Mar 8, 2023 3 min read

Name: Ella Menear

School: Mapletown

Class: Senior

Sport: Swimming

Menear’s week: The gold medals are weighing on the star senior, but that’s far from a bad thing.

Maybe if she was forced to swim with all that gold draped around her neck that would hinder her.

But nothing stopped Menear last week in the WPIAL Swimming Championships at the University of Pittsburgh’s Trees Pool when she successfully defended her gold medals in both the Class 2A 200-yard individual medley and 100 backstroke.

With an incredible stretch of dominant swimming since her sophomore year, Menear has totaled six WPIAL golds, completing the three-peat in both events.

“I’ve always had high expectations for myself,” Menear said. “Being on top there is some pressure, but I was just trying to cherish every moment. I just wanted to swim each race and trust my training. I was confident.”

Menear’s confidence remained unchanged despite being the second seed in the 200 IM and still battling a posterior capsule injury in her shoulder. Mapletown not having a swimming team helped her be selective on when she would compete for her qualifying times. She was doing physical therapy three times a week for a majority of the season until limiting that to once a week more recently. She had to swim in only two meets to get her qualifying times.

Menear, an Alabama University recruit, won the 200 IM with a time of 2:03.96. In the 100 backstroke, a time of 54.36 won her the sixth WPIAL gold, which is believed to be the most ever won by a Greene County athlete.

“It’s all been like a dream,” Menear said of the last three years. “I’ve learned to be dedicated and wanted a (swimming) future at the next level. My goal has always been to bring pride to our community and Mapletown.”

Familiar foes: Standing in the way of more gold at the PIAA Swimming Championships next week at Bucknell University are two competitors Menear knows all about.

Menear will try and reclaim a gold medal she won during her sophomore year from Bedford’s Leah Shackley, who set a state record while edging Menear in the backstroke last year. Shackley is nationally ranked and an Indiana recruit.

In the 200 IM, Kimberly Shannon of Lewisburg will likely be nipping at the heels. Shannon won gold in the event in 2021 before Menear got the best of her last year.

The Class 2A Swimming and Diving Championships are scheduled for March 15-16.

In addition to her six district golds, Menear has won two PIAA gold medals, one silver and one bronze.

“Going in, it’s definitely hard seeing how fast (Shackley) is,” Menear admitted. “My parents have always said anyone can be beat. My mindset must remain the same. I’m just going to swim my race. I can’t control how anybody else does. Even if it doesn’t turn out, I knew I have brought pride and success to this school.”

Compiled by Luke Campbell

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