The Riverside swimming team earned a pair of golds in the 200 and 400 meter free relays at the 2021 WPIAL Class-AA Swimming Championships on Saturday at Upper St. Clair High School while Joseph Roth earned a WPIAL gold medal in the individual 100-meter backstroke and set a WPIAL record along the way.
The first place finish in the 200 meter free relay event earned Riverside a repeat gold medal performance.
The Panthers also earned a second-place finish in the 200 medley relay and finished third overall as a team in the championships. All three relays were team records and the medley relay broke the WPIAL record but placed second behind Hampton.
Riverside had a medalist in every single event it was represented in.
“Six of our boys went into that meet and all six left with at least one gold medal and one new team record,” said head coach Bill Valli. “Every individual and relay entry moved up in the standings and those seeded first won the event. I am a bit stunned and incredibly proud of them with all they had to overcome to get to this level.”
The 200 freestyle relay championship team consisted of athletes Alexander Roth, Graham Kralic, Sam Kline, and Joseph Roth and the 400 freestyle relay championship team consisted of Joseph Roth, Alexander Roth, Ryan Turner, and Hayden Panek.
“The relays did well because all four participants did their jobs exceptionally well,” said Valli.
Congratulations to Riverside on their AA Boys 200 Yard Freestyle Relay Championship! Congratulations to all medalists as well! pic.twitter.com/ElaIA7FiSF
— WPIAL7 (@wpial7) March 7, 2021
Joseph Roth, a 6’8″ freshman, earned his gold and set a WPIAL record by winning the 100 back with a time of 50.92.
“I think Joe surprised himself a little,” said Valli. “He was aware of the record but did not dwell on it. His training had been interrupted so much this year that he did not want to put that kind of pressure on himself.”
BIG CONGRATS TO JOSEPH ROTH!! Joseph took home WPIAL gold in the 100 back AND broke the WPIAL record in the event with a time of 50.92!!! And he’s a freshman 😳@josephroth51 @wpial7 @PASwimming @betru2urschool pic.twitter.com/TMtQG2EzPz
— Panther Nation (@RiversidePN) March 7, 2021
Other Panthers who individually placed include freshman Ryan Turner, fourth in the 100 yard freestyle and member of the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams, Alexander Roth, second place in the 100 freestyle, and Graham Kralic, seventh in the 50 freestyle and member of the 200 freestyle relay team. Sam Kline and Panek were members of the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay teams who earned WPIAL hardware.
For Alexander, his overall performance on Saturday netted him four medals, finding consistent overall success according to his coach
“Alex is probably the best overall swimmer on the team. He does not have that one singular event where he dominates like his brother Joe,” said Valli. “Alex will be back next season for his senior year and I think he will have a great opportunity to shine in multiple events.”
Hampton collected the overall WPIAL Class-AA team championship with a team score of 218 points, 16.5 points more than runner-up Northgate and the third-place Panthers.
For Joseph and Alexander Roth, the brothers next turn their focus back to the hardwood where the Ellwood City Wolverines play Monday night in the WPIAL Class-AAA Quarterfinals versus 3-seeded Shady Side Academy. The boys basketball team earned an upset victory over Avonworth last Friday to advance in the basketball playoffs.
Next up for the Riverside swimming team is the PIAA Swimming and Diving Championships scheduled for Friday, March 19, 2021. This year’s event is at Cumberland Valley High School versus its traditional location at Bucknell University.
A substantial part of the continued success of the swimming program is the Riverside Aqua Club of Ellwood City (RACE). RACE is a feeder program for varsity swimming, offering swim lessons and competitive swimming opportunities for children of all ages.
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