North Allegheny graduate John Ehling has been a pleasant surprise as a freshman on the Princeton men’s swimming team.

“He’s developing into a solid distance swimmer,” Tiger coach Matt Crispino said. “We expect he’ll make some big contributions down the stretch.”

Crispino said Ehling, the WPIAL Class AAA silver medalist and PIAA bronze medalist in the boys 500-yard freestyle last season, is trending up toward the 1,000/1,650.

“He swam lifetime bests at our Big Al (Open) in early December,” Crispino said. “We should see even bigger time drops from him at our championship meets in February.”

Ehling posted times of 4 minutes, 28.80 seconds in the 500 freestyle, in which he was a C finalist, and 1:42.23 in the 200 freestyle in the Big Al. Seven teams earned points, with the Tigers coming out on top.

Ehling said his goal is to make the Ivy League championship team. Crispino said Ehling will have to continue making big strides to earn a spot, but would not bet against him.

“He swam the mile (1,650) for the first time ever in December and was impressive,” Crispino said. “John is just a great young man.

“He has a lot of the values we look for here at Princeton. He’s a fantastic student, a natural leader and very coachable.”

Ehling, who is undecided about a major, said the amount of time he spends in the pool each day has essentially doubled.

“It’s hard, but I’ve become much stronger in the water,” he said. “The academic side of things is pretty tough, and the pool isn’t any easier.

“A big problem I face is where to fit in my rest. Often, I end up on a library couch for a power nap between practice and my morning classes.”

On the women’s side, North Allegheny alum Lauren McGrath is showing range for the Tigers.

A junior, McGrath made the finals in the 50 freestyle (23.70), 100 butterfly (55.88) and 100 freestyle (50.73) in the Big Al.

She also competed in the 500 freestyle (4:57.91), and was on the 200 freestyle relay team that won (1:31.64) and the 400 freestyle relay that was fifth (3:23.87). The Tigers scored the most of six squads.

“My training has been more on the sprint side,” said McGrath, a two-time WPIAL Class AAA champion in the girls 200 freestyle and one-time WPIAL champion in the 100 freestyle. “I’m excited to try out some new events.”

Tiger coach Bret Lundgaard said McGrath has put herself in position to go lifetime bests.

“Lauren is a pleasure to work with,” Lundgaard said. “What separates her is her attention to detail and thoughtfulness.

“It’s fun to work with student-athletes who are present with each practice.”

McGrath, a medical anthropology student, has been accepted into medical school and plans on matriculating in 2021.

“My goal is to utilize all the experiences swimming has given me: diligence, grit, organization (and) teamwork, in my medical career,” she said.

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