Christian Dantey is one of the best swimmers in the WPIAL, but there was a time when his main sport was soccer. He loved the quickness of the game, and while he remains an avid fan, he made a transformative decision a handful of years ago to concentrate on swimming instead. Since then, the junior has seamlessly transferred his power kicks and speed to the water, and with amazing success.
Christian is the Foxes only reigning WPIAL Class 3A swimming champion, which is a story unto itself. Last season, Christian entered the meet as the sixth seed in his signature event, the 200 freestyle. In very dramatic fashion, he shaved four seconds off his time, dominated the race, and won the event in 1:40.85. Then, in December at the Speedo Winter Championships East, he whittled his time down even further to 1:40.15.
When Christian steps up to defend his title on February 29 and March 1, he’ll face a formidable opponent, Central Catholic’s Luke Hartman, who is now the top-ranked contestant in that event.
Unfazed by the challenge, Christian, a quiet, yet cool, collected, and extremely competitive athlete, has shown that some of his best races are performed under pressure.
“I wasn’t shocked to see Luke (Hartman) up there in the top seed,” says Christian. “He’s a very strong freestyle, and I knew he’d be one of the top seeds in this event. Both of our times are nearly identical (0.15 seconds apart).”
In all, Christian will swim in four events at this year’s WPIAL meet. He’s registered in the 200 freestyle, the 100 breaststroke (in which he placed third last season), and the 200 free and 400 free team relays.
It’s in the Details
When swimmers get to a certain elite level, improvements come in the minutiae. Christian says it’s all about paying careful attention to details, something he’s worked on with assistant coach Cindy Woods.
He explains, “Coach Cindy is the best at knowing what I’m capable of and what I need to do to get to a certain goal, and she continues to prove me right after every good swim I have. I think I have gotten a lot better with my underwaters. Not many swimmers focus on underwaters, so it’s something that I can take advantage of when racing head-to-head.”
First-year head coach Matt Mauclair has also added positivity to the swimmers’ mindsets.
“We always talk with our swimmers about, ‘Anything is possible,’” says coach Mauclair, who has tried to create a strong bond and affirmation among his swimmers. “That was something Christian obviously took into each race at WPIALs last year. His focus, training, and leadership was right on point then, as they are now. I’ve been around a lot of top endurance athletes, and for a young man to be in this state is phenomenal.”
Mindset and Approach
Christian has been on coach Mauclair’s radar for years, ever since he met him through Killer Whales, a local club team that has trained most of the Foxes WPIAL and state champions and medalists.
“Christian feeds off of the doubt from everyone,” he says. “He’s a gamer. Out of everyone who steps on our swim deck from this team, he’s the one who could hold up best against the toughest competition. To me, his mindset and approach are equal to his talent.”
Christian’s powerful physique is an advantage in propelling him through the water, but it’s his mindset that stands out as one of his greatest strengths.
“When you focus too much on the outcome, you aren’t focusing on the present and what variables you can control that day,” Christian says. “Whereas when you focus on the process, you’re focusing on what you can do every single day to improve yourself.
“Not everything is supposed to go your way. And everybody’s journey is different. So, I think being able to understand that it’s inevitable to have good and bad moments in life has taken me a long way. Having a positive mindset reflects majorly on other people. I feel that positivity can create an overall better atmosphere that sets people up for the opportunity of personal improvement.”
Coach Mauclair draws parallels when describing Christian as having a “Kobe Bryant Mamba Mentality.”
“He puts in more hard work than the next person and then trusts his training when it’s time to perform,” says the coach. “Every time he puts on his goggles and assumes his position, he is incredibly competitive and keenly focused on reaching the wall first.”
“Every practice I’ve done builds confidence, so once I’m on that block, I will know I’ve done all the things I could have done to prepare,” says Christian.
WPIAL Lineups
(WPIAL regulations only allow swimmers to participate in two individual and two relay races, or three individual and one relay race)
200 IM Relay: Hugo Mickus, Paul Park, Oscar Ruff, and Arman Alborzi
200 Freestyle: Christian Dantey
200 IM: Owen Howell, Oscar Ruff, Henry Koloc
50 Freestyle: Paul Park
100 Butterfly: Oscar Ruff
100 Freestyle: Henry Koloc
200 Freestyle Relay: Henry Koloc, Paul Park, Owen Howell, Christian Dantey
100 Breaststroke: Christian Dantey, Paul Park, Owen Howell
400 Freestyle Relay: Arman Alborzi, Henry Koloc, Owen Howell, Christian Dantey
Editor’s note: The WPIAL diving championships were held February 23 and 24 at North Allegheny High School. Junior Jackson Hagler won second place and qualified for the state competition, and freshman Finn Kress placed 11th.