Belle Vernon swimmer caps WPIAL career with seventh gold
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Ian Shahan poses with the two gold medals he won during the WPIAL Class AA swimming championships. In addition to defending his title in the 100-yard butterfly with a new pool record of 49.62, Shahan tied Neshannock’s Conner McBeth for first place in the 50 freestyle. Both swam WPIAL record times of 20.36.
Ian Shahan of Belle Vernon shares a laugh with Conner McBeth of Neshannock after they tied for first place in the 50-yard freestyle with identical times of 20.36.
Ian Shahan of Belle Vernon surfaces for air during 100-yard butterfly action. Shahan successfully defended his title during the WPIAL Class AA championships. His gold-medal time of 49.62 was a new Upper St. Clair High School pool record.
Swimming three back-to-back races and winning two of them may be a herculean task but there is nothing ‘heroic’ about the accomplishment, says Ian Shahan. Serving in the military is.
The Belle Vernon senior, who completed his assignment of defending his butterfly title and tied for first in the 50 free during the WPIAL Class AA championships, will attend the United State Military Academy upon his graduation this June.
“My super heroes are my parents and men like my grandfather, who served their country. I always looked up to them,” said Shahan.
“Swimming back-to-back events is a pretty big task. Not every swimmer can go out, especially a sprinter, and be that productive with such little rest. But it’s really just a stepping stone to end my high school career.
“But the service has always spoke to me,” Shahan continued. “I really want to make my mark in my own kind of way. I decided West Point would be the place to present myself to the world.”
For the past four years, Shahan made his presence felt on the swimming world. He’s left a legendary mark on the WPIAL by winning seven titles.
On March 6 at the WPIAL Class AA finals at Upper St. Clair High School, he pocketed his third gold in the fly and snared a share of first in the 50 free. He already owned two gold medals in the 100 free and one in the backstroke for a Mark Spitz-like career.
“Seven gold medals is a nice accomplishment. I have been doing this all my life. Twelve years and four years of high school,” Shahan said. “It’s really exciting to see what I have done.”
The sprint to the 50 free medal proved dramatic as Shahan and Neshannock’s Connor McBeth each touched the wall with a WPIAL-record time of 20.36. McBeth had won the race three years in a row but Shahan came into the meet with the top seed time of 20.91. McBeth was seeded second at 21.08 but he had won the race last year in 20.80.
“Definitely did not expect that,” Shahan said of the deadlock. “Going into the 50, you have to have the mindset that it’s a dog pile. One’s going to come out on top. It’s very rare that you see a finish like that.
“I love racing Conner,” Shahan added. “I just wish he was a little shorter though.”
Shahan thought he had won the race. While in reality, he did, he had to share the medal with McBeth, who stands over 6 feet tall and has a longer reach than Shahan..
“It didn’t register until they said it on the loud speaker. I just looked up at my lane and saw 1 and my name and my time and I said, ‘Hey, I won.’ Hey I still won but it’s a tie. Either way I am very happy with my swim.”
Shahan was delighted he was also able to successful defend his title in the butterfly. He won the event by nearly a second and in pool-record fashion with a time of 49.52.
“Most definitely there is always pressure to repeat but I also knew going into this there was little turnaround time,” said Shahan about going from the 50 free straight into the 100 fly. “This was a test to see how I would go.”
Shahan was a bit uncertain because this year the championships were held at a different venue. The University of Pittsburgh’s Tree Pool had hosted the district championships but because of COVID-19 restrictions the WPIAL moved the meet to Upper St. Clair.
Though his Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics Club trains at USC, Shahan was unable to practice there because of the pandemic. So, Shahan was apprehensive about the meet. He said he was nervous because his training had been a ‘little lackluster’ going into the season. Summer and fall workouts were significantly reduced. Plus there was the mandated shutdown in December and Belle Vernon actually had a shutdown later in the season due to COVID.
“It was rough. Looking and seeing where I was last year compared to this year got into my head. But two swims and two wins,” he said. “I’ll take it going into states.”
Because of his triumphs, Shahan is automatically qualified for the PIAA championships to be held March 19-20 at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg.
“WPIALs was a stepping up point to see where I am and how I am going to do at states. I’m very tired right now though with three back-to-back races,” said Shahan, who also anchored the 200 free relay to a silver medal. He later anchored the 400 free relay, the event’s last race. “I know what I need to work on and train harder and what I can ease off on.”
It’s a certainty, Shahan will not ease off the gas pedal when ti comes to winning. He is after all a two-time PIAA champion, having won the 100 fly and free in 2019.
NA girls win again
North Allegheny captured its 13th consecutive team title, racking up 425 points during the WPIAL Class AAA girls’ swimming championships held Sunday at Upper St. Clair High School pool.
George Washington recruit Molly Smyers led the Tigers, taking the gold in the 200-yard individual medley and 500 freestyle while also guiding the 400 free relay to victory.
Seneca Valley got the runner-up trophy with 249 points while Upper St. Clair took third with a 223 score.
South Fayette had a Top 10 showing.
The Lions picked up 42 of their 83 points by finishing seventh and ninth respectively in the 400- and 200-yard freestyle relays. Zoe Poe, Morgan T. Young, Gabi Baiano and Maddie Berg comprised the 400 unit. Abigail Girman subbed in for Baiano in the 200.
Individually, Poe and Berg earned WPIAL medals with fourth- and seventh-place finishes in the 500-yard freestyle. The pair are freshmen.
The Lions also scored points with Berg in the 200 free (13th) and Annabelle MacAdams in the IM (11th) and breaststroke (13th).
Hampton captured the WPIAL Class AA boys’ team championship with a 218 score. Northgate finished as runner-up (201.5) followed by Indiana (184) and Belle Vernon (164.5).
While Ian Shahan was the lone local winner, several area swimmers placed in the Top 8 and were awarded WPIAL medals. Among them were:
• Sam West from Belle Vernon, fifth in the 200 free
• Bryan Nguyen from Ringgold, sixth, 100 breast
• Andrew Noll from Ringgold seventh, 100 back
• Ringgold’s medley relay team of Noll, Nguyen, Nathan Terrence and Ryan Gugliotti, eighth.
• Belle Vernon’s 200 free relay of Luke Miller, Cody Danto, West and Shahan, second.
• Belle Vernon’s 400 free relay of Garrett Ursiny, Danto, West and Shahan, fourth.