For as long as she can remember, Hopewell’s Ava Yoder has had a love for the water and in particular, swimming.
Yoder didn’t just want to swim; she wanted to do it competitively and in the process be the best at it. The only way to do that is work, and Ava has been doing that since the second grade.
Because of her drive, passion, work ethic and God given talent, Yoder and her Hopewell High School teammates will be competing this week in the WPIAL Swim Championships at the University of Pittsburgh. On Thursday and Friday, Yoder along with Sophia Magistro, Lindsey Brown and Jozlyn Marnhout qualified to represent Hopewell in the 200 Free Relay along with the 400 Free Relays.
To be in position to swim for a championship is the culmination of years of hard work for Yoder which started at the Hopewell Area Aqua Club, West Allegheny Aqua Club, Steel City Aquatics and now with the Hopewell High School Swim Team.
“I started taking swim lessons at the middle school,” Yoder tells Vikings Sports Now. “Then the lifeguards there started to encourage me to start swimming competitively and once I started, I’ve just enjoyed it ever since.”
“When I started coaching at West Allegheny, that was in 2nd grade, there was a coach named Coach Bob. He really motivated me, and he saw potential in me. That’s when I really started loving swimming and knew what it was going to be my sport. That is when I started to really get active in swimming. After every single race, Coach Bob would point out and talk to me about what I did wrong and then would take that and bring it to practice and I would work on it. Coach Lopez also helps me and knows the goals that I’ve set for myself and really tries to help me reach them. Coach Lopez really likes the sport and really likes our team.”
Growing up, most kids get involved with multiple sports but not Ava. Her only interest and desire has been to excel in swimming. I was curious as to what made her stick to just one sport.
“I’ve enjoyed seeing myself improve year by year and I really do like the individual competitiveness of swimming. But at the same time, it’s so nice to be on a team, making relationships and then being able to support each other. That’s why it’s so fun to me and makes me like the sport even more.”
When you have success at something, it’s just natural that you will end up enjoying and developing a love for it, which is the case with Yoder and swimming. But that success is the result of hard work. In basketball, a player is referred to as a ‘gym rat’ when they spend endless hours shooting and practicing on the court. I’m not sure what the phrase is for a swimmer, maybe a ‘pool fish’ but whatever you want to refer to it as, that describes Ava.
“Ava Yoder is a big part of the girls’ team success,” said Hopewell Varsity Swim Coach Kathi Lopez. “She is a very hard worker that sometimes puts in two practices per day. Ava is determined to get better, even practicing extra after the big meets.”
“Whatever I do, I always want to try and be the best at it. So, whenever I have the opportunity to try and get better at something, I take it. It’s been that way forever. Ever since I was little, I’ve always been competitive and want to try and be the best at whatever I’m doing or competing in.”
On Thursday and Friday, the goal for Yoder and her Vikings teammates is to be the best at the WPIAL AA Swim Championships. Yoder is a junior and this will be the 3rd consecutive year that she’s qualified for the WPIAL’s.
Last year, along with relays, Yoder competed in the 100 Backstroke and finished in 25th place. Her freshman year, she also competed in the 100 Backstroke and placed 26th. Ava’s biggest goal is for team success and to place as high as they can but in terms of individual numbers, Yoder has set a goal that she’ll be swimming for.
“I want to try and beat my personal best times,” said Yoder. “In the 50 free for the 200 relay, I want to go for a .26 and I want to try and go under a minute for a 100 free in the 400 free relay.”
“I’m really excited. WPIAL’s is the biggest meet, there’s a ton of schools there, a ton of people there. I actually know a lot of people that are going to be there from different schools, so it’ll be fun connecting with everyone. When it comes to swimming. it’s a big deal, a big meet and everyone will be pumped up for it. It’ll be a big day, I love it.”
Coach Lopez tells Vikings Sports Now that the Hopewell relay team could possibly qualify for the State Championships but would have to finish “pretty high” and likely in the Top 10. Regardless of the outcome, she’s proud of what these four girls and all the Hopewell qualifiers accomplished this season.
“This has been an awesome season,” said Lopez. “The team improved times in each and every meet this season, which isn’t easy to do. Each and every swimmer on the team has improved their times, and that is a great success! We are taking 14 swimmers to the WPIALs this season and I am very proud of them all! Next stop for us is the State Championships!”
Vikings Sports Now wants to congratulate and wish the best of luck to these Hopewell swimmers who qualified and will be competing at the University of Pittsburgh tomorrow and Friday.
Mia Blakeslee: 200 Free Relay (alternate)
400 Free Relay (alternate)
Lindsey Brown: 50 Free
200 Free Relay
100 Free
400 Free Relay
Emma Driscoll: 200 Free Relay (alternate)
400 Free Relay (alternate)
Aleena Gray: 200 Free Relay (alternate)
400 Free Relay (alternate)
Sophia Magistro: 200 Free Relay
400 Free Relay
Jozlyn Marnhout: 100 Fly
200 Free Relay
400 Free Relay
Ava Yoder: 200 Free Relay
400 Free Relay
Joey Gregory: 200 Medley Relay
200 Relay
22 Free Relay
Charles Houston: 200 Medley Relay
100 Fly
200 Free Relay
100 Breast
Tyler Oliver: 200 Medley Relay (alternate)
200 Free Relay (alternate)
Joel Olshanski: 200 Medley Relay (alternate)
200 Free Relay (alternate)
Troy Palochak: 200 Medley Relay
100 Fly
200 Free Relay
Mitchell Ryan: 200 Medley Relay
200 Free Relay
Jacob Zupsic: 200 Medley Relay (alternate)
200 Free Relay (alternate)