Manheim Township's Emilie Mosner finishes fifth in the 100 breaststroke in Class 3A at PIAA swimming championships

LEWISBURG — Ever since they started swimming, not much has been able to separate Manheim Township’s Emilie Mosner and Cami Schwartz.

Inside the pool, both swim the 100-yard breaststroke — and do it quite well. They finished just a 10th of a second apart at the Lancaster-Lebanon League meet as Mosner took gold and Schwartz silver.

Fittingly, the duo were placed alongside each other again in the seedings for the PIAA Swimming and Diving Championships. Schwartz was seeded ninth; Mosner 10th. Their seed times were just 0.11 seconds apart.

Mosner stole the show at day two of the state meet Thursday at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium, jumping up to fourth place in the preliminaries before placing fifth in the final to earn her first state medal.

The senior swam a 1:03.60 in the final, quite the improvement from her 24th-place finish in last year’s state meet.

“I’m feeling pretty good,” said the Monmouth recruit. “I’ve wanted a state medal my whole career, and I’m so happy that I got it in my last chance.”

PIAA class 3A swimming championships — Buy Now

Manheim Twp.'s Cami Schwartz comes off the blocks to swim the 100 yard breaststroke during the PIAA class 3A girls swimming preliminaries at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium Thursday March 14, 2024.
CHRIS KNIGHT | Staff Photographer

Schwartz was 10th after the prelims, then finished the consolation final in 1:04.55 to place 12th.

“There’s nothing like the energy of finals,” said Schwartz, stopping in between sentences to cheer on Mosner. “It feels good, even though it’s not the outcome I wanted tonight.”

The two have side-by-side all the way through the season. They placed in back-to-back spots in the L-L and District Three meet, with nobody from either meet being able to tear them apart.

“Having that upperclassman, just a teammate to be to race with is great,” said Schwartz, a sophomore. “We’ve pushed each other and been able to carry each other through the valleys and celebrate at the peaks.”

The duo’s out-of-the-pool connection is apparent. They connected for a long, enthusiastic hug after Mosner’s final race. Despite being two years apart, they’ve built a strong connection.

“Our families are pretty good friends, and we spend summer together too,” said Mosner. “That girl is always there for me, and I’m always there for her.”

Knopsnyder claims second medal

Competing in one 500 free at a meet is enough pool time for most swimmers. Doing two in a single day is a difficult task.

It’s a challenge that the state meet presents. Swimmers must qualify for the evening session by swimming well in the preliminaries, then leave it all in the pool during the nightcap.

It’s a challenge that Ephrata’s Ava Knopsnyder struggled to handle. The junior placed eighth in 5:02.88, nearly four seconds slower than her preliminary time.

“In prelims, I wasn’t in the fast heat, so I just had to go for it,” Knopsnyder said. “Next year, I’ll get used to it and get better.”

Still, Knopsnyder is happy to have a second medal from this year’s meet around her neck. She placed fourth in the 200 IM Wednesday.

“Even though it wasn’t what I wanted, I know my teammates are happy for me,” she said.