No matter how well a swimmer has performed all winter, it is a challenge to ascend the PIAA medal podium.
Unlike the Lancaster-Lebanon League or District Three meets, in which everyone swims an event one time, at the state meet — set to be contested Wednesday through Saturday at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium — everyone must swim a preliminary heat in the morning to qualify in the top eight, and then swim again the same night to decide who gets which medal.
Many L-L swimmers are heading to Lewisburg this week to do just that, but none are in quite as good a position as Ava Knopsnyder to claim multiple medals. The Ephrata junior is the No. 3 seed in the girls Class 3A 500-yard freestyle and the No. 4 seed in the 200 IM. Her seed times are 4:57.68 and 2:04.22, respectively.
Knopsnyder will by no means be alone, though. There will be other locals throughout the meet, and even in her own events. Dru Landis (5:05.23) of Penn Manor is the 11th seed in the 500 and Manheim Township’s Cami Schwartz (2:07.52) and Garden Spot’s Mia Parry (2:07.71) are the 11th and 12th seeds in the 200 IM.
Landis is also the eighth seed in the 200 freestyle with a 1:52.69.
The only other top 10 seeds in the 3A girls meet are Schwartz and her teammate Emilie Mosner, who are ninth and 10th in the 100 breaststroke with a 1:04.58 and 1:04.69, respectively.
Adora Emuwa of Manheim Township is the 15th seed in the 50 freestyle with a 23.98. The Blue Streaks are also in the 200 medley relay (11th, 1:47.71), 200 freestyle relay (16th, 1:38.94) and 400 freestyle relay (25th, 3:38.95).
Warwick’s Tenra Adams is 23rd in the 50 freestyle with a 24.47 and 25th in the 100 freestyle with a 53.05.
Ephrata is 26th in the 200 medley relay with a 1:50.11.
The 3A sessions, for both boys and girls, will be Wednesday and Thursday, followed by Class 2A competition on Friday and Saturday. In addition to the championship finals, there will be a consolation final in each event for those who placed ninth through 16th in the morning preliminaries.
Class 3A boys
Will Parker of Lebanon and Brody Reber of Warwick will have multiple opportunities for state medals this week.
Parker is the No. 6 seed in the 100 breaststroke with a 56.44 and the 20th seed in the 50 freestyle with a 21.51.
Reber enters the 500 freestyle with a 4:37.86 seed time, good for the ninth seed. He is also 10th in the 100 butterfly with a 50.16.
There are other L-L swimmers in multiple 3A boys events, though they will have to jump up the standings to get in the championship finals. Joey Myer of Ephrata is 21st in the 200 IM with a 1:55.85 and 26th in the 100 breaststroke with 58.46.
Manheim Township’s Cole Stevens is 21st in the 200 freestyle with a 1:44.08 and 23rd in the 100 backstroke with a 52.27.
Stevens will have a fair amount of local company in those events. In the 200 freestyle he will be joined by Elizabethtown’s Reid Gilmore (26th, 1:44.77), Warwick’s John Moll (28th, 1:44.82) and Elizabethtown’s Everett Rachael (30th, 1:45.32). In the 100 backstroke, there will also be Elizabethtown’s Jack Ketchum (19th, 51.74) and Lebanon’s Jomar Hidalgo (21st, 51.97).
The 500 freestyle will also have a pair of Ephrata swimmers. Jack Martin is 23rd with a 4:44.81 and Ethan Lloyd is 27th with a 4:45.42.
Relay teams in the 3A boys sessions are the Ephrata 200 medley relay team (22nd, 1:37.06), the Hempfield 200 freestyle relay team (19th, 1:27.34), and both the Elizabethtown (14th, 3:12.48) and Hempfield (16th, 3:12.74) 400 freestyle relay teams.
Class 2A girls
Addison Elliott of Lancaster Catholic will enter the 100 backstroke as the sixth seed in the 100 backstroke with a 56.81 and the 100 butterfly as the 15th seed with a 59.68.
Lampeter-Strasburg’s Kylie Gerhardt will also be in the 100 backstroke as the 25th seed with a 1:01.59.
The Pioneers will be competing in several other events as well. Zara Paisley is 11th in the 100 freestyle with a 53.63 and 27th in the 50 freestyle with a 24.95. L-S is also in the 200 freestyle relay (22nd, 1:42.65) and the 400 freestyle relay (16th, 3:43.40).
Elle Fisher of Cocalico is 11th in the 100 breaststroke with a 1:07.46.
Class 2A boys
Colton Houck of Donegal, Zach Delgado of Garden Spot and Danny Trate of Annville-Cleona are all in the freestyle sprints. Houck is seeded seventh in the 50 with a 21.60 and 13th in the 100 with a 47.84. Delgado is 12th in the 50 with a 21.97 and 19th in the 100 with a 48.44. Trate is 22nd in the 50 with a 22.31 and 28th in the 100 with a 49.00.
Other L-L swimmers in the 50 freestyle are Manheim Central’s Bryce Garber (28th, 22.53) and Cocalico’s Nic Guthridge (29th, 22.56).
Sam Kieffer of Manheim Central will enter the 500 freestyle as the No. 7 seed with a 4:49.42. He is also 12th in the 200 freestyle with a 1:47.35. The Barons are also in the 200 medley relay (26th, 1:44.21) and the 200 freestyle relay (25th, 1:32.11)
Evan Zeni of Cocalico is also in the 200 freestyle with a 1:50.03 for the 29th seed. The Eagles are also seeded 14th in both the 200 freestyle relay (1:30.11) and 400 freestyle relay (3:19.47).
Pequea Valley’s Ethan Wanner is 21st in the 100 breaststroke with a 1:00.93 and 25th in the 200 IM with a 2:04.14.
Colin Cheslock of Northern Lebanon is 31st in the 100 breaststroke with a 1:01.83, while Carter Cheslock is 25th in the 100 butterfly with a 54.60.
