Making the mark: Mapletown’s Menear opens season with two qualifying times
Mapletown鈥檚 Ella Menear competes in the 100 backstroke in a meet at Laurel Highlands on Dec. 21. Menear finished in a WPIAL Class AA automatic qualifying time of 58.90 seconds. (Photo by Jim Downey)
Mapletown鈥檚 Ella Menear swims in 100 freestyle during a meet at Laurel Highlands on Dec. 21. Menear finished in a WPIAL Class AA automatic qualifying time of 54.80 seconds. (Photo by Jim Downey)
Mapletown鈥檚 Ella Menear competes in the 100 backstroke in a meet at Laurel Highlands on Dec. 21. Menear finished in a WPIAL Class AA automatic qualifying time of 58.90 seconds. (Photo by Jim Downey)
Jim Downey | Herald-Standar
Mapletown鈥檚 Ella Menear swims in 100 freestyle during a meet at Laurel Highlands on Dec. 21. Menear finished in a WPIAL Class AA automatic qualifying time of 54.80 seconds.
Ella Menear closed out the 2020-21 high school swimming season with three gold medals, two pool records and a bronze.
The Mapletown junior is hoping for similar results this season with her ultimate goal in mind 鈥� earning a scholarship at a Division I program.
Menear鈥檚 winter season opened in Greensboro, North Carolina, a couple weeks ago at the USA Swimming East Speedo Winter Junior Nationals.
She placed 25th out of 104 swimmers in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 55.09 seconds. Menear was 26th in a field of 98 swimmers in the 200-yard backstroke, dropping a second with her time of 1:59.61.
She was 63rd in the 200 IM with a time of 2:04.42, a drop of .12 seconds. The time secured her a national cut in the event.
鈥淚 did pretty well, looking at times compared to last year,鈥� Menear said of the national meet. 鈥淚 actually went my best time in the 200 IM. I was happy with that.
鈥淚 was a little upset with the 100 backstroke. I wanted to go faster.
鈥淚 finally broke two minutes in my 200 backstroke. I鈥檓 real happy with that.鈥�
Menear was not able to devote her time to training alone for swimming in the fall as a member of the highly-successful Lady Maple volleyball team.
鈥淗opefully, by the end of the season, I will be faster in the backstroke. I will, but I played volleyball, too. That鈥檚 a big factor. I plays into my training,鈥� explained Menear.
The last time Menear was in a pool for a high school meet she won a state title and a bronze medal at Cumberland Valley High School.
Menear won the PIAA Class AA gold medal in the 100 backstroke with a time of 54.99 seconds. She won bronze in the 200 IM earlier in the day.
Menear entered the state meet after her record-setting performance in the WPIAL Championships at Upper St. Clair. The district finals are normally held at Pitt鈥檚 Trees Pool, but the venue changed because of the pandemic.
She took to Upper St. Clair鈥檚 new natatorium, winning gold medals in the 100 backstroke and 200 IM in pool record times.
Menear opened her 2021-22 season on Dec. 21 at Laurel Highlands when the Mustangs hosted Greensburg Salem, swimming the 100 backstroke and 100 freestyle.
Although her results were not recorded for the meet scores, both her times 鈥� 54.80 seconds in the 100 freestyle and 58.90 in the 100 backstroke 鈥� were the fastest, boy or girl.
鈥淭onight established some times for the WPIAL. I wanted to get some times into the WPIAL,鈥� Menear said of her approach to the meet. 鈥淭he times were okay for a high school meet and not suited.
鈥淚t was just a training meet. I thought it went very well. I have been training really hard lately. I鈥檓 kinda tired. That plays into how I race.
鈥淏ut, overall, I thought it was pretty good.鈥�
Menear continued, saying, 鈥淚 was definitely working on the small things in the races and working on my strategy. I keep working on that so I can enforce that when I swim in the WPIALs and at the state level.鈥�
Though Menear medaled in the 200 IM and 100 backstroke last year, those might not be the events she will look to select for the WPIAL final.
鈥淭he 200 IM, 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly is where I鈥檓 at right now,鈥� said Menear. 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure what I want to swim in the WPIALs and states.
鈥淚鈥檓 thinking about all five of those events, actually. I want to see where I rank and how the other swimmers are doing.
鈥淭he backstroke is my best stroke. In the 200 IM, I鈥檓 trying to work on my breaststroke. I鈥檓 trying to work on it at practice. The third 50 (yards) of any 200 is the hardest 50.鈥�
Menear said she is a bit ahead of last year鈥檚 times.
鈥淎t midseason last year I was at 2:07 in the 200 IM. I鈥檓 at 2:04 this year,鈥� said Menear. 鈥淛anuary and February are the hardest training times.鈥�
Menear enters the season as a defending champion, and that tag doesn鈥檛 bother her, nor does she expect to repeat last year鈥檚 stellar performances.
鈥淢y outlook (as a defending champion), it puts more pressure on me. I鈥檝e always been hard on myself and always expected a lot out of myself,鈥� explained Menear. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 expect to win this year. Nothing is ever taken for granted.
鈥淚 say to myself 鈥榶ou have to work hard when others aren鈥檛 looking.鈥� Nothing is ever given to you. I just put in my best effort into every practice.鈥�
Menear said she has outside help as she attempts to reach her goals.
鈥�(Being defending champion) does put a little pressure on me. I know the support from the community is overwhelming,鈥� said Menear.
Fast times and medals dangling from her neck are just steps to the ultimate goal she has every time she dives into a pool.
鈥淢y overall goal is to swim at a Division I college,鈥� said Menear, who has started the recruiting process. 鈥淭hey are not going to look where you placed at a state meet. They are going to look at your times and race strategy.
鈥淵es, that would be an amazing thing to be a state champion, again, a two-time state champion.
鈥淚 am really focusing on my times now that I am going into more of the recruiting process and see where I want to go to school.鈥�
Menear believes if she can reach the times she hopes to hit, medals should accompany.
Menear, as with other winter athletes of all sports, had to navigate through the issues brought about by the pandemic last year. The situation, for the moment, at least, is not as uncertain as was the 2020-21 year.
鈥淎 year ago, I was training on my own. I have a membership at Mylan Park, so I would swim on my own with a teammate. We weren鈥檛 allowed to have a coach,鈥� said Menear. 鈥淟ast year was a hard year mentally.
鈥淏ut, honestly, thinking about last year, if we could get through that season and still compete at that high level and swim those fast times, any one of us can get through anything at this point.鈥�
Menear continued her thought, adding, 鈥淪wimming is a mental game and if your are not right mentally, you鈥檙e not going to be right when you get in the pool and race.鈥