Menear three-peats in individual medley
Ella Menear sports the medal she won in the 200-yard IM. It was her third straight championship in the event.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Ella Menear of Mapletown surfaces for a breath during the butterfly leg during the 200-yard IM at the WPIAL Class AA swimming championships. The senior captured her third title in the event with a 2:03.96 time.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Ella Menear of Mapletown works on her pullout during the breaststroke leg of the 200-yard medley relay. She won the race in 2:03.96 for the third year in a row.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Benjamin Carpeal from Ringgold churns up the water during the butterfly leg of the 200-yard IM at the WPIAL Class AA swimming championships. The junior finished 12th in the event with a 2:03.85 time.
By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Ella Menear reaches backwards during the backstroke leg of the 200-yard individual medley during the WPIAL Class 2A swimming championships Thursday. The Mapletown senior won the event for the third year in a row. She added to her championship total by winning the 100 backstroke Friday for the third consecutive year.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Allan Liu of Peters Township comes up for air during the breaststroke leg of the 200-yard medley relay. Liu combined with Ryan Smith, Isaac Lee and Aiden Filer for 14th place in the event during the WPIAL Class AAA swimming championships.
PITTSBURGH – Mapletown senior Ella Menear successfully defended her gold medal in the Class 2A 200 individual medley Thursday in the WPIAL Swimming Championships at the University of Pittsburgh’s Trees Pool.
It is Menear’s third WPIAL championship in the event.
Menear, an Alabama recruit, was the second seed coming into the 200 IM, but left with the gold medal after touching the wall in 2:03.96. Kiski’s Eliza Miller, the top seed, was second in 2:05.45.
Menear needs to store time for the toughest of the four strokes, the breaststroke on the third leg.
“I was happy with my time, considering I’m not on a taper,” Menear said. “This is my last WPIAL meet. I was faster than last year.”
Menear will try to defend her title in the 100 backstroke this afternoon.
“The 100 backstroke is my favorite event,” she said. “I’m looking forward to it. I’m going out and trying my best.”
Menear is the top seed in the 100 backstroke.
South Fayette’s Maddie Berg and Zoe Poe finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Class 3A 200-yard freestyle. They also combined with Abby Poe and Carolyn Morelock for ninth place in the 200 freestyle relay. SF’s Josh Grimenstein was ninth in the 200 individual medley.
Canon-McMillan’s Logun Cole had a strong performance and was third in the 50 freestyle. The sophomore clocked a 21.76 time.
Peters Township’s Aiden Filer also picked up a medal in the 50 free. He finished eighth with a 22.01 time.
California’s Anastasia Georgagis was sixth in the Class 2A 100 butterfly with a time of 59.93 seconds.