As in years past, Mount St. Joseph Academy launched its competitive swimming season last December 10 with a trip to North Penn High School. Winning almost all of the individual events and all three relays, the North Penn Maidens outscored the visitors from the Mount, 100-78.
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As in years past, Mount St. Joseph Academy launched its competitive swimming season last December 10 with a trip to North Penn High School, home to a program that is a longstanding state power. Knowing what top competition looks like benefits the Mount Magic as they prepare for their Athletic Association of Catholic Academies campaign.
Winning almost all of the individual events and all three relays, the North Penn Maidens outscored the visitors from the Mount, 100-78.
While athletes could go without masks down on the pool desk, meet personnel and all spectators were required to wear them, a COVID-19 measure reinforced by repeated announcements over the public address system.
With no AACA meet staged in 2021, Mount St. Joseph is still officially the three-time defending league champion.
Other than that, though, the event had much more of a normal feel about it than the limited gatherings in the 2020-21 season. With no AACA meet staged in 2021, Mount St. Joseph is still officially the three-time defending league champion.
At North Penn last Friday, junior Amanda Conti was responsible for the Magic's lone first-place finish, winning the 50 yard freestyle in 25.01 seconds over Maidens senior Layla Robey (25.40). The two reserved positions in the 100 free, where it was Robey (54.75) over Conti (54.93). Mount senior Lauren O'Malley was fifth in the 50, and junior Kathryn Sponseller came in fourth in the 100.
During the long break for the diving competition during the middle of the meet, Mount senior Anna Grace Johnsson dove into second place and junior Liz Seely finished fourth.
Third place in the 200 freestyle was claimed by MSJ senior Leah Manzo-McCottry. The Magic also received third-place finishes from senior Grave Yaegel in the breaststroke and from sophomore Aurora Martin in the butterfly.
Sponseller placed fifth in the 200 free, junior Veronica Cherico finished fifth in the breaststroke, and Manzo-McCottry was fifth in the fly.
North Penn made a one-two-three sweep in the 200 individual medley and in the backstroke, with Mount sophomore Maya Manzo-McCottry (sister of Leah) taking fourth place in both races. Freshman Kate Scanlon came in fifth in the IM, while another ninth-grader, Sara Burman, placed fifth in the backstroke.
The host Maidens also swept the top three places in the 500 freestyle. Here, Mount St. Joe's had Scanlon finish fourth, while senior Sarah Powell placed fifth. Both Powell and Leah Manzo-McCottrey have signed on with collegiate athletic programs, not for swimming, but for crew. Powell will row at the University of Tennessee, and Manzo-McCottry at Gonzaga University.
North Penn won all three relays, although the last event of the evening, the 400 freestyle relay, was a very tight race. The Maidens reached the wall in three minutes, 52.04 seconds, while the Magic was runner-up in 3:52.11 with the quartet of Conti, Sponseller, Scanlon, and O'Malley.
In the 200 free relay, the Magic's Sponseller, Leah Manzo-McCottry, Scanlon, and O'Malley landed in third place, and at the start of the meet second place in the medley relay was claimed by Maya Manzo-McCottry, Yaegel, Conti, and O'Malley.
