What makes Knoch swimmer Giona Lavorini ‘an undercover competitor?’
BUTLER TWP — Giona Lavorini owns Knoch’s only PIAA swim title. She’s a blink away from breaking records at the WPIAL and state meets.
Yet, until she dives into the pool, spectators would have no idea.
“She’s almost like an undercover competitor,” Knights swim coach Allison Springer said after her team’s home meet against Armstrong last week. “She’s there for the team. She’s cheering everyone on, very encouraging. Her other coach ... says she gets on the block like she’s never been up there before. Then she gets in the water, and she’s a real competitor.
“She never comes off as one, like someone who knows they’re super great. She always is very humble, and I think sometimes people underestimate her because of that. Until they get in the water next to her, then it’s a whole different ball game.”
Lavorini recently committed to swim at the University of Pittsburgh. She brought home a gold medal after last season’s PIAA Class 2A meet, finishing the 100-yard breaststroke in 1 minute, 2.11 seconds. She also won that event at the WPIAL championship meet.
“I feel like people know who I am, but I have to say I try to stay pretty humble,” Lavorini said. “I don’t really like talking about my accomplishments and stuff. ... It’s just kind of like my personality. I feel like I’m pretty down-to-earth. I don’t get super nervous or excited about things.”
Don’t be mistaken by her unassuming nature, though. There’s more than meets the eye — and not just when she’s wearing a cap and goggles.
She’s a science buff and likes going to the dentist. She’s decided to study the latter field at Pitt. She’s also played the violin since she was in fourth grade. Lavorini will even stray from her usual lanes sometimes.
“People know me just because of swimming, but I feel like I’m more than that,” Lavorini said.
“I like to kind of do everything. Like tonight, I did off events just to make WPIAL cuts. I don’t always like doing my best events.”
She swam the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly events against the River Hawks. She made it look easy, placing second by one-hundredth of a second in the latter (1:00.18) and one-tenth of a second in the former (26.21). She qualified for districts with both efforts.
“I’ve been swimming since I was like a couple months (old), I’d say,” Lavorini said. “I started swimming because my mom wanted me to do some lessons so if I was ever in a bad situation, I knew how to swim.”
Those lessons wrapped up around the time she was 7 years old. By that point, she and her brother, Adrian, joined competitive summer teams and swam year-round.
But Giona still wasn’t aware of how good she could be.
“My coaches kind of realized before I did, my potential,” Giona said. “I kind of do think of that question, like, ‘When did I become such a good swimmer?’ ... They vividly remember me swimming when I was little and they’re like, ‘Yeah, I remember pointing you out.’”
Maybe Giona’s lack of awareness was due to the care-free feeling being in the water provides for her.
“I’ve been doing it for so long that I just couldn’t imagine not swimming,” Giona said. “When I have a good practice, I just like the feeling of swimming, as well. Some people say it’s rough because it’s just kind of you and your thoughts. I kind of like just being by myself.”
Sometimes Lavorini’s mind is blank while she competes. Every now and then, she’ll have a song stuck in her head. Her favorite artists are Rihanna, The Weeknd and Fleetwood Mac.
Most times, she’s focused on what needs done. She has a few objectives above all else.
“I really want to get the WPIAL record — possibly the state record — in the 100 breaststroke,” Giona said. “Last year, I was pretty close to it (at WPIALs). ... It was like milliseconds away from it. That’s a big goal of mine.”
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