With WPIALs over, so is the race for the Bobcat swimming and diving team.

WPIAL diving was February 21 with four divers representing Beaver Area. At the diving competition there were 16 girls and 10 boys competing in total.

For the girls, junior Annaka Najewicz was Beaver Area’s lone representative and placed 14 with a new personal best.

On the boys’ side the Bobcats represented almost a third of the competition with senior Aiden Connelly, junior Isaac Burtt, and freshman Bruce Sutter all competing.

In diving, the top seven divers move from WPIALs on to states meaning that the boys team had a fair chance of having a teammate move on.

Burtt placed third, Connelly placed seventh, and Bruce Sutter placed ninth. Therefore, Burtt and Connelly will compete at Bucknell University March 13 for the diving state championships.

The swimming competition was the following week, February 27 and 28, at University of Pittsburgh’s Trees Pool. With over 700 swimmers competing and 400 of those competitors being in the 2A meet, swimming works differently.

For swimming, only the first place finisher in every event is guaranteed a spot at states.

Relays are normally the best way to make the competition because eight schools are invited to compete at states.

In the past two years the WPIAL has had to lower all of the qualifying times for the meet because of too many people qualifying. The meet is capped to five heats or 40 swimmers per individual event and three heats or 24 relay teams.

On day one of the competition the boys 200 yard medley and freestyle relays competed. The medley relay consisted of juniors Jude Lovra, Aden Prence, and Jake Minnick as well as sophomore Daniel Wang.

The freestyle relay was made up of Lovra, Minnick, junior Tony Rabatin, and sophomore Marcus Anney.

Individually, Minnick and Rabatin both swam the 50 yard freestyle. Rabatin had a new personal best and was able to place 16 in this event.

For the girls, senior Ava Sutter was the only swimmer to qualify. She swam the 50 yard freestyle on day one and was able to break her own school record in the event with a new time of 25.74.

However, after the meet, disaster struck.

Before swimming WPIALs the team always eats takeout at the school, but this year two team members, the only two who ate the grilled chicken, got food poisoning. One had to leave the first day of competition early due to throwing up in front of the Cornell swim team. (We are very sorry Cornell.)

Day two the boys 400 yard freestyle relay competed comprised of the same boys as the 200 yard freestyle relay. The 200 yard freestyle relay was only two seconds off of a states time, and have their sights set for next season.

Individually, Rabatin swam the 100 yard freestyle placing 17 and going a new personal best.

Rabatin explained that “WPIALs is the best meet of the whole season, and it's awesome to race against such fast swimmers.”

Additionally, both Sutter and Lovra swam the 100 yard backstroke. Lovra was able to drop over a second and set a personal best.

“I’m proud of our team and next year we will be section champions and state qualifiers; I’m calling it,” said Lovra.

Sutter also dropped close to a second and was able to break her second school record. The previous record was held by Kelly Angleberger in 2000 and was the oldest swimming record left on the board.

WPIALs also marked the final days of coaching for head coach Marc Williams and assistant coach Shane Landy who recently announced their retirement from coaching due to family commitments. The 2025-26 season will have an entirely new coaching staff.