With a schedule that is the most difficult in coach Dan Taylor’s nine years with the Foxes and fewer swimmers than in recent years, Taylor’s swimmers are still proving that they can overcome the odds as strong competitors in WPIAL Class 3A. While the team lost 13 seniors to graduation, the returning athletes have a ton of talent, as was evidenced by the teams’ recent victories over the reigning WPIAL 3A champs, Seneca Valley.
Additionally, only two meets into the young season, 13 individuals, three relay teams, and two divers have already earned automatic bids to the March 2023 WPIAL championships.
To date, the girls automatic WPIAL qualifiers and their events are Talia Bugel (100 back), Rayna Huang (500 free), Isabella Marcos (100 breast, 200 IM), Payton O’Toole (200 IM), Sarah Pasquella (100 breast, 100 free, 50 free), Margaret Rusche (100 fly, 100 back), Sophie Shao (200 IM, 100 fly), and Claudia “CJ” Smith (200 IM).
For the boys, Christian Dantey (200 IM, 200 free, 100 fly, 500 free), Emmanuel Drappatz (50 free), Owen Howell (200 IM, 100 breast), Henry Koloc (200 IM), and Aadil Pattada (100 back, 100 free) also automatically qualified for the WPIAL tournament.
Count the girls 200 free relay and boys and girls 400 free relay teams among those that will see postseason tournament action, as well as divers Jackson Hagler and Noelle Dick.
Three-time WPIAL champion and two-time PIAA gold medalist Sophie Shao qualified at the second meet. She had a good reason for not seizing a bid at the first competition – she was instead racing against the best of the best swimmers in the country at the Winter Speedo Junior Nationals in Greensboro, North Carolina. There, she finished 11th in the 100 fly and fifth in the 200 fly.
High Standards to Meet
In 2021-2022, the girls were three-peat undefeated section champs, a school record. The boys scored their second consecutive section title, a first in school history. At the WPIAL Class 3A championships, the girls were the runners-up and placed sixth at states. The boys had their highest finish to date at both the WPIALs and the PIAA meets.
While some top-notch swimmers graduated, many of who are continuing to race in college, no one is ultra-concerned at this point about their ability to succeed this season.
“The girls team has more depth than the boys this season and should be the favorite to win the section again this year,” says coach Taylor. “The boys don’t have that kind of depth but should still be able to contend for the section title.”
It was the boys who gave the Foxes the final push to win the come-from-behind victory against Seneca. The deciding factor came down to the final event, the 400 free relay. Two different Foxes groups were entered in that race. One took first place and the other third, creating an exciting and suspenseful ending to the day.
Co-captain Aadil, who competed at WPIALs and the PIAA championships last season, says, “We still have many heavy hitters on the teams this year. We swam against Seneca, and we were able to win, even with fewer numbers.”
Coach Taylor adds, “Of the younger swimmers, Christian and Owen had a strong presence as freshmen and already have proven to be strong competitors in multiple events. I can insert them almost anywhere in the lineup and they will score points. I also expect Paul Park and Arman Alborzi to be noticeable contributors for the boys.”
Returning Talent and New Prospects
In many cases, Sophie is competing against herself. Last season, she won the 100 butterfly at WPIALs with a time that broke the WPIAL record set in 1983. She also was first in the 200 IM and a member of the champion 200 medley relay and the 400 free relay teams. Previously in her career, Sophie was the top swimmer in the state in the 100 butterfly as a freshman, and then as a sophomore, she earned gold in the 200 IM. She will be vying for her fourth WPIAL title in the 100 fly, something only a handful of WPIAL swimmers have achieved.
The coach also has high praise for other girls who gained much improvement over the past year, particularly Sarah Pasquella, who posted some impressive times last year as a freshman.
“She has really come into her own, and we’re looking for her to have a breakout season,” says coach Taylor. “She is versatile and is quickly becoming a cornerstone to the girls’ team.”
“A lot of girls on the team have put in a ton of hard work in the past year, so it will be a tough decision for coach Dan to decide who to put in their places,” Payton says. “Every point matters, so anyone who contributes even one point will make a huge contribution. I am not quite sure where coach Dan will put me this year, but I’m ready to step in wherever I’m needed.”
One of the things Payton was referring to is the status of the relay teams. There are no fully intact teams returning, so there will be some experimentation during the regular season, and the groups will have a much different look to them.
Last year, the girls 200 medley and 400 free relays set new team records, won gold at WPIALs, and placed second and fifth, respectively, at the PIAA championships.
The Making of Champions
Most of the team has been committed to training since April and has gotten stronger through a balanced strength and conditioning program. Coach Taylor is known to closely study what college coaches are doing in dryland practices and continues to add difficult, but age-appropriate, exercises into his routines for the racers.
“While every season entails a slightly different approach, they follow a similar regimen that incorporates yoga and strength training into their weekly routine,” he says. “This season, with a much younger team, many swimmers are still learning the routines.
As one who has gone through these challenging drylands for four years now, Aadil says this part of their training gives him reason to believe the teams will continue to do well this season.
“My confidence is only possible due to the coaches creating challenging workouts and the supporting atmosphere that accompanies each high school season due to the motivation and drive of the people on this team.”
The team has four consecutive away meets before they return home on January 12 to face Oakland Catholic on senior day.