PIAA Swimming: Radnor’s Freedman gets measure of redemption

LEWISBURG — Wednesday night’s session at the PIAA Class AAA Championships didn’t go well for Ryan Freedman and his Radnor teammates.

For Freedman, Thursday morning could scarcely have gone better.

The Radnor senior recorded a time of 50.97 seconds in the 100 backstroke at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium, dropping almost a second and a half from his seed time and vaulting into the A final of the event.

Freedman, who entered seeded 18th, jumped all the way up to seventh. His swim obliterated his seed time of 52.45 seconds.

Thursday stood in stark contrast to Wednesday night, when the Raiders clocked in the fourth-fastest time in the medley relay. But that time, which would’ve been a Delaware County record by eight tenths of a second at 1:33.33, was wiped out by a disqualification.

That disappointment, though, was the farthest thing from Freedman’s mind Thursday.

“Not really. That’s the past,’ Freedman said with a shrug of his shoulders. “We have to put it behind us and focus on the present.’

Two of his relay mates also atoned Thursday. Mitchell Gartland finished 14th in the 100 breaststroke in 58.49 to book passage to the B final. Eli Avart put together an excellent swim in the 100 back, shaving a half second off his seed to 52.49, but it was only good for 18th and the second-alternate position.

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All five of the girls finals Friday night will feature at least one Delco swimmer.

Fabulous freshman Summer Martin continued her forceful postseason by earning the 14th seed to the 100 freestyle finals. Her time of 52.66 was an improvement by almost a half second on her seed.

Teammate Frances Resweber also banished the demons of finishing 17th in the 200 free Wednesday to take the top seed in the B final (ninth overall) in the 500 in 5:02.36 thanks to a supremely composed and strong swim.

Those two joined Camille Jablonski and Katie Willis to finish 14th in the 400 free relay in 3:34.63.

Haverford sophomore Maddie Hart made it four A finals in four career PIAA individual events. She’ll be the sixth seed Thursday night in a stunningly deep 100 backstroke field. Hart clocked in a 56.58 Thursday morning. Joining her in finals will be Tatyana Smolyansky, who powered her way to the 12th seed from lane 8 of the final heat in a time of 57.72.

Smolyansky’s younger sister Sasha got the honor of winning her heat, the first of four in the 100 back. The time of 58.70 placed her 20th.

In the 100 ******, Delco will be represented by Ridley’s Gab Rudy, who went 1:05.76. She’s one of four freshmen in the B final.

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