Riverside Relay Team Wins WPIAL, Two Individuals Qualify for PIAA Swimming

Spring sports season has officially started but for an elite few, winter sports goes on. At the WPIAL swimming competition last Thursday and Friday at the University of Pittsburgh, four Riverside girls and one boy qualified for the PIAA next week.

The girls claimed one win in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:40.53. The team consists of junior Erica King, junior Alana Nulph, freshman Meghan Rosendale and senior Kelly Krechowski.

It wasn’t an easy season. The team struggled with injuries and illnesses. Indeed, the qualifying relay team had only swam together as a unit once before.

“We knew if we could all get healthy at the same time that we could put together a very strong relay,” head coach Bill Valli said. “The girls did an outstanding job of staying focused and in the moment on Thursday.”

Of course, the relay wants to advance all the way to finals at the PIAA. “The quality of the teams at states is so deep that any mistake during the race can cost you several places at the finish,” Valli said. “We found this out at WPIALs in the 400-yard freestyle relay where a few mistakes cost us a second and a half in time but five or six places in the standings as we finished seventh instead of second or third.”

King also qualified as an individual in the 500-yard freestyle, placing fourth with a time of 5:12.27. The top four spots automatically advance.

“Erica trains year around with the Pine Richland club team,” Valli said. “She is the most conditioned athlete on the team, and we believe she has some room to drop time in her events at the state meet. She is going to be seeded reasonably well is hoping to make it back for finals in both of her events.”

For boys swimming, sophomore Dean Kralic qualified in the 100-yard butterfly by claiming the fourth spot.

Dean is only a sophomore and so caught some people by surprise in the 100-fly this year,” Valli said. He has really shown great improvements throughout the season. If he can get out and swim the front end of his race he may open some more eyes at states because he is a really strong finisher.”

The PIAA is held March 16 through 19 at Bucknell University in Lewisburg.