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Post-Gazette Athletes of the Week: Mason Mraz and Lauren McGrath

Post-Gazette Athletes of the Week: Mason Mraz and Lauren McGrath

Mason Mraz, Laurel

The past week: Mraz scored a school-record 48 points in Laurel’s 96-33 win against Northgate. It took Mraz only three quarters to reach 48. He did not play in the fourth quarter. Mraz broke the previous record of 45 points set by Mike Burkett in 2004.

Check this out: Mraz is no stranger to big-scoring performances. A 6-foot-3 senior guard, Mraz ranks fourth in the WPIAL with 27.8 points per game. His previous career-high was 35. An all-section performer as a junior, Mraz is trying to get Laurel to the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. The Spartans are 13-4 overall and 6-3 in Class 2A Section 3. Mraz is receiving interest from a few Division II and III schools.

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First off, are you disappointed that you didn’t score 50? (Laughs) No, but my teammates were disappointed. They said 48 wasn’t a good number.

How big of a deal was it for you to break the record? It’s not really a big deal. I think it was bigger for our fans than it was for me and my team. We were in a slump and this gave them something to be excited about.

You had 30 points at the half. What’s going through your head at that point? My coach came in at halftime and said “I’m just going to tell everyone that Mason has 30 and the school record is 45. Give him the ball.” I was kind of surprised. Everyone just started to feed me the ball.

Player on another team you wish was on your team? It would probably be either Spencer DeMedal from Wilmington in District 10 or Jake Biss from Latrobe.

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Your jersey number is 34. Any special reason? No, my coach just gave me that one because it was the cleanest out of all of them. It just stuck with me.

Biggest reason the Steelers lost to the Patriots? I would say their secondary. They had to go to that coverage because they weren’t fast enough to go man-to-man against their wide receivers.

Super Bowl prediction? I’m hoping Atlanta beats New England by like 10.

Do you think President Trump will do a good job? Yeah, I think he’ll do a good job. Everyone just needs to give him a chance and see what he can do.

— By Brad Everett

Lauren McGrath, North Allegheny

The past week: McGrath, a senior on the Tigers swimming team, is one of the best in the WPIAL on a team poised to win its ninth consecutive title.

Check this out: Swimming coaches are notoriously closeted about reporting times, but McGrath has the fastest posted times in the WPIAL this season in the 50-yard freestyle, the 100 freestyle and the 200 freestyle. She won the 100 free and finished third in the 200 free at the WPIAL 3A finals last year.

Recruiting news: Will trade one Tiger for another as she has already committed to swim at Princeton.

How did you first get into swimming? My dad was into it when he was younger and I went to swim at the ‘Y’ and we just realized that I had a talent for it and it just went from there.

What made you decide to go to Princeton? I really liked the program and it had the academics that I was looking for. I just decided that that was where I wanted to be.

You don’t have any qualms about moving to New Jersey? No. My dad’s parents live about an hour or so from the campus, so I was ready to go there.

What do you think is your best event? I would have to say the 200 freestyle is my best event. It’s one of those events that I just understand how to swim and enjoy doing it. I also swim the 100 free, but the 200 is a more complicated race and it takes a lot more to accomplish it.

What is your typical training day like? I wake up every day about 4:50 a.m. and we leave the house around 5 for practice around 5:30.I usually practice from about 5:30-7, then after school from 3 o’clock until 5. Then, two days a week, I have an additional hour of lifting and another day I have an additional hour for yoga.

That doesn’t leave much time for anything else? No, I would say that most swimmers are very time-oriented individuals and we have to worry and make sure that we are able to get everything done.

What do you do with your down time? I would say that the majority of my team spends time at an athletic club teaching children with disabilities how to swim and we really enjoy that. I also volunteer at Children’s Hospital in the child life unit and I spend time with family.

What’s your favorite class in school? Last year it was anatomy and this year it’s organic chemistry.

So, do you want to be a doctor? I want to do something in the medical field, but I haven’t decided what it is yet.

What’s your favorite food? Probably pasta. You get to eat a lot of it.

— By Keith Barnes

First Published: January 27, 2017, 5:00 a.m.

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