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Sunday, December 16, 2012
Tue DALLAS POST
PAGE 9
SPOrts
19th in country
By TOM ROBINSON
[For the Dallas Post
Dallas junior Regan Rome
proved she could keep up with
the best high school distance
runners in the country.
Concluding her season in
the Foot Locker Cross Country
National Finals in San Diego
on Dec. 8, Rome finished 19th
out of the 40 girls who had
qualified through regional
competition after finishing
high in their various state
meets.
“The race went out super
fast,” Rome said in a post-race
telephone interview from her
hotel while looking over the
Pacific Ocean. “I kind of got
stuck behind.
“I had to work my way up. A
little ‘after the mile, I was in
the spot I finished, then for
the rest of the race, I was be-
tween about 16th and 20th.”
Rome finished the 3.1-mile
course in 18:04, the same time
as 18th-place finisher Marisa
skan from Bridgewater-Rar-
, N.J.
~ Anna Rohrer of Mishawaka,
Ind. won in 17:25. Catarina Ro-
cha of Peabody, Mass. finished
second, four seconds later.
Rocha was the champion of
the Northeast Regional in the
Bronx, N.Y. where Rome fin-
ished fourth — needing a top
10 finish in one of the four
regionals — to qualify for the
trip to, San Diego.
Although Rome made her
way to nationals as an individ-
ual, the Dallas team shared in
her accomplishment.
Rome made the trip along
th her mother and her
ounger sister Ally, also a
state medalist for Dallas, and
coach Matt Samuel.
As Rome ran, other team-
mates followed live video cov-
erage of the race online from
home.
“My teammates were all
texting me,” she said following
the race. “They were all watch-
ing the race. I'm really lucky to
“My teammates were all texting me. They were
all watching the race. I'm
teammates | have.”
Regan Rome runs in the Foot
Locker Cross Country Na-
tuional Finals in San Diego.
have the teammates I have.”
They also helped Rome pre-
pare for regional and national
competition after their high
school seasons ended.
“My teammates really
helped me train,” Rome said.
In a journal she wrote for
milesplit.com about the Foot
Locker experience, Rome cred-
ited her sister Ally, Bryanna
Dissinger, Allison Grose and
Maggie Fannick for running
with her every day prior to the
Northeast Regional.
With another year ahead for
Rome and her teammates,
there are more achievements
to chase.
Rome finished third in the
state individually and the Lady
Mountaineers were second as
a team in Class AA at the
Pennsylvania Interscholastic
Athletic Association Cham-
pionships.
Rome will take aim at be-
coming a four-time District 2
cross country champion — not
counting the junior high cham-
pionship she won in eighth
grade — then try to lift herself
or her team to the state cham-
pionship level. She will also
pursue the possibility of be-
coming an NCAA Division I
scholarship runner, something
See ROME, Page 10
really lucky to have the
Regan Rome
DHS runner
Center at Misericordia University.
L:L looking for
more than wins
By TOM ROBINSON
For the Dallas Post
Working with a small roster
and without a home facility puts
the Lake-Lehman swimming
program at a competitive disad-
vantage, particularly in dual
meets.
The Black Knights, who are
able to use facilities at Miser-
icordia University and the Dallas
School District, will find ways to
assess their program beyond just
wins and losses in Nancy Ed-
kins’ second season as head
coach.
“I think probably what has
been a big part of the goal for
the program is for kids to get
better,” Edkins said. “We’re mak-
ing the best swimmers that we
can.”
Lake-Lehman has just 12 girls
and seven boys in its program.
Swimming scoring makes it a
near statistical impossibility for
even the girls team to win a dual
meet - even it sweeps first-place
finishes - against teams that
have a large enough roster to en-
“I think probably what
has been a big part of
the goal for the program
is for kids to get better.
We're making the best
swimmers that we can.”
Nancy Edkins
Lake-Lehman swim coach
ter three competitors in every
race.
