Valley Sports ReportTHE VALLEY — Senior Mira Kittle will graduate from Waverly as one of the most accomplished swimmers — girl or boy — in the program's storied history. She is the 2025-26 Valley Sports Report "Swimmer of the Year."
Athens junior Brayden Pettitt is the "Boys Swimmer of the Year," while Athens senior Penelope Grubb is the "Diver of the Year," and the Waverly girls 200-yard medley relay is the "Relay of the Year."
Kittle's third-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle at States is the best individual finish for a Waverly girl in program history.
She also placed fifth in the 100-yard backstroke, swam a personal-best split of 22.93 seconds in the 50 free as part of the 200-yard medley relay that also placed fifth at the state meet.
Kittle finished her high school career with 10 state medals — a program record. She swam 13 events in four years at the state meet.
Kittle will graduate as the program record-holder in the 50 and 100 freestyle events, the 100 backstroke, and the 100 butterfly. She is also the record-holder in the six-dive, 1-meter diving event.
Kittle was also a part of all three — the 200 medley, and the 200 and 400 freestyle — relay record-holders.
(Worth noting, swimming is the only remaining sport in New York State with all its participants competing in one division.)
Pettitt placed seventh in the 200-yard IM at States, and broke his own school-record in the prelims. He earned his third career medal with an eighth-place finish in the breaststroke in a school-record time.
Pettitt finished second in the 200 IM and the 100 breaststroke at the District 4, Class AA Championships, but earned a wild card to States based on time.
Pettitt swam on the District 4 gold medal-winning 400 free relay that finished 22nd at States in a school-record time. He also swam on the 200-yard free relay team that finished second at the District 4 meet.
A state qualifier, Grubb finished second at the District 4, Class AA Diving Championships with a personal-best 11-dive score of 246.7. She finished 24th a States.
Kittle and fellow senior Olivia Cheresnowsky teamed with freshmen Megan Atanasoff, and Natalie Steck to finish fifth at States in the 200-yard medley relay in a time of 1:48.58.
The foursome, which holds the school record, also won a Section IV title in the event.
(NOTE: There are just two bowling programs in the Valley, so we've combined this into a co-ed team.)
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SWIMMER OF YEAR: Mira Kittle, senior, Waverly
BOYS SWIMMER OF YEAR: Brayden Pettitt, junior, Athens
RELAY OF YEAR: Waverly's Megan Atanasoff, Olivia Cheresnowsky Mira Kittle and Natalie Steck — 200-yard medley relay
DIVER OF YEAR: Penelope Grubb, senior, Athens
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"2026 All-Valley Swimming Super 7"
Mira Kittle, senior, Waverly: See above.
Brayden Pettitt, junior, Athens: See above.
Eli Hicks, junior, Athens: Hicks finished 20th at States in the 50-yard freestyle. He finished second in the event at the District 4 meet, but earned a wild card to States based on time.
Hicks swam on the District 4 gold medal-winning 400 free relay that finished 22nd at States in a school-record time. He also swam on the 200-yard free relay team that finished second at the District 4 meet.
Lauryn Welles, sophomore, Waverly swimming: A consistent point-getter for the Wolverines during their unbeaten duals season, Welles qualified for States in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle sprints.
She finished 16th in the 50 free, and 17th in the 100 free at States.
Welles also swam on the 200-yard freestyle relay team that won a seventh-place medal at States, and the 400-yard freestyle relay that won a Section IV, Class B gold medal, and finished 18th at States.
Megan Atanasoff, freshman, Waverly: A consistent point-getter for the Wolverines during their unbeaten duals season, Atanasoff qualified for States in the 50-yard freestyle sprint, and finished 23rd.
Atanasoff swam on the 200-yard medley relay that finished fifth in the State in 1:48.58, and on the 200-yard freestyle relay team that won a seventh-place medal at States.
She also swam on the 400-yard freestyle relay that won a Section IV, Class B gold medal, and finished 18th at States.
Olivia Cheresnowsky, senior, Waverly: Cheresnowsky finished second in the backstroke at the Section IV, Class B Championships in a time of 1:00.82.
Cheresnowsky swam on the 200-yard medley relay that finished fifth in the State in 1:48.58, and on the 200-yard freestyle relay team that won a seventh-place medal at States.
Evelyn Panek, senior, Athens: Panek finished third in the 50-yard freestyle at the District 4, Class AA Championships, and was fifth in the 100-yard freestyle
She also swam on a pair — 200-yard and 400-yard freestyle — relays that placed third, but earned wild cards to the PIAA Championships based on times.
The 200 free relay finished 24th at States, and the 400 free relay was 28th.
