Fitting Farewell
PITTSBURGH — In his final high school event at the University of Pittsburgh’s Trees Pool, Haihan Xu knew only one way to go out — as a champion.
Seneca Valley’s senior turned in a time of 54.92 seconds in the WPIAL Class 3A boys breaststroke, earning for him a championship in the event for the second straight year. Pine-Richland’s Matthew Carper was a distant second at 56.69.
“I got off to a fast start today because I was going for the WPIAL record,” said Xu. “But you can’t get your arms going too fast. You still have to have the right technique and power in your stroke.”
The district record is 54.40, set by Upper St. Clair’s Josh Matheny in 2021. While Xu did not put his name in the WPIAL record book, his time did eclipse his own school record of 55.12. This followed his effort Thursday, which yielded a 200 individual medley crown and a 200 freestyle relay win with teammates Connor Seeley, Frankie Walton and Gavin Blazer.
“The state meet last year didn’t go as well for (Xu) as he had hoped,” said SV coach Brian Blackwell. “I know he wanted to come in here and put himself in position to get a good seed in his events at states.”
“I’ve been swimming in meets here since I was 9 years old (club swimming),” Xu said. “Winning in my last meet at this pool means a lot. It shows all the work I put in is bearing fruit.”
