Best in the state: Menear wins PIAA gold in 100 backstroke
Ella Menear entered the PIAA Class AA Swimming Championships at Cumberland Valley High School on Friday with the fastest qualifying time in the state in the 100 backstroke.
The Mapletown sophomore exited the state meet with the fastest time, as well, winning the gold medal with a time of 54.99 seconds.
鈥淚 was really mad at my 200 IM,鈥� Menear said as she prepared for the 100 backstroke. 鈥淚t was more motivation to get the job done.
鈥淚 was really nervous in my first event. I had a lot of pressure from me. I was more focused on my place (in the backstroke). I didn鈥檛 want people to be disappointed in me.鈥�
She opened with a time of 26.68 seconds in the opening 50 yards and closed in 28.31 seconds in the final 50. Both marks were the fastest splits, and she was the only swimmer to be under 27 seconds in the first 50 yards.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to look around when I鈥檓 swimming,鈥� said Menear. 鈥淚 knew I had the lead in the second flip turn, and I knew I had the lead after the last flip turn.
鈥淚 like to be around 27-high (seconds) in the second 50 (yards) and keep it around a second, second-and-a-half, drop off.鈥�
Menear won her first of two state medals earlier in the meet when she finished third in the 200 IM in 2:05.64.
She swam the opening butterfly leg in 27.43 seconds, followed with 29.86 seconds in the backstroke leg, needed 38.81 seconds for the breaststroke, and finished the freestyle leg in 29.54 seconds.
鈥淭he breaststroke is always my worst stroke,鈥� explained Menear. 鈥淭he backstroke is my strongest so I try to make up time.
鈥淭he breaststroke was not there today. My splits were a little slower than the WPIAL time. My breaststroke was a second off. The other legs were a couple hundredths off. That鈥檚 what hurt me.鈥�
Lewisburg鈥檚 Kimberly Shannon won the 200 IM in a time of 2:03.25. Quaker Valley鈥檚 Isabel Huang won the silver with a time of 2:05.60.
Menear, as with the other Class AA performers, was denied the opportunity to compete in the 2020 PIAA meet when the state was shut down the day before the two-day Class AA championship was scheduled to start.
鈥淲e were just about to leave when Maria (Mrosko) called. Luckily, we hadn鈥檛 left yet,鈥� said Menear. 鈥淚鈥檓 just more excited to be there (at the state meet this year). This season has been hard mentally.鈥�
Now, a year later, the fact she is a state champion was still sinking in as Menear closed her sophomore season amidst all the issues arising from dealing with the pandemic.
鈥淚鈥檓 very excited and feel very blessed it happened,鈥� said Menear.