3 swimmers from L-L League claim titles on Day 2 of District 3 girls meet

MECHANICSBURG — High expectations can be a problem for some athletes, but this winter, Addison Elliott of Lancaster Catholic has always responded to every challenge.

At the District Three Swimming Championships on Saturday, Elliott repeated as the Class 2A girls gold medalist in the 100-yard backstroke, backing up her top seed with a victorious 56.81. That was exactly her seed time, which earned her a Lancaster-Lebanon League record three weeks ago.

“Around the first turn, I really tried to push my underwater to get ahead of the two girls next to me,” Elliott said.

Her time was 28.00 at the midway point, 0.4 seconds behind Chloe Moore of York Suburban. Sam Kil of East Pennsboro — herself a gold medalist in Friday’s 100 butterfly — was second with a 58.36.

Cocalico’s Elle Fisher won the gold in the 100 breaststroke, finishing in 1:07.46. She had a small lead throughout, reaching the 50-yard mark at 31.07, and bested her previous PR by 2.21 seconds.

“I just wanted to go out really fast and get a good lead,” Fisher said. “I know I swim better when I’m out in front.”

2024 District 3 swimming championships - Day 2 [photos]

Emma Duffy of Bishop McDevitt, who was the top seed, finished second with a 1:08.64.

Melia van Zandt, Fisher’s teammate, placed fifth with a 1:13.95.

Though Lampeter-Strasburg did not have any gold medals, the Pioneers took four total medals of other hues on Saturday en route to a fourth-place finish in the team standings, with 191 points.

L-S’s 400 freestyle relay team of Lilah Schwartz, Kylie Gerhardt, Maddy Juba and Zara Paisley finished second with a 3:43.40. Top seed York Suburban won with a 3:37.99.

Paisley took a silver medal for herself by posting a 53.63 in the 100 freestyle, dropping 1.21 seconds off of her best time. It was the first time she reset her PR in two years. Pyta Billet of York Suburban led throughout and won the gold with a 53.10.

Gerhardt took fifth place in the 100 backstroke with a 1:01.59.

Juba added to the Pioneers’ medal haul with a sixth-place finish in the 500 freestyle, touching the wall at 5:40.57.

Schuylkill Valley won the team race with 291 points, ahead of York Suburban’s 286 and Boiling Springs’ 238. Cocalico was sixth with 137 points, which Lancaster Catholic was 12th with 70.

High School Swimming

Ephrata's Ava Knopsnyder wins gold in Class 3A 200 IM at District 3 swimming

DAVID BOHR FOR LNP | LANCASTER ONLINE

Class 3A

Ava Knopsnyder of Ephrata earned her second gold medal of the meet with a personal-best 4:57.68 in the 500 freestyle. It was the only sub-5:00 500 free in District Three all year, though second-place Maddy Coombs of Carlisle was second with 5 minutes flat.

Knopsnyder also won the 200 IM in Friday’s session, in which she led wire-to-wire, just like in Saturday’s 500.

“Yes, that’s 100% (where I feel most comfortable),” Knopsnyder said. “The wait gets me nerved up. My mindset is to go out right now. And now, my mindset is to get ready for states.”

Penn Manor’s Dru Landis was third in the event with a 5:05.23.

One of the closest matchups of the day, at least on the heat sheets, was the 100 breaststroke.

Manheim Township’s Emilie Mosner and Cami Schwartz, along with Wilson’s Emma Dougherty, were seeded within 0.07 seconds of each other. Dougherty was the third of the three on the sheet, but first in the race with a 1:03.66. Schwartz finished second with a 1:04.58, and Mosner was third in 1:04.69. Elizabethtown’s Morgan Conway took sixth place in 1:07.07.

Mosner and Schwartz teamed up with Grace Welsh and Anna Sassaman to get a bronze medal in the 400 free relay with a 3:38.95. Ephrata’s quartet of Knopsnyder, Allie Ludwig, Kaui Parsons and Cali Burkholder took fifth with a 3:40.91.

In the 100 free, Tenra Adams of Warwick placed sixth with a 53.05. Mia Parry of Garden Spot placed eighth with a 53.30.

Adelaide Pusey of Warwick took the seventh-place medal in the 100 backstroke with a 59.34.