Latrobe swimmer Lucas Bureau had two goals for his senior season: first, to defend his WPIAL championship in the 100-yard freestyle; and second, to win a PIAA title.

He's halfway there.

Bureau took home crowns in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle events at last week's WPIAL swimming championships, and he'll get to compete in those two events March 14-15 during the PIAA Championships at Bucknell University.

The Virginia Tech recruit said he's looking forward to the challenge.

"Who wouldn't want to win a state championship in their high school career?" Bureau said. "That's definitely a goal of mine, one I'd like to achieve. I'm looking around at the other times in the state, and I do have a good shot at competing for the gold medal in the 200 and 100 free. It certainly isn't going to be easy, but I definitely have a chance."

Bureau's WPIAL championship times of 1 minute, 40.23 seconds in the 200-yard freestyle and 46.03 seconds in the 100-yard freestyle qualified him as the second and third seeds in the PIAA meet.

Bureau competed in the 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly at last season's PIAA championships, finishing seventh and sixth. He believes that experience will help him this year.

"I think last year was kind of a learning experience because I'd never been in a big A final at states," Bureau said. "All the guys who placed higher than me graduated, so that's something that boosted my confidence. It's one of those things where I'm happy with how I did last year, (but) I'd like to place a lot higher this year."

His fellow swimmers doing well

Three of Bureau's Latrobe teammates -- senior Tim Cengia, sophomore Kayla Owens and junior Madeleine Hoopes -- will compete individually at the PIAA championships. Two of the Latrobe girls relay teams, the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays, also qualified.

Cengia will compete in diving at the PIAA meet after placing second in the WPIAL championships Feb. 25.

Owens was an automatic qualifier after finishing second in the 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard individual medley at the WPIAL meet. She competed in the PIAA consolation finals in both events last year, finishing 10th in the state in both.

"She's already going faster than her state times last year," Latrobe assistant coach Grey Arrigonie said. "So, she's set up perfectly to do great this year."

Arrigonie said he considered the WPIAL meet a success.

"We broke six school records, we had a lot of personal bests and we got a good group of kids on to the state meet," he said.

Derry's a no show

Derry won't be sending any swimmers to Bucknell, but coach Jeff Kelly said he's pleased with the team's results at the WPIAL meet, where the girls finished 15th and the boys placed 31st.

"We went in knowing that we really didn't have much of a shot at making the state competition with where we were seeded," he said. "But we also knew that the main focus was to drop time, and almost every one of our kids did exactly that. For our girls to finish 15th, we didn't even consider placing that high, so I'm real pleased with that."

Kelly said he was impressed with junior Kathrine Curtin, who had top-15 finishes in the 100- and 200-yard freestyles, and by the relay teams. He thinks the experience of the WPIAL meet will help his team going into next season.

"The kids have to know they can perform," he said. "When you go into a meet like this and they see that they can drop their times, that hard work pays off, it gives them a place to look to start next season."

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