Connor Kuremsky

North Allegheny

The past week: Only a freshman, Kuremsky won the PIAA Class AAA diving championship at Bucknell.

Check this out: Kuremsky also won the WPIAL championship a few weeks ago with a record score of 528.45 points. Kuremsky trains under North Allegheny diving coach Patti McClue and with the Pitt Aquatics Club and coach Julian Krug. Kuremsky placed second in 1-meter diving at last year's Junior Nationals.

Being only a freshman, what was your goal at the start of the season? My goals were to do my best in dual meets and keeping a cool mind so that I'll know how to handle any situation. At [the PIAA meet], I don't think I had any goal except to finish in the top three.

What do you do for an encore? Patti [McClure] and I have a goal to increase my degree of difficulty next year and do harder dives, and also to get my entries into the water cleaner.

Ever hit the board on a dive? I hit my hands twice. I just have some scars to remember it.

Tell me one of your fears. I'm kind of scared of elevators because one time I got stuck in one at a competition in Florida.

Will you play an NCAA basketball pool? It's a possibility, but I don't think so. If I were rooting for someone to win, I'd probably say UCLA because I had a family member who went there.

People might be surprised to know that ... I used to play baseball for about seven years, but diving kind of took over.

-- By Mike White

Andrea Marko

Greensburg Central Catholic

The past week: A sophomore swimmer for the Centurions, Marko captured first place and set a record in the 100-yard butterfly at the girls' PIAA Class AA championship at Bucknell. Marko finished in 54.92 seconds, beating the old mark of 55.45. Marko also finished second in the 100 backstroke.

Check this out: She won the gold medal in both events at the WPIAL Class AA championships at Pitt's Trees Pool.

You are just a sophomore, did you think you'd have this much success already? Actually, no. I kind of had a stressful and frustrating run into the WPIAL meet and was not swimming as well as I thought I could have. All I wanted to do was take first [at the PIAA] in the butterfly. I never thought I would set a record.

Finish this sentence: If I wasn't a swimmer I would participate in ... Probably gymnastics. I am just 5-3. So I think that is something I might succeed in.

Who is going to win the NCAA men's basketball championship? I am thinking maybe Kansas or Memphis.

People might be surprised to know ... Sometimes, I psyche myself out. When people tell me that I have a shot at winning something, I always think they are saying it to try to throw me off and I don't believe them because, honestly, I don't consider myself a great swimmer.

-- By Colin Dunlap