Girls Swimming: Zherka finishes Haverford’s victory in medley relay

PHILADELPHIA — As fast starts go, there was nothing that could rival what the Haverford girls medley relay at the District One Championships.

The Fords didn’t just win the event at La Salle University. They did so with a flourish, outracing North Penn in a compelling curtain-raiser to the afternoon session.

The team of Maddie Hart, Annie O’Brien, Emily Wolfe and Ilira Zherka posted a time of 1 minute, 46.27 seconds, getting to the wall .27 ticks ahead of North Penn, also well under the existing record. The mark that fell by the wayside dated to the 2011 team of Upper Dublin at 1:47.33.

The cut from their seed time was a remarkable 4.55 seconds. It was so monumental an improvement that it left those getting out of the water somewhat surprised.

“I didn’t expect that at all,” Hart said. “I’m just so excited. … I know even know how to put it into words. I don’t feel like it’s sunk in yet.”

The triumph was impressive in two regards. Not only was the time a drastic improvement on the record, but the Fords also had to wrestle the title away from North Penn in a pitched battle. The responsibility of bringing the race home fell to Zherka, a freshman.

“That last leg, I turned and looked at (North Penn anchor Leah Brown), and I was like, ‘oh my god, she’s right next to me,'” Zherka said. “So I decided to just stop looking and I stopped taking any breaths that last lap. At the end I just got my hand to the wall.”

Hart followed up by winning the 100 fly in 55.47, earning her second straight trip to states in the event.

Also joining the Fords at states will be the relay squad of Radnor, the team of Tatyana Smolyansky, Evie Cai, Heather McShea and Laura Packer taking the fifth and final automatic berth.

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Strath Haven's Frances Resweber sighs in relief after seeing she placed third at the end of the 200 freestyle event Friday in Class AAA of the District One championships. (Julia Wilkinson)

Haverford freshman Ilira Zherka swims the freestyle leg of the Fords' winning 200 medley relay Friday in Class AAA of the District One championships. The Haverford quartet was clocked in a meet-record smashing time of 1:46.27. (Julia Wilkinson)