Steider puts finishing touches on outstanding MASH career

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March 28, 2008

By Lisa Byers The Meadville Tribune Fri Mar 28, 2008, 11:44 PM EDT

March 29, 2008 — At six-years-old, there wasn’t a whole lot that could pull Katie Steider away from her love of drawing.

“I would rather sit and draw by myself than play with the other kids,” Steider said.

But that’s when her preschool teacher, Susan Harvey, stepped in, encouraging Steider’s parents to get her involved in a sport to help develop social skills. Turns out, Harvey was offering some pretty good advice.

With few options available for the youngster, the Steiders opted to get Katie involved with the YMCA swimming program. Twelve years later, Katie not only continues to swim for the YMCA, but just wrapped up one of the most remarkable high school swimming careers at Meadville.

That career includes five District 10 championships and state championship appearances and a Penn State Behrend Junker Pool record of 24.51 in the 50 yard freestyle. Steider can also add 2007-08 Meadville Tribune swimmer of the year to her accomplishments.

“The only thing that could have happened differently is if I had swam .04 seconds faster to make the (consolation finals in the 50 yard freestyle at states this season),” Steider said of her final season. “The entire year was as good as I could have asked it to be.”

Steider’s senior season included her second straight District 10 title in the 50 yard freestyle and third in four years. Steider won the event with a time of 25.24 and entered the PIAA Class AAA championships seeded 30th.

Steider knocked over a half-second of her seeding time, however, and wound up finishing 17th with a time of 24.69 — just .03 seconds out of 16th place and a bid to the consolation finals.

Steider also added a second-place finish in the 100 freestyle this season, a new event after winning the D-10 title in the 100 backstroke in 2006 and ’07.

Steider is expected to continue her swimming career at Washington & Jefferson under the tutelage of head coach Mike Orstein, who Steider said has kept a watchful eye over her career.

“He has always been keeping up with me and what I’m doing,” Steider said. “That care and concern he showed was very reassuring.”

Steider said Orstein, the father of W&J;’s eight-time national champion Kaitlyn Orstein, also reminds her a lot of Meadville coach Pete Coppelli.

“He’s very positive,” Steider said. “That was a big factor.”

Plans between Steider and W&J; have yet to be finalized. Steider said should it all go through as planned she will major in either bio-chemistry or biology.

“W&J; has a very good swimming program,” Steider said. “I’m going into a good program and I expect and hope I will continue to excel with such a great program.”

Steider is unsure what events she will swim at W&J;, but said she has always heard that in college you swim “what the coach needs you in.”

“I’m expecting to experience some new events,” Steider said. “I’m open to that.”

She admits, though, it will be hard to pull her away from the 50 freestyle.

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Steider puts finishing touches on outstanding MASH career

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