“Showdown at Elk Lake: Unbeaten Girls’ Teams of Abington Heights Face Off!”

Two unbeaten girls swimming teams are set to compete for the second time within a fortnight.

Elk Lake (5-0) will visit Abington Heights (5-0) on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., with first place in the Lackawanna League swimming standings hanging in the balance. Following this contest, both teams will have three meets left in the regular season.

Last season, Elk Lake confirmed its elite status in the league by defeating Abington Heights, 114-69. The Lady Warriors concluded the season with a 7-1 record, finishing second to Scranton Prep.

In their previous meet, Elk Lake triumphed over Scranton Prep, 98-84, ending the latter’s impressive streak of 73 consecutive victories.

Moreover, Elk Lake also overcame Delaware Valley (4-1).

Both Elk Lake and Abington Heights possess exceptional and well-rounded rosters. Hannah Howell secured a couple of individual victories and contributed to a relay win against Scranton Prep. She recently placed second in the 200-yard freestyle event at the Ernie Shartle Invitational.

Brynn Warriner, a returning All-Region swimmer, clinched the 50 freestyle title at the Shartle Invitational.

Howell and Warriner teamed with Allison Grosvenor and Chelsea Grosvenor to capture the 400 free relay in the concluding event against Scranton Prep, ensuring their victory, and also at the Shartle.

Abington Heights, who recently claimed the girls team championship at the Classic Gold Relays, also produced a winner at the Shartle Invite. Hadley Pallman triumphed in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5 minutes, 25.71 seconds, and secured a third-place finish in the 200 IM.

Gianna Vachino is another returning All-Region swimmer for the Lady Comets. She tied for fourth in the 50 freestyle and placed fifth in the 100 freestyle at the Shartle. Kacy Johnson also had a top six finish in the 200 freestyle for Abington Heights.

Borough showdown

Holy Cross and Dunmore will clash on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the University of Scranton.

The two programs have been collaborating for the past two seasons, with the athletes representing Dunmore in the Lackawanna League and in various invitationals.

Anthony Bonavoglia will head Dunmore, while Lucas Urban and Leo Cholish will guide Holy Cross, as both boys teams strive for their first victories of the season.

Ava Kochmer, Gemma Bistran, and McKenna Knight are the key swimmers on the Holy Cross girls team, which holds a 2-3 record this season.

Sydney Harding and Paige Ancherani are the standout swimmers for Dunmore.

Upcoming challenges

The Scranton boys are set to face another undefeated squad this week.

This Thursday, the Knights, who recently ended Scranton Prep’s unbeaten streak with a 74-64 victory, will welcome Delaware Valley (5-0) at 4:30 p.m.

Jaydon Williams, Gregory Sumski, Gabriel Longworth, and Rocco Cipriano were instrumental in leading Scranton to its win over Scranton Prep, working together for a win in the 200 free relay.

Delaware Valley boasts a skilled lineup with Tyler Ingraham, Ryan O’Connell, and Liam Fass all achieving top six placements at the Shartle Invitational on Saturday.