! Addie and her relay teammates Taylor Baldauff, Reese Theobald, and Kaitlyn Klaum, with a time of 4:31.60, clinched an 85-83 “Flame-a-lopes” victory over the rival Bulldogs.
In an email afterwards about the girls’ nail-biting win, Assistant Coach Terry Benson channeled the thoughts of our swimmers and fans: “I AM SO PSYCHED!!”
While the girls’ notched an electrifying victory, the boys’ team battled their opponents with equal ferocity but came up short to the Bulldogs, 96-72. With two top Northgate swimmers out, the Flame-a-lopes tried to close the gap with the formidable Shady Side squad, but the Bulldogs sustained the lead to capture the win. This was the first section loss for the boys’ team in years. Despite the loss, our boys had many stellar performances, all listed in the stats below.
Meet Stats
Northgate-Avonworth First Place Finishes as they occurred at meet:
- Girls 200 Medley Relay. 1:58.40. JoAnn Cook, Rachel Buzzard, Bridget Campbell, Addison Hase
- Girls 200 Freestyle. 2:03.15. JoAnn Cook, Fr.
- Girls 100 Butterfly. 1:05.75. Claire Boughton, Sr.
- Boys 100 Yard Butterfly. 59.06. Nate Parker, So.
- Girls 500 Freestyle. 5:49.54. Kaitlyn Klaum, Fr.
- Boys 500 Freestyle. 5:08.65. Jakob Vranick, Jr.
- Girls 100 Backstroke. 59.59. JoAnn Cook, Fr.
- Boys 100 Backstroke. 1:00.61. Jakob Vranick, Jr.
- Boys 400 Freestyle Relay. 3:27.17. Liam Joyce, Caleb Gratner, Nate Campbell, Jakob Vranick
Northgate-Avonworth Individual Time Drops (* indicates WPIAL’s qualifying time):
- Mohamed Abouwafia, 50 Freestyle, Seed 25.92, Finals 25.70. 500 Freestyle, Seed 6:24.54, Finals 6:15.74
- Conor Blaser, 200 IM, Seed 2:25.78, Finals Time 2:20.88. 100 Breaststroke, Seed 1:10.80, Finals 1:10.59
- Claire Boughton, 100 Butterfly, Seed 1:11.89, Finals 1:05.75*. 100 Backstroke, Seed 1:12.75, Finals 1:10.73
- Rachel Buzzard, 500 Freestyle, Seed 6:04.48, Finals 5:56.47
- Bridget Campbell, 100 Butterfly, Seed 1:08.68, Finals 1:06.70*
- Nate Campbell, 200 Freestyle, Seed 2:00.26, Finals 1:59.90*
- Jameson Conway, 100 Freestyle, Seed 1:17.19, Finals 1:14.27
- JoAnn Cook, 200 Freestyle, Seed 2:03.80, Finals 2:03.15*. 100 Backstroke, Seed 100.24, Finals 59.59*
- Addison Hase, 200 IM, Seed 2:28.48, Finals Time 2:22.49*. 100 Breaststroke, Seed 1:16.22, Finals 1:14.46*
- Liam Joyce, 200 Freestyle, Seed 1:57.08, Finals 1:56.22*. 100 Freestyle, Seed 53.09, Finals 52.45*
- Kaitlyn Klaum, 200 IM, Seed 2:33.10, Finals 2:23.40*. 500 Freestyle, Seed 6:11.71, Finals 5:49.54
- Bavly Naklah, 50 Freestyle, Seed 29.83, Finals 28.75
- Nate Parker, 100 Butterfly, Seed 1:00.68, Finals 59.06*
- Billy Petrina, 200 IM, Seed 2:29.47, Finals 2:28.17
- Katie Petrina, 200 Freestyle, Seed 2:10.53, Finals 2:08.15*
- Jake Schmiedlin, 100 Breaststroke, Seed 1:27.83, Finals 1:22.43
- Carter Spahr, 100 Freestyle, Seed 1:18.60, Finals 1:12.31. 100 Breaststroke, Seed 1:40.04, Finals 1:36.22
- Jakob Vranick, 500 Freestyle, Seed 5:14.14, Finals 5:08.65*. 100 Backstroke, Seed 1:04.22, Finals 1:00.61*
Others Who Earned Points toward Northgate-Avonworth Girls’ Victory:
Though they did not drop an individual time at this meet, Taylor Baldauff, Jeanelle Stiteler and Reese Theobald all pitched in crucial points to the winning cause.
NEXT ARTICLE will include a list of all the WPIAL qualifiers to date.
Remaining Meets on Schedule
All HOME meets are at 6 pm at Northgate High School.
1/21/25 HOME vs South Park HS
1/30/25 AWAY vs Knoch HS (@ Butler HS)
2/4/25 AWAY vs Keystone Oaks HS
2/6/25 AWAY vs North Hills HS
2/10/25 HOME vs Highlands HS (Senior Night)
2/13/25 AWAY vs Hampton HS (last regular season meet)
2/27-28 WPIAL Championships
3/12-13 PIAA AA State Championships