MALLORY DIETRICH

SCHOOL: Oakland Catholic.

WHO IS SHE? One of the top scholastic swimmers in Western Pennsylvania.

THE PAST WEEK: At the PIAA Class AA championships Saturday at Bucknell University, she broke the meet record she set last year in the 100-yard breaststroke. Her time of 1 minute, 2.55 seconds bettered her time of 1:02.86.

CAREER: A senior, Dietrich won 14 WPIAL and 12 PIAA gold medals in four years, including the 100 breaststroke at the district and state levels the past three seasons. She is a major reason the Eagles have earned seven consecutive WPIAL championships.

BROTHER MAKES A SPLASH: Dietrich's younger brother Douglas II, a sophomore at Central Catholic, finished second in the 100 butterfly in Class AAA.

DISTANCE SWIMMER: All the miles Mallory Dietrich has swum the past decade are dwarfed by those traversed by family cars. She lives in Plum, in easternmost Allegheny County, a 20-mile one-way commute to school. And depending on whether it is varsity season or not, Dietrich swims either "part time" or "full time" with the Mt. Lebanon Aqua Club, 30 miles from home.

FUTURE: Dietrich, who has a 3.5 grade point average, was one of the most heavily recruited swimmers in the WPIAL in recent times. She has accepted an appointment to the Naval Academy, where she will swim with her sister, Dianna, a sophomore. Dietrich isn't deterred by the five-year military commitment she will serve after graduation. "The education there is second to none," she said, "so giving something back to my country is fine."

-- By Rick Shrum

SCHOOL: Baldwin

WHO IS HE? A senior and one of the top swimmers in the state.

LAST WEEK: Toomey won the PIAA Class AAA championship in the 100-yard butterfly for the second year in a row, finishing with a time of 49.24 seconds at Bucknell University.

FOR THE RECORD: Toomey had been hoping for the 20-year-old PIAA record of 48.62 seconds. He thought he had a shot at it when he swam a preliminary race in 48.80 seconds.

ONE OF THE FEW: Despite not getting the PIAA record, Toomey put himself in select company. He was one of only two boys from the WPIAL to win a gold medal in either Class AAA or Class AA. The other was Hampton's Mike Seiferth, who won the Class AA 100 butterfly with a time of 50.70 seconds.

NATIONAL LEVEL: Toomey has established a swell reputation on the district and state levels. But he also is known across the country, already qualifying for the Olympic Trials in 2008. Besides swimming for Baldwin, he also practices and represents the Jewish Community Center Sailfish.

COLLEGE: Toomey will swim next season at Notre Dame, which won the Big East Conference title this season in both men and women.