Park Sharks capture 2023 Monroeville Invitational swimming championship

The Haymaker Hammerheads had ruled the roost in recent Monroeville Invitational swim events at Garden City Pool.

Haymaker won five in a row through last year and six of the previous seven.

But the Park Sharks didn’t allow Haymaker to extend its streak to six straight and captured the 53rd installment of the Monroeville summer tradition July 15.

“It took a total team effort with everyone scoring points to give us the win,” said Park coach Megan Corletti, a former Park swimmer who also competed at Oakland Catholic and Allegheny College.

“It was a wonderful thing to witness. The kids knew they were doing well, and they wanted to keep up that momentum. We have a super happy team, and they love to compete and have fun. They work hard, and us as coaches are there to support them. It was awesome to see their smiles after their amazing swims and also when they realized they had won.”

More than 200 swimmers ages 5 to 18 from the four Monroeville area clubs, including the host Garden City Dolphins and the Gateway Heights Gators, gathered in the midst of summer temperatures which were in the low 80s at the start of the meet in the morning and rose to near 90 by the end of the meet in the afternoon.

High humidity added to the steamy conditions, and there was a threat of rain showers.

But the wet weather held off until after the meet had ended, and meet director Lisa Grudowski said everyone, from the swimmers, coaches and meet officials to parents and other spectators, enjoyed the day of competition despite the hot conditions.

“We always hope for the best weather possible,” Grudkowski said.

“We wish it wasn’t as hot as it was, but the kids could care less because they are in the water. We just wanted to make sure everyone stayed hydrated. For the most part, we’ve been pretty lucky with the weather the past few years.

“There is a lot of work that goes into this meet, and so many great people contribute a lot of time and effort to make it a reality. There is never a problem in getting people to step up. It makes for a great day, and it gives the kids a great opportunity to compete and swim well.”

A total of 1,100 points were up for grabs in 40 events — 22 relay, 18 individual. There again were both preliminary and final heats for individual events.

Meet officials said with the field reduced to the current lot of four teams, preliminaries give more kids from each team a chance to swim.

Relays remained one heat of timed finals.

Relay winners earned 14 points, and individual first-place finishers earned seven points.

Haymaker swimmers placed first in 14 events, while Park swimmers earned 13 first-place finishes.

Garden City took home eight wins, and Gateway Heights scored five victories.

Park used its depth to finish with 318 points. The Sharks swimmers and coaches were presented the first-place trophy by a pair of Monroeville dignitaries: state Rep. Brandon Markosek and Ward 7 Councilman Dennis Biando.

Markosek said he was impressed with the competitive nature of the annual event mixed with the camaraderie between swimmers, coaches and others gathered to celebrate the sport at the youth level.

Haymaker finished a close second with 301 points.

Garden City placed third with 254 points, and Gateway Heights tallied 227 team points for fourth.

This year’s Monroeville Invite featured eight more events, giving participants more opportunities to earn points for their teams.

For Park first-year coach Kristen Sipple, a 2022 Penn Hills grad and rising sophomore at Edinboro, this was a different experience from when she swam for Park the past two seasons.

“I went into coaching knowing a lot of the kids, and I knew their strengths,” Sipple said. “To see them try their hardest and grow as swimmers, it’s been a great experience.”

In addition to the competition, a group of 10 recent high school graduates were recognized for their contributions.

Celebrated were, from Garden City: Dan Codeluppi, Sam Eicheldinger, Attoria Green, Primo Jenkins, Justin Meyer and Sierra Murphy; from Park: Maggie Messina, Lauren Price and Natalie Helman; from Gateway Heights: Michael Gavlik; and from Haymaker: Ayva Harris, Morgan Holmes and Sarah Harper

Meet officials already have begun planning for the next Monroeville Invitational, set for July 2024.

All four Monroeville teams concluded Eastern Swim Association divisional meets last Thursday (July 20) with Haymaker facing Edgewood, Park taking on Blackridge, Gateway Heights matching up with Forest Hills, and Garden City swimming against Rosedale.

The ESA Division I and Division II championship meets will be Saturday (July 29).

Forest Hills will host Division I teams Haymaker, Meadowink, Murrysville, Park and Rosedale.

Garden City will be the Division II setting with Blackridge, Edgewood, Gateway Heights and White Oak.