North Allegheny grad Ann Juneau and Oakland Catholic alum Courtney Coghill were instrumental in George Washington women’s swimming and diving earning its first Atlantic 10 title.
Juneau, a sophomore, posted personal-best times in the 200-yard breaststroke (2 minutes, 21.64 seconds), 200 individual medley (2:04.76) and 400 individual medley (4:31.36) in February’s conference championship meet. The three times rank among the Colonials’ all-time top 10.
Coghill, a senior from North Huntingdon, achieved her best in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.78) and 200 breaststroke (2:21.22). Both marks rank in the program’s top 10.
The Colonials dethroned two-time defending champion Duquesne. They were runner-up last season.
“(Last year), it came down to the very end,” said Juneau, the 2015 WPIAL Class AAA 100 breaststroke champion who led the Tigers to four WPIAL titles. “Even though I knew we had a good shot at doing it, it was still crazy to actually have done it.
“Our goal is to win another championship.”
Coghill, a four-time WPIAL Class AAA medalist in the 100 breaststroke, was impressed by the team’s progress over the last four seasons.
In 2016, a year before she joined, the Colonials placed ninth of 11 in the conference championship.
“We are truly a family,” Juneau said. “It makes it so much easier to put in endless hours of work when we are doing it for each other.”
Colonial coach Brian Thomas said Juneau, who plans to study art history, and Coghill, a political science and journalism major, brought valuable leadership.
“Their approach is probably in line with what we already know about athletes from Western Pennsylvania: They’re tough,” he said. “Both bring a great mix of perseverance and emotional intelligence, which is invaluable when building a championship culture.”
