By Samarah Guy
The Greensburg Salem winter sports season has come to an end.
The winter sports include boys’ and girls’ swim, boys’ and girls’ bowling, wrestling, boys’ and girls’ basketball and hockey.
Boys’ Swim
The boys’ swim team didn’t have winning in their favor this season, but they tried to beat the odds to win.
“The guys usually lose because there are only five of us,” sophomore Austin Flora said.
The average high school swim team usually has 15-20 members, so the GS team didn’t have as great of a chance of winning.
The biggest issue the boys’ swim team has ran into was the quantity. Gaining more members could help the team majorly, and they could even win more meets next year.
Girls’ Swim
The GS girls’ swim team has done well this season, and they’ve pulled their weight when they couldn’t win.
“In the athletic aspect we’re doing really well,” senior Emily Lehman said.
After a long journey of working hard and trying their best, Lucy Giovannelli, Emily Lehman, Riley Reese and Allison Stinnett made WPIALs.
“We were very close all season and we couldn’t get it until our very last meet, and we surpassed the qualifying time by like 4 or 5 seconds,” Lehman added.
Boys’ Bowling
The GS bowling team had an amazing season, winning almost every match they’ve had, but they did face a few challenges in the process.
“Hempfield has been our biggest challenge this season,” junior Dylan Megliorino stated.
Trying to beat your biggest rival is very gut wrenching, but the bowling team didn’t stop. During their practices, each member tried to beat their last score and become better so they could beat the challenging opponents.
The boys’ bowling team qualified for regionals. Dylan Megliorino, Justice Payne, Brandon Semoni and Anthony DeMine qualified individually for WPIBLs, but only Dylan made it to states placing 9th.
“We all can work on our spares and mental games,” Megliorino said.
Girls’ Bowling
The GS girls’ bowling team placed third in sectionals, and they went to regionals as well this season.
“The girls have improved a lot as a whole by bringing our average up to around 680,” senior Shelby Frick said.
Trying to achieve better spares is something the team had worked to overcome.
The whole bowling team made it to regionals, while Paige Gaughan and Shelby Frick qualified individually.
“For me, bowling isn’t just about high averages and wins, it’s about the connections, friends, and support you make along the way,” Frick added.
Wrestling
The GS wrestling team tried their best to win each tournament and become better wrestlers all round.
“Individually yea, each one of us is doing well,” freshman Elijah Miller said.
Each wrestler did well individually, but that doesn’t always mean they win each tournament.
Ethan Miller, David Peters and Keegan Young qualified individually for WPIALs.
“There is always room for improvement, you never reach perfection, but that’s what you aim for,” Elijah added.
Boys’ Basketball
The boys’ basketball team had a bit of a rough season, but they were still optimistic and tried to find ways to better themselves to win.
The biggest issue that the team had to overcome is their communication according to sophomore Lucus Collins.
Basketball is a team sport that requires everyone to talk and understand what they will be doing in the game. Teamwork was another issue preventing the boys from winning.
“Our players need to work together better,” sophomore Lucas Collins said.
The greatest win was a 59-50 victory against Indiana Area Senior High School on January 26th.
Photo Courtesy: Adison Poole
Girls’ basketball
The girls’ basketball team was 16-9.
“We had a really hard section and I think we competed well against every team,” junior Blessing Gantt said.
The girls had a 43-20 victory against Hopewell in the first playoff game, but they had a 62-36 loss against Highlands in the second game.
“We just have to work hard and stay consistent in order to win next year,” sophomore Mya Heasley said.
Hockey
The GS hockey team was 13-5 this season.
“This year we are doing pretty good, but we can always do better,” freshman Jacob Fink said.
The hard work the team put in this season took them to the playoffs. The boys had a 5-1 victory against Plum during the first playoff game, and they had a 2-0 victory against Quaker Valley during the second game. After advancing to the Penguins’ Cup Final, they lost a hard-fought game to Chartiers Valley.
“Our goal is to become the team that Greensburg deserves to have,” Fink added.
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