THERE ’ S NO PLACE LIKE HOME FOR SWIMMING AND DIVING TEAMS
ox Chapel Area FOX CHAPEL AREA SCHOOL NEWS
Photo Courtesy Primetime Shots
THERE ’ S NO PLACE LIKE HOME FOR SWIMMING AND DIVING TEAMS
The hardships of being displaced while the Foxes ’ new natatorium was under construction over the past two years taught the Fox Chapel Area High School swimming and diving teams that there really is no place like home .
The teams ’ eagerly awaited homecoming to their new eight-lane pool , a beautiful grandstand , and state-of-the-art diving boards , not only was a source of pride , it also spurred an increase in the size of their “ family ” and had a definite influence on their tremendous success this season .
For the first time in 10 years , the girls ’ team went undefeated and won the section championship outright . They had shared the title in 2015 . Junior Joslyn Filo broke two school records , including one in the 50-freestyle that had gone unbeaten for 25 years . Additionally , seven girls were WPIAL qualifiers , with most swimming in multiple events . On the boys ’ side , three swimmers qualified for the WPIAL championship .
“ The new pool definitely has attracted more freshmen and underclassmen to the teams , and they are really good ,” says junior swimmer Brandon Brewster . “ It was hard to get people
20 Fox Chapel Area
“ We have the strength and ability to be great performers , kids who are great people and great athletes , and a crazy beautiful pool that is by far the best in Western Pennsylvania .” – Diving Coach Vernon Yenick
interested in the program when we were practicing at Shady Side [ Academy Senior High School ] during the very last practice slot from 8 to 9 p . m . It made for a really long day and we were tired a lot of the time .”
With the team back in their home pool , Coach Dan Taylor is thrilled with the depth created by the addition of the new swimmers – something that will come into play in the years ahead . It ’ s a luxury that could be further enhanced through Coach Taylor ’ s affiliation with the Fox Chapel Killer Whales , where he also serves as head coach for the local youth swimming program . Already , he has introduced many of his middle school-aged Killer Whales swimmers to the high school program by using them as timers at home meets .
“ I covet hard work and effort ,” says Coach Taylor , whose career highlights include leading 20 swimmers to top-16 national rankings and more than 50 swimmers to sectional , junior national , senior national , and Olympic trial qualifying times . “ Over the past few seasons , I have implemented more practice sets that attempt to simulate race situations . The additional lane in the new pool gives us much-needed room for race-pace