“We just try to get as many
first places and second places as
we can and go from there,” Ed-
kins said. “The kids improved all
the way through last season and
were starting out this season
where we ended last season, so
that’s exciting from a coaching
perspective.”
While concentrating on get-
ting improvement throughout
the entire roster, the Black
Knights have some individuals
who can expect to find success
in the pool.
The strength of the program
should be in the divers, includ-
CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK PHOTOS/ FOR TTE DALLAS POST
Lake-Lehman swimmers Chris Herrick, Kieran Sutton and Kirsten Cope listen to coach Nancy Edkins during practice at the Anderson
Lake-Lehman swimmer Kirsten Cope practices her freestyle
stroke.
ing Matt Edkins, the coach’s son,
who won the district champion-
ship last season as a freshman,
and, as Lake-Lehman’s only qual-
ifier, went on to finish sixth in
the state.
Kieran Sutton has joined the
boys team and brings the same
endurance that helped make him
a District 2 cross country cham-
pion.
Senior Samantha Sabol is the
top returnee on the girls team,
which adds a promising fresh-
man in Julia Baur.
While the swimmers practice
at Misericordia many nights, as-
sistant coach Erin Yurko works
with the divers at Dallas where
the team also holds home meets.
Matt Edkins and Dustin Zeil-
er, who was fifth in the district
meet, also try to help by swim-
ming in some events.
“They don’t get to train for
swimming very often,” coach
Edkins said, “but they’re able to
do the 50 freestyle or help us
See WINS, Page 10
Championship seniors return to Mountaineer pool
By TOM ROBINSON
For the Dallas Post
Brian Stepniak, Marcus Wagn-
er and Jack Matusiak all played
prominent roles when Dallas won
the District 2 Class AA boys
swimming championship last
season and the three seniors are
back to lead the Mountaineers
this season.
Stepniak was part of two dis-
trict championship relay teams
while finishing second in the 100
backstroke and seventh in the 50
freestyle.
Wagner won the district title in
the 500 freestyle.
Matusiak was third in the 100
individual medley and fourth in
the 100 breaststroke.
Allthree showed they are ready
for this season when they had the
imum four wins Dec. 7 in an
pressive, season-opening, 109-
74 win at Abington Heights. Each
won two individual events while
taking part in the winning 200
and 400-freestyle relays.
Wagner’s wins came in the 200
Promising freshman Porter
Luksic and sophomores Reid
Luksic and Ezra Moore all add-
ed individual wins in the open-
er. Porter Luksic also had two
second-place finishes against
Abington Heights.
and 500 freestyle, Matusiak’s in
the 200 IM and 100 butterfly and
Stepniak’s in the 50 and 100 frees-
tyle.
“Marcus will be in the 200 and
500, but Jack and Brian will prob-
ably mix things up from time to
time,” Dallas coach Romayne
Mosier said.
The ability of Matusiak and
Stepniak to swim multiple events
gives Mosier flexibility in the li-
neup.
~The Mountaineers also get a
boost from the return of other ex-
perienced swimmers.
Senior Grant Luksic was fifthin
the 200 IM and sixth in the 100
breaststroke in the district meet
i
while junior Patrick Gelso was
seventh in the 500 freestyle.
Promising freshman Porter
Luksic and sophomores Reid
Luksic and Ezra Moore all added
individual wins in the opener.
Dallas’ Abby Berger swims the girls 200 yard freestyle.
Porter Luksic also had two sec-
ond-place finishes against Abing-
ton Heights.
Mosier expects junior Patrick
Madaya to contribute as a diver.
Both Dallas teams went 5-2 in
the Southern Division to finish
third out of eight teams last sea-
BILL TARUTIS PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST
Dallas’ Marcus Wagner swims the boys 200 yard freestyle.
son.
The Dallas girls, also coached
by Mosier, were third out of 16 in
Class AA at the district cham-
pionships.
The Lady
WI
Mountaineers fell
ill J A
110-66 against Abington Heights
in the opener, which does not
count in division standings.
Sophomore Kaylin Augustine
See POOL, Page 10