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Seneca Valley swimming sweeps Butler, but both teams set on big picture after hard holiday training

JACKSON TWP — It had been a few weeks since Butler and Seneca Valley swimming held a competition before Thursday night’s section meet.

But they weren’t well-rested. Without school and homework to occupy swimmers’ time, the teams both filled their winter breaks in the water.

“We were able to train, recover, then train again,” said Golden Tornado coach Troy Kroll, whose team’s most recent meet was 15 days earlier.

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Seneca Valley’s Triston Sasala, top, congratulates Butler’s Bryson Stoops at the end of the boys 200-yard freestyle race in a swim meet Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Sasala took first place with a time of 1:53.40. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

The day after that last meet Dec. 18 against Indiana, Kroll’s team dove into holiday training, swimming two-a-days and attacking the weight room with added intensity to prepare it for the stretch ahead.

The host Raiders hadn’t had a race that counted since Dec. 18, as well. Both their boys (96-43) and girls (97-84) won in their return to action Thursday at Seneca Valley High School.

“We’ve been kind of putting them through a lot of really rigorous dry land and pool exercises,” Seneca Valley coach Brian Blackwell said. “We knew they were going to be kind of broken down. They were going to have a hard time swimming at their best. ... We’ve still got to do a better job of starts and turns and the small things.”

Blackwell said a good amount of Raiders swimmers qualified for WPIALs in the team’s initial few meets, allowing room for training.

“We’re gas to the pedal right now,” said Blackwell, whose crew has a tri-meet with Canon-McMillan and McDowell at home Saturday.

Braden Rubinosky won the 200-yard individual medley and the 100 butterfly for the Raiders. Teammate Aidan Newman (100 free, 100 back) was also a double-winner individually, and Seneca Valley’s relays swept.

On the girls’ side, Butler twins Addison and Abigail Vance won two events each, keeping the Golden Tornado close in defeat. Kroll was happy with what he saw from that pair and others.

Butler’s Simon Bianchin took first place in the boys 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:10.31 in a swim meet Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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“We’re coming together as a team,” Kroll said. “I think that was kind of the thing about the first half of the season was, ‘What’s our identity? Who exactly are we?’ It took us two weeks of Christmas training to get there.”

On Thursday, he saw “good, technical races. Kids just looked more glued in. They looked tired. By this point in the year ... you should be tired. You should be beat up.”

Things aren’t going to get any easier for Butler right away. Kroll wants his team to be ready when titles are on the line.

“I want to maintain, you know, the intensity and training up through these last couple meets,” Kroll said. “We want to get about a few weeks out (of postseason swimming). ... It’s the equivalent of running on one leg right now. We’re swimming with one arm right now.

“A lot of kids are tired. They’re beat up, but they’re competing. That’s the biggest thing. We were harping on winning the walls, winning the turns, and we still have a ways to go.”

The Golden Tornado welcome Pine-Richland on Wednesday.

Boys

Seneca Valley 94, Butler 43

200 medley relay: Seneca Valley (Aidan Newman, AJ Barnett, Thomas Pichieri, Andrew O’Rourke) 1:52.21

200 freestyle: Triston Sasala (SV) 1:53.40

200 individual medley: Braden Rubinosky (SV) 2:14.28

50 freestyle: Jackson Morgus (B) 22.80

100 butterfly: Braden Rubinosky (SV) 57.87

100 freestyle: Aidan Newman (SV) 54.25

500 freestyle: Triston Sasala (SV) 5:06.34

200 freestyle relay: Seneca Valley (William Feath, Tyler Snow, Triston Sasala, Thomas Pichieri) 1:38.38

100 backstroke: Aidan Newman (SV) 58.47

100 breaststroke: Simon Bianchin (B) 1:10.31

400 freestyle relay: Seneca Valley (William Feath, Tyler Snow, Triston Sasala, Aidan Newman) 3:38.03

Girls

Seneca Valley 97, Butler 84

200 medley relay: Seneca Valley (Lena Rothrock, Riley Skwortz, Ava Walker, Sasha Myers) 1:55.86

200 freestyle: Addison Vance (B) 2:03.19

200 individual medley: Abigail Vance (B) 2:17.12

50 freestyle: Sasha Myers (SV) 26.15

Diving: Cooper Burcham (SV) 238.65

100 butterfly: Addison Vance (B) 1:02.54

100 freestyle: Abigail Vance (B) 56.87

500 freestyle: Brynn Flatt (SV) 5:46.53

200 freestyle relay: Seneca Valley (Sasha Myers, Ava Walker, Brynn Flatt, Audrey Wolfe) 1:47.41

100 backstroke: Lena Rothrock (SV) 1:04.70

100 breaststroke: Riley Skwortz (SV) 1:13.11

400 freestyle relay: Seneca Valley (Sasha Myers, Katie Bookwalter, Audrey Wolfe, Addy Molinero) 3:54.53

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