NYSPHSAA SWIMMING: PAIR OF WAVERLY RELAYS ADVANCE TO STATE FINALS (16 PHOTOS) (2024-11-22)

By Brian Fees
Valley Sports Report
WEBSTER — Individually the day didn’t go the way that Waverly standout Mira Kittle wanted, so she stepped away with her coaches, refocused and led two Waverly relays to the finals at the NYSPHSAA Swimming & Diving Championships at the Webster Aquatic Center.

Kittle swam the fastest time in the 50 free prelims, but ended up disqualified after a false start. She swam the 100 back and made it to the B final, but didn’t get into the A final.

While it was a disappointing day personally, Kittle knew she had to be a leader to the younger Waverly girls.

“It’s always been something in the back of my mind, I can’t be super upset around the younger girls,” Kittle said. “So, me and my coach try and walk off somewhere and try and get away from it because at the end of the day I have to come back and make sure everyone is on task and ready to go.”

And, the Wolverines were ready to go in both relays. The 200 medley relay is 8th going into the A final and the 200 free relay is seventh after the prelims. The medley relay swam 1:51.00, which was .05 faster than their seed time and the free relay swam 1:388.71, which was .17 faster than their seed time.

“I feel like it kind of takes a little of the nervousness off me,” Kittle said of being with her relay teams. “Because I’m telling them don’t think too much into it, you’ll be fine. And, in my head I was like I was here once and I didn’t have anyone here to go talk to about it so I just try and be there for them and try and talk to them and let them know it will be okay.”

When she was a younger swimmer Kittle was alone at states for the Wolverines. She had other swimmers in Section IV — like Corning state champion Angie McKane — that she looked up to. A year ago McKane was talking to Kittle after a race at states. And, Kittle remembers the lessons she learned then and tries to pass them onto her teammates.

“I definitely looked up to Angie a lot and I feel like I carry that with. Me now to try and be like her,” Kittle said.

The Wolverines 200 medley relay of Kittle, Olivia Chernosky, Lauren Welles and Natalie Steck was seeded just 18th coming into the race, but they improved 10 spots in the prelims.

“Dropping 10 places definitely makes us feel confident for tomorrow and I think we’ll do great tomorrow,” Welles said.

For Kittle she was happy to see how well the relays swam Friday.

“I think we did really good as relays,” she said. “We came a lot further from last year.

“I am very excited. One of the girls on our team (Steck) has never been to states before so I think she’s really happy to be in the A finals.”

The 200 free relay also had success, swimming into the A final with a 7th place finish in the prelims. That relay has Welles, Chernosky, Kittle and Megan Atanasoff.

“I’m really pleased with our times and I think we have room to grow tomorrow and I think we’ll do good,” Atanasoff said.

Steck, the one newcomer to states, was happy with the way everything went Friday.

“I feel really good,” she said. “I am really excited for tomorrow.”

While the relays did well on Friday, they think they can go even faster in the finals.

“I personally think we did really good as a whole team and I was happy with my times 100% and I think we’ll be able to get on the podium tomorrow,” Welles said. “I think we did really good, especially having a young team. I think we did really goo and in years to come we’ll also do really good.”

For the 200 free relay there were some expectations coming into the meet because they medaled a year ago.

“We were pretty confident we’d make finals tomorrow, considering we made finals last year and we have gotten faster over the season, so hopefully tomorrow we’ll just PR and go really fast again.”

Chernosky believes the team can medal and swim even faster.

“I feel confident we will be on the podium tomorrow and all together we just did really good,” Chernosky said. “I think we can grow more individually and all together as a team.”

Kittle had big hopes in her individual events. She entered states as the second seed in the 50 free, and had the fastest time in the prelims. But, she was called for the false start after jumping off the bock too early.

Kittle swam in the 100 back and finished in 58.39, making it into the B final as the 13th seed after the prelims.

“It’s alright, I thought I could have done better,” Kittle said of her day.

And, while she wasn’t happy with some of the individual results, she put her focus on working with her teammates in the relays.

“I was trying to look on the bright side earlier, I don’t have to swim four events tomorrow, so I’ll be more rested for everything,” Kittle said.

And, that means a fresh Kittle can give the relays everything she has.

“I have a lot to leave out there,” Kittle said. “I think it’s great we are able to go out as a team and be able to compete even if I’m not able to individually.”

And, the hope is if she can’t get a state title in the 50 free, maybe one the relays can move up and try and get toward the top of the podium.

“Anything can happen,” Kittle said. “I really hope we PR in both, if we don’t it’s fine, we are going to come back next year and we’ll do better.”

Though she won’t be in the 50 free final, Kittle hopes to drop a time as fast as anyone in the 50 free in her leg of the 200 free relay.

“I feel like I will be thinking a lot about that,” Kittle said. “I am not able to swim the 50, so it will all be left int he relay.”
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PHOTOS BY BRIAN FEES


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