SCRANTON – Lukas Iannone didn’t feel 100% healthy at the start of the Les Richards Swimming Championships, but you wouldn’t have known it, watching him perform.

Determined to continue his memorable senior season, the Scranton Prep standout had a record-setting, gold-medal-winning Saturday at Scranton High School.

Iannone won his fourth straight gold in the 200-yard individual medley and added the 100 backstroke. He set meet and pool records in both events and was part of an impressive meet for the boys’ athletes, who ripped the record books to shreds.

“All four years at the Les Richards, I went undefeated in the 200 IM, and this meet is huge,” Iannone said. “It’s a huge tradition for Scranton Prep to do well at this meet. My brother, Alex, kind of instilled that in me.

“I was feeling a little bit under the weather, but to do those times, it is a really good look for districts. It is a fun meet every year, and this feels really good.”

Four years ago, as a freshman, Iannone won the 200 IM in 2 minutes, 2.22 seconds. In his final race at the championship meet, he battled West Scranton All-Region swimmer Roy Ayala and earned a gold in 1:57.42. That broke the previous meet and pool record of 1:57.99 set in 2016 by Scranton Prep’s Nico Lastauskas.

“I just told myself to trust my training,” Iannone said. “I have been doing 200 IM pace. I hit my times in practice every day. I just love the 200 IM a lot, and doing it at Les Richards one last time, I knew that I had to have a good race.”

In the 100 backstroke, Iannone, who is headed to the College of the Holy Cross, dominated, finishing in 52.60. His time broke the meet and pool record of 53.12 set in 2020 by former PIAA Class 2A champion Peter Kawash of Lakeland.

“Peter was someone I looked up to even before I was swimming in high school,” Iannone said. “To beat his record at the Ernie Shartle and now at Les Richards, I am so grateful for it. He was a state champion, had a great career at Lafayette College, and is a great guy, so it’s special to get that record.”

Iannone wasn’t the only one etching his name in Les Richards lore.

Tunkhannock’s Jaden Baltrusaitis won the 100 free in 46.86, finishing ahead of his teammate Kyle Kozloski. His winning time broke a long-standing meet and pool record of 47.06 set in 2009 by former PIAA Class 3A champion Jamie Grennan.

Baltrusaitis also won the 50 sprint in a photo finish with a time of 21.51. Abington Heights’ Derek Williams was second in 21.52.

Tunkhannock also won the 200 free relay and the 400 free relay in meet and pool records. Baltrusaitis was a member of both teams. He joined Kozloski, Chase Newhart, and Aidan Mislevy on the 200 free relay (1:27.64), and Logan Teaman, Brayden Christopher, and Kozloski in the 400 free relay (3:16.25).

“It is just about being repetitive in practice,” Baltrusaits said. “I just go as fast as I can all the time. The last couple of weeks, I have been dropping times. This was the big breakout that people have maybe once in their lives. It is such a cool moment.”

Late in the meet, Ayala powered his way to a gold medal in the 100 breaststroke. The senior broke the meet and pool record of 59.02 set in 2009 by Delaware Valley’s Ken Kleso.

“It is an amazing one-of-a-kind feeling,” Ayala said. “There was a lot of work to get to where I am now, especially breaking records. I can’t say much, other than I am really happy. These are memories for my lifetime.”

Abington Heights senior Jason Casper won gold medals in the 200 free (1:45.19) and the 100 fly (51.81). He finished his career with seven gold medals, with four in the 200 free and three in the 100 fly. His only silver came as a freshman in the 100 fly to Iannone.

“I feel great,” Casper said. “The 200 free—I won every year. In the 100 fly, I won three times, so that is really cool. It was also great that we got school records in the relays.

“I feel like I am in a good place heading into districts.”

Lake-Lehman’s Connor Runquist won the 500 free in 5:01.21, holding off a charge by Holy Cross’ Leo Cholish (5:04.36). Cholish won a pair of silver medals, also finishing second to Casper in the 200 free.