South/West Xtra: South Fayette girl catches up with competition
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When it's time to begin the scholastic swimming season each November, Morgan Fink plays catch-up with her peers.
Fink played soccer in the fall during her freshman and sophomore years at South Fayette while most of her teammates and competitors were swimming on club teams.
This season Fink made the difficult decision to quit playing soccer and focus solely on swimming.
Now everyone is trying to catch up to her.
"I was always starting later than everyone else and having to catch up when I started," Fink said. "This year I started at the same level as everyone else ... or higher."
Growing up Fink had always played soccer while swimming competitively, and the decision to pick one sport over the other was not an easy one.
"I had been playing soccer my whole life," Fink said. "I grew up with my brother playing soccer and I have been around a soccer field my whole life. I still kind of regret leaving soccer but I really wanted to focus on swimming this year and hope to get a scholarship to swim in college."
Last year at the WPIAL championships, Fink finished fourth in the 200-yard freestyle and fourth in the 100 backstroke.
At the PIAA championships Fink was 15th in the 200 freestyle and 16th in the 100 backstroke.
Her goals this year are to return to the PIAA championships and finish in the top eight, which would get her onto the podium.
Fink appears to be locked into the 200 freestyle but her second event is undecided between a repeat performance in the 100 backstroke or the 100 breaststroke.
Currently, Fink has better times in the 100 backstroke than 100 breastroke. She swam the 100 backstroke in 59.84 earlier this year, her best reported time in the 100 breaststroke is 1:10.28.
Another thing Fink has to consider is who else is competing in the events, the 100 backstroke features defending state champion Maggie Gruber from Mars.
"That one is up in the air," South Fayette coach Matt Tucker said. "I am waiting to see if her breaststroke can get a little bit faster. We are looking at how well she can do at states. You look at her times and with her goals, we think she can [be a finalist] at states."
The top eight times in each event advance to the championship finals for all the events at the PIAA championships. There is also consolation finals for the ninth through 16th fastest times.
"My second event is still up in the air, it will be a last-minute decision for sure," Fink said.
There are no seniors on the South Fayette girls' swimming team, so Fink, junior Mary Rosati and junior diver Grace Klimek were named captains for this season.
"Last year we had a bunch of seniors and this year it is just different," Fink said. "Mary, Grace and I as captains, we have stepped up and a lot of the sophomores have stepped up, too."
As a freshman Fink finished seventh in the 100 backstroke and 12th in the 200 individual medley.
"I remember freshman year I started off really fast," Fink said. "But I didn't do as well at WPIALs and states as I expected to. This year my goals are a lot higher and right now I am on track."
First Published February 9, 2012 12:00 am
