Bethel Park’s Jackson Edwards delivered a stellar performance at the WPIAL Championships this week, held at the University of Pittsburgh’s Trees Hall Swimming Pool. His achievements propelled the boys’ swimming team to a fourth-place finish and established a new standard for the program.
Edwards claimed the championship title in the boys’ 100-meter butterfly with a time of 48.97 seconds, breaking the school record by .99 seconds. He was joined by teammates Caden Powell, TJ Strock, and Connor Blocklin in the boys’ 200 medley relay, where they finished third, nearly dropping one second from their previous performance.
On the girls’ side, the 200 medley relay team, consisting of Rae Walker, Morgan McKiernan, Karsyn Mitchell, and Julia Ratti, finished 16th, improving their time by 1.85 seconds. Ratti also excelled in the girls’ 200 freestyle, taking 10th with a personal-best time of 1:58.57, while McKiernan finished 16th at 2:01.26.
Sam Hoppe took 12th in the 200 freestyle, improving by 1.03 seconds, and Charlie Werts placed 35th in the 50 freestyle with a time of 23.40 seconds. Strock finished 11th in the 100 butterfly with a time of 53.12 seconds.
The girls’ 200 freestyle relay team of Ratti, Mitchell, Eleni Kretchun, and McKiernan finished 13th after improving by 2.46 seconds. The boys’ 200 freestyle relay team of Edwards, Blocklin, Werts, and Strock placed seventh, lowering their best time by 0.69 seconds.
By the end of the two-day competition, the Bethel Park girls’ team secured a spot in the Top 20, while the boys’ team showcased their talent with a strong fourth-place finish among all area teams.
On the final day, Edwards excelled again, winning the 100 backstroke and setting a new school record. Werts finished 30th in the 100 freestyle, while Ratti took 17th.
In the 500 freestyle, Hoppe finished seventh, with McKiernan placing 12th for the girls. Blocklin took ninth in the 100 breaststroke, just ahead of Caden Powell in 14th. The boys’ 400 freestyle relay finished 12th, and the girls’ team placed 20th.
This championship marked a significant milestone for Bethel Park swim, establishing new benchmarks for the future of the program.